Several years ago I read a true story that was humorous yet provided great insight. It is about a well-known preacher from the early part of the last century named Harry Ironside.

Pastor Ironside was asked to give his testimony to a large crowd on a street corner in San Francisco. After he finished, a well-dressed man approached him, offering his card. “Sir,” the man said loudly, “I challenge you to debate me with the question, ’Atheism versus Christianity’ next Sunday afternoon. I will pay all expenses.”

Ironside thought a moment and responded, “I will gladly accept your challenge as long as you meet the following requirements. You must agree to bring with you two persons, a man and a woman, who were once what we might call ‘down-and-outers.’ They will have been victims of their own sensual appetites or of the transgressions of others, and utterly lost due to their own life of sin. But, having heard the wonders of atheism and the ridicule of the Holy Scriptures, hope was born in their hearts. They now hate the very sins they once loved, and goodness, hope, and peace are now the hallmarks of their lives because of their newfound atheism. You bring two such persons to our debate, and I will bring no less than 100 such persons who have been gloriously saved through the same gospel that you ridicule. These men and women will testify to the saving power of Jesus Christ and the present-day truth of the Bible. Now, sir, do we have a deal?”

The man threw up his hands and walked away, to the enthusiastic applause of the surrounding crowd.

Have you ever given much thought to how atheism impacts a person’s life? C.S. Lewis was an atheist up until the age of thirty-one. He eventually recognized that atheism was a massive contradiction. He found great emptiness in it and found that his atheistic world view lead him to conclude that the universe was senseless. He lived with great despair.

However, after becoming a Christian his somber view of life was transformed into joy and a real sense of meaning. He began to openly share that the gloom he experienced was clearly a result of his godless worldview. He saw the universe as a “menacing and unfriendly place.” He found life as an atheist to be hopeless. Once he became a Christian, he said “he began to know what life really is and what would have been lost by missing it.”

Ultimately, the greatest evidence of the Gospel’s transformative power is found in what Christ does within us. He brings hope where there was despair, peace where there was turmoil, and purpose where life once seemed empty. It satisfies human longing, it fills the void, and it calms the restlessness of the heart. The world may offer temporary satisfaction, but only Christ can meet the deepest needs of the human heart and reconcile us to the One for whom we were created.

As Colossians 2:10 reminds us, that in Christ we become complete as human beings. We do not have to spend our lives searching for what is missing, trying to fill the emptiness with the things of this world. In Christ, we find forgiveness for our past, strength for our present, and hope for our future. The Gospel does more than change our circumstances; it changes us from the inside out. And when a person truly encounters Jesus Christ, they discover that the fullness, peace, and meaning they have longed for are found not in a philosophy, a worldly pursuit, or human achievement, but in Him alone.

Richard E Simmons III is the founder and Executive Director of The Center for Executive Leadership and a best-selling author.