Faith

After the chapter on man, we point the compass towards faith. Let’s start with the question, how many people are believers in your city? We can hear different answers. Those who go to church give less than those who don’t. Who reads the statistics is based on them. Some draw on experience, others on ideas about the number of believers. Neither idea nor experience have exact numbers here. But there is a difference between faith and faith. Imagine the situation. At the bus station, he asks a middle-aged man if he is a believer. The man answers I am an unbeliever. This man goes to the hospital but doesn’t know the way. He asks a passing pedestrian. He explains the way to him and he believes a pedestrian he has never seen in his life. He goes to the hospital, where he is examined by a doctor he has never seen and does not ask him to show him a medical degree. He goes back from the hospital by bus to the station and does not ask the bus driver to show him his driver’s license. If our man were really unbelievers, as he claims, he would check everything and everyone, in one word he would not believe anyone. He didn’t do it because he believed. But even so, it is not the faith we have in mind. I can already hear the objection that without such faith, life would be impossible. We could characterize this rather as trust. So what is faith? It is a gift, it is grace. Faith is not a philosophical or worldview. Faith is a lifestyle. Faith is the acceptance of the Son of God Jesus Christ into our lives. Faith is a step into mystery. I’m sure you know this story. A circus came to the village. The artist erected two tall pillars, stretched a rope between them, and walked on the rope with a furrier. Then he put two sacks of potatoes in the pantry and walked safely along the rope. Then he asked a question. Do you believe that I would safely transport each of you to the other end? People excited enthusiastically. We believe. There’s someone upstairs to try it. However, no one signed up. Yes, it’s easy to stand down and call believe, but it’s harder to prove by deed that I really believe. It’s easy to say. Of course, I am a believer, but it is harder to enter Jesus’ arms and be transferred from the old to the new life. It depends on man whether he is willing to ascend there and be led safely by the Creator of the universe himself. Most people don’t care about this great adventure. Therefore, true faith cannot be spoken of here.