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Faith is the confident belief or trust in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, concept or thing. It is believing though we cannot see, touch, or hear God in a literal sense. Yes, we may “feel” His presence or see the glory of His creation, but we don’t see God as a physical being.

Last Sunday, our Bible class discussed Gideon. During this discussion, I began to think about the differences in our faith and those of people who lived in Biblical times. Several times over the years Ihave wondered if faith today is more difficult, or more hard won than it was then. The story of Gideon once again brought this to mind.

Think about why you believe in God (for those of you who do). Surely, nothing as complex as our universe could be created by chance or accident. Imagine for a moment all of the functions that go on within the body. Or look at the different ecosystems around the globe and how they interact. Many people will claim this is evidence of God’s existence. Yet, at the core, we still must rely on faith, because we haven’t seen or spoken with Him (literally…I don’t mean through prayer).

Is our faith different from Gideon’s? If you remember, Gideon was chosen by God to free the people of Israel from the Midianites and Amalekites. He had a hard time believing God would choose him because he was young and from an unremarkable clan. His lack of self-confidence cause him to ask God for a little proof of that God really was who he said he was.

36Then Gideon said to God, “You say that you have decided to use me to rescue Israel. 37Well, I am putting some wool on the ground where we thresh the wheat. If in the morning there is dew only on the wool but not on the ground, then I will know that you are going to use me to rescue Israel.” 38That is exactly what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the wool and wrung enough dew out of it to fill a bowl with water.

But that wasn’t quite good enough for Gideon…

39Then Gideon said to God, “Don’t be angry with me; let me speak just once more. Please let me make one more test with the wool. This time let the wool be dry, and the ground be wet.” 40 That night God did that very thing. The next morning the wool was dry, but the ground was wet with dew.

People in Biblical times saw Jesus perform miracles. They spoke with angels, and even God. How many times have you wished you could ask God for a sign that He exists? Wouldn’t faith be easier if you could ask for a donkey to talk and it happened without the help of Eddie Murphy? Would it be easier to believe if you saw a man who was crippled for many years suddenly get up and walk with the mere word from a man in the room with you? We don’t have these things. Many claim to see miracles today, and I am certainly not saying they don’t exist, but certainly not in the way they did 2,000 years ago. A child with cancer may mysteriously be cancer free at her next doctor visit, but I doubt any of us will ever see a stick turn into a snake.

Have you ever wished you could have the physical proof of God’s existence like those who were able to witness miracles first hand? Would it be easer to have faith?

Our Sunday morning class is three weeks through an eight week series where we are taking a look at the book unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity… and Why It Matters. The book is “groundbreaking research into the perceptions of sixteen- to twenty-nine-year-olds [and] reveals that Christians have taken several giant steps backward in one of their most important assignments” (unChristian.com). So far, this has been a very interesting study. Last Sunday we discussed the number one way “outsiders” perceive Christians: anti-homosexual. But it also became a discussion about loving sinners apart from their sins.

I have known many Christians in my day that wouldn’t associate with someone based upon their sexuality. However, I can also say the same thing about race, religion, etc, etc, etc. Jesus did not avoid those with whom he disagreed with. For some reason, those that we think Jesus would have the hardest time getting along with, were those who were drawn to him. The tax collectors, prostitutes, and thieves all had meals with Jesus, or changed and followed Him. He saw beyond their sins and offered help, hope, and love. These people were not dismissed because of their lifestyle, their nationality, or their past.

Yet, as Christians, we do this everyday. Hypocrisy is another major turnoff to non-Christians, yet there is no small amount of it among the Christian community. Today I came across the video below. Though satirical, it plays off the behaviors of many Christians and churches. (Listen closely because some of the digs are smooth). One church even makes national headlines professing that “God hates fags” and “God hates dead soldiers”. VERY Christian, behavior.

Watch the video, then remember we are all God’s children. It is possible to hate the sin and love the sinner. If we had to be perfect to join a church or fall in love with Jesus, who amongst us would be worthy?

I originally found the video at my friend Keith’s site, BagOfNothing.com

Because so many of my new online friends are ministers, preachers, or regular church attendees, I have a new feature that I would like to keep up with once per week. I am going to be posting a few questions that I have always wondered about and many new ones that arise as I make my way through the Bible.

So preachers, ministers, teachers, elders, deacons, etc, etc, add me to your feed reader and submit your answers, and tell your preacher / minister friends to do the same. It will be interesting to see different viewpoints and interpretations and get answers to questions that I can’t be the only one wondering about. I will try to get all questions up by Saturday night.

Week One Questions

1. Was God literally walking in the Garden of Eden? How can / should this be interpreted?
Gen 3:8

6. I think this question was answered in a sermon a few months ago, but I will pose it again for alternate responses and for those who have wondered the same thing. Why was Jesus baptized? He had no sins to forgive. Mt 3:13-15

You may see all of the questions in this series here.