On January 13, Scott Adams, the creator of the comic strip “Dilbert,” passed away from prostate cancer at the age of 68. Two weeks before his death, Adams wrote a final message for his fans, which was published posthumously on social media.
In it, Adams spoke of his search for meaning and the things he accomplished in his life. At one point, he said:
“Next, many of my Christian friends have asked me to find Jesus before I go. I’m not a believer, but I have to admit the risk-reward calculation for doing so looks attractive. So, here I go: I accept Jesus Christ as my lord and savior, and I look forward to spending an eternity with him... And I hope I am still qualified for entry.”
Philosophers call that Pascal’s Wager.
The 17th-century philosopher Blaise Pascal argued that any rational person should accept the existence of God. Such belief in God, he argued, is a life-defining gamble. If God doesn’t exist, the believer loses little and only in this life. If God does exist, he gains immeasurably more in the
next.
In the same way, an unbeliever may gain some pleasure in this world. But if God is real, he faces an eternity of pain and regret.
Adams called it a “risk-reward calculation.” He seemed to view the act of publicly accepting Jesus as his Lord and Savior as a way to hedge his bets. If God is real, he would end up in heaven and avoid the horrors of hell. If God isn’t real, what would it hurt him?
He would be dead. Over the centuries, theologians have argued the usefulness of Pascal’s Wager and the validity of such “faith.” As Christians, we can see some benefit in helping people see the eternal importance of their choices here on earth – even when their starting point is fear rather than faith.
“What if you’re wrong?” is a valid question to ask an unbelieving friend.
But we have to be careful. Faith is not a gamble. A gamble is rooted in uncertainty; faith rests on promises.
Faith is trust – specifically, trust in God’s promises. Faith is trust that “God so loved the world, he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Faith is the peace and certainty that the Holy Spirit works in our hearts: sins forgiven and a home in heaven.
That doesn’t mean that we won’t have our doubts. As Christians, we all wonder at times if this is true. And when we do, we can return to the promises of God’s Word and Sacraments, which give us a sure and certain hope of heaven.
Over the last few weeks, I have heard several pastors and theologians openly debate whether Scott Adams had true, saving faith. That’s beyond my pay grade.
Only God knows what was in his heart.
If you are one of the many who don’t believe in God, I encourage you to ask yourself, “What if I’m wrong?”
But don’t stop there. Open the Bible. See if God doesn’t speak to you. See if he doesn’t open your eyes. And then trust.
Trust in his promises. Trust in his love. Trust in Jesus alone.
That is saving faith.
Pastor Andrew Schroer has been a pastor for over 25 years and is currently serving at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Edna, Texas. You can find his latest books, “364 Days of Thanksgiving” and “364 Days of Devotion,” on Amazon.com.
