Thoughts on Faith:

. . . an essay on why to believe

by EC Pandzic

The Lord Jesus rebuked his disciples’ faith after they failed to heal a sick boy in his absence.  In -[ Matthew 17:20 ]- Jesus said to them: “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.   Nothing will be impossible for you.”  Those words are certainly encouraging, inspiring, and heartwarming.  But two thousand years later, some of us continue to fall victim to the mortal doubts whether of our own making or by the words and deeds of others.  For me, faith provides a comforted heart, a contention that whatever I need, is only a prayer away.  Alas, things don’t always come out the way I asked, or as fast as I asked, and there are endless things in this world that I don’t understand, but I am nevertheless warmed by God’s Holy Spirit in prayer.   Here, Mother Teresa’s response to a man who specifically sought her out fits.; he asked her to pray that he would have clarity in his life, she answered “No,”’ and then said:

“I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So, I will pray that you trust God.”

Trusting God implies that you believe he exists, that he is near, and cares about you.  Those who don’t believe this are separated from God and this separation is described as truly hell.  I wish this anxiety and despair on no one.  Instead, we are asked and guided by the Holy Spirit to know him and his love through faith in him.  For many, or others at specific times, this is a leap.

God could have created lesser beings, a herd of submissive drones, but didn’t.  Our worship of him is hardly of value if not by our choice.  And while he created us with this freedom of choice, the choice of faith can be difficult for us when we are confronted by the distractions of worldly issues and pleasures, then also ridiculed by naysayers for trusting something unseen.  But God wants us to find him, and to rely on him, always.  So. . . because I feel blessed by my faith even after years of being confronted myself by these naysayers, I decided to share my perspectives in case it might help someone gain the same comfort.  I’m neither a teacher nor clergy and while I took great care, I pray that I have not deviated from scripture in presenting my understanding on some of the common questions people have about faith.

1.  THE NATURE OF FAITH

Faith as defined in -[ Hebrews 11:1 ]- “Now faith is the confidence of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.“   I like thinking about that verse with a quote from C.S. Lewis: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else.”

2.  BODY and the SOUL

While it may be an obvious point to address, let’s do so. Generally, most people believe we are both a physical body and a soul. The two are distinct. Thousands of years of philosophers have addressed this issue and recently, I’ve heard the dismissal of a separate soul aptly rebutted this way: “. . . if one believes one’s thoughts are only a chemical reaction, how could one possibly trust them?” And if the deep emotion of love can be dismissed by some as merely brain chemistry, our innate ability to understand justice, for instance, seems to be more than a cultural adaptation for survival.

For me, I believe physics’ FIRST LAW OF THERMODYMANICS, the principle that energy cannot be created or destroyed.  This law of conservation of energy states that energy can only change form.   So, . . I believe when calling my friend and he says I was just thinking of calling you, or . . .  when I’m staring at some stranger walking away at the airport who then turns around and looks at me, that our thoughts, our energy, is not confined to our physical bodies which obviously decay and die.

 In the 17th century, René Descartes, the founder of modern philosophy and “I think, therefore I am” fame concluded the mind and the body are two distinctly different substances that interact with one another, the theory of mind-body dualism. While routinely disputed by science, this is a key argument to what we are. I won’t spend more time here because I think most of us rightly think and sense that we are more than just this bag of bones.  Google has this as 70% – 90% of humankind.  It seems possible that of the other percentage, some may eventually come to believe differently after years of life experiences.  I urge any remaining to silence worldly distractions for just a while and listen for the Holy Spirit who wants to fill their heart.

3.  A CULTURE OF FAITH

I call myself lucky, but it’s more like blessed. My mother was a Christian and she wanted the same for my brother and me.  Generally speaking, she only made it to church Christmas and Easter, but she sent my brother and I to Sunday School every single Sunday.   I now know why.  She was a single mom, and she had some hard times, some very hard times. I recall a couple of specific times living in a couple of different places when, to us kids, seemingly out of the blue, she visited the church mid-week for prayer or to have a conversation with our pastor.  It didn’t sink-in then as it does now, but in those hard times, she sought guidance.   She ran to God and was somehow comforted.  It was important to her that our hearts had the same faith and comfort.  No doubt this the same for all Christian parents.

Critics will call it indoctrination, but it’s love pure and simple.  It’s the same love most Christians have in ministry.   It’s not that we want others to think like us, rather that we want them to be comforted as we are, even those we disagree with, or sinfully think lesser of.  [Romans 12:15 ] commands Christians to “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”   So, if a missionary knocks on your door, I urge you to hear his heart if not his words.

Nevertheless, I don’t think faith can be taught.  My current pastor Jason Cusak didn’t grow up Christian and as he tells it, it was his visit to a local church and the Holy Spirit that changed his life.  We take from that both a setting and a rebirth.  The setting could be a church, it could be a friend or neighbor, or it could be the passenger sitting next to you on a plane.   It could also be you finding the opportunity to open the bible or hearing scripture somewhere and connecting to it.   The setting is providing the opportunity, I encourage that.  But true faith requires a changing of the heart, a rebirth.   In -[ John 3:3 ]-, Jesus tells Nicodemus, a one-time doubter and Pharisee, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”   This rebirth requirement is now also obvious to me.  I grew up a happy little kid in my faith. God and Jesus were nicely illustrated stories of God’s love for us.  Sunday School gave me a happy heart.  But the years and tribulations since then, including my own sin, have overcome those narrow and innocent thoughts.  I didn’t lose my faith, more like that I realized how far from God I had become or had sometimes gotten.  I’m not sure I’m rightly born again yet, but I now realize why we need to be.  So, though I was blessed with a culturally Christian upbringing, without the change in my heart I don’t think I would have true faith.

4.  PLAYING THE ODDS

It’s worth including 17th century mathematician Blaise Pascal’s famous wager.  He promoted it as a way for folks to consider, or reconsider the most serious of subjects, one’s own choice on faith.  Pascal suggested that it’s rational to bet on God’s existence because the potential infinite gain (eternal life) far outweighs the finite losses (worldly pleasures) if God does indeed exist.  However, when faced with the uncertainty, it’s of minimal risk to make faith a sound life choice if God doesn’t exist.  The odds, so to speak, emphasize infinite outcomes (forever in heaven or hell) versus finite losses (worldly pleasures and time).  Albeit clinical, the mathematician’s logic is certainly sound.  Furthermore, he thought if by this analysis that ‘intellectuals’ of his time would engage in Christian practices, it may lead them to genuine faith and save them from the consequences of the alternative.

Generally, the scientific community put themselves at odds with faith.  I want to be careful here not to diminish, omit or offend those in this community who are believers, because indeed there are some.  For me, it all started in middle school. My science teachers were outright dismissive of God’s existence.  Their basis was that science meant that proof was needed, and that proof could be repeated in a lab under replicated conditions.  I debated the teacher then as I would now: “Okay, you have a volume of proofs on all kinds of things, but isn’t that only what you know now?”  Happily, the voice of science has matured and the many shows I watch are humble enough to add that concept of current understanding.  The Static-State Universe that always existed was replaced by the Big Bang Theory. . .  which is laughably now also taking some heat. But changing science always seems to be the case.  Bloodletting will heal what ails you.  Man cannot fly.  The atom was the smallest unit of matter before quantum mechanics.  Nothing is faster than the speed of light.  So, science is truly a very useful tool, but we know what we know, and that all we know today. Quoting Albert Einstein describing an interaction with a student,

“Student: Aren’t these the same questions as last year’s [physics] final exam?
Einstein: Yes, but this year the answers are different.”

Science claimed the great flood was a fanciful story, now found in numerous ancient cultures and also found by science in unexplained geological strata. I’m certainly not going to say dinosaurs didn’t exist just because the bible doesn’t mention them.

The math of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity doesn’t work for Quantum Mechanics (Max Planck, Erwin Schrodinger, and others). Therefore, a unifying theory is needed to unite the two concepts. Enter Leonard Susskind’s String-Theory, aka: “The Theory of Everything”, where physicists currently propose the existence of dimensions in addition to our known ones (length, width, height, and time) to explain fundamental forces. It sounds like the stuff of science-fiction. While unproven so far, and certainly mind-bending in trying to understand the existence of one or more parallel universes, this would seemingly help us conceptualize how the simple physics and reality we rely on everyday could be overcome.

I think of God’s wisdom this way: If you had infinite knowledge and wisdom, would you tell early man the secrets of the universe? Or, if his word included such knowledge that our early science might have erroneously disproven, would that have compromised faith and happiness for many? And what’s ‘early science’, the science of the 17th century, the science of 21st century or the 25th? Isn’t this idea of limiting knowledge employed by parents everyday telling their children to “just do what I said, I’ll explain later” or my mom’s personal favorite “you’ll understand when you’re older.” So, I’m guessing we agree about science, let’s get to Mars and beyond. However, God’s word teaches humility, not the arrogance in needing to know everything and everything now.

[ 2 Corinthians 5:7 ] “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Edgar Allan Poe: “Invisible things are the only realities.”
Madeleine L’Engle: “Some things have to be believed to be seen.”

6.  HISTORY

I guess before we look at whether Jesus was only a gifted man versus the heaven-sent messiah, some will want to be convinced it’s all not simply a story, that a man, a prophet named Jesus existed.  Indeed, we have writings that such a man existed.  Certainly, the bible provides testimony in the four Gospels of the same story.

The Gospel of Matthew written by his disciple Matthew, the former tax collector, to specifically speak to his fellow Jews that Jesus was the promised messiah, and indeed, the book begins with the list of ancestral names who begat him from Abraham through the line of King David to as foretold and ultimately to Joseph.

The Gospel of Mark was the first of the gospels written, and though there are opinions on how Mark might have interfaced with Jesus, it is a considered a historical narrative by a gentile (non-Jew).

The Gospel of Luke was written by a doctor named Luke. This implies a more scientific approach to Luke’s writing and indeed, his book draws from interviews with eyewitnesses to the life, teachings, and miracles of Jesus.

The Gospel of John, the last gospel written, was written by a close friend and disciple of Jesus.  Both fisherman John, and his brother James were recruited by Jesus at the shore to follow him and become fishers of men.  It is believed John wrote to correct some teachings that John the Baptist should be more revered than Jesus and that we shouldn’t miss that Jesus was the true son of God born to man.

But mentions of the life of Jesus can also be found in Jewish historical writings, as well as by a Roman senator and historian Tacitus mentioning his execution by Pontius Pilate.  The historical upheaval caused by Christianity in the Roman empire has to be considered compelling, if not conclusive evidence of Jesus’ existence.

7.  JESUS, SON OF GOD

So, if it’s obvious to me that Jesus actually existed, why do I believe he was more than a just a charismatic teacher, more than mere mortal, but the actual son of God?  The truth is, I’ve been blessed with that feeling in my heart early on.  That’s not to say that critics around me haven’t made me question those feelings from time-to-time, or that I want to convince those critics that true happiness can only be found in him.

● His coming and sacrifice were foretold:

His birthplace foretold 700 years earlier: -[ Micah 5:2 ]- “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

His ancestral line foretold 1400 years earlier: -[ Genesis 49:10 ]- “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.” Where Judah’s line included Abraham (patriarch of Judaism who was willing to sacrifice his son at God’s command) and King David (Goliath slayer and father of King Solomon) all the way to the carpenter Joseph, Jesus’s legal father. (see Matthew 1:1)

Obeying God’s command to sacrifice his son, Abraham foreshadows the sacrificial lamb: -[ Genesis 22:8 ]- “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.”

And 700 years before Christ’s birth, the prophet Isaiah received this revelation from God about the servant Messiah: -[ Isaiah 53:7 ]- “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”

● Jesus came to serve, not to be served.  This should be reconciled with those that pretend to serve only to enrich themselves or to be themselves served, from cult leaders to political leaders:

Jesus explains to his disciples: -[ Mark 10:45 -] “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The first of three times Jesus talks about his coming death: -[ Matthew 16:21 ]- “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.  “ Jesus’s close friend and disciple responded: -[ Matthew 16:22 ]- “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.  “Never, Lord!” he said.  “This shall never happen to you!”” -[ Matthew 16: 23 ]- “Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!  You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.””

● They challenged him, tried to trick and trap him, but the son of God knew of them, was uncompromising and many times confounded their conventional thinking::

The Pharisees asked Jesus if paying taxes to Roman occupiers was lawful, aiming to trap him as a traitor (if he said no) or unpopular (if he said yes). -[ Mark 12:17 ]- “Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.””

Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus to test him, citing that the Law of Moses, they commanded stoning her for adultery. -[ John 8:7 ]- ““He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”  They walked away, the older ones first having more sin.”  Then Jesus told the woman: -[ John 8:11 ]- “Go, and sin no more.”

And -[ Matthew 22:34-40 ]-: “Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.  One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law.  Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”” The perfection of this answer shouldn’t be missed.  The first four of the ten commandments deal with loving and honoring God.  The next six speak to how we should treat each other.  If we truly love God in observing of the first four, we would follow his will in observance of the next six.

● Prophecies of Jesus:

Jesus tells the future of the holy temple in Jerusalem that was destroyed by the Romans some 40 years after his death: -[ Mark 13:1-2 ]- “As Jesus was leaving the Temple, one of his followers said to him, “Look, Teacher!  How beautiful the buildings are!   How big the stones are!”  Jesus said, “Do you see all these great buildings?  Not one stone will be left on another.   Every stone will be thrown down to the ground.””  Jesus also foretold the Jewish people’s exile in the same war: -[ Luke 21:24 ]- “They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations.”

On his final journey to Jerusalem, Jesus took apart his twelve disciples and for the sixth time, told them of his coming rejection, suffering and death: -[ Matthew 20:17-19 ]- “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law.  They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified.  On the third day he will be raised to life!”

That night before his arrest, Peter proclaimed he would never abandon Jesus: -[ Matthew 26:34 -] ““I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”” Peter went on to deny him twice in the courtyard to two servant girls who recognized him, then to a crowd and swore to them: -[ Matthew 26:74 ]- ““I don’t know the man!” Immediately the rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered what Jesus said and wept bitterly.” (After his resurrection, Jesus restores Peter.   Jesus in -[ John 21:15-17 ]- and commands him to “Feed my sheep,” thereby restoring him to leadership.)

● For many then and now, his beautiful words are enough to convince them:

[Matthew 5:43-44] “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, “Love your enemies.”

[Matthew 5:6] “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

[Matthew 5:11] “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

[Matthew 5:16] “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

[Matthew 6:25] “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”

[John 6:35] “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

[Matthew 11:28] “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

At the Last Supper after Judas had left to betray him and Jesus telling his disciples what would come next: -[ John 14:1 ]- “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

While dying on the cross: -[ Luke 23:34 ]- “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Among Jesus’s last words -[ John 19:30 ]- “It is finished.”  ‘Finished’ translated from the Greek word Tetelestai (root = teleo) meaning (1) ‘[the debt was ] paid in full’, and (2) ‘it is accomplished’. . . in this case both relating to overcoming sin.

● Witnesses to his teachings and miracles, and so convinced Jesus was the true son of God, his eleven remaining disciples devoted the rest of their lives to spreading the story of Jesus and his word.  They knew the risks of promoting Christianity in the Roman empire that required adherence to the state religion and deities.  John was the only disciple thought not to be crucified, beheaded, or otherwise violently killed for their certainty in Jesus as God in flesh.:

Peter, later also crucified for his testimonies, wrote what he, James and John witnessed on the mountain of Transfiguration where God himself proclaimed -[ 2 Peter 1:17 ]- “. . . This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Jesus called them to teach during the Last Supper.  He got up, took off his outer clothing, poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that he had wrapped around his waist: -[ John 13:6-17 ]-
“He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean.  And you are clean, though not every one of you.”  For he knew [Judas] was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean.  When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place.  “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.  “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.   Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.””

Lastly here, I remember one particular sermon by Pastor Glenn Martin.  Pastor Glenn gave us some context to contend with those who say Jesus lived and died, but never rose from the dead.  In short, Rome, nor the priests that had convicted Jesus could tolerate or risk him becoming a martyr.  Jesus had claimed to be the son of God, nothing less [ Mark 14:62 ].  Therefore, they needed his death and burial to be very mortal.  So, if some discount the happenings at the moment of his death as unproven (the temple veil tearing in two from top to bottom signifying the separation of the holiest of temple places now open to all, three hours of darkness covering the land, earthquakes, and certain graves opening [ Matthew 27:51-54 ]), let’s turn to the burial.

Jesus’s body was requested by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus from Pontius Pilate.  It was laid to rest in a rock-hewn tomb near the site of the crucifixion.  A large stone was rolled in front of the entrance.  Then Pilate at the behest of the chief priests, said: -[ Matthew 27:65-66 ]- ““Take a guard,” Pilate answered.  “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.”  So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.””  Here, ‘a guard’ meant a compliment of soldiers, and he would certainly have sent Centurions.  Pastor Glenn wanted us to understand the obvious.  These Roman soldiers were in an occupied land dealing with the civil unrest of the events.  For them to fail because they took their orders trivially would certainly subject them to severe punishment.  But on the third day, a violent earthquake rolled back the stone and an angel of the Lord came down and sat on it.  “The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.”  -[ Matthew 28:4 ]-. Jesus had risen and was no longer there.  The body they were to guard, was gone.  Afraid, the soldiers went and told the chief priests what had happened.  The chief priests gave the soldiers a large some of money and told them to say that the disciples had taken the body at night while they slept [ Matthew 28:13 ].

But do you possibly think these elite soldiers wouldn’t have heard a massive stone move in front of them, sleeping or not?  Do you even think the soldiers would all be sleeping?  Or is the more plausible answer that Jesus left the tomb on his own accord?  That he is risen indeed.  That he was later witnessed by the eleven disciples who committed the rest of their lives to him . . all to be persecuted and/or executed.

Here, I also find this Instagram post applies: “I know Jesus is real because I’ve seen who I was without him, and who I am with him.”

8.  THE BIBLE

While many pray daily for God to speak to them, and he has sent all of us his Holy Spirit as our advocate and counselor, it’s the bible, the word of God, that we can open daily to learn of his love and nature.

[ Romans 10:17 ] “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”

Therefore, let’s address those naysayers who dismiss our current bible as something less than God’s word stewarded by him.

While chapter and passage numbers were later added to allow us to more easily reference and guide others in its teachings, all the books of the original Hebrew canon written by God’s prophets are represented in our current books of Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible) which Jesus referred to many times. -[ Matthew 12:3 ]- : “[Jesus] answered, “Haven’t you read..…”   Meanwhile, the four gospels of the New Testament are written by those who knew Jesus or those who knew those who knew Jesus; therefore, the book of Thomas written a hundred years after the death of Jesus isn’t included.  Neither is the book of Enoch which was presented as Enoch’s work, but later determined otherwise.

Some use translations of the original text to dismiss its relevance.  Here, we’re reminded that Greek and Latin coexisted with Hebrew at the time of Jesus’s death and these languages were spoken in reaches of the Mediterranean as general languages of commerce and law.  And the Apostle Paul who wrote half of the new testament, wrote those books in Greek.  So, should we restrict ourselves to Hebrew or Greek, or to the 16th century translation of the King James Version which students might not understand in today’s language?  Language changes, the message within does not have to.  Illustrating this point, The Dead Sea Scrolls, that included the books of the Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible), were written as early as 250 years before Christ.  Their discovery in 1946 revealed that they are overwhelmingly similar or arguably the same as our current bible differing mostly in spelling, vocabulary or verse order (http://www.museumofthebible.org and http://www.ses.edu).

And while multiple translations of the bible exist, typically a generally accepted new translation takes years of collaborative work by scholars and linguists to make.  Today, I find myself using the NIV, NLT and KJV versions sometimes cross referencing.  Nevertheless, I really appreciate when a scholarly pastor who will drill into a particular word in a passage, mention its Hebrew or Greek origin, its historical context, and what other English words may have been applicable and why.  Many bibles sold also include footnotes doing the same.

Lastly, we must realize criticism isn’t fair when the bible gives us what we need to know, but not necessarily what we want to know.  For this is in God’s wisdom and he warns us not to add to it or take away from it . . . “lest he will take away from that person any share in the tree of life” -[ Revelation 22:18-19 ]-.  The bible is literally the history of mankind, how we have come to be who we are.  Through the many violent chapters, tribes, and leaders in the book of Judges, we see our cycle of oppression, remorse, God sending a deliverer (a “Judge”), then peace until we stray and again cause our oppression.  Yet, God stays with us in his unwavering love for us [ Judges 10: 15-16 ].  It can be very easy to miss this message or simply move on from what appears as only ancient history, this is why I rely on teachers who speak and study scripture rather than those that just convey feel good platitudes.  And though God’s word is frequently pointing at me, at my thoughts and deeds, it’s only in his word that we will find happiness.

I’ve heard pastors say that the bible is not some Magic 8-ball.  Certainly, one shouldn’t flip by-chance to a single bible passage to seek guidance, nor are its teachings random, but it does have answers.  For those who study it, come to understand God’s word, within scripture’s pages lay all the answers we seek.  How do we contend with life’s perils?  Is the path I’m on or does the decision I’m about to make, honor God’s will?  Therefore, I myself hope to grow in knowledge of the word, though admittedly I have had a decent base to have already avoided many of my bad decisions, ugh.

The church is a place to worship, worship our creator and father. We don’t worship a friend and we shouldn’t a pop star. Worship is a special act and church is a place dedicated to it. But the church is a particular topic that troubles some.  In their mind, or in their excuse, because sin exists in a church that they’ve experienced, encountered, or simply heard of, their solution is to equate God’s love with the sins of man and forgo the church and faith itself.  This particularly hurts me when I encounter a new friend who, for example, has rejected practicing because of his personal experience of a traditional parochial school upbringing.  Imagine the parents wanting their child’s heart filled with God’s love and it resulting in the opposite. So. . .

Yes, sin exists where people exist.  But it’s the good Christian who works to point out possible failings within their church, seek the biblical answer and for the benefit of the congregation, take that opportunity to improve the church when possible.  If you determine the offense to proper teachings persists, find another church.  The Apostle Paul many times criticized a church and by doing so, taught us how to do that lovingly in God’s name.  He ends his second letter to the church in Corinth this way:

[ 2 Corinthians 23-24 ] “I call God as my witness—and I stake my life on it—that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.”

God doesn’t expect or want us to do it on our own, in community we find support and new insights.  Jesus said: -[ Matthew 18:20 ]- “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Gathering also promotes what is being gathered for, kind of like seeing a group of folks gathered in an aisle inside your nearby supermarket.  ‘What’s that about?  Maybe I should see.’  So, when we attend church, we are promoting others to do the same while also supporting others there. [ Hebrews 10:25 ]- “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

And remember, growth doesn’t always come easily.  Spiritual growth often requires being challenged or stretched outside your comfort zone.  True worship and community often involve dealing with uncomfortable truths.

Lastly, I have had to remind myself a few times that the church is meant as a welcoming place.  As an example, where I grew up, men respectfully took off their hats as they entered church.  Therefore, when sometimes I see guys wearing baseball caps inside my current church, I used to think less of them.  That’s on me, not good.  Does God care if you’re wearing a tie or a t-shirt?  Would I rather not have them hearing the good news. . . or in church at all?  So, in remembrance of God’s grace to me I have found the correct humility and thankfulness that I, and others, are in God’s house, not my house.  Broken customs, broken dreams, broken hearts, come one, come all!

10.  DOUBT

Doubt is a very human nature.  It helps us discern, question and learn; it evokes cautiousness in times where there may be danger.  God understands our doubt, he’s seen it before.  Even the disciples doubted (Peter walking on the water, [ Matthew 14:30-31 ] and Phillip in [ John 14:8 ]).  My favorite biblical example of doubt, because it was so brazen, was that of Gideon who God had asked to deliver Israel for him, but Gideon was afraid to die.

Gideon was originally satisfied that the angel of the Lord had visited him with God’s calling to save Isreal, but then he asked for another confirmation, and then almost laughably another.  It’s cringe worthy, but God complied: -[ Judges 6:36-40 ]- “Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised— look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor.  If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.”  And that is what happened.  Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.””

“Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me.  Let me make just one more request.  Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.”  That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.”“

Perhaps the most famous biblical example of doubt comes from Thomas, aka: “Doubting Thomas”, after the resurrection:

[ John 20:24-29 ] “Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.  So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”  But [Thomas] said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”  A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them.  Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands.  Reach out your hand and put it into my side.  Stop doubting and believe.”  Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”  Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”“

As normal an emotion as it may be, doubt can separate us from God.  It’s in these times that we must confront it. We mustn’t see it as a conclusion, but rather as an opportunity to get closer to him.  Here, studying scripture to reveal God’s true nature is recommended, as well as prayer and the guidance of trusted mentors.  Disappointments, distractions or naysayers may lead you to doubt, but on the other side of it, we can be even closer to God. Take care not to fall away from him or grow closer to worldly things or desires simply because they are easy to embrace.

Reassuringly, it’s been said: “They that do not already have God in themselves, cannot feel His absence.“

11.  A WORLD OF SUFFERING

The Greek philosopher Epicurus said:

“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.

Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.

Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?”

Indeed, herein lies our sadness, sometimes anger, and sometimes doubt that troubles many.  I’ve endured tragedy and myself toiled over this.  Good Christians, and certainly greater thinkers than me, have written worthy volumes on this subject.  I’ve come to reconcile it in these 4 ways:

● This wasn’t God’s plan.

[ Genesis 2:17 ] “You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day.”  But alas, we did.  “And [then God] said to the man, “You listened to your wife and ate the fruit which I told you not to eat.  Because of what you have done, the ground will be under a curse. You will have to work hard all your life to make it produce enough food for you.  It will produce weeds and thorns, and you will have to eat wild plants.  You will have to work hard and sweat to make the soil produce anything, until you go back to the soil from which you were formed. . .”” [ Genesis 3:17-19 ].

That’s pretty strong and unambiguous language.  But in his creation of us, he had given us the free will to make that grave mistake.  Undoubtedly, he could have made us like his mountains or seas that also celebrate him, yet they seem less blessed as they only abide the rains and the tides.  So, we did it to ourselves.  Evil existed, and we succumbed to it.

● Evil still exists.

This was an awful lesson for me who, in my youth, felt the people who had made big mistakes, big sins, would repent and because of God’s love and forgiveness, would be forgiven just like the Apostle Paul was.  I knew people who lied in school, who stole from work or the corner store, and at my first real job as a teen, my boss, a married man, was an adulterer who left to meet his girlfriend many afternoons.  Somehow, from my Disney perspective, all would come to regret their sins and be forgiven.  Alas, as one gets older, we hear about things that make little sense to us, things one can’t imagine anyone doing.  Workmates or politicians constantly lying at the expense of others to enrich themselves, folks stealing from the elderly, raping or killing for a gang initiation.  Things so obviously planned, wrong and many times repeated, it wears on us seeing it.

As much as I’d like to focus on God’s love and ignore the depressing stuff in the bible, this would be ignoring God’s word.  His word teaches us that Satan exists, that he was a fallen angel cast out of heaven for not choosing to follow God.  That is, we believe God created all angels and therefore, Satan.  God didn’t create evil, but ignoring the law, God’s law, is sin which becomes evil.  Satan is described in the bible as the enemy, the father of lies and the tempter.  Adam and Eve revealed our vulnerability to the evil one while Jesus overcame him.  And though I tend to blame my own weakness for my sins, at times I do feel the tempter playing with my thoughts.  Anyone who has succumbed to a bad habit knows this.  It usually starts with a single breach which is then rationalized and repeated at greater and greater frequency until it becomes part of you.  All sin destroys, though we may chuckle about a junk food habit, we can’t about a habit of selfishness or anger taking control.  I can’t explain the con artist who preys on the elderly; he is certainly selfish and perhaps angry at others for what he thinks he also has a right to.  And when someone feels lost, they give more easily into instant gratification, with drug addicts this makes them even more lost, perhaps it the same with evil doers.

As you may have sensed, I’m still describing sinners who sin, who do evil, but could eventually find their way.  Jesus, however, was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit and confronted by an evil without redemption [ Matthew 4:1-11 ].  Jesus knew the difference and to who he was speaking to.  At the Last Supper addressing Judas: -[ John 13:12 ]- “As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.  So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”” Judas then betrayed Jesus that night for 30 pieces of silver.  Later in his remorse and despair he “. . .threw the money into the temple and left.  Then he went away and hanged himself.” -[ Matthew 27:5 ]-.  From this we know both that true evil exists, and true evil can take over.  Either way, it exists with us and for me to have minimized it in my youth was naïve. . . and I allowed it a less obstructed path.  -[ 1 Peter 5:8 ]- “Be alert and of sober mind.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (Which should be remembered in combination with -[ James 1:13 ]- “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. “)

● We also have to admit that a lot of the world’s suffering is a result of our apathy, our inaction.

While we might feel sorrow for the afflicted or unfortunate, it’s someone else’s problem, that there is little we can do about it.  But can we do more to overcome suffering? End poverty, cure cancer?  The bible teaches us that we are connected:

[ 1 Corinthians 12:26 ] “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it…”

[ Romans 12:15 ] “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.”

[ Galatians 6:2 ] “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

And remembering Jesus in his answer to the challenge of naming the greatest commandment: -[ Mark 12:31 ]- “Love your neighbor as yourself…”

I’ve often wondered if everyone, that’s everyone, committed to more than the Old Testament tithe (10%), to giving what is acceptable [ 2 Corinthians 8:12 ]. . . instead of that dinner out or even a savings account, that is, we committed every spare resource to curing cancer, would we have?  What if the dollars and people that support our armies, instead worked to cure diseases?  Naturally, practicality perhaps prevents that, but just imagine it for a minute.  As humankind, are we devoting ourselves away from happiness?  Certainly, this should be obvious when you look at what most do on the sabbath for example.  The day of rest, the day to honor God.  Instead, most of us shop or dine when God commanded:

[ Exodus 20.:10 ] “but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.  On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.”

This retail engagement inhibits time for God, time with our families and the quiet time we ourselves need, as well as, for those working to service our selfish habits.  Wouldn’t sabbath observance enhance our families and our communities?  Instead, we look away.

We have to understand that the worldly power of money draws many to sin.  The store will likely be open on the sabbath if customers come.  Profits and greed are powerful motivators.  This isn’t to say that there isn’t a single person atop the organization that ultimately makes that decision, but it’s our apathy that allows that choice, that temptation.  Take our part in Hollywood’s decay into violence.  Generally speaking, major studio movies need a film rating of G, PG, or R to be shown in wide release and attract the audience for maximum profits.  However, some current slasher movie scenes would never have gotten that accreditation decades ago.  But, perhaps starting with the shower knifing scene in the movie Physco (1960), the path to profits has been seemingly more and more in shock value.  Scare us!  Consequently, now we see bloodier deaths contrived by all kinds of implements, more of them per movie and sequels where the killer over time has become the protagonist?  No, they are not, and neither is Billy the Kid or Bonnie and Clyde.  So, it’s important to realize, that it’s our dollars and online clicks that foment this decay where even the former gentler evening hours of television watched by our children are now interrupted by murderous scenes of an upcoming “must see” program.  Then we ask ourselves how a tragedy on our local news could have happened, how could someone do such a thing?  Indeed, following a lifetime of examples laid in front of the offender. . . paid for by our dollars and clicks. Netflix, and alike, watches what is watched, what is fully watched, and where a viewer left a program.  Our clicks determine content.  And no matter how many ways Hollywood denies it, content influences action.  King Solomon tells us -[ Proverbs 4:23 ]- “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

I cite these two examples because they seem solvable.  We need to close avenues to the devil, not open new ones.  Unfortunately, it seems unlikely humanity is going to come together any time soon on a cure for cancer if our individual selfishness compromises sabbath observance and promotes self-destructive content.  And while I hope you and I will do our parts here, I contend suffering is no reason for disbelief, instead, that a lot of suffering simply results more from our own actions, or inactions.

● God promises the world’s suffering will end.

Nearing the end of his life, Jesus told his disciples: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.” [ Matthew 24:21 ].  That implies it’s gonna get worse before it gets better; that’s certainly scary.  Nevertheless, God promises the world’s suffering will end and God has the final say.  The prophet Isaiah quotes God saying:

[ Isaiah 65:17 ] “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind…”

[ Isaiah 65:20 ] “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years…”

[ Isaiah 65:25 ] “The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox….. says the Lord.”

And we pray for this day each time we recite the prayer Jesus taught his disciples: “. . .thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. . .” [ Matthew 6:10, the Lord’s Prayer ].  And though Jesus said that only the father knows that day [ Matthew 24:36 ], the prevalence of our internet lead some to [ Matthew 24:14 ] where Jesus says that the good news will be preached to all nations, and then the end will come.

For now, however, it’s a world of suffering that we originally allowed and that we don’t do enough to diminish.  But this too can sometimes be in God’s plan.  Suffering sharpens us however, it also makes room for God in our heart.  Ernest Hemingway is credited with saying:

“We are all broken, that’s how the light gets in.”

My only brother passed young in a car accident.  It changed my life.  Eventually, I decided that God didn’t take him, rather that if God wanted him to survive that accident, he would have.  It wasn’t God’s doing, rather ours and my brother’s doing.  Still, I suffered and continue to suffer.  His absence is crushing.  But I also know that God doesn’t see our mortal death as the end.  And if you believe in mind-body dualism (above), neither do you.  Ultimately, my brother’s passing strengthened me and I still trust God and in his love.  This contrasts my friend who abandoned his faith after the suffering and loss of his wife.  It pains me to see his separation from God.  I wish I had the right words for him to reestablish that bond.  I pray that I will find them and that he again opens his heart to the Holy Spirit.

[ Proverbs 3:5 ] “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

[ Ecclesiastes 7:3-4 ] “To have sorrow is better than to laugh because when a face is sad, the heart may become strong.  The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure”

[ Romans 5:3-5 ] “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.   And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.  .  .”

SUMMARY

I hope my thoughts help.  I urge those with heavy or perhaps empty hearts to seek better guidance through the scripture and prayer with, if possible, the help of a true teacher.  I listen to teachers and will continue to do so.; so many are good.  However, be wary of those whose words only compliment you.  Some I have heard provide more feel-good platitudes than scripture.  Personally, I get the most out of lessons that are scripture based, then are related to my life, toils, and temptations.  Try to determine if your teacher has a foundational knowledge of scripture, can provide historical or cultural context to lessons there, or perhaps scrutinize whether a position of community leadership might have been their primary reason to seek teaching.  As sinners, we have to expect that scripture will pierce our skin at some point, challenge us.  Nevertheless, the Lord’s word and message is a good one, a message of love, hope and help.    Look for a silent and secluded space and listen for him knowing that each new dawn is his blessing and:

[ John 10:14 ]: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.”

[ Matthew 7:7 ]: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

[ Romans 15:13 ]: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

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