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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | God speak to us?,if so,then why faith | Heb 11:1 | talklikebees | 222022 | ||
Hello, I am a Mathematician. My Faith is thin at best. Below I proposed a conjecture, it seems that my faith hinges on it. Please help. First lets state a definition. Faith, in the general case, can be defined as belief not resting on logical proof or material evidence. I have often heard friends claim God has spoken to them, or that they have felt his presence. But how can you "feel" god, and maintain that faith is a necessary condition for belief. This contradiction is really puzzling me. Please, help. |
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2 | God speak to us?,if so,then why faith | Heb 11:1 | BradK | 222023 | ||
Hello talklikebees, Welcome to the Forum. I appreciate your sincere, reflective question. Let me see if I can't assist you in a better understanding. First, are you a professing believer in the Lord Jesus Christ? If you are, then your faith grows by hearing (reading) the Word of God. Rom. 10:17 tells us, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (NASB) The best definition of faith comes from scripture itself. In Heb 11:1 we read, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (ESV) Let's break it down: Another translation reads, "The foundation of things hoped for". Here, the word 'foundation' can mean "substance" or "ground or confidence". The Greek word is 'hypostasis', which means "a setting or placing underneath"- hence it's primary meaning as "foundation". We all hope for many things, but the question is "What foundation or ground do we have for our hope"? From scripture, our hope for eternity rests on the faithfulness of God's promise (cf. Heb. 10:23) Whom do we belive? The next part, "The conviction of things not seen": The word for 'conviction' can also be rendered "evidence' and is from the Greek, 'elenchos'- 'a proof, that by which anything is proved or tested; logical proof, proof that conveys a satisfying conviction to the mind'. (This "evidence" is similarly used in John 8:46, and 16:8). Thayer comments on this by saying, "that by which invisible things are proved and we are convinced of their reality". Following this, Heb. 11:3 reads, " 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". (ESV) Here is the point: God has spoken! Do we believe what He has said? Second, I firmly believe God speaks to us through His Word (Heb. 4:12), and by our prayer to Him. (Phil. 4:6-7) His "presence" can be felt- as it were- by submitting to and drawing near to God (James 4:7-8) We don't "feel" god (sic), but rather we believe what He has said to us through his Word. We "walk by faith" (Gal. 5:16), where I'd define faith here as simply 'taking God at His Word'! Speaking the Truth in Love, BradK |
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