You don’t have to look very hard in the New Testament to find the word ‘faith’—it’s literally everywhere. In fact, we are assured in Hebrews 11:6 that, without it, it is impossible to please God, which means that it is obviously very important. However, it has been my experience that Christians often fail to understand the true nature of the faith that God requires of us. Consider the following two scenarios:
Scenario 1: A young boy wakes up on a cold winter morning in a small South Dakota town. Excitedly, he pulls back the curtains of his bedroom window to reveal a winter wonderland outside, with the first snowfall of the year having blanketed everything in sight. He throws on his boots, trousers, coat, and scarf and then grabs his bobsled as he makes his way to the freshly frozen lake out behind his house. He approaches the lake at a full sprint and, without a second thought, throws his sled down onto the ice and jumps, outstretched, on top of it with a squeal of delight.
Scenario 2: The same young boy awakes on the same snowy morning. He dons his winter wear, and grabs his sled. As he approaches the freshly frozen lake behind his house, he notices the tire tracks from his dad’s 2.5 ton pickup truck stretching from the driveway of their home all the way out across the frozen lake to the other side, where his father is gathering a load of fresh firewood for their home. With confidence, he gleefully runs out onto the ice and begins his fun-filled day of bobsledding.
Now, in both scenarios, the boy had faith in the ice on the lake and its ability to hold him and his sled. The difference is, the faith exercised in the first scenario was an unjustified or blind faith, as there was no rational reason for the boy to trust that the ice could hold him. Sure, he believed that it would, but there was no real justification for his belief. However, in the second scenario, the boy was exercising justifiable faith. That is, he had a very good reason for believing that the ice would hold him and for subsequently acting upon that belief by stepping out onto it. The tracks, indicating that his father’s much larger and heavier vehicle had successfully been supported by the ice, gave him a logical justification for his assumption that it would also hold him. That is the same type of faith that God calls us to exercise with regards to trusting Him and His Word. Consider Romans 1:18-20:
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
According to these verses, God has clearly revealed Himself to all mankind such that we are without excuse for denying Him. That is, the ‘tracks’ He has left for us via both His natural and special revelation, not only justify our faith in Him, they demand it. As such, Christianity is not a blind leap into the dark unknown, but rather, it is a confident step onto a sure foundation of Truth that has been established and revealed by God in such a way that we can know with certainty who He is and that His Word is true. This is why the Apostle Paul could confidently declare in 2 Timothy 2:12—
……nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
The foundation of God is indeed a sure one. It is not shameful to trust in Him—it is shameful not to. May God help us to trust Him more and to build up ourselves on our most holy faith!
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