Whose Faith Is It Anyway?

A friend of mine expressed that he was concerned about his young children questioning their Christian beliefs. One of his kids said something to the effect of, “What if all of this stuff about Jesus isn’t true?” He fears that they will be tormented by their doubts just as he is. Their upbringing is vastly different than his was – at least in matters of faith – and I suspect this is the source of his surprise that they have any doubts in the first place.

The following is what I wrote to him after he told me about his concern:

John, I take joy in the knowledge that your children struggle with certainty regarding Jesus’ veracity, validity, etc., as I do with my children’s struggles as well. No thinking man doesn’t question matters which must be taken on faith. I do it daily, frankly. There are many apologetic topics I’ve studied that help, but in the end, faith is faith. In fact, to believe the whole atheism point of view, or the evolutionary point of view, etc, requires faith as well. Evidence is compelling for both sides of every such argument, but never conclusive.

If we ask, God gives us faith to be strong, and strength to be faithful. Faith ain’t easy, and it requires HUGE amounts of strength. I thank God He provides it, because left to my own devices, I’d fall flat every time. Said another way, the faith that we have in Jesus isn’t our own faith – it’s His. THAT’S why it trumps man’s faith in other “paths” every time.

In fact, the two big boys and I were talking the other day about a related topic: Doing right is ALWAYS the harder path to take. Being kind is more difficult than being selfish, for example. Sometimes every fiber in my being strains to be like the world, including a desire to believe that I can make God in my own image, as atheists do. I know, though, that every fiber in my being is at best corrupt or incomplete, and at worst rotten.

Jesus told us to pick up our cross every day because faith is a burden, and it’s not always easy to cast that burden on the Lord, although He tells us to do so. I think every day (Weeble’s death makes the longing all the more palpable) about that day when I will see Jesus’ face and let go of this faith.

“Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

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