The Belief of God in an age of Skepticism
March 14, 2015 at 12:37 pm,
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September 16, 2014 at 12:48amP.P: 1 Cor 5:7,Matt 3:1-17, Matt 11:1-6, Luke 10:27,1 John 4:4
Theme: How to maintain your belief in God in an age of skepticism
Realize your faith can’t be without doubts but there is no need to doubt your faith
We live in a world full of skepticism. Everyday our belief/faith in God comes under siege/Threat. As we watch television through media, Listen to various speakers and leaders or read text books; as we hear of church splits and conflicts; As we grapple with the place of God in natural disasters and even as we realize that science technology has provided us with many of the answers we once looked to God to furnish .As all of the things descend upon our hearts and mind we are sometimes forced to ask is faith still relevant in this highly technological, sophisticated, rationalistic age?
Does the God described as the ancient of days fit into this modern complex world?
My Answer: Yes, Your faith has never been more relevant, more critical or more necessary. The question is how do you maintain it.
Realize your faith can’t be without doubts but there is no need to doubt your faith
[Matt 3:1-17,Matt 11:1-6]
NB: We will or may never be able to understand or come to grips with all the happenings and situations in our lives and circumstances and because of this there are times when will be overcome with grief, doubt, fear, anxiety and despair
P.P: 1 Cor 5:7, Matt 3:1-17, Matt 11:1-6,
Keller: A faith without doubt is like body without any antibodies in it. People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy; or the probing questions of a smart skeptic.
A person’s faith can collapse almost overnight if he /she have failed over the years to listen patiently to his /her own doubts which should only be discarded after thorough reflection.
As believers we need to acknowledge and wrestle with our doubts and those of our friends and neighbors
“It is no longer sufficient to hold beliefs just because you inherited them, only if you struggled long and hard with objectives to your faith will you be able to provide grounds for your beliefs to skeptic and yourself –including answers that are plausible rather than ridiculous or offensive.”
Furthermore he states “Such a process will lead you even after you come to a position of strong faith, to respect and understand those who doubt .”
Christopher Wright: “the God I don’t understand reflect on tough questions of faith.”
If we are honest we have to admit that there are many things we don’t understand about God .We don’t have final answers to the deep problems of life and those who say such are probably living in some degree of delusion because the mysteries in our Christian faith that lie beyond the keenest scholarship or even the most profound spiritual exercises.
Let Christ be your all in all
“Make God and the common good of your fellow man your ultimate value rather than individual freedom and personal happiness” and Jesus tells us to love the lord of Gods with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbor s as ourselves [Luke 10:27].
The question that surrounds this topic is why we have such a hard time convincing people of who we are (Christians)? In my honest opinion it’s because of how the worlds sees us from through their eyes and judge us by how much we portray the love of God to him/her and to the nation of people surrounding us. As a result our ultimate value in this culture war continues to be our own individual freedom and personal happiness.
NB: It is not what God wants in my life but it is about what I want so God and the common good of my fellow man is not my ultimate value
“Anger towards traditional religion is growing in power and influence even as faith grows”
Furthermore the unsaved judge us not by what is based in the bible because having not read it they will not know what to or how to judge us so they tend to look at how we relate to situations surrounding us
[2 Cor 3:2, 3] You yourselves are the letter we have, written on our heart for everyone to know and read. It is clear that Christ himself wrote this letter and sent it to us .it is written not with ink but with the spirit of the living God
So this scripture states that people must see Christ in us
NB: There is prevailing perception that people who say they are devout Christians rarely if ever become deeply involved in social , civil or political issues as result some have been regarded as being to heavenly minded to be of any earthly good. On the other hand they have been those Christians that have become so caught up in social issues that they have often time compromise their christian faith.
As Keller points out, there often appear to be two camps but something is wrong with both
“The people most passionate about social justice were moral revolutionist, while the morally upright didn’t seem to care about the oppression going on all over the world>
In the USA , Attempts are being made to fit the Christian faith into the categories of liberal democrats or conservative republicans where liberals democrats advocate for debate in acts of abortion, sex and marriage and seem more concerned about the poor and social justice .
Republicans or conservatives on the other hand are strong in their opposition in government in one’s personal life as far as their concern poverty is a failure of personal responsibility and their primary concern is with upholding christian morals and sexual ethics .
2.4
As a result it is clear to see that what is needed is a third view the one advocated earlier.A position where we Christians have a concern for social justice in this world and we are concerned with issues of poverty but these concerns and actions must be grounded in the nature of God/word of God rather than in our own subjective feelings.
Again I reiterate the need to make God and the common good of our fellow man our ultimate value rather than individual freedom and personal happiness.
NB: It’s not about you or me it’s about him
We must decrease that Christ may increase [John3.30]
The life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God who
love me and gave himself for me [Col 2:20]
Once again there is no need in the body of Christ to return to doctrine of Paul’s unused liberty- All thy fearful but not expedient. Stop pleasing self and start living for Christ the world is watching,the sceptic will be won by our lives not words only
NB: Don’t be inoculated against God with a mild form of Christianity demonstrate the relevance of your faith
The truth is we don’t understand everything
In particular one of the things that baffles us are why does God allow evil and suffering in case of the tsunami in Asia or the earthquake in Haiti or when babies die.
NB: Neither did the prophets understand if and they too cried out to God because when we think of evil and suffering in the context of the God whom we serve evil makes no sense
NB: And it is not enough to shrug it off as a the judgement of God or a curse from God- Jesus denounced that as perverted logic when he said of the man born blind in [luke13:1-5] neither did this man sin nor his parents
Too often we like to jump to the easy conclusion
The bible is filled with the voices of lament and protest from the servants of God whose faith was tested by having to endure the offense of evil and suffering in light of the understanding of the utter
Sovereignty of God.
[1 john 4:4] Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world
The bible says in [1 peter 4:12-13] beloved thinks it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is trt some of you as though some strange thing happen to you
NB Because God has called you ,you will be able to withstand all the snares of the sceptic.
[Psalm 23]:Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
[Psalm 91]:A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand but you will not be touched
[Rom 8:38]: I am persuaded
[2 Tim 1:12] For I know whom I have believed that he is able to keep that which I have committed
NB: what had Paul committed- his interest ,his life ,his body ,his soul ,his spirit.
NB: God Knows all about me
[Job 23:10] – He knoweth the way I take and after he has tested me I will come forth as pure gold
[Job 1:4-5]- Even though he ……. me I will trust in him
[Daniel 3:16] oh king Nebuchadnezzar we don’t need to answer you
Because you are resolved one way to make us bow and we are resolved the other way –we will not bow
Daniel 3:17 – if it comes to it and your throw us in the five –The God whom we save is able
[Job 19:6-8]
God has wronged me and drawn his net around me though I cry violenceI get no response though I cry for help there is no justice he has blocked my way so that I cannot pass .He has shrouded my paths in darkness
[Jeremiah 15:18]
Why is my pain unending and my words grevious and incurable? You God to me is like a deceptive book
Like a spring that fails.
[Lamentations 2:11-12]
My eyes fail from weeping I am tormented within my heart is paired out on the ground because my …………… are destroyed
[Psalms 88:13-14-18] I cry for help lord …….. why do you reject me and hide your face from me – you took my neighbor and made darkness my closest friend.
[Habakkuk 1:13]
Struggled …………… with the problem of evil and justice of God, he ask God how can you who cannot even look upon evil let …………… compromise it – How in the world can you just sit there when evil ….. the just
The answer – In many instances God does not answer the prophets
NB: In fact God has given us the words in the bible that helps to fully express our fears