Reflections on the Nature of Faith
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By:
Wanjiru |
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Faith is the only instrument capable of connecting us with a living God. We can’t detect God with the senses or grasp and confine him within the intellect. But the heart has the power to draw him toward us with a bond of affection and trust.
If we are true to God, God will be true to us. This is the foundation of all personal relationships and is no less true with God. As we approach God, he will respond accordingly.
Faith is a living dynamic path, not one on which we can become complacent and allow our faith to solidify into dogma. It requires constant searching and questioning to align ourselves with God’s will. That quest is to live in harmony with the universally benevolent will.
In this living venture, we have sufficient theoretical evidence the relationship will succeed. But the undertaking is inherently risky. The outcome is beyond our control. Our commitment isn’t a guarantee. We’re necessarily vulnerable to betrayal or adverse outcomes.
This is an unavoidable consequence of trust. Trust is confidence, not proof. We should see the commitment as having faith in God, not faith that God (exists).
We can establish God’s existence with reason and intellect. This is the project of natural theology. From our observations of the natural world, we can infer the existence of God. The rational case for theism is robust enough to support a rationally justified belief God exists.
There is no unusual rational risk in believing God exists. The risk is in trusting a person we know only from theoretical deductions and the testimony of those we accept as reliable witnesses.