The other day, I invited an atheist to coffee, and something strange happened the day before we were to meet.
I started day-dreaming about philosophy, theology, Christian apologetics and arguments I might use to convince him that my Christianity is truer than his atheism.
I’m not sure what made me stop. If there is a God, perhaps He was the One who reminded me that the college student I was meeting with was not just an atheist. He was a human being. He was not an argument to be deconstructed. He was a person — one of God’s image-bearers — to be treated with dignity.
So we met. We talked. I read some of the papers he had written, encouraged his study, and (when asked), I offered him insights into a Christian worldview. The whole thing was really civil and interesting. But in retrospect, there was one moment of our time together that stood out more than any other in our 2 hours of quality conversation:
I tried to buy his coffee, but he wouldn’t let me, even after I insisted.
Reflecting on our time together, I wondered if that one moment had provided more insight into his rejection of the gospel of grace than did all his carefully-articulated, philosophical arguments. It also reminded me why my attempts at clever arguments will never be enough to convince a man to accept grace.
If I’m honest with myself, I love to give charitably, but I hate to be charity or be thought of as charity. No one wants to be a beggar. But the gospel is clear:
It is by grace [or "undeserved favor"] you have been saved, through faith. This is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast.
If I am loved by God, it’s not because I deserve it. It’s because He decided I am worth it. There is a difference.
So I asked my atheist friend why he didn’t let me buy his coffee, and our conversation continues with the gospel now coming into view. But regardless of what happens in our future times together, I must admit, I’m still gonna try to buy his coffee, and sooner or later, maybe I’ll actually get to do it.
Speaking of coffee, who buys yours?
