We Walk By Faith


In 2 Corinthians 5:7, the apostle Paul wrote,  “For we  walk by faith, not by sight.” Many have taken this  verse out of context to mean that we walk by faith not  by knowledge. Of course, this is not what the apostle Paul  was saying. Rather, he was saying, as written in Hebrews  11:1,  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the  evidence of things not seen.” It is not necessary to see  in order to believe. To the contrary, believing is seeing  when one puts one’s faith and trust in God (Prov. 3:5-6).

Relying upon seeing to believe, however, eventually  kills faith altogether. Science says that physical sight is  nothing more than a collection of neurons and chemicals  in precisely the right balance so as to produce sensations  in the brain. Francis Crick, co-discoverer of the DNA  molecule said, “‘You,’ your joys and your sorrows,  your memories and your ambitions, your sense of  personal identity and free will, are in fact no more than  the behavior of a vast assembly of nerve cells and their  associated molecules. Who you are is nothing but a pack  of neurons.” How can chemicals and grouped atoms be  trusted to provide adequate information for knowledge?  Charles Darwin said, “With me, the horrid doubt always  arises whether the convictions of man’s mind, which has  been developed from the mind of the lower animals,  are of any value or at all trustworthy.” Without God,  knowledge is impossible.

The fact, however, that we can perceive this  paradox—to know the physical processes that are  involved in knowledge that allegedly makes knowledge  impossible—proves that we are more than just physical  beings. It shows that we can step outside of our  physical selves with our spiritual person and have real  understanding of truth. We are not like rats in a maze that  have no clue that they are, in fact, rats in a maze. Rather,  we are spiritual beings with a physical apparatus that  enables us to know the physical world. Even knowing  the physical world means walking by faith.

There is no other way around our state of affairs  than to have faith. So why do we need to renew our faith?  We are, unfortunately, creatures of doubt. Doubt can  serve us well when applied in the appropriate contexts.  In the chemistry lab, I had better doubt whether the  beaker in front of me is water or not lest I drink it and  die. In the desert, however, such doubt would kill me. It  is the misapplication of doubt that gets us into trouble,  and over which we may have our biggest controversies.

So, renewing faith is that personal and communal  activity that provides for us the same platform on which  to operate. I renew my faith when I put my trust in God  and His word, the Bible. I pledge before everyone that  this book is the standard upon which I operate my life.  When others make the same pledge, we operate upon  the same standard, and vow to uphold that standard  regardless what may come our way. When we live  faithfully based upon that standard, we find others who  will commune with us in a state of peace, harmony, and  love. No force can overcome such renewal.

However, problems will arise that challenge that  fellowship. How will we manage such problems? Will we  do so based upon the standard of God’s word? Or will we  turn to cultural and societal solutions? Often, we do the  latter instead of the former. The result is devastating for  a people who claim to follow God’s standard of right and  wrong. Confusion and doubt set in, and faith is destroyed.  Few have the integrity that is needed to withstand such  an onslaught and breech of communal standards. As a  result, some may turn to other religions or philosophies.  Some become agnostics and atheists because the stench  of hypocrisy is so strong.

We must renew our faith in God and His word by  going to His word and letting it rule in our lives.  “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Walking by faith means walking by the  word of God, and that must be done in every situation.  If we truly believe the standard of God’s word, then by  following it, we can resolve all issues that stand between  us.

Neither science nor the philosophies of men hold  the basis to resolve human conflict. Darwinian naturalism  doesn’t fight destructive conflict at all. In fact, it claims  that destructive conflict is natural and “good.” It weeds  out the less fit so that the stronger may survive. The  philosophies of men talk a good game, but when it  comes to making critical decisions based upon them,  they always fail and never provide true direction for the  resolution of conflict. God’s word, however, will succeed  when it is applied. We may truly renew our faith both  in God and one another through His will. May we ever  learn to depend upon it and trust in its truths, for vain is  the help of man (Ps. 108:12).

 

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