Jesus asked questions, intentionally—to engage His listeners, and
to effect self-examination. Questions like “Who do you say I am?” (John
8:29) and “Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:25) are just as relevant today
as they were two millennia ago.
With an increasing cultural bias against all things Biblical, Christian icons along with the values they represent are being eliminated from the Public Square. Thus, Jesus' question “Will I find faith when I return?” (Luke 18:8) seems especially pertinent!
With acceptance of pluralism and rejection of exclusivity, where will Jesus find redemptive, sanctifying faith? Probably not in military, education, or government. Certainly not in business or entertainment. Nor even in our schools of theology. Nor, unfortunately, in many churches. But, and this is the all important question, will He find it in you and me? Today, how will you answer His question “Where is your faith?”
With an increasing cultural bias against all things Biblical, Christian icons along with the values they represent are being eliminated from the Public Square. Thus, Jesus' question “Will I find faith when I return?” (Luke 18:8) seems especially pertinent!
With acceptance of pluralism and rejection of exclusivity, where will Jesus find redemptive, sanctifying faith? Probably not in military, education, or government. Certainly not in business or entertainment. Nor even in our schools of theology. Nor, unfortunately, in many churches. But, and this is the all important question, will He find it in you and me? Today, how will you answer His question “Where is your faith?”
I think only if we have been convinced of our total inability to follow Him in our strength it's when our faith starts really to get strong and growing and therefore is anchored on the Rock, and nobody can take it away from us. I think it gets to a point where it is not our faith anymore but the faith of the Son of God Himself in us. Only tried, genuine, constant faith will be really ready for HIs coming and expecting Him.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, Patricia. In Him we live and move and exist!
ReplyDeleteHello Greg,
ReplyDeleteYou have captured well the New Testament Greek usage of the word that we translate "faith." In those days, it was both a noun and verb (like "belief" and "believe"). Not only is there the noun of faith, usually something that involves personal ownership (my faith), but in the latter days of the New Testament, there was also something comparable to "The Faith" (essential truths that became a creed).
This has created challenges for translators. I am reminded of a situation in Papua New Guinea for a missionary there tasked with translating the gospel of Mark into the native language. The tribe did not have a written language. And they did not have a comparable word for faith, belief, or trust. What the missionary used was the word that they have for "setting the hook for the hammock in the tree." The hammock had to be off the jungle floor, because bad things happen there in the night time. So, the paraphrase would be, I have set my hook in Jesus' work, and now I can rest. To bring this conversation back to your post, at one time or another, in the believer's life one has to climb into the hammock. One has to exercise that trust in a meaningful way that results in personal transformation (evidential works flow from faith).
Glad to be resting and working,
Larry Q