A Letter
Dear One,
I count you as dear for you are very important to me as you are to my heavenly Father. What I have to say is something that is best laid out in its entirety to be considered that way. This is something heavy on my heart which I want to make clear. Rebuttals can come later. And to begin with I choose to start with the topic of faith for it is a word that is used often with different meanings.
Hebrews 11:1 states that faith is the evidence of things not seen. It is a way to understand things beyond evidence we can taste, touch, or feel. We all go on faith of some sort whether it is in a Creator of all things or in an accident of the universe that put all things together. The former gives us hope and a purpose for our existence. The other does not. It leaves us as a cruel joke giving man existence only to have it snuffed out eventually and to come to nothing.
Everything we do requires some sort of faith of which the major element is trust. We sit in a chair that we have sat in many times before with the faith it will continue to support us. Our many experiences with that chair have earned our trust in it. In like fashion, I have faith in God and trust Him. My many experiences with Him have supported the worthiness of this faith and trust.
However, the word faith is often used as a synonym for religion which is a particular set of beliefs and the code of behavior that follows. Historically there has been found in man a longing for something more than his present existence. This longing has led to the creation of religions, which conflict with one another.
Then what is religion? It is a way to reach out to a deity to gain favor. It requires that a man do or don’t do something or believe the right thing in order to avoid the disapproval of his god and be subject to condemnation.
However, when one reads the Bible, he will find no such thing. Within its pages, the codes that instruct us as to right and wrong show us God’s standards and how far away we are from Him. But the point is God does not ask us to appease Him. He does not ask us to earn His favor in any way. He reaches down to us. John 3:16 is evidence of this. He loved us so much that He sent His Son to earth to die for us so that we can be reconciled to Him. We enter into this reconciliation through faith which is believing that God exists and is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
Biblical faith, not a set of pious rules, brings us to God. Biblical faith brings us to relationship not religion.
We all talk about looking for goodness in this world. This is an admirable ambition. But what is goodness? A neutral universe can make no judgment as to good or bad. But yet in man there is a desire for beauty, justice and a sense of right and wrong. I suggest that this in itself is evidence for the God Who has made us. If we were mere products of an uncaring, neutral universe where do such desires come from? How can we condemn some acts as evil if we are the products of randomness? But we do, and rightfully so. And we desire what is good which is admirable. It is a desire that reaches beyond the cold unfeeling universe for something more that gives meaning to our lives.
You may say you don’t believe in religion and I say neither do I. In fact, I hate religion because religion is manmade and is counter to a true relationship with God. But when I say “relationship” I fear that most see this as just another way to describe my religion. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Religion is man’s way to reach God on his own terms–pulling God down to his own level. But relationship is getting to know the living Creator that exists and loving Him, drawing close to Him as He reaches down to us.
Just to be clear: when I talk about faith, I do not mean a set of beliefs, morals and codes by which one operates in this life. I see it as Hebrews 11:1 defines it—being able to look beyond the physical and see what cannot be seen otherwise. And for faith to be real it has to be based on something—for example an assumption that all is by chance or that it has been made by a Creator. I choose the latter—a Creator Who has made Himself known to us in His written Word—a miraculous book beyond all others ever written. Faith does not lead to religion but to a relationship with the God Who loves. Faith leads to trust in the God that reaches down to me rather than me reaching up to Him. Faith gives me a purpose and gives me life. Faith is not something I have or conjure up myself but is a gift that comes from God. Faith is something I choose to accept.
If one says, that’s okay for you but that’s just not me that statement is right and true. The Bible tells us that in the beginning after man was created, he had a choice to follow after God or to go his own way. We all have chosen to go our own way ever since. This is what separates us from God. We look at good and evil as if we are all one or the other, but if we are honest none of us are truly good.
The point is made that a good God cannot send men to Hell and be truly good. Hell is the separation of man from God. It is the state of man turning his back on God even denying His existence. It is also a place in eternity where man’s rebellion comes into fruition as a fire that is not consumed where there will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. I wish I could sugarcoat it but I cannot. But there is misery on earth that is hell even now and there is bliss that comes from knowing the living God. He does not send anyone to hell. It is each man or woman’s choice to remain separated from God or to be reconciled to Him. He will not force us into His heaven against our will, for that would only make us miserable.
There is Good News contained in God’s written message to man–the Bible. One thing separates it from all religious texts. God reached down to make a way for us to be reconciled to Him—not by us being good, because having evil in our nature we can never be good enough. The Bible is a Book that outlines God’s redemption plan. It depicts how God made a way to deliver men from the state they are already in—to restore their relationship with Him. He will not force us, but gives us a choice. He sent His Son to live among us and even die for us so that if we will only receive Him, He will give us the faith that will restore our relationship with Him.
It’s very right to say but that’s not me. For it is not in any of us. It comes from faith. And that comes from God. And unless God gives us that faith, we cannot choose to come to Him. But the good news is that faith is a gift that God freely offers to any who will receive it. The choice to receive God’s gift of faith to receive Him into my life is something I made long ago. This does not make me any better than the man without faith. Only forgiven.
In Christ,
A Servant and Your Friend,
Dan
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