Re: [asa] Testimonies and Professions of Faith

David Opderbeck wrote:

> This list is always challenging and stimulating, but it seems like
> we're usually criticizing something. I'd be interested to hear from
> the many of you who've wrestled with these questions longer than me,
> what strengthens your faith in Jesus? What are the core things that
> cause you to identify with Christ? What do you focus on if / when
> doubts arise?

    When a scientifically-minded person asks me what evidence I have that
Christianity is true, I sometimes talk about 5 reinforcing lines of
evidence. None is "proof" that stands on its own. But I believe that
Christianity makes the most sense of them when they are looked at as a
package.
    (1) There is the evidence of the natural world. The orderliness of the
natural world, I believe, argues against polytheism. The beauty,
intricacy, and complexity of the natural world, I believe, favors
monotheism (a personal, intentional Creator) over atheism.
    (2) There are my personal experiences of God throughout my life. I
cannot point to any especially dramatic events. But throughout my life, I
have had a sense of the Holy Spirit's confirmation of the truth of the
gospel and the Spirit's guidance in some decisions. I have felt this
especially in times of worship, meditating on scripture, reading some
particularly good theology, and praying over personal situations.
    (3) There are the experiences of many fellow Christians, who in many
various ways also experience God's presence and the truth of the gospel in
their lives.
    (4) There is the evidence in history reported in scripture. Here I am
thinking especially of the actions of the followers of Jesus, who risked
everything to spread the gospel. They repeatedly pointed to their
witnessing of Jesus' resurrection, and the actions of the Holy Spirit, as
confirming their message.
    (5) There is the "philosophical coherence" of Christianity. Human life
contains both joy and suffering, both hope and despair, both altruism and
selfishness, both temporal earthiness and transcendence. We desire
eternity in our hearts, but our greatest achievements are transitory (as
the book of Ecclesiastes says). Of all the systems of thought which try
to make sense of this all, I believe that Christianity does the best.
Here I am thinking especially of Christianity's unique answer to human
suffering, despair, selfishness, and temporality. God's ultimate answer
is the Incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Christ. God answers
human evil not by crushing our free will, but by suffering the worst of it
and offering forgiveness, and asking us to follow that example. God
answers human suffering and despair with a renewed relationship in this
life and the promise of ultimate resolution in the resurrection. Our
participation in God's plan is not by following a list of rules, but by
following an example - by following Jesus in doing good, relieving
suffering, forgiving evil, and spreading the good news.

    These work together. None has to bear the weight of all my faith or
all my doubts. If I begin to wonder whether atheism can explain the
characteristics of the natural world as well as monotheism, I remember my
personal experiences of God. If my personal experiences of God seem
distant or doubtful, I look at the testimony of my fellow Christians and
their experiences of God. If I hear too many testimonies which seem too
shallow, I look to scriptures again. When I get bogged down worrying
about how to interpret particular passages of scripture (worried about the
particular historical details of a passage or worried about the particular
means of God's inspiration of those scriptures), I look at the coherent
big picture of scripture -- the story of God's answer to human evil and
suffering and despair, especially God's ultimate answer in the person of
Jesus. With my view of God's will and God's character once again
corrected, I can once again see the natural world as illustrating God's
power, creativity, and faithfulness.

    I also find it helpful to remember that our identification with Christ
is not something we earn by our deeds, our intellectual certainty, our
emotional stability, or any act of will. It is a gift of God's grace.
    We respond to that grace with faith. And this faith, which is also a
gift from God, is not measured by intellectual or emotional certainty.
    Scriptures commend the faith of those who demonstrated their faith by
how they lived, by how they made their decisions day-by-day. This
day-by-day faithfulness can be practiced even during times of intellectual
or emotional doubt. And this day-by-day faithfulness can be neglected
during times of intellectual or emotional certainty!
    Abraham and Sarah are held up as examples of faith. Scripture says
that they met God face to face, and miraculously had a child in their old
age. They had plenty of evidence to believe in God, so why are they
called examples of faith? If I read the book of Hebrews right, it is
because they believed other promises which God made, promises that had not
yet been fulfilled: that God would make a great nation of them and bless
all nations through them. They lived their lives (apart from some
stumbles along the way) believing and taking action based on those
promises. The Apostle Paul is also and example of faith. The book of
Acts tells us that Paul had seen plenty of evidence to make him believe.
Why is he an example of faith? It is because of how he lived and acted,
suffered and persevered, to spread the gospel. He believed the promise of
full reconciliation with God by grace through faith in Jesus, and the
promise of the resurrection. And so he lived his life in obedience to
Jesus and imitation of Jesus, having faith that God would deliver on all
of His promises.
    Certainty rises and falls; doubts comes and go. But even in times of
greater doubt, I can try to decide each day to live according to God's
promises. Some of God's promises I have not yet fully received, but I can
follow Christ's example in doing good, relieving suffering, forgiving
evil, and spreading the good news. As I try to live that way, in many
ways but especially in worship and prayer, I experience God and I witness
other Christians' experience of God. And scripture reminds me again of
God's grace, God's promises, God's character, and God's plan of action.

Loren

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Received on Mon Nov 12 11:18:08 2007