THE PROBLEM OF FAITH

     And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

                Recently the question of faith came to the forefront of my thinking. What is faith? What does it mean to have faith?

                In one generic sense, we all exercise faith every day. We get up in the morning and turn on the shower, having faith that hot water will cascade out and invigorate us. We get in our cars and drive 70 mph on the highway, having faith that the other drivers will obey the rules of the road. We get on an airplane, which will take us across the country, having faith that it will safely get us to our destination.

                In one sense, faith is trust in something. Given some basic information, we trust an object to do what it is supposed to do. We don’t have all the information about that thing, but we have enough information to trust it. We also trust people and institutions to do what they are supposed to do. We don’t know all that goes on in another person’s mind or behind the closed doors of an institution. But based on what we do know, we place our trust in them. When they fail to live up to what we expect, we lose our faith in them.

                Faith is at the very core of our spiritual experience. As Hebrews 11 states, without faith it is impossible to please God. Genuine, biblical faith is more that just believing that God exists, but also believing that God is for us, that He wants what is best for us. Biblical faith is not general or generic, it is personal and intimate. It embraces the concept that God wants to have a relationship with us.

                So how do we know that our faith is not misplaced? Faith is a tricky thing. Faith asks us to make a decision without all of the facts. Faith is not certainty, in the sense that the object of our faith is indisputable. Faith is weighing the evidence that we have and choosing to trust.

                God has revealed himself to us in three ways. He has revealed Himself through the created world. As the Psalmist says, the heavens declare the glory of God. Many people have put their faith in a god based on what they see in the created world around them. Many others have looked at the same world and have rejected God. God has revealed Himself through His revealed word. Over the centuries He has spoken to us through prophets and apostles. We have this information recorded for us in the Bible. Many people have read the Bible and placed their faith in the God of the Bible. Yet, others have rejected the Bible as a manmade myth with no credibility. Finally, God has revealed Himself through the incarnation; the person of Jesus. The life and teachings of Jesus are the most complete and convincing information we have about God. Many people have examined the life of Jesus and come to faith in God. Others have examined the life of Jesus and rejected God.

                The problem of faith is that our knowledge is limited. We have just enough information to make a choice. Based on what we know we can choose to believe in God by faith or we can choose to reject God. Faith itself is an important aspect of humanity’s free will. God could have created us in such a way that there would be no doubt about His existence. Instead, He chose to allow us to choose to believe in Him or not. I believe that He did this out of genuine love for us.

                If I placed another person in a position where they cannot choose to love me, then is their response really love? If God revealed Himself in such a way that there could be no doubt, then would our faith be faith or something else very different?

                The choices we make in life shape who we are. The things we choose to place our faith in set the course of our life. If we choose to place our faith in the absence of God, then our lives will take a certain direction. If we choose to place our faith in the reality of God, then our life will head in a very different direction.

                There are many objections that can be raised against the existence of God. But there is also much evidence for the existence of God. Lee Strobel, in his book, The Case for Faith, does a masterful job of sorting through the evidence. But in the end, each of us must choose for ourselves. We all have access to the same bank of knowledge and information. Our knowledge is finite and limited, therefore, at some point, we all must take a leap of faith. Either we will leap into the arms of God or we will leap into the darkness of the unknown. The choice is ours. That is what it means to have faith.

    Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

 

BEING AN EVERYDAY CHRISTIAN

 

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

                One of the things that retirement gives to a person is time. Up to this point in my life, my time has been dominated by either school or work. These dictated how I would use my time. Now, in retirement, my time is my own. It is up to me how I use my time.

                I have been thinking a lot about what it means for me to live out my faith in retirement. Up to this point, my days have been focused on religious activities. I spent my time reading spiritual books, preparing Bible studies and sermons, counseling people, leading small groups, and preaching. My job was faith focused and so I felt that I was living the Christian life. But now that I am not doing all of those things, what does it mean for me to live the Christian life?

                The vast majority of Christians in the world live their lives within a secular environment. They do not work within the Church as an occupation. Instead, they are plumbers, carpenters, store clerks, factory workers, doctors and lawyers. Much of their day is consumed by activities that would not be considered to be spiritual. So, what does it mean to be an everyday Christian in our world? How do we live out our faith on a daily basis?

                I don’t believe that a person has to be involved in some kind of religious activity to live out their faith. When God created Adam and Eve, He did not give them a church building to maintain, but a garden. God wants us to live out our faith in the world around us, not just inside the walls of a church building. So, what does that look like.

                When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He responded with a two-fold agenda for living the Christian life. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)

                If I love another person, I will do what pleases them. To love God on a daily basis is to live a life that would please Him. That means doing my best at whatever I do. It means being conscientious. It also means living with God in mind. It is not just living a moral life, but living a life aligned with the values and purposes of God. It is living in relationship with Christ in practical ways. Paul challenged the Colossians, and us, to see our “jobs” as an act of service for Christ. Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:22-24)

                The second half of Jesus’ response makes living the Christian life very practical. We are to love others as ourselves. Jesus said that the way that others will know we are His disciples is if we love one another as He has loved us. This means that we are to seek the best for the community in which we live. We are to seek the best for the people we come in contact with. Paul called this living a life worthy of our calling. As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:1-2) A few verses later Paul again gives us some practical guidance for being an everyday Christian.

    Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

    Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:25-32)

    Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2)

                Bottom-line, being an everyday Christian means living in the constant reality that God is not just watching, but that He is walking beside us in everything that we do. It is consciously doing everything for the glory of God.

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. (Colossians 1:10-12)

 

GETTING A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

 

Isaiah 55:8-9

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,"

declares the Lord.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 

                We were driving in the countryside the other evening when the moon began to rise in the east. It was a magnificent full moon. Later, it illuminated our backyard with its soft light. As I watched the moon in its ascendancy, I was struck by how our perspective shapes our understanding.

                Today, even though we know that the earth revolves around the sun and not the other way around, we still speak of the sun and the moon rising in the east and setting in the west. From our perspective the sun and moon move across the sky as we stay in one place. But when astronauts travel in space, they see the world from a totally different perspective. The world, which seems so large to us, because relatively small as viewed from space.

                We view our life on earth from an earthly perspective. We interpret what happens in life from the vantage point of daily life. Therefore, we deem things good or bad based on our perspective of the world. Like ancient peoples, we view ourselves as the center of the universe and all else revolves around us. Even though we acknowledge that this perspective is not true, we still tend to live that way. We interpret events, big and small, in relationship to how they affect us. In many ways, we have a very narrow perspective on life.

                As a believer in Christ, we become aware that there is a totally different perspective from which to view life. That is an eternal perspective, or better yet, God’s perspective. God is more like the astronauts who can view the whole of earth at one time. God sees all that there is; that which is visual to us and that which is not. He can see how all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together, while we are limited to seeing only our small part of the puzzle. Therefore, God’s perspective is complete, while ours is limited.

                One of the outcomes of placing our faith in Jesus Christ is that we are awakened to God’s perspective. We begin to get a glimpse of the big picture. We can see that things that may look negative on the surface might actually be positive, while things that seem positive on the surface may in fact be negative.

                One of the reasons that Jesus came into the world was to open our eyes to see things from an eternal perspective. Just like those who were willing to challenge the common belief that the sun revolves around the earth, Jesus was willing to challenge the common perspective of His day, and ours. In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, six times Jesus challenged the perspective of His audience with the words “you have heard it said, but I say.” Jesus challenges us to embrace an eternal perspective, which will change the way we interact with our world. He wants us to place value on what will last not on what is temporary and vulnerable. As Jesus stated in Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

                In the business world, leaders talk about getting the 5000-foot view of situations. People tend to get caught up in the details, or caught in the weeds, as the phrase goes, and lose their perspective. Although the details are important, we need to interpret them from a greater vantage point. Jesus calls us to view our world from a spiritual 5000-foot view; from an eternal perspective. When we do this, we can begin to see how the different pieces of life are supposed to fit together. Temporary gains and pleasures are replaced by long-term gains and benefits. We are able to face the many challenges of life with courage, strength, and endurance. As Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.