A Leap of Faith

Like most people who've watched the show, Firefly is one of my favorite shows of all time.  One episode that really stands out to me, though, is the episode in which a Christians - a "Shepherd" - explains that the Bible isn't about errors or accuracy, but faith.  His point, of course, is that faith is a belief that one holds, regardless of evidence.  While I love the show, that is simply hogwash.

We use terms like "blind faith," we talk about not needing proof because we have faith, and we use the word "faith" as a substitute for thinking.  This is dangerous, and not what God commands.  Christ, in Matthew 22, Mark 12, and Luke 10, tell us to "love the Lord [our] God with all [our] heart, with all [our] soul, with all [our] mind and with all [our] strength" (emphasis mine).  Notice our minds are included.  This does not mean we are to check our brains at the door when we walk into church.  We are not to stop thinking when we read our Bibles, and we are never, ever to avoid seeking out the answers to questions we may have out of fear that they may "damage" our faith.  Our questions will not knock God off of His throne; if they do, he isn't much of a god (and probably not the God of the Bible). 

So what is faith, then, if not blind belief?  Hebrews 11:1 defines it as "the evidence of things unseen."  Other translations use the words, "assurance," "proof," "knowledge," and so forth.  In other words, God defines faith as belief in the unseen, but based on evidence. 

I look at the world and see a planet perfectly in balance.  If it were tilted just a fraction of a degree more (or less), life wouldn't survive.  If we were any closer (or further) from the sun, life wouldn't survive.  If the moon were any closer (or further) to us, tides would be affected, and life wouldn't survive.  The Cambrian Explosion reveals a sudden appearance of complex organisms on earth, without any sort of evolutionary development.  The universe appears to be "winding down," which implies that something "wound it up."   When I read, therefore, that "in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1), I believe it.  Now, did I see God create everything?  No.  Did I see which method God might have used?  No.  Can I prove that it was God Who did this?  No.  But the evidence suggests that this universe was put in place, and this earth was designed to be perfectly balanced in the vastness of space, in order that that human life (and other life) could be supported. 

This is faith.  I believe what is unseen (God) based on what is seen (creation).

Was I there when the Bible was written?  No.  Did I witness, firsthand, the parting of the Red Sea, Noah's Flood, or the slaying of Goliath?  No.  But the Bible has proven itself to be historically accurate on more than one occasion, and has never been proven to be in error (there are many theories out there that suggest it, but they all fall flat, with no proof whatsoever). 

This is faith.  I believe in what is unseen (the Bible is the inspired Word of God) based on what is seen (it's own claims, as well as the archaeological evidence).

Did I witness Christ rise from the dead? No. Did I see, firsthand, His miracles? No. Was I there when He walked on water, multiplied fishes, or raised Lazarus from the dead? No. But I do have the testimonies of those who saw it, testimonies that, though challenged, have never been proven wrong. I have the change that He has wrought in me, as well. I have the promises that He made, as recorded in the Gospels, and I have seen those promises fulfilled.

This is faith. I believe what is unseen (that Christ is God) based on what is seen (the Scriptures and personal experience).

I have faith, then, in the unshakable character of God.  I have faith, then, that God is truly good, and seeks to work out everything that happens - the good, bad, and ugly - for His glory and The Church's betterment.  I have faith, then, that God loves me, even though I don't deserve it.  I have faith that He truly does expect me to live in a complete and total dependence on Him, without any trace of selfishness towards my fellow man.  I also have faith that since I don't do it, He did it for me.   And I have faith that I deserve to die for my sins, so He died for me.

There is nothing - absolutely nothing! - in the heavens, on earth, or below the earth that will ever convince me otherwise.