The biblical word for faith means trust or confidence in someone or something. For our discussion, it is trust or confidence in the existence and goodness of God. 

'But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him," [Hebrews 11:6]

Rather than simply giving a simplistic definition of faith, the Bible tends to give examples that demonstrate it. The entire chapter of Hebrews 11 does this. It tells of various individuals who took actions based on their confidence in the existence of God and His goodness. Those actions ranged from making more excellent sacrifices, to undertaking long journeys, to gaining military victories, to persevering during times of trial and persecution. Faith is a verbal adjective. It is an action word. It action provoked by a certain frame of mind.

How can we believe that God is, that He exists? We have confidence God exists because the creation betrays the hand of the Creator. The complexity, beauty, and laws of nature display God's eternal power and speak to intelligent design. The existence of our mind, conscience, emotions, and our sense of morality point to the existence of the soul and that man has an immaterial component. 

Believing that God is good, that He is a "rewarder of those who diligently seek Him," can be more challenging for some. Many people ask, "If God is good, why does He allow evil? Why then is there suffering?" Think of it this way...When I was in the eighth grade, my earth science teacher explained to us that there is no such thing as cold. "Cold" is how we describe the absence of heat. She said there is really no such thing as darkness. "Darkness" is how we describe the absence of light. I suggest to you that "evil" is similar. That is, "evil" is how we describe the absence of goodness. God is good. So "evil" describes that which is contrary to God and His will. God could remove evil simply by removing freedom of choice. But in removing freedom of choice God would remove the possibility of personal relationship. Evil exists because humans exercise their freewill to do actions that are contrary to God's goodness.

Suffering exists because the world is in a fallen state. The Fall is described to us in Genesis chapters 1, 2, and 3. God has promised to redeem those who turn to Him in faith and will one day redeem and reconstitute all of creation.

What is the Bible? The Bible is a collection of books written over a period of about 1,500 years, from about 1,400 BC to 95 AD, by more than 40 different authors. They came from a variety of backgrounds, wrote in different places ranging from the wilderness to prison to exile to king’s courts. They wrote in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek). The contents of the Bible deal with many controversial subjects. Yet the Bible is a unity. From beginning to end there is one unfolding story of God’s plan of salvation for mankind.

• The Old Testament books come to us via the Jewish people (Israel) and their prophets.

• The New Testament books come to us via the Apostles of Jesus Christ.

You may enjoy this video: Bible Project: What is the Bible?

There are many reasons we hold the Bible to be the word of God. These include its unity, fulfilled prophecies, the reliable testimony of Jesus' disciples, archeology, and manuscript evidence. I encourage you to visit my blog as noted earlier. It's a lot to try and cover in this limited space. But my main point is this, it is that we don't believe in the Bible simply because we are Westerners, were told to by our parents, or because we are emotionally and intellectually weak and in need of a crutch. We believe the Bible to be the Word of God because one can come to that conclusion reasonably. 

Sometimes people will tell me they don't go to church because churches are full of hypocrites. I like to say, "Well come on down and join us. We've got room for one more!" My point is this - there is no perfect church so long as it is made up of imperfect people. And sometimes people say they have given up on "organized religion." To that I like to respond, "Well it's better that disorganized religion."

I think it is important to ask, "What is church?" The church is not a building or an institution. The church is an organism. It is a body. The church is comprised of people who have embraced Jesus' call to fellowship. "...and on this rock I will build My church," Jesus said [Matthew 16:17-18]. 

The Greek word "church" is "ekklesia." It means "called out ones" or a "called assembly." Jesus didn't minister and then endure the pain of crucifixion to start an organization or erect some formal institutions. Jesus gave His life for people and those of us who respond to His call for repentance comprise His church.

Jesus taught us to pray, "Our Father, who art in heaven..." [Matthew 6]. He said this to indicate how we ought to interpret God's actions and also how we ought to relate to God. If God is my Father, then other believers are my brothers and sisters in Christ. We join together around our common faith in Christ to encourage and support one another and to learn together.

And to that last point - We learn together. Dynamic things happen as we gather to study and work through life's challenges. We learn from the perspectives and experiences of others. We benefit from the teaching and counsel of our pastors. All of those interactions help us renew our hearts and minds and mature. Through them, we renegotiate our relationship to the world, sin, suffering, and our divine calling.

At Living Hope Church you might not find perfection. But I can promise you will find love, truthfulness, integrity, and sincerity.

First, let's take a walk down the "Romans Road."

• All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. [Romans 3:23]
  
• The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. [Romans 6:23]
• If we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made to salvation. [Romans 10:9-10]

I want you to imagine that you are in a courtroom. You've committed a crime and the evidence is irrefutable. The judge is a moral and righteous man and he is about to pass judgement. At that moment, someone steps up and says, "Your Honor, I will pay the fine!" That is what Jesus Christ did for us. We have all violated the commands of God. We have all done things our conscience tells us are wrong. Jesus took upon Himself the penalty that belonged to us. Through Christ's atoning work the justice of God may be satisfied on our behalf and mercy can be extended. 

Being a Christian means simply that one has placed one's faith in Jesus and His work on the cross. It means that one has surrendered to His lordship. Our lives become a living sacrifice unto Him borne of our gratitude for what He has done for us.

"God, I ask you to forgive me for all the things I have done that are displeasing to You. Forgive me also for not doing the good things that I know I should have done. Have mercy upon me. I believe Jesus suffered and died on my behalf. I surrender my life to Your lordship. Amen."

If you just prayed, want to pray, or want to talk more about what it means to follow Christ, please contact us. 

We would be honored to serve you.