Gotta believe
You’ve probably heard W.C. Fields’s famous quip: “A man’s got to believe in something. I believe I’ll have another drink.” Meant to be funny, but perhaps actually a sad comment on just how shallow faith can be.
How deep, how strong is your faith? There’s no simple answer, is there? Our faith has ups and downs, stronger times and weaker times. Just posing the question to ourselves can bring on guilty feelings that our faith isn’t what it should be. But failing to pose the question isn’t helpful either.
However, “how deep” and “how strong” are quantity questions—not the first questions to be addressed. The first is the content question: What is it you believe?
An awful lot of people would actually endorse the first of Mr. Fields’s statements, that you need to believe in something. And many would applaud intensity, of any faith.
The Bible does not support this view of faith. Take for example Paul’s discussion of the faith of Abraham in Romans 4. Paul notes what Abraham believed—the promise of God that he would be heir of the world, that he would have innumerable offspring, that he would be the (spiritual) father of many nations, that he was counted righteous. Above all that God could do what He promised. Please take a minute right now and read this chapter. And take special note of verses 16 and 23-25: The promises of God weren’t for Abraham only, “but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham.” Being counted righteous wasn’t written for Abraham’s sake alone, “but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”
When Paul talks about the “faith of Abraham” he’s talking about what Abraham believed, not just how much he believed. Paul explains just what Abraham believed, and says the promises are for us who share that faith.
Faith as the Bible describes it isn’t frivolous (like Mr. Fields), it isn’t generic, it isn’t variable from person to person or day to day, isn’t moldable to suit our preferences. It’s specific. The great “faith chapter”, Hebrews 11, includes this very well-known summary: “And without faith it is impossible to please him [God], for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (verse 6)
Notice the word “must”. Not a preferred option, a must. We must, we’re told, believe God exists. Not some god—this God, the only God. However intensely we believe in some other god, that won’t cut it. (Look for example at the intensity of belief in Baal exhibited in 1 Kings 18—and what that was worth.)
And, Hebrews goes on, we must believe God’s promises. Specific promises, as noted in Romans 4. We must believe this God rewards those who seek Him, the one true God.
We must believe in Him, and we must believe Him, believe what He says. That is the faith that pleases, that is the faith of Abraham.
This may all seem needlessly basic. The fact is, though, that we live in a time and place where faith has little value to many. Faith in some minds equates to blindly or naively believing something contrary to reason. Even if faith is valued, it’s often for its intensity, not its substance. In fact arguing that there is only one specific faith that is pleasing may provoke a disapproving or even hostile reaction.
It’s worth asking ourselves how strong, how deep our faith is. And before that, it’s worth figuring out what we believe, and why we believe it.
What we find is that the faith as presented in the Bible is neither blind nor gullible. When Abraham was having doubts about God’s promise that he’d have a son, God took him outside and had him look at the stars. That’s a great starting place, in fact the entire creation is powerful testimony that that God is. In a parallel way, the resurrection of Jesus is powerful testimony that He rewards those who seek Him.
When we seek to exhibit the faith of Abraham, we’re not talking about having as much faith as he did. We’re talking about sharing what he believed. God is—step outside and look at the evidence. God rewards those who seek (that’s a very active word)—examine the testimony of the resurrection of Jesus. If we get the what right, then we have a foundation for weathering the ups and downs in strength. Like Abraham.
Love, Paul