faith; noun
“firm belief in something for which there is no proof“.
Merriam-Webster
Many people today are confused about the meaning of the word faith. They think it means believing in something ridiculous or absurd without any evidence. But that’s not what faith is, and what they don’t realize is that most of what they believe requires a measure of faith. Why? Because it’s extremely difficult to actually prove anything.
True faith is not about believing in things that are fanciful or unreasonable, rather it is a firm belief based on logic, evidence, experience, and inference when proof is not available.
For example, I have faith that the Earth is spherical. I can’t prove it, but I’m convinced the earth is shaped like a ball, spins on its axis, and rotates around the sun. Since I’ve never personally circumnavigated the globe, or viewed our planet from outer space, my belief in a globe-shaped Earth requires a bit of faith.
So it is with faith in God. I can’t prove His existence, but I’ve seen ample evidence to justify belief in Him. If you’re an atheist or agnostic, I encourage you to seek out the evidence for yourself. If you’ll read the works of Stephen Meyer, C.S. Lewis, and William Lane Craig with an open mind, you will find a wide range of scientific and philosophical reasons to believe that God is real.
Christian faith.
The Bible is the foundation of Christian faith. The Bible says that we are all doomed sinners. It says that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, died in our place; that He rose from the grave on the third day; that all who repent and call upon His name will be saved.
This good news, passed down for thousands of years, has been the hope and joy of countless people. It takes faith to believe it. Christians have faith that the Bible is true, faith that Jesus is who He claimed to be, and faith that salvation is ours because of what Jesus did on Calvary.
But I want to know!
It was either Paulo Bitencourt or Carl Sagan who said, “I don’t want to believe, I want to know!” (Ironically, I’ve seen this quote attributed to both men, so I don’t know who said it, but I believe it was Bitencourt). I get it. Faith, by definition, means to believe without knowing; to believe without proof. Isn’t it better to know? To have proof and no room for doubt?
Why doesn’t God just provide us with definitive proof and render faith unnecessary? I don’t know, but God’s ways are higher than my ways; His thoughts higher than my thoughts. In lieu of proof, He has given us sufficient evidence, and He asks us to walk by faith, not by sight… for now.
There will come a day when faith will no longer be necessary. The day Jesus returns as King and Judge. On that day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. For those who know Him as Savior it will be a glorious day; for those who do not, it will be terrifying.
Until that day comes, I will hold fast to my faith, and to the hope I have in Him.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23
