About Me

My photo
I am a born-again Christian, who is Reformed, but also charismatic, spiritually speaking. (I do not speak in tongues, but I believe glossalalia is a bona fide gift not given to all, and not as great as prophecy, for example.) I have several years of college education but only completed a two-year degree. I was raised Lutheran and confirmed, but I didn't "find Christ" until I was in the Army and responded to a Billy Graham crusade in 1973. I was mentored or discipled by the Navigators in the army and upon discharge joined several evangelical, Bible-teaching churches. I was baptized as an infant, but believe in believer baptism, of which I was a partaker after my conversion experience. I believe in the "5 Onlys" of the reformation: sola fide (faith alone); sola Scriptura (Scripture alone); soli Christo (Christ alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory). I affirm TULIP as defended in the Reformation.. I affirm most of The Westminster Confession of Faith, especially pertaining to Providence.

Sunday, November 28, 2021

Musings On Faith

 What are some meditations regarding the common faith?

It began at salvation, flourishes in time, and is completed and fulfilled in glory! Only in a world where faith is difficult can it be possible; there can be no easy-believism or easy faith; it might be easy to believe but hardly worth it. Faith comes by the gift of God: “It is the work of God that you believe….” (cf. John 6:29). It comes by virtue of hearing and by hearing of the Word of God—preaching per Romans 10:17 (and we are to grow in our faith and go from faith to faith ever increasing in glory per 2 Cor. 3:18 and Romans 1:16–17). Remember the servant who said to Jesus: “I believe, help thou mine unbelief.” Meager faith in a big God is better than big faith in a small or limited God.

Some people think they have faith without a doubt, but that would be knowledge, not faith. We all live in a doubt-certitude continuum. There are degrees of certitude but God requires us all to take a leap of faith, not into the dark but into the light. Faith is trusting in what you have good reason to believe and knowledge isn’t always certain. It isn’t then a matter of how much you believe but how thorough your repentance that may be the issue! Faith and repentance go hand in hand and there can be no genuine repentance without saving faith! (Acts 20:21).

Faith is only measured by obedience, not ecstasies or experiences. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Nazi martyr, said, “Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes.” You cannot walk in the glow of some epiphany or glorious experience or encounter with God. “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” Isaiah 7:9. We do not walk into some perpetual religious high or remain on Cloud Nine as believers but our faith must be tested as if by fire. Thus, you should say that faith isn’t now much we believe but how well we obey; God doesn’t want our achievements but our obedience! In sum, you might say, “It’s not how big your faith, but how big your God.” (Don’t put Him in a box and limit Him.)  Soli Deo Gloria!

Posted by

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)