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Increasing in Faith
There are plenty of misconceptions when it comes to understanding faith. Let's shed some light upon what faith really is and what we can do to grow our faith.
“Faith simply arrives?” Hardly.
Some believe that one is either born a "believing type" person or not, or that faith is something unpredictable that one might suddenly find themselves hit by or overwhelmed with faith. Quite the contrary, Scripture says that faith is the result of an intellectual and logical process, that is, of listening to God’s truth and evaluating it (Romans 10:17; Acts 17:11 “Examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so”).
“Faith is when the heart says ‘yes’ and the ‘head’ says no?” Think again.
Others believe that faith is a mere emotion – something quite contrary to reason, logic and the use of one’s intellect. Some people have said, “I want to believe, but my intelligence keeps getting in the way”. In reality, true faith is the result of reasoning and examining the evidence:
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After Thomas had seen Christ, Jesus admonished him, “Be not unbelieving, but believing” (John 20:27).
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Hebrews chapter 11 says, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:1). Obviously faith is not blindly believing in things that really do not exist, but rather in very consequential things that, in fact, do exist, and have existed long before you or I did. Faith is simply acknowledging their reality and what that reality means in how I live my life.
“Faith is a perpetual religious high?” Obviously not.
Some are convinced that faith is nothing more than a mere feeling or emotion. The Bible is filled with stronger believers who were not constantly on some religious high (2 Corinthians 11:28-29; 11:3; Galatians 4:11). The truth is, real trust in God stays steady regardless of flighty feelings. We will have "religious highs", but the strength of our faith is more often revealed with how well we do when we are faced with a series of discouraging events and the emotions that often accompany discouragement.
“A healthy faith always has doubts?” I doubt it.
The subject of doubt is another interesting topic about which there also appears to be many inaccuracies. It believe it would be correct to say that everyone starts out with some doubts. One might have questions concerning the existence of God, the problem of suffering, the inspiration and transmission of the Bible, the resurrection of Jesus Christ or the ability to understand the Bible. There is nothing wrong with doubts, as long as the person with those doubts searches the Scriptures (Acts 17:11) and seeks to resolve them. In this sense doubt can be a great incentive for learning and faith-building. Yet, to say that doubts will increase as one grows as a Christian (“the more I learn the less I know for sure”), or that the Christian life will be one of perpetual doubt goes against a number of passages:
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“And without becoming weak in faith... He did not waver in belief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured of what He had promised, He was able to perform. Therefore also it was reckoned to Him as righteousness” (Romans 4:19-22).
The importance of Abraham’s faith is readily seen in the fact that His faith is the pattern and standard of the type of faith that results in being saved (4:24; 5:1). The faith that saves us is the type of hearty conviction that does not waver, but increases in strength, and has ultimate confidence in God’s ability and promises.
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“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
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“But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man expect that he will receive anything the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-8).
In addition to these passages I find that the track-record in Scripture is that God is never impressed with those who doubt:
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Sarah is rebuked for laughing at the idea that she would have a child (Genesis 18:12-14).
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Moses is rebuked for doubting God’s ability to feed millions of people with fresh meat (Numbers 11:23).
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The royal officer during the time of Elisha is punished with death for doubting the word of the Lord (2 Kings 7:1-2; 17-20).
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Jesus was insulted when someone came to him and said, “If you can do anything” (Mark 9:22-23).
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Jesus rebuked Thomas for doubting His resurrection (John 20:27).
The Example of Thomas
The example of Thomas gives us a good test case concerning the difference between healthy and unhealthy doubt. Obviously, God does not want us to be gullible, and thus we are told to “test the spirits” (John 4:1) and “examine everything carefully” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22), and to “avoid myths” (2 Timothy 4:3) and being "deceived" (Ephesians 5:6). Yet Thomas is a good example of unhealthy doubt. Thomas had heard from all the other apostles, who were good, honest men, that they had seen the Lord (20:25). In addition to this, various women had equally seen him, and He had even heard Jesus teach the reality of His coming death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21). Thomas had rejected all this evidence (20:25) and stated that he would believe unless he saw it personally himself. Therefore, doubt that rejects good evidence is no longer a healthy thing, but just plain old unbelief. The Old Testament would call it a perpetual doubter and scoffer, and that is anything but a good condition to maintain (Psalm 1:1).
Practical Help with Doubt
If someone is struggling with doubt, a great question to honestly ponder is, “Do you even want to believe?” Jesus considers this is a fair question:
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“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?” (John 5:44). “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than that of God” (John 12:42-43).
Jesus pointed out to these men that there are attitudes that definitely prevent faith. And the problem is not intellectual, but rather always moral. These men were wrapped up in pleasing men and wanting to be praised by men. Jesus accurately points out that faith will be impossible for people who are into wanting to be praised by men, for if your first priority is to please men, then faith will be too inconvenient for such a lifestyle. The honest truth is that some people who say they want to believe, really do not. They do not want the responsibility that faith brings. They do not want to make the moral changes that faith will require.
Matthew quotes the same verse that John does in John 12:40, and then states, “They have closed their eyes” (13:15). So faith is a choice and unbelief is a choice. The good news is that none of us have been destined to doubt or be skeptics for the rest of our lives. When it comes to faith one simply needs to look into themselves and see what they currently value most. If they value truth above all else, faith will not be a problem. If they value something else, faith will be a problem. Many intelligent writers over the years have noted that contrary to the claims of atheists, faith is not wishful thinking, rather skepticism and doubt is the real wishful thinking. Current scientist Francis Collins observes, “There are all kinds of agnostics; some arrive at this position after intense analysis of the evidence, but many others simply find it to be a comfortable position that allows them to avoid considering arguments they find discomforting on either side. I was definitely in the latter category. In fact, my assertion of ‘I don’t know’ was really more along the lines of ‘I don’t want to know’. As a young man growing up in a world full of temptations, it was convenient to ignore the need to be answerable to any higher spiritual authority” (The Language of God, pp. 15-16).
“What do you want to do?”
Francis Collins' honesty is rare, but his former pre-believing situation is not. John 3:19-21 “Men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light... But he who practices the truth comes to the light”. If you want to do good and be good, faith will not be a problem. But if you want to do something or justify something that you know is wrong, then you will naturally find objections and problems with believing. The next time you hear someone has fallen away because they have numerous philosophical questions about God, the Bible and that is the reason they no longer believe, know this for certain: They are dabbling in the darkness.
“Go where the faith is”
“If you want to grow roses, you don’t buy an acre at the North Pole. You go where roses grow well. If you’re going to do faith, you probably don’t want to join American Atheists Inc. Get around people who you respect for their life, their mind, their character, and their faith” (The Case for Faith, Lee Strobel, p. 239). Get your hands on faith building materials. Ask strong and faithful Christians what you should be reading – they know! Clarify the Object of Your Faith. Simply believing does not save anyone. One must specifically believe in Christ (John 3:16). Then live it. Jesus said, “If you abide in My word... know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). Sitting on the sidelines does not develop faith, you must practice what you are learning. It is kind of like riding a bike. You can’t really learn how to ride by watching a video – you must simply do it. The Scriptures say, “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).
Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net
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