RE: Paradoxical relationship between belief and faith.
August 2, 2012 at 1:48 am
(This post was last modified: August 2, 2012 at 1:52 am by Whateverist.)
(August 2, 2012 at 1:24 am)Undeceived Wrote: C.S. Lewis: "Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted in spite of your changing moods."
This reason is gained not only through the Bible but through human experience. The Holy Spirit reveals himself to us and vanquishes all doubt.
Well, so you say and so you may well believe, but how in the world can you possibly know that other than by deciding from the outset to do so? Reason doesn't point you to the bible, your parents do. Or the Koran, Torah, etc depending on the accident of your birthplace.
If I really wanted to know God, I would do everything in my power to cast off every outside influence and dedicate myself to opening myself to encountering whatever is there. If the Christian God is waiting for you in that encounter, then wonderful. But if not, don't you think you owe your fealty to God as He chooses to reveal Himself to you. Surely you don't think it is the place of humans to direct the will of God? But, in effect, that is what you do when you insist on the infallibility of the bible and distrust what comes to meet you when you truly open yourself to knowing Him.
Christians should really stop looking to the bible as a contract of what they can expect from God. It may be comforting to believe, but do you seek faith in God or a comfortable assumption?
(August 2, 2012 at 1:24 am)Undeceived Wrote: And once we believe, the Bible contains a whole new layer of meaning. I think to myself, "Humans could not write something so deep or true without outside help."
That is part of the self-fulfilling prophesy. Once you decide what to believe before you even invite God to reveal Himself to you, you've already decided what beliefs to reinforce in your imagination.
