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Christ's reasoning attracted many souls, but not all who heard it believed in Him. Although reason may attract, it, alone, cannot bestow the gift of Faith. Faith is essentially a spiritual bond one has with his Lord. If someone were to insist upon his own interpretation of scripture, there is little that can be done to change his mind. Christ Himself could not convince those who did not want to believe. The freedom of choice to believe or not is always there (76:2) In this connection, it is important to note also that neither can suffering and hardships by themselves bestow faith. Not everyone who suffers awakens to belief in Christ. The power of reason, therefore, or life's troubles, while they may increase one's receptiveness to the message of Christ, will yield nothing by themselves. The primary ingredient necessary for one's conversion to Christianity, whatever the previous experience of the seeker might be, is that he must be touched by the love of Christ. Christ's love alone can bestow life everlasting (76:3) But to draw people toward Christ, that they may begin to open their hearts to His love, reason certainly played an important role both at His time, and in the ages that followed. God has given to all people a measure of intellect. And His purpose in bestowing this gift upon us is so that we may use it to discover the truth in all things. Such a wondrous gift, which the Almighty has given to women and men alone, of all creatures, Christ did not neglect, but rather used it to attract people to Him
(76:4)
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