Blaise Pascal said something rather profound.
“Faith is not lazy acceptance of dogma but rather something more akin to gamble.”
It is the essence of a gambler that he will either win or lose; he is either right or wrong. We must make our most fundamental decision in risk, without certain knowledge—we do not see the face of the cards. This is what it means to believe. It is the supreme gamble. C.S. Lewis said, “if I am sure of anything I am sure that His teaching was never meant to confirm my congenital preference of safe investment and limited liabilities.” – C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves
Similarly, Elton Trueblood asserts, “Faith, when we think about it, is not merely intellectual assent to a set of propositions but the supreme gamble in which we stake our lives upon a conviction. It is closer to courage than it is to mere belief. How is it that we think we can eliminate courage from the Christian life and ever hope to remain faithful? How is it that churches can justify making “safe spaces” by removing faithful risk from the equation; by substituting it with a whole lot of knowledge and then hope to fulfill the revolutionary commission that we all live under?”
This is why I deeply believe, and have often said over the years:
“The number one sin of the Institutional Church is silence due to lack of courage.”
Faith is an exciting adventure in which we bet that God really is and that He is a rewarder of those that seek Him— “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” – Hebrews 11:6 ESV
“Faith is not belief without proof, but it is trust without reservation.”
So where is your faith in Christ taking you?
In what ways are you expecting God to reward you? Of course not for your own purposes but for the advancement of His Kingdom!
In Christ,
Dale
Dale@DaleEbel.Org