VIEW POINT
Experiencing the reality of God Jeff Morton considers the meaning of faith and truth
A
SUNDAY school teacher once asked her class what faith meant. A small boy answered: ‘Believing what you know ain’t true.’ In our secular world there are many people who would agree or have sympathy with the boy’s statement. They may also have some sympathy with the question Pontius Pilate put to Jesus: ‘What is truth?’ (John 18:38). He asked this in response to Jesus’ assertion: ‘The reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me’ (v37). The truth of God incarnate in Jesus eluded Pilate, as it does many people today. In a world where terrible events are commonplace, people can be misled or sidetracked by distortions of Jesus’ teachings. My father had no time for any kind of faith. He served in the British Army in India and Palestine and thought all religions were nonsense. He was not pleased when I saw the light of truth in Christ and gave up a promising career in the RAF. To find a definition of faith, we turn to Hebrews 11, where the writer asserts: ‘Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see... By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible’ (vv1 and 3). This should be easy for people to understand as unseen phenomena are around us every day, whether natural or manufactured. We cannot see the sun’s ultraviolet rays but know that our skin
will burn as a result of exposure to them. Every time we turn on the radio we have faith that it will pick up a signal that we can hear. In Christianity we cannot experience the reality of God unless we put ourselves in a position where we can exercise faith: ‘Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him’ (11:6 English Standard Version). Faith is a personal act of trust that through Jesus’ revelation we come to realise our relationship with God, creation and the vast universe that we inhabit. We should also consider what faith is not. A person can learn the Gospels by heart as a child but not develop a faith. One can gain a degree in theology and not gain a faith. Faith is not knowledge but a commitment to the truth of Christ’s revelation that should develop with the years. Faith is never the prerogative of any one person or group. This could be a trap that some groups of Christians fall into, causing them to become intolerant of others. In the words of Paul to the Galatians, ‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God’ (2:20 ESV). Faith entrusts everything to God and to him alone. Faith should also lead to action. Jesus said: ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father’ (Matthew 7:21), and
James follows this, stating: ‘Faith without deeds is dead’ (James 2:26). In today’s Christian life it is not enough to attend a solitary meeting on Sunday – it should lead to service motivated by faith. The 20th-century theologian Rudolf Bultmann wrote: ‘Faith is not the mere cognisance of truth but genuine adherence to it.’ In accepting that Jesus reveals the will and intentions of the creator God, Christians must follow his teachings as far as their personalities allow. The truths of God’s good intentions for his creation make it plain that this is the only way to eternal salvation. Jesus said: ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’ (John 14:6). This leads logically to the devastating conclusion that no other religious beliefs are able to save. Even some aspects of Christianity do not meet this criterion if they elevate someone to a position where they can grant absolution from sins, effectively granting salvation. Only in thee can I find liberation, Cleansing and freedom from sin’s hidden stain; Only in thee can I find full salvation, Wonderful healer, touch me again. (SASB 720)
JEFF SOLDIERS AT BATH CITADEL Salvationist 27 November 2021
11
