“Reach forth your finger, and behold my hands; and reach forth your hand, and thrust into My side: and be not faithless, but believing.” John 20:27
Dear Ones:
Faith is the basis and pillar upon which all valid and true experience of the Life of Christ is known. The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us: “…Without faith, it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him.”(God) (11:6) Paul writes to the Romans: “…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” (14:23) Paul also wrote to the Ephesians, “…For ye are saved by faith.” (2:8) Why is faith so very important, even essential, if we are to know God? It is basically for at least two reasons. The first has to do with TRUTH, and the second has to do with MOTIVE.
When the Lord Jesus was brought before Pilate, just before His crucifixion, He said something that was intended to awaken, in wretched Pilate, a desire to know the answer to a question. Jesus said: “I came into the world to bear witness to the truth.” (Jn. 18:37) Pilate answered by a question: “What is truth?” (v. 38) Why did Jesus mention the matter of TRUTH? Because the absolute truth of what God IS, and says, is the basis for all truth faith. God, revealed to us in Jesus Christ, is the ONLY One in this universe who is truly trustworthy. This is because He is perfect, with no contradiction in and of Himself. He IS what He IS, or as He declared to Moses: “I AM THAT I AM.” (Ex. 3:14) He is immutably the same, in every aspect of His being, yesterday, today, and forever. He is therefore the ONLY ABSOLUTE who will DO what He declares. There is perfect conformity, and uniformity, with what He IS, DOES, and SAYS.
The second reason why “faith” is primary, and fundamental, to all true experience in Christ, is the MOTIVE of His revelation to men. How is it that there could ever be a God, Maker of heaven and earth, who would stoop so low, and give that which was most precious (His Son), to be slain by those who were the most reprehensible, even His godless enemies? The ONLY answer is that He IS Love. Love is a Person, but it is also that highest of all motives that calls us to faith.
The most deplorable and unacceptable sin, and the basis for all of the suffering in the world, is this, that man chooses NOT to believe, and commit Himself, to his faithful Creator. Not only this, but the man who chooses not to believe in God, despises and rejects, the love of God. Is God at fault, with regard to faith? “What more can He say, than to you He hath said?” He has done everything to bring us to faith.
Dear Father, give us grace, not only to see how illogical unbelief is, but to grasp: “Death and the curse were in our cup…that bitter cup, LOVE drank it up; now blessings’ draught for me.” Be merciful to us, and grant us grace to wholeheartedly BELIEVE in You, trusting You fully, as our faithful and loving Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad