Mystery of Faith
Hebrews 11:1, 6
"Now faith is being sure what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
Herein lies the paradox of Christianity...that is, a sure hope and certainty of what we cannot see!
For those of you who appreciate logic like I do, this can be an unsettling idea, this idea of faith.
Yet according to the writer here, it is this seemingly illogical idea of faith that is the key to connecting with God and ultimately, pleasing Him.
We must settle the idea in our hearts and minds that we are mere humans and that He is the Supreme Creator of the universe. This act of believing in something beyond ourselves, or this act of faith, is what sets the table for a relationship with God. In order to believe in Jesus, we must believe in the Father, who sent Him with the sole purpose of giving His life to restore relationship between us and God.
This is the great mystery involved in our attempt to seek to understand God. And it's in the mystery that our seeking is rewarded. Think about it this way - if at all made sense to you and you could explain it away logically, wouldn't that seem kind of mundane to you? It is through this grandiose mystery of faith...it's in the questions, in the earnest seeking, and the resulting leap of faith that we feel the exhilaration of connecting with the God that we cannot see, but who created us and everything we see around us!
"Lord, like the father of the boy troubled by an evil spirit (Mk. 9:24), I genuinely say, 'I believe, help my unbelief.' I acknowledge the brief moments of my doubt and ask for your help to always have faith and to embrace the mystery rather than run from it. I believe. I believe in God the Father, I believe in Christ the Son, I believe in the Holy Spirit, I believe in the three-in-one." Amen
"Now faith is being sure what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
Herein lies the paradox of Christianity...that is, a sure hope and certainty of what we cannot see!
For those of you who appreciate logic like I do, this can be an unsettling idea, this idea of faith.
Yet according to the writer here, it is this seemingly illogical idea of faith that is the key to connecting with God and ultimately, pleasing Him.
We must settle the idea in our hearts and minds that we are mere humans and that He is the Supreme Creator of the universe. This act of believing in something beyond ourselves, or this act of faith, is what sets the table for a relationship with God. In order to believe in Jesus, we must believe in the Father, who sent Him with the sole purpose of giving His life to restore relationship between us and God.
This is the great mystery involved in our attempt to seek to understand God. And it's in the mystery that our seeking is rewarded. Think about it this way - if at all made sense to you and you could explain it away logically, wouldn't that seem kind of mundane to you? It is through this grandiose mystery of faith...it's in the questions, in the earnest seeking, and the resulting leap of faith that we feel the exhilaration of connecting with the God that we cannot see, but who created us and everything we see around us!
"Lord, like the father of the boy troubled by an evil spirit (Mk. 9:24), I genuinely say, 'I believe, help my unbelief.' I acknowledge the brief moments of my doubt and ask for your help to always have faith and to embrace the mystery rather than run from it. I believe. I believe in God the Father, I believe in Christ the Son, I believe in the Holy Spirit, I believe in the three-in-one." Amen
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