Four Faces Of Faith

Now faith is being sure of 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. (Hebrews 11:1, 5–6, NIV 1984).

My Musings – “Faith is a sounder guide than reason. Reason can go only so far, but faith has no limits.” (Blaise Pascal). The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was an intellectual and cultural movement in the eighteenth century that emphasized reason over superstition and science over blind faith. (Khan Academy).

First Face – To many, it is unreasonable to have faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ and is intellectually offensive to the enlightened. We would classify them as faithless – without trust or belief in the truth of the Bible. For these, “ it is impossible to please God.”

Second Face – Then there would be those who believe that “faith is a sounder guide than reason.” To them, reason has its limits, whereas faith has none. These would be people of faith – having committed to trust and belief in the truth of the Bible. These are “those who [have] earnestly [sought] him.“

Third Face – Faith has no limits, but people of faith do. Sometimes they waver. They have periods where they are not so sure or certain. There are also periods of outright rebellion. During these periods we would classify them as unfaithful -breaking trust or belief in the truth of the Bible. They are still people of faith but estranged for a period. For a season not all that “sure of what {they] hope for,” or currently “earnestly [disobeying] him.”

Fourth Face – But for the most part, people of true faith persevere in the long run. They either stay on or get back on track. The continue to “earnestly seek Him,” and grow up in the faith. We would classify them as faithful – steadfastly clinging to their trust and belief in the truth of the Bible.

My Advice – God is a God of the impossible. Because of this, it is always possible to move from being faithless people to becoming a person of faith. If you are currently faithless, I encourage you to carefully consider the truth claims of Bible with and open mind. You will find that “whoever comes to [Him He] will never drive away.” (John 6:37, NIV 1984).

Maybe you are a person of faith but are presently going through period of unfaithfulness. This is not the end of the world, or of your relationship with Christ. For, “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jonn 1:8–9, NIV 1984).

Do you know what you ought to do?