Faith Unbelievable
Faith is what it is and taken singly by itself alone, as it should be taken, is without guile of any stripe. It does not even have to make sense. Sense, that is, sense to all or any of us.
There is no halter to it. There is no bit. Who did God get to write much of the Bible? The most direct opposite of anyone who reasonably could be chosen. And it, all worked out impossibly well.
Leaving Jesus out of Christianity looks a lot like gathering clouds are growing not far off on the horizon... what with AI masking original sin and all.
I noticed early on that when a preacher held forth before the young crowd, of which I was one but older, that he always extolled the wonderful experience it was to be saved.
The in following sermons it was often emphasized how it was not easy to be saved, that there would be difficulties, so that we had to pick up our crosses and follow Him.
So which is it? Who was going to have their sins forgiven by my doing that? What is this anyway, Christ envy? This same pattern was to be often repeated by others.
Another preacher comes along and tells us this young chappie left his scrubbing the floor Mom so she could pay for his college, from which he made big bucks and never gave mom any thought until he learns she is dead. Throwing his sob racked body across her grave he wept bitterly. Meanwhile quite suddenly he wants know who wants to give their hearts to Jesus?
What! Where did that come from? Separated from the younger students which the youngers gave their hearts to Jesus. I told the teacher, without raising my hand, that that was right. She put her finger to her lips and said for the sake of the children.
I understood then that what the adults meant by pupil talk. It was all for the sake of the children. I was instantly grown up like the adults. I was an adult now and the it was all for the sake of the children, there was no Santa Claus. It explained to me, just like I complained the same day about coloring books in Sunday School.
Later I asked the God I did not believe in why He allowed me to see and hear all these things. I was blaming God, right? Later I put my heart in logic and discovered I was following the fallacy of the misplaced authority.
So where am I now, saved by logic?. I then run into several preaching the message of Jesus without any mention whatever to Jesus himself. Now what happens? God is not pleased with proof. Jesus says anyone who climbs up another way, the same is a thief and a robber.
Not much room for myself as well in this scenario. After all logic is another way is it not? But these recent preachers preaching Jesus' message without Jesus ever mentioned looks to me that I am hooked into another way as well.
So will I have enough faith when I am in the foxhole? Do I have enough faith even now, me of so little faith?
Without the awesome, the perfect Christian story my belief is rock solid. But right now I am back depending only on my logic undergirding my belief in God.
That is a weak position to be in and it is somewhat due to yet another person or persons who proffer their belief based not on God, not on Jesus, or on any mention of Jesus but nevertheless on the teachings of Jesus.
This logic based belief is is not good because it not only does not jive with Jesus but not even with the entire Christian story. This too is climbing up another way?
Matching Wits with God:
And Getting Away with Murder?
No one can prove there is any God, or no Gods or anything not else, they can only prove there is no God or nothing else, everything to their own satisfaction. We all speak from different orbits.
Meanwhile if God could be proved to exist, then what happens to faith then? No need for faith? We can only pleased God with faith, not proof. That is, to please God that is.
Meanwhile if there is no God, then since anyone would have to be their own God else, whose or what direction could they take? Why, their own, they are their own God and can do anything, go in any direction, and pay their own penalties to themselves. Mebbe that, mebbe then, mebbe next.
Doubts assail me, so the devil is suddenly on the move. At first I was a bit alarmed but I handle doubts differently now. My "I do not matter what" strategy moved instantly to the fore but I would still like some foxhole fight to deal with the matter.
How the unseen world thru the seen word is perceived over time is revealing. The translation gives away the intensity of belief and faith of the translators. If older translators focused on the spiritual meaning or the technical meaning speaks for the translators.
Whether one chooses a words like substance rather than assurance, or evidence rather than conviction reveals this change in meaning. We have moved from the spiritual to the technical meanings over time.
The final result is seminarian teaching has moved, at least over a lifetime now, to the conviction that the technical which professes stories in the Bible are not true to only the meaning is true.
This solves the problem of those with a sophisticated lack of believe. The gulf opens between great and little faith.
It is not good for me to take offense offered in any manner because if I take them then I ipso facto become an offensive person. I try to never let anyone know if I were injured because it would reveal a weakness that gives others a signal they can take a humiliation advantage of me in my vulnerable state.
Newer translations are starting to get in my somewhat slightly more attentive eye. Hebrews 11:1 not the only one by far. Another of my old favorites verses is watered down in the newer published versions.
I hope to catch up on this in future posts but where Jesus gives us the power to become sons of God stands in opposition to the weaker wordish authority in newer versions.
