joce
Fight of Faith
I spent the WHOLE day reading yesterday. Not that I'm complaining, of course. It was Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code". Loaned it from a friend months (years?) ago, only to throw it down after the first few chapters.
Yesterday though, I picked it up again, and wala! I devoured it in all of.. 2 days!
Starting from the morning...
Me: Hey check out what I'm reading *opens book*
Bro: Oh.. finally!
Me: Haha yah.. *settles down to read*
And afternoon...
Mum: Have you had lunch?
Me: Mmm *flips a page*
Till evening...
Mum: Dinner?
Me: Mmm *flips a page*
Bro: You're still reading?
Me: *flips a page*
Bro: You're going to be late
Me: ahhh *desperately flips a page*
Pity I had a meeting in the evening otherwise I'M SURE I would have finished the book in a day. I mean, that Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene and was a.. father?! Ludicrous yet oh so intriguing. And, my favourite part:
"Every faith in the world is based on fabrication. That is the definition of faith -- acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, that which we cannot prove. Every religion describes God through metaphor, allegory, and exaggeration, from the early Egyptians through modern Sunday school. Metaphors are a way to help our minds process the unprocessible."
"Faith is the acceptance of that which we imagine to be true..
The Bible defines faith as being "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." -Hebrews 11:1. It also says that "the just shall live by faith". Indeed, Christianity disputes not what faith is, and denies not its importance. In fact, Christianity's central belief in Jesus Christ as the way to eternal life calls more or less entirely for faith! "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." -Ephesians 2:8
For centuries, Christians have been encouraged to.. have faith. See how the Apostle Paul urges Timothy to "fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith", by promising a crown of Righteousness from the Lord. -2Timothy 4:7
...that which we cannot prove."
How then do we know, if our faith is rightly placed? Apart from the various historical evidence available, we find this verse in the Bible: "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." -Hebrews 10:23
A simple statement of God's faithfulness. We are asked to (once again), have faith, for surely we will find that He who promised is faithful. No wonder we fight a fight of faith! "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." -1Timothy 6:12.
In the face of many uncertainties (most of which might never become certainties in this lifetime), the struggle becomes one of constantly believing. Through the unanswered questions, different interpretations, man-made divisions, ambiguity, perceived idiosyncracies, etc. how easy it is to stop believing!
"Fix my eyes on You Jesus
As I run this race
Help me fight
This fight of faith"
And yet will I believe.
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." -Galatians 2:20
No comments - Comments
Jocelyn
