- Jun 29, 2019
- 650
- 168
- 60
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. So faith as applied to God would mean the assurance of things hoped for that will come from God, and the conviction that He exists even though we cannot physically sense His appearance as those in the Old Testament have. Arguably anyone today whose faith is in God may have a stronger faith in Him that those who’ve sensed His appearance in the Old Testament. Such people in the Old Testament didn’t need the faith that God exists, since they knew. What’s left is an assurance that God would have done good for them. And if we can’t see Him, we at least have the faith that He exists.
Does anyone have absolute faith? Perhaps they would if they didn’t live in a world of sin. We are constantly confronted with evil. It may hit some of us so hard that it might cause some of us to wonder if God really exists for us. Most of the time this kind of wavering is temporary, as a palm tree that sways in the wind. Just as at the end of the day when the wind stops blowing the palm tree still stands, when all is said and done our faith still holds after we similarly have swayed.
There are some mild forms of wavering. Sometimes it may be necessary to waver away from our presumptions in order to achieve a better understanding and faith in God. 1 Corinthians 1:10 says, “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.” Well, in order to be united there has to be some compromise. Compromise involves wavering to some degree, does it not, in order to reach a common understanding and conviction. Even a domineering person may waver a little in order to uphold convictions formed by a group. Sometimes learning involves setting aside things you took for granted.
And then there are the doubting Thomas’s among us who take their que from those who live in Missouri, so to speak. 1 Corinthians 2:14-15 says “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things but is himself to be judged by no one.” That’s quite a range between verses 14 and 15.
Some may say that Thomas, despite his faith in Jesus, leans toward verse 14 since Jesus had to convince him in a physical sense that the other disciples saw his spirit. What if Thomas was with the other disciples when Jesus’ spirit made his appearance? Well, there would be no doubt in Thomas’ mind that Jesus so appeared, right? And what if one of the other disciples was not in the room with the others when Jesus’ spirit appeared? Would he have reacted the same way, asking to be convinced?
But did Thomas waver in his faith, when he had doubts that the Spirit of Jesus came into being? That would have been true if Jesus told his disciples he would be coming back as a spirit after he leaves his flesh. But aside from Jesus’ saying he has overcome the world, would his disciples have been given any indication that he would come back as a spirit? There is no doubt that those who saw his spirit the first time had their faith fortified. But between verses 14 and 15 of 1 Corinthians 2 must be a lot of skeptics in varying degrees, as to their degree of faith. So between verses 14 and 15 there is a lot of potential for wavering, even if only temporarily.
Does anyone have absolute faith? Perhaps they would if they didn’t live in a world of sin. We are constantly confronted with evil. It may hit some of us so hard that it might cause some of us to wonder if God really exists for us. Most of the time this kind of wavering is temporary, as a palm tree that sways in the wind. Just as at the end of the day when the wind stops blowing the palm tree still stands, when all is said and done our faith still holds after we similarly have swayed.
There are some mild forms of wavering. Sometimes it may be necessary to waver away from our presumptions in order to achieve a better understanding and faith in God. 1 Corinthians 1:10 says, “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.” Well, in order to be united there has to be some compromise. Compromise involves wavering to some degree, does it not, in order to reach a common understanding and conviction. Even a domineering person may waver a little in order to uphold convictions formed by a group. Sometimes learning involves setting aside things you took for granted.
And then there are the doubting Thomas’s among us who take their que from those who live in Missouri, so to speak. 1 Corinthians 2:14-15 says “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things but is himself to be judged by no one.” That’s quite a range between verses 14 and 15.
Some may say that Thomas, despite his faith in Jesus, leans toward verse 14 since Jesus had to convince him in a physical sense that the other disciples saw his spirit. What if Thomas was with the other disciples when Jesus’ spirit made his appearance? Well, there would be no doubt in Thomas’ mind that Jesus so appeared, right? And what if one of the other disciples was not in the room with the others when Jesus’ spirit appeared? Would he have reacted the same way, asking to be convinced?
But did Thomas waver in his faith, when he had doubts that the Spirit of Jesus came into being? That would have been true if Jesus told his disciples he would be coming back as a spirit after he leaves his flesh. But aside from Jesus’ saying he has overcome the world, would his disciples have been given any indication that he would come back as a spirit? There is no doubt that those who saw his spirit the first time had their faith fortified. But between verses 14 and 15 of 1 Corinthians 2 must be a lot of skeptics in varying degrees, as to their degree of faith. So between verses 14 and 15 there is a lot of potential for wavering, even if only temporarily.
