Since being here in Jerusalem for the past week, my mind has been filled with thoughts about faith and if it has anything to do with me being here in this specific place. The question posed in my own mind is this: Is my faith changed because of me seeing specific places that the Bible has always talked about? Is my faith any different because of me being in Jerusalem? Should it be any different, or should it remain the same because or in spite of this experience?
One must first define faith in accordance with the biblical model and also determine what contributes to faith.
First question (there have already been many questions!): Is faith dependent upon emotion?
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible." - Hebrews 11:1-3 (ESV)
My answer to this question is "no". If we examine copious amounts of scripture and more specifically Hebrews 11:1-3, we can see all that contributes to faith is conviction from the Holy Spirit (I will assume for time's sake that this is to what the author of Hebrews is referring even though the text does not specifically engage the Spirit as bringing the conviction) and works in the sense that true faith is accompanied by appropriate works as mentioned in the epistle of James. Emotion is a beautiful gift given to man by God, in my opinion, and does not necessarily ALWAYS operate without faith. The terms are not mutually exclusive, but they are not dependent upon each other for existance. Faith does not need emotion, and in turn emotion does not need faith.
Implication/Application: Therefore, whatever I may feel at any given point in my life, whether I am at the traditional site of the death and resurrection of the Messiah (the Church of the Holy Sepluchure) or at a worship service at my church (Langhorne Terrance Ministries), then these feelings should be attributed to emotion (which is not bad!) and not the "strengthening of my faith" or even proof that I am a Christian (and probably not the "anointing of the Holy Spirit", I'm open but skeptical on this front). I believe that these are misinterpretations of our feelings.
So then, where does faith come from and what does it look like?
Second question: Where does faith come from?
"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV)
I am very unsure how one can read Paul and think that we deserve anything. Even on the issue of faith we can see that if we truly have it, it was indeed supplied from God by the Holy Spirit and even sustained by God via the Holy Spirit as it says in I John 2:28-29: "And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him." The word "abide" carries the meaning that is continual, teaching us that when God is involved or when we are convicted by the Spirit to continue to abide in him, then we will be practicing righteousness and thus will know that we are born of or are children of God. I John 3:16-18 will drive this home as well.
Implication/Application: We have somewhat slipped into the works aspect of faith, which is very hard not to do because they are both so intertwined. But the point is that this true faith that we are given by God is also sustained by God and is evidenced by our works. A proof of God's sustaining our faith is found in what we continue to do and how we continue to love. So if I say that I love people and yet I never think about their needs over mine, then there is need to question the genuiness of my faith. There is also a difference, I believe, in struggling against sin and continually practicing sin. Stuggle should be the sign of a faith-embodied person against sin, and practice should be the sign of a child of Satan (as I John so politely puts it) continuing and accepting sin.
Third Question: What does faith look like?
This question has been partially answered in the aformentioned section, but there is a more complete passage that I have meditated on recently.
"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works( when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." - James 2:14-26
Yes, this is in the Bible, and no this is not the Apocrypha. Now that's out of the way, it is clear that James views faith and works very closely together. If one claims faith and does not have accompanying works, how is this any different from the demons? They also believe that God exists and that he is "One" just like the Christians and the Jews, but they work against and oppose God.
Implications/Applications: Certainly this text may bring more questions than answers, but it does answer what faith should look like. Faith should be active and working. This is also seen as part of the fulfillment of salvation in the Ephesians 2:1-10 text (found in verse 10). If faith is true, the works WILL accompany it. Not might, not should, but will. Works might not be fast in evidencing themselves, but they must exist in order for faith to be faith.
OVERALL: This topic surged upon me in two ways. First, my father point blank asked me one morning before I left for work what I thought faith meant, questioning for himself the same thing. Also, since before I left for Israel, my boss asked me if I thought my faith would change (in a more positive way) because I was in Jerusalem for 3-1/2 months. I answered him that I hoped that my faith would not change, because that would mean my "faith" was dependent upon where I was located in the world for it to be better or worse.
The point is that everyone doesn't have to go to Jerusalem to attain the same "faith-level" as me or anyone else who has visited the country. Will I gain knowledge? Yes, I already have in my time here. Will that knowledge bring me a greater understanding of my relationship with God? Yes, it already has in my time here. But this knowledge that I now know can be understood by anyone in the States who can look at the pictures that I've taken (or any of the pictures on the internet of Jerusalem) and read the Bible and attain the same knowledge and thus the same relationship nurturing and growing results. The books that I am reading by evangelicals and some not-so-evangelicals are books that can be found all over the world and all people who can read can attain this knowledge.
I am convinced that being here in this place serves many other functions, but this city (Jerusalem) will not stregthen my faith. Seeing the traditional sites of where God was crucified and resurrected will not stregthen my faith. Only God by the conviction of his Spirit will stregthen my faith in doing more works for the quickening of the fulfillment of his kingdom so that he may be glorified and praised continually.
Lift, Praise, Adore Him
Matt@
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