Faith is the Problem
WHY?
“So why, pastor, are you even wasting your time preaching about the creation of the world and the existence of God? We already believe in God.” I would simply respond with “Do we? Do we really believe?” I would propose the following…if we actually, positively believed in God and the atonement of Christ on the cross 100%, then Christians would not be living their lives like the status quo. Polls would not show that professing Christians live their lives very similar to those who do not believe in God.
As I said last week, it is only commonsensical to assume if we truly believe in a God, then we would next, in a logical sequence, place our search to know that God and to follow Him as our ultimate purpose in life far above any other pursuits. If we sincerely believe He created us, then we would obviously diligently and meticulously search to discover answers to such questions as “Why did He create us?” “What does He want from us?” “Does God have a purpose for us?” “Is He involved at all in our daily lives?” “What will happen to me when I die?” “What kind of God is He?”
Our search for God would consume the majority of our time and energy. I would need to take time out to eat.
FAITH IS THE PROBLEM
Therefore since I do not see this logical sequence occurring among self professing Christians today then I must theorize that the problem is Christians really do not genuinely believe…even though we say we do. We have more doubts about God and Jesus than we would care to admit if we were really pressed. If asked in a poll about our belief in God, we would include ourselves in the vast majority of Americans who answer in the affirmative. However, my so-called belief may be a general, far from certain, “gives me some security,” “makes me think I’m alright” type of faith.
The word faith is a belief which finds itself a closer partner to “certainty” than “I think so.” You may not believe in gravity while you are a passenger in an airplane. If not, then you will more than likely jump out and attempt to soar…without a parachute. Your belief or unbelief in the law of gravity will determine what you do next. Do you “believe” than I am here speaking? Do you believe as strongly that God is here…speaking?
A simple but I think profound, workable definition of faith is “the truths upon which I base my life.” This is the reason choices in life, character, priorities, attitudes, goals, practices, lifestyles, etc. MUST unavoidably change at the time we believe. Therefore genuine faith must ALWAYS also inevitably be practiced. WE LIVE WHAT WE TRULY BELIEVE.
DEFINITION OF FAITH
The problem with the word “faith” in our society is that we often use it in a way which actually means the opposite of the true definition. The word faith is in point of fact an extremely forceful word. The opposite of faith is doubt. If we have all of one, then we cannot have any of the other. Of course, we may possess various amounts of faith and doubt, but they are mutually exclusive.
The book of Hebrews supplies us with the best Biblical definition for the word faith. It is such an important definition that to better understand it, I will present Hebrews 11:1 in various translations.
(MESSAGE) “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living.”
(NLT) “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”
(GW) “Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see.”
(AMP) “Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].”
Notice the words “confidence,” “assurance,” “convinces,” “confirmation,” “conviction,” and “reality.” We are thoroughly confident and convinced and convicted of these unseen truths. They are “facts” to us. So we make all choices and decisions according to these Spiritual truths. They are a part (the supreme part) of our reality.
Consequently, we cannot legitimately apply the words “faith” or “belief” when referring to God or Christ or creation or God’s kingdom unless these are our foundational truths guiding our lives. As The Message puts it (to repeat), “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living.”
Does that then leave room for any doubt whatsoever? Yes, it does. Faith does grow. We may be wholly convinced of one Spiritual truth but battle formidable doubts in other areas. The Bible also speaks of a “measure” of faith which means we may believe in a truth (and thus live our lives according to it), but continue to build upon that for a stronger and stronger faith until it becomes an unshakeable part of who we are (which is where we want to be.)
However, we should not use the powerful term “faith” and “believe” in regards to God flippantly or in a shallow way unless we believe them to the extent that they orchestrate our daily lives.
WHY?
“So why, pastor, are you even wasting your time preaching about the creation of the world and the existence of God? We already believe in God.” I would simply respond with “Do we? Do we really believe?” I would propose the following…if we actually, positively believed in God and the atonement of Christ on the cross 100%, then Christians would not be living their lives like the status quo. Polls would not show that professing Christians live their lives very similar to those who do not believe in God.
As I said last week, it is only commonsensical to assume if we truly believe in a God, then we would next, in a logical sequence, place our search to know that God and to follow Him as our ultimate purpose in life far above any other pursuits. If we sincerely believe He created us, then we would obviously diligently and meticulously search to discover answers to such questions as “Why did He create us?” “What does He want from us?” “Does God have a purpose for us?” “Is He involved at all in our daily lives?” “What will happen to me when I die?” “What kind of God is He?”
Our search for God would consume the majority of our time and energy. I would need to take time out to eat.
FAITH IS THE PROBLEM
Therefore since I do not see this logical sequence occurring among self professing Christians today then I must theorize that the problem is Christians really do not genuinely believe…even though we say we do. We have more doubts about God and Jesus than we would care to admit if we were really pressed. If asked in a poll about our belief in God, we would include ourselves in the vast majority of Americans who answer in the affirmative. However, my so-called belief may be a general, far from certain, “gives me some security,” “makes me think I’m alright” type of faith.
The word faith is a belief which finds itself a closer partner to “certainty” than “I think so.” You may not believe in gravity while you are a passenger in an airplane. If not, then you will more than likely jump out and attempt to soar…without a parachute. Your belief or unbelief in the law of gravity will determine what you do next. Do you “believe” than I am here speaking? Do you believe as strongly that God is here…speaking?
A simple but I think profound, workable definition of faith is “the truths upon which I base my life.” This is the reason choices in life, character, priorities, attitudes, goals, practices, lifestyles, etc. MUST unavoidably change at the time we believe. Therefore genuine faith must ALWAYS also inevitably be practiced. WE LIVE WHAT WE TRULY BELIEVE.
DEFINITION OF FAITH
The problem with the word “faith” in our society is that we often use it in a way which actually means the opposite of the true definition. The word faith is in point of fact an extremely forceful word. The opposite of faith is doubt. If we have all of one, then we cannot have any of the other. Of course, we may possess various amounts of faith and doubt, but they are mutually exclusive.
The book of Hebrews supplies us with the best Biblical definition for the word faith. It is such an important definition that to better understand it, I will present Hebrews 11:1 in various translations.
(MESSAGE) “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living.”
(NLT) “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”
(GW) “Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see.”
(AMP) “Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].”
Notice the words “confidence,” “assurance,” “convinces,” “confirmation,” “conviction,” and “reality.” We are thoroughly confident and convinced and convicted of these unseen truths. They are “facts” to us. So we make all choices and decisions according to these Spiritual truths. They are a part (the supreme part) of our reality.
Consequently, we cannot legitimately apply the words “faith” or “belief” when referring to God or Christ or creation or God’s kingdom unless these are our foundational truths guiding our lives. As The Message puts it (to repeat), “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living.”
Does that then leave room for any doubt whatsoever? Yes, it does. Faith does grow. We may be wholly convinced of one Spiritual truth but battle formidable doubts in other areas. The Bible also speaks of a “measure” of faith which means we may believe in a truth (and thus live our lives according to it), but continue to build upon that for a stronger and stronger faith until it becomes an unshakeable part of who we are (which is where we want to be.)
However, we should not use the powerful term “faith” and “believe” in regards to God flippantly or in a shallow way unless we believe them to the extent that they orchestrate our daily lives.
