What’s the deal with FAITH?

We live by faith, not by sight.  2 Corinthians 5.7

Seven simple words which command all who would follow Jesus Christ.   Christians are called to live by faith . . . ‘got that, but why?

The writer to the Hebrews said, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God . . .”  okay, but why? “Because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists …”  We must have faith and believe God exists, without ever having seen him— for starters, that is why faith is required. 

Faith requires of us that we believe in someone

         without ever looking into his eyes,

          without ever holding his hand,

           without hearing his voice,

            without seeing his size or shape,

             without watching him react

Indeed, without seeing God, we must have the faith that he is there.

And then I think, ‘Well, I don’t see the wind, but I cannot discount its existence.’  Why?  I see its effects.  I see the trees bend, the leaves flutter and swirl in a circle, I see a woman’s hair blow, and a tumbleweed roll across the highway.  All of these suggest the existence of an unseen force.  I do not see God, but I see the effects of where he is, where he is at work, and where he has been—all of which speak loudly of his existence, and bolster my faith in him.

When Jesus Christ took on the form of a human being and lived among us, we saw God.  (Now obviously not you and I, but our forbears)  Because we have the biographical information from the gospel writers, the embers of our faith are stoked as we imagine being a face in the crowd who saw

-the ire in his eyes as he turned over moneymakers’ tables in the temple, the love in his eyes as he looked at his mother 

-the tender expression on his face when he held children on his lap, a hand of support on their little backs

-his bold discussion in the light of day with shameful women . . .

         Look beyond the obvious, Jesus talking to these women…Don’t you see?  God is dangerous--he is bold, and would not/cannot be tamed by cultural customs and the mores of the day!

-his courageous silence in the face of sinful accusers

-his tortured, weakened body as he struggled under the weight of the cross he was carrying to Golgotha . . .

All of these vignettes we can vividly see in our minds.  They tangibly inform our thinking about who God is, and they enable us to logically have faith in God.

I was just interrupted by a phone call from my Long Beach friend, Popeye.  A while into our conversation I asked him why God requires faith of us, and why we can’t please God without faith… (a simple question to start his day)…without hesitation, he said, “Our faith is what allows the power of the Holy Ghost to function effectively and to work in our lives.”  Whoa.  “Besides that, he commands we have faith.”  Simple.  Following God requires obedience and in obedience, we must have faith . . . . and exercise it.  I can look at a chair and have faith that it will support my weight; but unless I am willing to actually take the next step and sit in the chair, my faith in that chair means nothing.  Hmmm . . .

Thomas would not believe he was looking at the risen Lord until he was able to touch his wounds.  To which Jesus said, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."1  I want to be blessed!  God is merciful to us in this matter.  Consider this: "Everything is possible for him who believes," Jesus said to the man whose son was possessed by an evil spirit.  Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"2  Even while we possess some modicum of faith, even as we endeavor to act on it, we can be praying for greater faith!  Powerful.

And then there is the matter of our finite minds . . . God is an infinite, limitless being, though we his creatures are limited in both our thinking and comprehension of him.  Even if God were to fully reveal himself to us, it would be impossible for us to fully know him; our minds cannot contain him.  And so we trust in what we know of him—the life and sacrifice of his Son, his creation, his Word, and the miraculous .  .  .  Beyond that, as we grow in our faith relationship with him, our experiential encounters with him increase our trust, and his work in our lives cannot be denied.  No one can deny or take away our personal experiences with Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  No, not one.

Finally, faith is the largest component of trust; we would have no real relationship without trust.  Trust in our Lord is a blessed requirement in knowing him, and walking with him.  ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take him at his word . . . ‘

Christine