Pursuing truth until the end: Remembering Ravi Zacharias

With deep sadness, we at the National Christian Foundation mourn the passing of the great Christian apologist and our friend, Ravi Zacharias. Our prayers are with his family, the RZIM Global ministry, and with the many people whose lives he has touched in person and through his teaching.

“Death is synonymous with pain for the ones who remain. They will walk with a limp the rest of their lives,” Ravi said himself.

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Many will be walking with a limp now. Ravi’s teachings touched millions, and so many trace their commitment to Christ back to something they first heard while listening to him teach. Others have been strengthened in their faith or have watched God redirect their lives with Ravi as the catalyst.

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Ravi’s Christian life began with the commitment: “I will leave no stone unturned in my pursuit of truth.” And he kept his promise. Because of this, many thinkers have come to believe, and many believers have come to think more deeply, discovering how to articulate what they believe in the face of opposition and to present the gospel as a fragrant offering. They learned the guiding principle Ravi embedded in every member of his team – “If you win the argument, but lose the soul, what good is that?”

Death is synonymous with the end of pain for the Christian who departs. There is no more suffering for Ravi, and oh what awaits him! It is hard to imagine the vast numbers he will meet in heaven who trace their decision to follow Christ to an encounter with him or the team he trained.

Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither has entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for them that love him.” 

Though we still see as in a mirror, dimly, Ravi’s faith is now sight. He said himself that he longed for this day to come.

Jesus, confirm my heart’s desire

to work and speak and think for thee;

still let me guard the holy fire,

and still stir up thy gift in me.

Ready for all thy perfect will,

my acts of faith and love repeat,

till death thy endless mercies seal,

and make the sacrifice complete.*

And yet, while Ravi’s sacrifice is complete, his generosity of heart and spirit flourish. People from every corner of the globe have flooded social media with gratitude for Ravi. He and Margie devoted their lives to the Lord’s service, to one another, to their children, and to those the Lord called them to serve.

Through the Zacharias Institute and the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, Ravi’s work flourished during his lifetime, and will flourish still. He and his family poured everything into Michael and Anne Ramsden, and Michael and Anne, in turn, poured everything into the speakers trained through the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. And now, with Ravi’s blessing, they will carry forth his mission, vision, and passion for the gospel.

From Thou Who Camest From Above, by John Wesley, quoted in The Grand Weaver, by Ravi Zacharias.

Editor’s Note: This article was first published by, and is used here with permission from, the National Christian Foundation.

Photos from rzim.org

The National Christian Foundation is a charitable giving ministry that provides innovative, tax-smart giving solutions for Christian families and their advisors. Since 1982, we’ve sent more than $12 billion in giver-recommended grants to 63,000 charities at work in disaster relief, Scripture translation, adoption, homelessness, education, and countless other causes.

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