sarkakaiaima

In order for a person to stand with confidence with the living God faith is necessary. The Scripture speaks often of trust, love, faith, devotion, righteousness, obedience and holiness as God’s standards for his own people. For example, “I find my delight in your commandments, because I love them. I revere your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.” (Psalm 119:47-48, NRSV) God wants his human creatures to actually desire to love and serve him and each other. And to do this requires that each person learn how to fulfill God’s commands whole-heartedly. This cannot be done without genuine faith in the living God.   Faith is a mystery. Indeed, I am convinced that it is as much a mystery as the experience of God’s Presence is to the individual or the gathered group of believers. How did I come to have faith at all? Why did I change my mind so that it matters to me that God exists and that I might want to relate to him? How did I come to actually want to o...

There is great mystery to how God works in our lives to accomplish his good will for us. This work of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ is so great a mystery that even the holy angels of God “long to look” into it (see 1 Peter 1:12)! I suggest that what makes it such a mystery is this: That we finite creatures who are willing to have faith are given the ability not only to believe but to live a truly holy life now. How is this possible? Surely we know, unless we are still self-deceived into thinking that we can somehow reform ourselves to live rightly before God, that human nature is corrupt. Only the blood of the Lord Jesus is powerful enough to transform human nature into a thing of beauty before God. Any other means or hope of spiritual life and renewal will fail to do anything more than achieve some positive behavior modifications. The genuine life changes that many people have experienced in 12-Step groups is a testimony to this—even those whose “higher power” is left mor...