FAITH (Part One)
In the eyes
of many people, the term “Faith” represents merely an abstract
idea that Christians and others use to explain their willingness to accept the
existence of God, and especially the Scripture found in our Holy Bible, as
being “true”. Those outside of the
“faith community” have not been reached or touched in the way that those inside
the community have been. Some will never accept the existence of “faith” as
being “real”. Others are seeking some
“proof” that our faith is real, and are looking for some evidence that they can
understand through their senses. They ask: “How do you know it is real or true
if you can’t see it, or measure it, or …”
The
Cambridge Dictionary defines “abstract” as “existing as an idea, feeling, or
quality, not as a material object: Truth and beauty are abstract concepts.”. It
then goes on to give some examples, citing “happiness, faith and
confidence” as abstract qualities. (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/abstract)
As
Christians and Bible students, we have been taught that the Bible is to be read
and believed as a total package…a complete message from God. The Scripture
itself says: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (2
Timothy 3: 16). Because of the limitations of mankind, it doesn’t answer every
question that we might ask, but it does provide all the information that God
thinks we need to accomplish His Plan for our salvation and restoration to Him.
He has been implementing His Plan for the past several thousands of years, and man
has had access to Him for most of that time. The Bible tells the story of man’s
falling away from God and the continuing choices that man has made leading us
to today. But God has been patient / longsuffering. (2 Peter 3: 9) All He
asks is that we have faith in what He has said, and make our choices /
decisions based on His Word.
Our Bible
has defined faith in this manner: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11: 1) Key to understanding that definition are the
words “hoped for”. This does not refer to “hope” as we usually
see it meaning a “blind wish” (such as hoping to win the lottery), but rather
“trust in”. (Strong’s Expanded Concordance #1679) As Christians who believe we have already received
the eternal salvation of our souls, we trust in the Word of God that our future
is already secure. As a result, part of our service to our Savior Lord Jesus is
to act in a manner that reflect His changes in our lives, knowing we are
no longer controlled by our sinful past. (Romans 3: 23-26)
Our soul and
spirit have been changed by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Those “changes” are
some of “the evidence”… of things not seen”. We believe “our citizenship
is in heaven” (Philippians 3: 20), We are to serve as “Ambassadors” for our Savior,
the Ascended Lord Jesus, to represent Him and our Heavenly Father in helping to
guide others to salvation. (2 Corinthians Chapter Five, note especially Verse
20)
For those who
might not readily accept how our personal testimony provides “evidence”, I’ll
turn to some more “objective” evidence which they might accept “by faith”. For
example, when a gardener or farmer plants seeds into fertile soil (then adds rainwater
and sunlight), using the scriptural definition of “faith” above, they hope
for / trust in the germination of those seeds into their desired plants. They
don’t know with certainty, but they have faith. Even though they don’t know the
specific details of how that transformation from seeds to plants takes
place, they willingly accept the crop results as “evidence” that the process
took place.
As another
example, when a person purchases a new tech device: phone, computer or other, there is the
expectation, by faith, that by having made the purchase from a “reputable
source” there will be no problems with the device. The purchaser has no knowledge of all the
details of how that device was manufactured or shipped, but must exercise faith
in the process. The “evidence” of that
faith was the purchase price, even before the device was delivered and connected. In a related example, I know of no one who
has “seen” what is called “The Cloud” that contains much of my and others’ computer
data. Like “Bluetooth” and sound waves, or
even the source of the waves along the ocean shore, and other phenomena that
we’ve never seen, we accept their existence by faith. We’ve experienced “evidence”
that they do exist by observing their effects, or through our other senses. Although
the elements themselves remain a mystery, we believe they exist by faith.
Now I’d like
to challenge some Christians and other Bible students to see if my reading of
the Scripture is consistent with their beliefs. On another side of the discussion
of “Faith” are many people who are Christians who say their faith is based on
the messages of the Bible. Recently I’ve heard some pastors and others opine about
when a human life begins, as their basis for taking a stance on the volatile
issue of abortion. I believe that
Christians should turn to the Bible and cite the specific scripture that led
them to that position. Many either don’t
turn to the Scripture when in a position to address controversial issues and
concepts, or they prefer not to accept the Bible’s teachings.
In my initial
postings on this blog (August 28th and 31st, 2022), I ventured
into the controversial area of: “How Should Christians Define “Pro-Life” and “Pro-Choice”
(Parts 1 and 2). I recommend that you read these posts to get a more complete
sense of the points I’m trying to make here. I tried to present my findings using
Bible references that I felt were consistent with the total message that God
has given us. We are three-part beings, consisting of an invisible, eternal, soul
and spirit (made in the image of God), and temporarily in visible, mortal,
physical bodies. We believe we are made of invisible components because the
Bible says so. We believe we are made in the image of God because the Bible
says so. We believe that the human body is lifeless until God breathes into it
the breath of life. That breath is what places / infuses the soul and spirit
into the body. When that body “dies”, and the person releases their last
breath, the soul and spirit are released to return to the God who made them. A
person who has been present at the birth of an infant, or at a person’s final
moments in passing on, has witnessed the “evidence” of these processes. Always
remember that “human life” should not be confused with the “life” of other
animals. The key to believing this is “faith” in what the Bible says. My Bible
references are cited in the two postings noted above.
In Part Two
of the discussion of “Faith”, I hope to explore the subject in the context of other
possibly controversial Bible concepts.
As Christians and other Bible students, we hopefully can agree on what the
full Scripture is teaching us, so that we can better represent to others what
God wants all mankind to know.
Dr. W. A.
(Bill) Robinson
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