Let’s take a minute to recap. What is Mr. Blaise Pascal teaching us this winter?
- Man is made to think -> he should think as he ought.
- Man is unable to think as he ought without help outside of himself -> man searches for the truth.
- Man is limited in finding all of truth because he is finite -> he looks to the infinite.
- Man cannot grasp the infinite in facts alone -> it is a matter of belief
- Belief in the infinite leads man to understand that there is a God
- There is a God -> there is a redeemer who brings man to God
- God opens the eyes of the blind -> man sees his need for a savior
- Man sees the works of God -> man seeks to obey the will of God
How do we know that this Christ is worthy of our obedience? We have seen that God the Father is worthy of our belief. We even have seen that He is worthy regardless of whether we believe or not. But how do we know that Christ is worthy?
Let those who seek God with all their heart,… take comfort. I proclaim to them happy news. There exists a Redeemer for them. (Pascal, 692)
Yet, we’ve already covered that in order for man to approach the God of the universe, he needs a mediator, a redeemer. How do we know that Christ is the redeemer that man so desperately needs?
Has it not struck you as completely profound that Pascal has so clearly walked us through the message of christianity? If not, I urge you to look at the list above again. Pascal does not leave us hanging or wondering about whom this redeemer may be. Just as God in His infinite love and mercy continually pointed us towards our need of a savior, Pascal shows us the proof for Christ as the Son of Man.
… everyone can call himself a prophet. But I see that Christian religion wherein prophesies are fulfilled; and that is what every one cannot do. (Pascal, 693)
The prophecies are the strongest proof of Jesus Christ. It is for them also that God has made most provision; for the event which has fulfilled them is a miracle existing since the birth of the church to the end. For God has raised up prophets during sixteen hundred years, and during four hundred years afterwards, He has scattered all these prophesies among all the Jews. (Pascal, 706)
What is a prophecy? It is a truth predicted before it happens. According to old testament law, if a prophet gave a prophecy and it did not come to pass, then he was labeled a false prophet and killed. God takes prophecies and the tasks of his prophets very seriously. This record of prophecies in the old testament which point to a short term and a long term fulfillment are essential for the redeemer of men. Christ fulfilled every single prophecy. Therefore, we continue:
In seeking to obey God, man discovers the prophesied perfect man -> Christ is the redeemer of mankind