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Faith That Will Not Fail
| There are two elements
to faith (trust). The first element is the confidence (faith or trust)
that a person places in the thing trusted. Secondly the trustworthiness
of the thing trusted. One can trust in his health, wealth, position,
friends, education, or possessions. However, none of these are totally
certain and even if they were, would only last a lifetime. For most
people trusting in the things of this world is enough because it is
what seems real and useful to them.
Hidden by a superimposed social world most people concern themselves
with is the natural world. This world was provided by the creator with
a reliability of sunrise, tides, gravity, and other physical processes
which are absolutely trustworthy. The un-trustworthy part of creation
is us. When Adam and Eve chose to act apart from God they set a path in
motion of humanity being driven by whatever desires each person
might have. These desires are often for gain, prominence, sensations,
and ease. God had a plan to recover some of us from the
self-destructive path of consumptive selfishness.
God did not intend to save the smartest or strongest people. He desired
those who sought after and trusted in truth. When Jesus died on the
cross, he earned the right to take back the world from Satan. He also
was able to offer the forgiveness of sins and a way for people to be
reconciled with God through faith in him. It is our faith in Jesus that
allows us to receive justification from God through the faith of Jesus
so that we can have eternal life.
Gal_2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the
law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by
the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be
justified.
People have faith (trust) in all sorts of things. They can trust that
their college education will get them a high paying job, they can trust
that increasing government debt won’t be a problem,
Faith (trust) is usually placed in something because it makes one feel
good or it is seen as true and thus trustworthy. There are some who
claim Christ, but have mistakenly placed their trust in something they
call Christianity that makes them feel good or otherwise provides a
feeling of assurance without actually being based in truth. For
Christian faith to be real, it has to be based on reality which is
truth.
Most Christians inherit their faith from their parents. For some what
is inherited is a sort of inertia that carries them along with the
familiar. Legacy faith may not be actual trust. Many reject it in their
teen years Although some who dig past errors may find that of
value in which they can trust. This can be similar to those who come to
consider Christianity from outside to often find a similar “digging”
function is needed to navigate around all the foolish and poor ways
Christianity is presented. The key is to find that which is true and
can be trusted.
The bible can be a useful tool on which to build faith. It is a record
of those who knew Jesus and witnessed what he said and what he did.
Another powerful testimony of the truth of Christianity can be found in
a changed life. Up until 120 years ago most people lived in villages.
Even urban neighborhoods could be considered villages. where children
grew up with a deep knowledge of each other. If a drunken husband
became a loving father or a bitter wife became a loving mother, this
was seen as absolutely true. Sadly today most people do not know each
other well enough to notice any change.
Many people depend of experts like pastors or theologians to tell them
what is true. This risks trusting in an “expert” rather than in Jesus.
The responsibility for directing the trust the young or mentally
limited have lies with those who declare to them what is true. Those
who have intellectual acuity are also at risk in that they may come to
trust in some personal construct or interpretation.
Being of the truth is critical to being able to discern truth.
Deceiving oneself and being deceived can be rather pleasant. Being of
the truth is an insistence to know the truth regardless of discomfort
or even consequence. If presented with two opposing theories such as
evolution, which states that nothing existed and then it blew up and
became everything which then organized itself into us; and creation, a
powerful creator made our universe and put us in it. one can apply
logic, the opinion of experts, popular opinion, or the historical
record (as far as it goes).
The implication of evolution is that life is an accident and there are
no requirements or limits. One is free to do whatever one wants. The
implication of creation is that there is a purpose to our creation and
we have an obligation to our creator to learn what is expected and why.
One can build faith on what feels good or what is true. Those who seek truth are perhaps best suited to find it.
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