Everyone lives by faith.
How do you know that the Earth is round? Have you ventured up to the space station and observed it first hand? Really, how many of us can say that? Not many of course. We trust those who took pictures and those who claim to have done this and even measured it. We trust our teachers. We trust the media who publish the reports of others. Trust is the another word for faith. Unless we have personally witnessed something we must "take someone else's word for it". We tend to automatically put our faith in the truth-telling of our text books and certain media outlets and even the gov't. Some people even trust what they read on the Internet. Somehow if we hear that a scientist has researched something we tend to have faith in them. We all live by faith everyday trusting what others have told us.
In one of Jesus' appearances to his disciples after His resurrection, He approached Thomas, called "doubting Thomas" because he had said "I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in His hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in His side." Jesus said to Thomas "Put your finger here, and look at My hands. Put your hand into the wound in My side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!" . "My Lord and my God!" Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing Me." (John 20:24-29) We are those people that Jesus spoke about who believe without seeing. That is the definition of faith.
How do you know that the Earth is round? Have you ventured up to the space station and observed it first hand? Really, how many of us can say that? Not many of course. We trust those who took pictures and those who claim to have done this and even measured it. We trust our teachers. We trust the media who publish the reports of others. Trust is the another word for faith. Unless we have personally witnessed something we must "take someone else's word for it". We tend to automatically put our faith in the truth-telling of our text books and certain media outlets and even the gov't. Some people even trust what they read on the Internet. Somehow if we hear that a scientist has researched something we tend to have faith in them. We all live by faith everyday trusting what others have told us.
There are some who try to discredit the faith of folks who believe in God because they see science as more believable than God. They do not realize that they are living by faith too. They are trusting the testimony of scientists somehow also believing that scientists are unbiased and incapable of mistakes and always report the truth. As we grow up we find out that scientists are human with all of the same flaws as all other humans. Scientists rely on grants from government and from business. These grants often come with desired outcomes. That should not influence their findings but human nature being what it is, it would be hard to determine results that are in conflict with the sponsoring grant organizations. Nevertheless, we tend to accept by faith that the findings of studies are true and accurate. This is no more reasonable than believing the testimony of the writers of the Bible.
The truth is that if we know something, we do not need faith. If I know something because I have first hand experience, I don't need faith. The Bible says "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." (Hebrews 11:1) Faith and knowing are two different things. There is very little we humans can know with the limitations of our brains and our senses and our instruments. What many call "knowing" is in fact merely "believing". In fact much human conflict arises out of very strong beliefs morphing into "knowing" as it seems to some individuals. As I noted above, if we do not have first hand experience in witnessing an event or a condition, we will have to trust others to report what they know. Even if that event happened yesterday, if we were not there we must trust others. This is no different than trusting in the events of the Bible reported to us by those who have reason to report what they have witnessed.
In one of Jesus' appearances to his disciples after His resurrection, He approached Thomas, called "doubting Thomas" because he had said "I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in His hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in His side." Jesus said to Thomas "Put your finger here, and look at My hands. Put your hand into the wound in My side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!" . "My Lord and my God!" Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing Me." (John 20:24-29) We are those people that Jesus spoke about who believe without seeing. That is the definition of faith.
Faith is the normal and natural condition for all people simply because we cannot "know" everything. Truthfully, we actually "know" very little and we "trust" in a huge volume of sources from books, news outlets, teachers, the Internet, friends, etc. It is normal and natural.
But not all faith will change the destiny of your life. If you were to believe that the earth was flat would that really change your life beyond some snickers at a party? You might believe that humans are the reason for climate change or not and that might influence some of your life decisions. You may believe that cats are preferable to dogs as pets and that might influence some years of your life. You may believe that a person that you have met is the one above all others that you want to spend your life with. Ultimately, though, not all beliefs are likely to change your life for all of eternity.
Putting your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the one who died to pay the price for your sin changes your eternal destiny beginning now. You have been given eternal life with God. You are changed from the inside out. The old has passed away and you have become a new creature. (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:17)
Do not let anyone disparage your faith. Remind them that they are living by faith too and not all faith really matters. Encourage them to put their faith in the things that matter for eternity, for this life and the one to come. Let them know that they can trust you in telling them about your life in Christ the way that you trusted others and trust in the Word of God found in the Bible.
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