Ep.1278: What Does It Feel Like To Have Real Faith?
Digging into the depth, power and transformative qualities of true faith
CHAPTERS
Theme Scripture: James 1:2-3
Christian faith is a big deal. The Bible tells us that faith is a gift from God. It tells us the just live by faith. It tells us that faith without works is dead, and that without faith, it is impossible to please God. It tells us that we can be of little faith needing more and then it tells us that if we have faith like the grain of a tiny mustard seed, we can move mountains. With all of these varied and important applications of faith it is surprising that defining faith and how it really works can be difficult tasks. Faith is far too often described as a feeling or a pathway to believing in something that has no substance. When it comes to biblically defined faith, nothing could be further from the truth!
Christian faith frequently comes under fire as foolishness.
Skeptics seem to love to challenge us to “prove” that there is a God. Their standards of proof require us to show God to them, which is simply not possible. Interestingly, biblical faith is defined as "a conviction of the reality of something unseen, based on credible evidence." We believe in God because we see unmistakable evidence pointing to Him.
Christian faith is a sincere belief in that which is sensible.
Let’s use a cell phone as an example. Think of all the planning, engineering, manufacturing and testing that goes into it. We all use them, and we all credit their manufacturers and the genius minds that created such incredible devices. Now, what would it take for nature to duplicate that creation? Seriously. Would any of us EVER believe that the wind, the sea, the land and elements, on their own by just the forces of nature could create one? Of course not. That would not fit the biblical definition of faith, because believing in such a thing would be foolishness.
While this may be obvious, many critics of Christian faith seem to do this very thing. They credit the forces of nature with creating DNA, which is so complex that it took a decade for our best and brightest to simply map it out so we can begin to understand it. And what about massively complex things like functional eyes, ears and noses? We credit nature, which incidentally does not have a conscious mind, with creating humans who because of their intelligence, can create little things like cell phones. Now who believes in ridiculous things, and who believes in that which is sensible?
Check out our April 24, 2023 podcast, “What Does It Feel Like to Have Real Faith?” for more. We examine biblical faith on several levels. We find that it begins by the grace of God. It is then put into our hands so we can develop it and live according to its direction. True biblical faith is no small thing, and it certainly does not fit the definition that so many label it with. Join us as we unravel the confusion surrounding what faith is and what it is not.
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