This is the first episode in a series on the ABC's of Faith. Here I discuss the importance of faith.
The promises set forth in the Bible present a problem for the Christian. For example Philippians 4:19 says "and my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Well then how come my needs aren't supplied? One obvious answer is that the promise is a lie, it's not true, it's con, but that's hardly an acceptable answer for a Christian. So Christians have come up with a variety of ways of explaining the discrepancy between reality and the promises.
Some Christians say that the promises are for a future time. "Eschatological" is the favorite word of many Christians. These Christians might say, 'This promises is true but will only be fully true in some future world.' Other Christians respond that the promises are spiritual. What they mean by spiritual, other than not susceptible to disconfirmation by the senses, isn't particularly clear. In this example they might suggest that the needs referred to are "spiritual" needs.
While both of those answers help to resolve the discrepancy they don't seem to fit the simple meaning of the scripture. If someone wrote you a letter telling you they would take care of all your needs, you probably wouldn't expect that they were promising to do so at some unknown point in the future. Neither would you expect that they were talking about spiritual needs.
I believe there is a better solution to the problem of unfulfilled Biblical promises, faith. Faith is the requirement to receiving from God. Without faith none of the Bible promises will become real in our lives. It is faith that pleases God, that receives answers to prayers and accesses the grace of God. It is faith which allows us to inherit the promises and receive the blessings. It is through faith that we can be healed, heal others and do the works of Jesus.
In this episode I discuss the importance of faith. These are my Keynote slides with audio attached.
Video:
Quicktime: ipod,iTV,iphone Broadband 56kModem
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