Friday, February 1, 2008 at 12:12am
What is faith?
Column: For His Glory
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).
What does this mean? If I can rephrase it, what this verse is saying that your faith will "trust, believe in what the Bible has said about our past, what it is saying to you today and what it has promised for you in the future. Based on this trust, you know that the people, places and things spoken of in the Bible are real and you will act accordingly."
We all live by faith, even if you do not believe in God. You went to bed last night with the faith that the roof wouldn't fall down on you as you slept. We gather in church by faith in the architects and builders; none of us has a guarantee that the chair or pew you are sitting on will not collapse and break your back. Even the atheist, with all his claims that there is no God, lives by faith. When he or she turns on the car in the morning, they do so in the hope that it will turn on. They believe in evolution by faith, and yet teach it as if it were a fact. They have never seen evolution happen, hence they have to believe it by faith. You and I are creatures of faith, and yet when it comes to biblical faith, we have to "SEE!" But like C.D. Brooks once said, who sees? "Wise men and women don't trust their eyes. If it's too small, they use a microscope. If it's too far, they use a telescope. And if it is very precious, they use a special lens. Yet when it comes to the Bible and God, we have to "SEE!" I tell you today that we all live by faith and God has given this world enough evidence that faith in Him is the only sure thing.
Therefore we need to understand: What is this component called faith that is essential to a relationship with God? As part of understanding this word "faith," we have to realize first what it is not. Faith is not based on the five senses. True faith looks beyond the five senses to God's word. That is important because we are taught in society that what we can "see, touch, taste, hear, smell" is reality, but that simply is not true.
Take, for example, the chemical carbon monoxide. It is odorless, so you can't smell it. You can't taste it, see it, in other words it is beyond the five senses, and yet the reality of its existence is confirmed by the fact that it is the largest cause of poisoning death in the United States. Carbon monoxide can be found in "unvented kerosene and gas space heaters; leaking chimneys and furnaces; back-drafting from furnaces, gas water heaters, wood stoves, and fireplaces; gas stoves; generators and other gasoline-powered equipment; automobile exhaust from attached garages; and tobacco smoke."
How, then, can you prevent carbon monoxide poisoning if your five senses cannot detect it? You would have to have a carbon monoxide detecting instrument that would indicate to you the level of carbon monoxide in a particular room and trust that instrument, regardless of how you feel. Here are some facts that can save your life. Although your senses cannot detect carbon monoxide, there are symptoms that might indicate to you that you might be affected by this poisonous gas. Some of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are (at low concentrations) fatigue in healthy people and chest pains in people with heart problems. Symptoms for higher concentrations of carbon monoxide can lead to impaired vision or coordination, headaches, dizziness, confusion and nausea. This is important to know because although the cause, carbon monoxide, is undetectable by our senses, the symptoms can give us a warning that carbon monoxide might be in the air.
Faith is based on a similar principle. Let me explain.
You see, the leading cause of death among humans is not carbon monoxide; it is not AIDS, cancer, wars or heart attacks. The leading cause of death is sin. I like how the New Living translation puts it (1 Corinthians 15:56): "For sin is the sting that results in death." And what does sin have in common with carbon monoxide? You cannot detect it with your senses or on your own. You need a special instrument, and the instrument needed is the word of God. But like carbon monoxide poisoning, there are symptoms caused by sin that are detectable. At lower concentrations of sin some of the symptoms are indifference, apathy and that loss of "first love" to things pertaining to Jesus and building a relationship with Him. At higher concentrations the symptoms will include Sabbath breaking, drugs, alcohol, hate, fornication, adultery, lack of a prayer life, a disregard for His word and disobedience. These are some of the symptoms of a life poisoned by sin. In other words, then, faith will lead you to trust God's word, even when your senses tell you differently!
Remember, then, that sin is not detectable by our senses but only as we trust in the word of God to point out sin in our lives. Hence, the next time you come to a juncture in your life when you have to decide between obeying God's word or following the maxims of today's society, stake a claim on God's word and your faith will be rewarded. (Cf. Hebrews 11:6).
— — —
Gio Marin is the pastor of the College Station and Waller Seventh-day Adventist Church in the state of Texas. He graduated in December 2007 with a master of divinity degree from Andrews Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Send him an email at {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Gio Marin.
What does this mean? If I can rephrase it, what this verse is saying that your faith will "trust, believe in what the Bible has said about our past, what it is saying to you today and what it has promised for you in the future. Based on this trust, you know that the people, places and things spoken of in the Bible are real and you will act accordingly."
We all live by faith, even if you do not believe in God. You went to bed last night with the faith that the roof wouldn't fall down on you as you slept. We gather in church by faith in the architects and builders; none of us has a guarantee that the chair or pew you are sitting on will not collapse and break your back. Even the atheist, with all his claims that there is no God, lives by faith. When he or she turns on the car in the morning, they do so in the hope that it will turn on. They believe in evolution by faith, and yet teach it as if it were a fact. They have never seen evolution happen, hence they have to believe it by faith. You and I are creatures of faith, and yet when it comes to biblical faith, we have to "SEE!" But like C.D. Brooks once said, who sees? "Wise men and women don't trust their eyes. If it's too small, they use a microscope. If it's too far, they use a telescope. And if it is very precious, they use a special lens. Yet when it comes to the Bible and God, we have to "SEE!" I tell you today that we all live by faith and God has given this world enough evidence that faith in Him is the only sure thing.
Therefore we need to understand: What is this component called faith that is essential to a relationship with God? As part of understanding this word "faith," we have to realize first what it is not. Faith is not based on the five senses. True faith looks beyond the five senses to God's word. That is important because we are taught in society that what we can "see, touch, taste, hear, smell" is reality, but that simply is not true.
Take, for example, the chemical carbon monoxide. It is odorless, so you can't smell it. You can't taste it, see it, in other words it is beyond the five senses, and yet the reality of its existence is confirmed by the fact that it is the largest cause of poisoning death in the United States. Carbon monoxide can be found in "unvented kerosene and gas space heaters; leaking chimneys and furnaces; back-drafting from furnaces, gas water heaters, wood stoves, and fireplaces; gas stoves; generators and other gasoline-powered equipment; automobile exhaust from attached garages; and tobacco smoke."
How, then, can you prevent carbon monoxide poisoning if your five senses cannot detect it? You would have to have a carbon monoxide detecting instrument that would indicate to you the level of carbon monoxide in a particular room and trust that instrument, regardless of how you feel. Here are some facts that can save your life. Although your senses cannot detect carbon monoxide, there are symptoms that might indicate to you that you might be affected by this poisonous gas. Some of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are (at low concentrations) fatigue in healthy people and chest pains in people with heart problems. Symptoms for higher concentrations of carbon monoxide can lead to impaired vision or coordination, headaches, dizziness, confusion and nausea. This is important to know because although the cause, carbon monoxide, is undetectable by our senses, the symptoms can give us a warning that carbon monoxide might be in the air.
Faith is based on a similar principle. Let me explain.
You see, the leading cause of death among humans is not carbon monoxide; it is not AIDS, cancer, wars or heart attacks. The leading cause of death is sin. I like how the New Living translation puts it (1 Corinthians 15:56): "For sin is the sting that results in death." And what does sin have in common with carbon monoxide? You cannot detect it with your senses or on your own. You need a special instrument, and the instrument needed is the word of God. But like carbon monoxide poisoning, there are symptoms caused by sin that are detectable. At lower concentrations of sin some of the symptoms are indifference, apathy and that loss of "first love" to things pertaining to Jesus and building a relationship with Him. At higher concentrations the symptoms will include Sabbath breaking, drugs, alcohol, hate, fornication, adultery, lack of a prayer life, a disregard for His word and disobedience. These are some of the symptoms of a life poisoned by sin. In other words, then, faith will lead you to trust God's word, even when your senses tell you differently!
Remember, then, that sin is not detectable by our senses but only as we trust in the word of God to point out sin in our lives. Hence, the next time you come to a juncture in your life when you have to decide between obeying God's word or following the maxims of today's society, stake a claim on God's word and your faith will be rewarded. (Cf. Hebrews 11:6).
— — —
Gio Marin is the pastor of the College Station and Waller Seventh-day Adventist Church in the state of Texas. He graduated in December 2007 with a master of divinity degree from Andrews Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Send him an email at {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Gio Marin.