“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3, KJV). When you think about it, this is a profound verse. If it is through faith that we “understand” the essence of creation, then we conclude that without faith one cannot understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God!
To me, this takes the subject of faith to another level. The faith that we have as Christians is more than natural faith. How do I know that? Well, just think about the verse quoted above. Everybody has natural faith. If that was the faith the writer of Hebrews was talking about in the verse above, everyone would understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. But we know that not everyone believes that.
A Futile Attempt to Affirm God through Unbelief and not Through Faith
As I ponder this mysterious faith that we believers have, I thought about a preacher by the name of Ryan Bell who decided to live as an atheist for a year. Bell is a former Seventh Day Adventist pastor.
About seven years ago, after much wrestling with his faith in God, Bell decided: “For the next 12 months I will live as if there is no God. I will not pray, read the Bible for inspiration, refer to God as the cause of things or hope that God might intervene and change my own or someone else’s circumstances.”
After Ryan Bell completed his year-long journey into the dark world of atheism, he concluded that he no longer believes in God.
Mr. Bell’s conclusion was no surprise to me. What genuine believer would want to live the life of an atheist? What genuine Christian would willingly go a year without reading the Bible or praying to God? I’m saying that Mr. Bell’s actions confirm that he was not a genuine believer in the first place.
In a subsequent interview, Bell was quoted as saying, “The existence of God seems like an extra layer of complexity that isn’t necessary.” I am sure it seems that way to those who don’t believe. It is only through faith that we can practically relate to God.
A true believer can’t live as an atheist. It is fruitless to live as an atheist in hopes of objectively assessing where one stands with God. No one through his personal expedition can discover God. His ways are past finding out (Romans 11:33). It is only through faith that the world of God makes any sense to us.
Copyright © 2021 by Frank King. All rights reserved.