Genuine Faith Is Not Blind – Part 2

There is a saying, “love is blind and lovers cannot see.”

The real meaning of love is “A strong feeling of personal affection, care, and desire for the well-being of others.” It is a primary characteristic of God’s nature (1 John 4:8)

If you are only physically attracted to your opposite sex it is not love it is called lust. Real love involves knowing the person for who he is or who she is. You need to know the good and the bad characteristics of that person. Real love is not easy it takes time to develop.

What about faith, is there a blind faith? Yes, there is a blind faith. The dictionary says, blind faith is a faith without true understanding. It means blind faith has no basis or no foundation.

For the first part of this article visit: www.wbfmfamily.com

Genuine Faith Involves Three Key Ingredients

Faith is the basis of all our relationships with one another and with God. In marriage, we pledge faithfulness – our fidelity – to one person. Committing adultery is therefore called infidelity.

Business is based on trust – two parties make an agreement and pledge that each party would meet various obligations. In cases of both marriage and business, there are three key ingredients of faith that are also true in our relationship with God:

First, knowledge: The specific details of the agreement God chose to communicate with us through words. “In the beginning was the Word,” begins the gospel of John. The knowledge of the Lord is the information God allowed to come into the earth. That knowledge is the bedrock of our faith.  When your parents always fulfill their promises to you and when they promise you to buy you a car after your graduation from university, you will believe them without seeing the car. The basis of your faith is their promise. This knowledge of God is not only on in the Scriptures but also throughout nature:

Psalms 19:1-4 (NIV): “The heavens declare the glory of God: the skies proclaims the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

God wants us to have knowledge of Him. This knowledge comes not only through Scripture, but through the evidence exhibited in the world He created, so that we have no excuse of not knowing Him (Romans 1:20).

Second, assent or consent: willingness to enter into a contract. This assent is the product of reason. Having considered the promises and weighed the reality of the evidence to support the specific claim, then we are to agree as a result of thinking and considering a matter. The aspect of assent (consent) is critical in that God has given man the right to choose freely, therefore this choice must be sincere and without pressure. God doesn’t want us to do something against our will. We, therefore, must desire to know Him and have a relationship with Him.

Moses says in Deuteronomy 30:19 (NIV): “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” When Moses said, “Choose life” we are given freedom to decide not by force.

Third, trust: belief that both parties will do what they say they’ll do. This trust is not blind. It is based on knowledge and evidence that demonstrate the person making the promise is trustworthy. How important is this to God? It is the ultimate sign of real faith in Him. Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me (John 14:1).

The Scripture is filled with praises to God for His faithfulness and trustworthiness.  “Those who know your name will trust you, for you, Lord never forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:10). Trust is the most important ingredient in building a relationship. This is true not only between people but in a relationship with God as well.

If you always make promises and you will not fulfill them without any valid reason (sick ness or other emergencies), people will not trust you anymore. What is worse, because you lose your credibility, when you share the gospel to them, they don’t believe you.

When you claim to be a Christian and you cannot be trusted on your words, first you are a liar and above all you commit a sin of blasphemy (using the name of the Lord in vain) because you are using the name of Christ in vain for the root word of Christian is Christ.

When God makes promises He always fulfill them. The only remaining promise that is not yet fulfilled is the second coming of Jesus. That would be the judgment day and the end of this sinful world.

But the signs of Jesus second coming as written in the Bible thousand of years ago, are now unfolding before our eyes. Just read, listen or watch the news everyday, the events that are happening in the world are all written in the Bible.

As Christians do not make any promise if you know you cannot fulfill it. If you cannot fulfill your promise because of a valid reason call the person whom you made the promise wherever possible.

When I was a boy I always went with my mother to church. However, when I asked her questions like: “Why we have to make a sign of a cross?”  “Why we have to worship/pray to other gods instead of directly worship/pray to the God in heaven who is the creator of heaven and earth?”  “Why we confess to a human intermediary and not direct to Jesus who is our high Priest, Lord and Savior?” Her only answer to me was “I just followed they way my parents worship”.

It was a beginning I became an agnostic (not sure that there is God). For I did not find any basis or foundation that there is really God. The Bible to me was just an ordinary book and I did not care reading it, and much more studying it. As a result, I did not go to church anymore.

Every time people came to our house to share the gospel using their Bible, I always asked them difficult questions like: “The Bible says that God created everything if so, God also created the Devil?”, “The Bible says God is love, if God is love why He allows pain and suffering?” I have not heard satisfactory answers from those people. The more I doubted the existence of God. I was simply looking for a proof as my basis or foundation that God really exist.

That doubt of God’s presence in my mind ended when God performed a miracle (I wrote that experience in a book. You may request a free copy of the same by email to:adam@bellnet.ca) by answering my prayer instantly on November 14, 1982 a day before my family and I left for Canada. The said miracle demonstrated to me that God is real and alive.

On the next issue, the conclusion of this article that would discuss the writer’s search for the truth that led him to develop genuine faith that God is real and alive.

To connect with people eager to explore Life & Faith, you are invited to LIFETREE CAFÉ. Lifetree Café is a conversation café – a fun place to connect with friends and neighbors. No commitment. And great (free) coffee and snacks. Come talk about variety of topics – a fresh one each week. Join the conversation at Lifetree Café at 1180 Mid-Way Blvd., Unit 1 (2nd Floor) Mississauga ON. We meet Every Saturday at 6:30 pm. Topic on Saturday September 13, “How To Sniff Out A Scam” this is about “How To Give Wisely.”  For more information, see its ad on this paper or call 647-218-4562 or visit LifereeCafe.com for details.

 (Adam Aspilla is Executive Director of Word Became Flesh Ministries, a non-denominational Bible based Christian church. He has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) from University of the East, Manila Philippines, studied law in the same university, and has a Master of Divinity (MDiv.) from Tyndale University & Seminary, in Toronto, Canada. He also operates the Debt Clinic of Canada Inc., and author of the books: “You Can Negotiate All Your Debts” and “51 Frequently Asked Bible Questions.” He also writes a column on “Personal Finance” in this paper. Email:bible@wbfmfamily.com : phone: 905-565-1346)