The Basis Of Faith
By John Hendrix
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1, NASB)
Faith is having assurance and conviction about something without having absolute proof. Faith is an everyday part of everyone's life. For the most part, we have faith that our food and water are safe, that our friends are honest with us, that places exist though we have never visited them, that our senses are telling us the truth, and that our minds are functioning relatively well. The list could go on.
Since "absolute proof" is a difficult thing to find, faith is required for us to function in this world and society. Imagine the life of a person who does not believe in anything that he has not personally experienced.
The servant of God must have faith. He must believe that God exists, and that God will fulfill His promises to those who serve Him (Hebrews 11:6). He must believe in the word of God as an accurate and complete guide to godly living (2 Peter 1:3). He must believe that Jesus was God's Son and that He has paid the price for their sins (John 3:16).
We do not have absolute proof of any of these things. Some people wrongly conclude that faith--the kind of faith spoken of in the Bible--has no foundation in "fact." They think that faith is held without any evidence, or against all evidence.
In truth faith can be held without evidence and against all evidence. This faith is "blind" and not good. Eve believed the words of the Serpent, despite the very present command of God. She believed without evidence and suffered for her gullibility. Sisera trusted Jail and died at her hands (Judges 4:17-21). Many Jews did not believe Jesus--despite the evidence He gave--and called for His crucifixion.
God did not expect the early Christians to believe without providing evidence. Neither does He expect us to believe without evidence. The early Christians heard the voice of Jesus and saw the miracles He performed, or heard the voice of His apostles and saw the wonders that they performed. Many have said, "If I could see what they saw, I would certainly believe." Yet most of those early people who heard and saw, still did not believe. Miracles alone were not sufficient for them to believe.
The wonders of God are not hidden from us. We know wondrous things about ourselves and the world we live in. The universe dazzles us with its incomprehensible complexity and its beautiful order.
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. (Psalm 19:1-3)
We see the glorious order of the universe and reject the notion--as old as all the ancient myths--that the universe is the product of chance, that all this order sprung of itself out of chaos. Just like those who rejected Jesus, some see the wonders of creation and reject the notion that God has made it.
The miracles of Jesus were not "absolute proof" to those in Jesus day. Our knowledge of our world is not "absolute proof" of a benevolent God. But the evidence is real and compelling.
In the days of the early church people might have been impressed by the miracles, but they were converted by the message. Faith came by hearing (Romans 10:17), when the hearers understood the message, thought it sound and worth believing, and trusted the messengers.
Our faith is based largely upon the testimony of trustworthy men. This is true in day-to-day life. I have not seen all the accounting books of my bank, but I trust that I can withdraw my money when I need it. This faith is strong in spite of the events leading into the Great Depression seventy years ago. I have no "absolute proof" that the banking system is basically sound, but the evidence is real and compelling.
If the early disciples had miracles to strengthen their faith, we have something they did not: a compiled book of the revelations of God. In the scriptures we have the testimony of many men. Faith comes when we carefully read the words, understand the wonderful message of the gospel and are assured of the reliability of the messengers.
Many of the New Testament writers claimed first-hand knowledge of the life and teachings of Jesus:
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life. . . (1 John 1:1)
For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. (2 Peter 1:16)
Is their testimony reliable? There is no "absolute proof," but plenty of compelling evidence. They spread a message of morality, devotion to God, and service to fellow man. Would it make sense for these men to encase this message in a giant deception?
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)
Honesty is one of the great virtues taught in the scriptures. These men were not lying.
If not deceivers, might they have been deluded?
But [Paul] said, "I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason." (Acts 26:25)
The great and sobering deliberations of the Bible writers are all the testimony needed to build confidence in their sanity. They were not crazy, but very thoughtful and clear-headed.
The immense wonder of creation testifies to the existence and greatness of God. The wonderful message, bold claims and clear arguments of the writers of the Bible books testify to their honesty and reliability.
This is faith based upon evidence that is real and compelling. The more I study the Holy Word, the stronger my faith becomes. What do you think of the evidence?