Examining the nature of faith

Pastor Arnie Wyllie

Religion is one of the great facts of human life. Even those who have nothing to do with it cannot deny its worldwide importance. Humanity is incurably religious. We all worship something. Our gods may be false gods. This is called idolatry. The ‘self-made-man" will worship his “creator”, who is himself. This is the greatest idolatry of all. Martin Luther said it well, “Whatever, then, thy heart clings to and relies upon, that is properly thy god.” Bob Dylan sang it this way, “It may be the devil, or it may be the Lord, but ya gotta serve somebody.” Our Bible quotes Jesus as saying, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Faith, or believing, is taking something as true with absolute certainty and holding it with such confidence as to live by it. Faith differs from opinion. We argue opinions, but we live by our beliefs. There is a close connection between faith and life. We all live by faith. Without a doubt, everyone who reads this article believes that the sun will rise tomorrow. We do not need any proof. We have faith this will happen. We plan for it. The value of a belief does not depend on the sincerity of the believer. A lie that is currently going around is, “It does not matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere!” This is philosophy, not truth. The most dangerous people in the world are those who believe a monstrous lie and are utterly sincere in that belief. Sincere “religious belief” was a major factor on the terrorist attack on the USA on Sept. 11, 2001. The terrorists “believed” they were doing the “right thing”. As inhumane as their actions were, one cannot question the terrorist’s sincerity. Our salvation, and ultimately, our eternal destiny depends on believing truth, not a sincere philosophy. “Truth” stands for that which is actually the case. “Belief” stands for our conviction as to what is the truth. Therefore there may be truths which are not believed, just as there may be beliefs which are not true. Truth is only of value when it is believed. Beliefs are safe only when they are true. We need to be right in what we believe. Believing is something we do. We may choose to believe or refuse to believe. The lives we live are the results of the beliefs we hold. They are the response of the mind and soul when faced with the claims of truth. The foundation of all religion is belief in the “Supreme Being”, whom we know as God. All people believe in some kind of God. The Christian will be asked this question, “Why do you believe in God?” His answer will be a response out of his own experience. A Christian will answer, “God met me one day, and my life was changed. I believe in God because of what He has done in my life.” There are many other reasons for believing in God, but there is none better than this. We may think and argue about the existence of one of whom we have read and about whom we have learned some facts. But we never question the existence of a person we have met personally. Jesus is the person we all need to meet. Christianity claims one great, unique and fundamental difference from all the other religions. All other religions involve mankind’s search for God. The Christian faith rests solidly on the conviction that God has not waited for mankind to find Him. God has come to the human race with a divine self-revelation, concluding in the coming of His only begotten Son, Jesus. The supreme and final disclosure of God is “very God Himself” alive in the person of Jesus Christ our Lord. The Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” (John 1:1) Jesus is the Living Word of God who is the perfect revelation of the Father. Believe - have faith in the God of Creation - our historical, personal God, because, “God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)