Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." This is the Bible's standard definition that is not always totally understood by many... but then comes the long list of faithful men and women of old who really HAD true faith, and did special things. In the OT [Old Testament] of the Bible, God made Himself manifest periodically with powerful events, unmistakable to prove who He was to His people, and others. But now days we have the Bible which is infallible, perfect, but the Holy Spirit is needed, IMHO, to be understood. And 2nd Timothy 3:16, says that, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."
So, in modern times we do have the Word of God, the Bible, to work things out, understand, aid our belief system and give a good solid account and DEFEND THE FAITH.
Well, it looks like I will be going to church again alone, because Terri's better daughter and hubby are stranded far away as their car won't move-- probably the transmission, and I have been there too many years ago. Hey, what are friends for?
And tomorrow, as some folks already know, Terri and I have a special day waiting for us, and we hope and pray everything will go off without a hitch, fine and lovely, finally. Having seen and experienced so much in my life time-- I know that ANYTHING could and can happen-- including Murphy's Law.
BUT-- IT DOES TAKE A LITTLE FAITH to believe the Bible, and just think-- the ancient Israelites SAW and experienced so many miracles but STILL dropped the ball so many times that they wore out the Lord's patience and mercy so that He had to punish them time and again, as recorded for us. And now days, with all the proof that the Bible affords and teaches-- men scoff at most anything the bible says-- passing things off as some sort of natural event!!
People, nations, kings and administrations have their own kind of 'faith', gods, convictions, and deem it proper to sacrifice the blood of our young warriors in wars and battles for some stupid idea -- but mostly greed and politics... like, what in the heck are we wasting men and treasure in Afghanistan when the leaders over there are CONSORTING WITH THE ENEMY and shipping the money and loot to private bank accounts secretly??? And I know from past experiences that the brave, faithful soldiers who return from war get treated like used toilet tissue, and then disenfranchised, cheated and abused by the VA system, and dumped on by the general populace!! The younger US soldiers don't fare much better either these days, and have a high suicide rate, etc. What a sorry shame!
No thanks, I will stick with MY Faith and belief system from the Bible, which has worked well for me-- and better than any other things I've tried in the past. I still have problems and many challenges, but my faith in the Bible and God in heaven serve me well.
Warm Regards,
Tom
The Basis For Our Belief
Q. God revealed himself to people in OT times by super natural things (fire, cloud, burning bushes, etc). In NT times until present it seems that God does not reveal himself supernaturally anymore. I have heard it said that God revealed himself in three parts as the holy trinity. The first was God the father as the super natural, the second was God the Son Jesus as a literal human, and finally God the Spirit as in the day of Pentecost until now. Maybe its where I live or the times (or maybe something else) but it seems harder and harder to see or hear God. Could you share your ideas about this?
A. In Old Testament times evidence of God’s existence was the basis for belief. People knew there was a God because He periodically sent unmistakable signs of His presence. For example no matter the strength or direction of the wind, the smoke from the Temple sacrifices always went straight up into Heaven.
The evening after the Lord’s resurrection, all the disciples except Thomas saw Him. Thomas refused to believe their stories until he had personally seen and touched the Lord. When he did, the following week, he bowed before the Lord and worshiped Him. The Lord replied, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) By this He meant that in the age of the Church faith would be the basis for our belief, rather than physical evidence. Because of this, the Church is blessed above all believers.
A. In Old Testament times evidence of God’s existence was the basis for belief. People knew there was a God because He periodically sent unmistakable signs of His presence. For example no matter the strength or direction of the wind, the smoke from the Temple sacrifices always went straight up into Heaven.
The evening after the Lord’s resurrection, all the disciples except Thomas saw Him. Thomas refused to believe their stories until he had personally seen and touched the Lord. When he did, the following week, he bowed before the Lord and worshiped Him. The Lord replied, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) By this He meant that in the age of the Church faith would be the basis for our belief, rather than physical evidence. Because of this, the Church is blessed above all believers.
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