Craig Clouston

What Is Faith?

Now faith is being sure of … what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1

Helen was agnostic. “How can you believe in God?” she asked. “And how are you so sure He exists?”
Ronnie chose her words carefully. “I see God in nature and in the details of life. I've personally seen Him work in the circumstances of my life, and I hear Him when He speaks to my spirit, Helen.”
“So now you’re saying God talks to you? Yeah, right!” Helen’s comment was dripping with sarcasm. She refused to believe in God because she had never witnessed conclusive proof of His existence.
Ignoring Helen’s remark, Ronnie went on. “Answer this question, Helen. Can you prove God doesn't exist? For example, you can’t see the wind, but you know it’s there. When you flip on a light switch, you expect there to be light. And you know the sun will come up tomorrow no matter what. Each requires an act of faith to believe in. Why is it such a stretch to believe in a Creator?”
Helen didn't like where this was headed. “Each of those can be proven scientifically. What’s your point?”
“My point is that faith fails to be faith when we have tangible proof. You demand tangible proof of God’s existence, and unless you get it, you will continue to reject the possibility that there is Someone outside your control in control of your life. God asks us to believe without seeing.”

†

The thought of being subject to Someone else’s authority has caused multitudes great anguish. God’s existence challenges our life choices.
Any religion that denies Christ’s deity, meaning Jesus is the only way to heaven, shares an inability to believe God would condemn. They refuse to believe they are condemned, not by God, but by their own choices, and so they choose to disbelieve. In their unrighteous and unholy living, there is no room for admitting a Holy God cannot abide their actions.
Christians believe solely on His Word, the circumstantial evidence surrounding us and our ability to reason.
Our stance on whether or not He exists will not change that He does.
Faith is making an informed decision, aware that where we spend eternity hangs in the balance.

Prayer

“Give me words of truth to speak into nonbeliever’s doubt, Lord. Amen.”