Faith

Thomas here again. Note I did not call myself “Doubting Thomas” as you might have desired, and if you did, that is your problem and not mine!

This time I want to talk with you about faith. Now, you may believe that someone like me would not be qualified to even bring up the subject of faith. After all, I received the aforementioned nickname because I questioned everything and wanted answers to seemingly each small detail before I would believe.

Well, believe you me, I do know something about faith. Just read on.

First of all, what is faith? The best definition I’ve heard can be found in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews. Honestly, I wish I had written that definition, because it is right on! It captures exactly what faith is:

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.”

And then, the author goes on to recount example after example of faith among “the ancients” before concluding as follows:

“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”

And what was that “something better?” None other than Jesus Christ!

Faith, to be faith, must be exercised. To quote another scripture, we must “walk in faith.” Standing still, frozen in place doesn’t automatically translate to faith. To be faith, it must be exercised: to walk, not by sight, but in faith.

*Triumph of Faith over* *Idolatry* by Jean-Baptiste Théodon(1646–1713)

I liken the exercise of faith to a giant jigsaw puzzle, or to a large quilt. Bear with me here!

Eventually, the pieces will all fit together. They must fit to be complete. And they will. But you are working without all of the pieces. And believe me, faith does require work! It isn’t easy, as we all discover.

However, all is not lost. Some of the pieces can be assembled into clusters or groups, but only so far. As you keep working at it, walking in faith, you may get a sense of what the entire puzzle or quilt might look like once it is complete. But there are still gaps and you have no pieces for the gaps. You can only imagine what will fill those gaps, eventually connecting everything.

We live in a time of imperfect connections, don’t we? The Apostle Paul said it best in his chapter on love in 1 Corinthians 13:

“For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end.”

His words are still true today, perhaps even more true than in Paul’s day. Our modern world, you see, tries to inject phony pieces into our puzzle or quilt, throwing us off. We must be careful to recognize and reject those phony pieces, and it’s not easy!

So, for now, we try to connect the true pieces to make the whole. But we do it imperfectly, in faith that someday, we’ll have all of the pieces. Then, they will connect and be tied together so that we will see the finished product. As Paul said, we are viewing life through a dark glass. We can’t make out the full picture. Not yet. But someday, it will all become clear! We will be able to see it in all its fullness.

And that’s where faith comes in, where we must “walk in faith” even when we can’t see the full picture. God Himself gives us the pieces and perhaps as we fit more of the true pieces into place (in faith), He gives us more to see.

Let me give you another example.

Many people struggle in their faith when they read certain passages in the Old Testament. Some of the stories are pretty horrific, involving bloody battles, wiping out entire villages, including men, women, children and even animals. Deceitful people like Jacob are honored, and David, the adulterer and murderer, is exalted. Much of the time, God seems angry.

Can these stories possibly be reconciled with Jesus of Nazareth, the Prince of Peace? After all, Jesus commanded us not to kill our enemies, but to love and pray for them.

Here’s my take on this. As Paul said, we see these seemingly disparate pieces of our Christian faith story, and we shake our heads. Aren’t they at odds? How can they possibly ever fit together? So, we realize that we can see “only in part.” We must exercise our faith that “when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end.”

So, look on those stories from the Old Testament as pieces that will someday connect to the whole. Those pieces, as horrific as some were, will eventually fit. Somehow.

Then, look on Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ IS the “complete” picture. He is the whole, full of grace and truth, as our brother John has written (John 1). And He completes everything. He overrides everything. If we desire to know the best image of God the Father, look to Christ. In Him (and only Him) will it all someday come together. And even though we struggle to see it now, know for sure that these seemingly disparate and even contradictory “partial” pieces will one day fit into the image of Christ.

As the author of Hebrews tells us, that image, that picture, that complete whole of a puzzle or quilt is what we confidently hope for. And even though we cannot yet fully see it, we live in the assurance of it when we walk in faith.

So, maybe now you can better understand why I asked so many questions. And if you do, take comfort in the fact that my questions never bothered Jesus. Not at all. In truth, Jesus welcomes questions. Don’t be afraid to ask your questions too.

A Practical Thinker

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