Faith? Or Formula?
If we could rid our minds for a moment of all the definitions of faith that we have grown up with and that have caused more trouble than they were ever worth, we might discover with alarm that the essence of biblical faith lies in TRUSTING GOD.
The difference between faith as belief in a series of doctrinal formulations - such as incarnation, salvation, redemption - and faith as UNCONDITIONAL trust in God is enormous. An unshakable trust in God is the remedy for much much of our sickness, melancholy and self-hatred. The heart converted from mistrust to trust in the IRREVERSIBLE FORGIVENESS of Jesus Christ is redeemed from the corroding power of fear. So awesome is the ultimate act of confidence in Christ's acceptance that one can only stutter and stammar about its protean importance. UNFALTERING TRUST in the merciful love of the redeeming God deals a mortal blow to skepticism, cynicism, self-condemnation, and despair. It is our decisive yes! to Jesus' summons, "Trust in the Father and trust in me" (see John 14:1).
The words of Angelus Silesius, "If God stopped thinking of me, he would cease to exist," are strictly orthodox; God, by definition, is thinking of me.
The merchant of mistrust dismisses these words as hyperbole and remains sullen.
Abba's child trusts them and goes draft for JOY.
"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." John 5:24.
Where have you seen God's grace in your life today?