Why We Need Faith
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." (John 8:12).
One of the greatest problems caused by our fallen sinful nature is we are unable to see and understand our life clearly. We are confused about right and wrong, and about how we should live. Our desires wage war inside our heart and mind, so we do evil things we don’t want to do; and not do the good things we want to do (Romans 7).
Just take the simple example of over eating and maintaining a healthy weight. We know we shouldn't eat too much or eat too much “junk” food, but our sinful nature wages war against our internal reasoning and emotions, and makes us prisoners of our sinful desires. Then it forces us to do things against our will.
We may joke about this because it is only food, but when you take the same principle and apply it to sex; you get things like fornication, adultery, sexually immoral relationships, rape, pedophilia and so on. Or consider how hating someone can lead to anger, and in turn anger can lead to physical assault or murder.
All these internal conflicts within ourselves are the result of sin. A powerful force which controls our thoughts and actions. Sin has caused us to rebel against how God has created us. We do not reflect His glorious design and creation. Instead we choose what we think is right and wrong; and the result is a world full of evil, war, disease, injustice, violence, insecurity and pain.
Again some people joke about this saying, “the Devil made me do it”, referring to their evil actions - but it cannot be denied, that in some shape or form, this is a reality in everyone’s life. Sin has marred our understanding of ourselves and the world, and especially our understanding of God. We cannot “see” God and we do not understand God because of our fallen state.
This is why trusting in God’s word is a light to the way we should live our lives, Psalm 119 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path". There is also a frailty to our lives. We are susceptible to disease and so many things which can easily hurt and harm us, both physically and emotionally.
This is why the focus of the gospel is in “Trusting”. Faith and belief is not just something that is our preference. For example; I believe this or that because I like it or because it suits my life style or because my parents believed it.
Biblical faith is trusting in what God has communicated. God has delivered a message to all humanity and that message is the gospel. The message is the Good News that Jesus has died and risen from the dead as the atoning sacrifice for our sins, that we may be saved “from” the wrath of God and “for” the inheritance of the new heaven and new earth.
It is trusting in what God has revealed about Himself. There is far too much we do not understand. Not only about ourselves but life, the world and the universe. Science claims to have “knowledge” but it is only knowledge about physical realties and many so called scientific truths are only “theories” which have not be proved.
Trusting God is about trusting who He is, who Jesus is and everything God says about life and life after death. Trusting God is true and reliable. God knows all things. He is the creator of all things and He is the Saviour of all who come to Him through faith in Jesus.
Apart from this - we are on our own. There is no assurance of any truth in this life without God. If there was, we would not have the time or the mental capacity to be able to fully comprehend it. Life and the world is just too big for us to understand, and we are indeed blind guides leading the blind if we think we understand the reality of life and eternity through our own logic, reasoning or experiences.
Following Jesus by faith, trusting in the Word of God is the only sound choice anyone has in life because God is the author and originator of all things in heaven and on earth.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men"
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:1-13).
"For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE." Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe."
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.
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But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD." (1 Corinthians 1:18-31).
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