Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Enter at Your Own Risk

Since we have decided to call our blog The Faith Log, it seems good to take a moment say a word about what we mean when we talk about faith.

First, the kind of faith of which we speak is not about believing in general. We do not recommend that you should simply have faith. That is not enough because faith must have an object. That is, our faith must be in something. Nor is it enough to simply just have faith in something, as if faith in anything will do. There are many things which cannot be trusted without dire consequences. In other words, not only must faith have a definite object, it must have a sufficient object.

Second, we are not talking about positive thinking. Positive thinking may have a place, but not the prime place because positive thinking is generally about what you and I can do. Also, it is possible for you and to be positive about something and yet be positively wrong.

Third, what we are really talking about is Biblical faith. That is, the kind of faith that the Bible talks about. That’s why we have subtitled this ‘blog “Exploring the workings of Biblical faith.”

The Bible kind of faith is believing what God has said. The Apostle Paul said, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). This kind of faith does not come by hearing just anything, but by hearing the Word of God.

Now there is a mental assent and emotional commitment that comes from hearing a great many things, but that is not what the Bible calls faith.

This also points up the difference between Biblical faith and positive thinking. Positive thinking is about what man can do. Faith is about what God has promised to do. A man can be mistaken in his own personal expectations, but God cannot deceive or be deceived. In other words, what God says will happen, will happen.

So, Suzanne and I choose to believe the Word of God, and not just any old thing that bids for our commitment of trust. This means that there are some things that we will reject as a basis for faith. We will always seek what the Word of God has to say about a thing, and that is what we will believe.

That is why, as you read through The Faith Log, you will find that there are some things about which we are very strident. We do not apologize for this, but we do want you to be aware of this. We love you and welcome you whether you agree or disagree with us, but we do want you to understand that you enter at your own risk.

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