Where does a life of faith begin?
For those who know Christ, we might argue a life of faith begins when we accept Jesus as our Saviour and Lord. And yes, we have a responsibility to respond to the offer of saving grace provided through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; we respond to His initiative in reaching out to us as fallen, fallible human beings. But faith is more than just our response it begins with God; with the belief in His existence.
The Bible assumes God’s existence; it begins with the familiar words, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) – it begins with assumption there is a God. The Bible never debates, nowhere does it seek to prove the existence of God. As A.W. Tozer has observed, back of all, above all, before all is God. It would be more difficult to disprove the existence of God! That God is, is the starting point for a life of faith.
That God has chosen to reveal Himself to us is the very foundation of our faith. God has revealed Himself to us through the created world around us. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Psalm 19:1) Paul writes in Romans 1:20…Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made. The created world points to a Creator, to God who made the heavens and the earth.
He has also made Himself know to us through His Word. In Isaiah 46:9-10, God clearly declares Himself to be God, the Sovereign Ruler of all: I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ The Bible reveals for us the nature of God. Passages like Psalm 103, reveal His attributes: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. (8) Our faith begins with and rests in who God is.
The Bible also teaches that God has made Himself know to us through His Son, the Lord Jesus. In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. (Hebrews 1:1-3)
The Apostle John writes: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3 14) In Christ, God reveals Himself to us and through Christ our faith in God is established.
Knowing God is first and foremost a matter of grace; by grace and grace alone we come to know Him.
Knowing God thus becomes our highest priority and greatest joy. Moses, as he encountered God asked of Him: If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. (Exodus 33:13)
Dan DeHaan in his book, The God You Can Know writes: Why then is it so mandatory for us to know God? The reason is that man is made in God’s image; therefore, no person can love God, serve God, be encouraged by God, or walk with God until he knows God.
Why were we created?
To know God
What is our highest priority in life?
To know God
What is our greatest joy in life?
To know God
What is our hope for eternal life?
To know God
To the degree that we know Him will determine everything about us. (Dan DeHaan)
For those who know Christ, we might argue a life of faith begins when we accept Jesus as our Saviour and Lord. And yes, we have a responsibility to respond to the offer of saving grace provided through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; we respond to His initiative in reaching out to us as fallen, fallible human beings. But faith is more than just our response it begins with God; with the belief in His existence.
The Bible assumes God’s existence; it begins with the familiar words, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) – it begins with assumption there is a God. The Bible never debates, nowhere does it seek to prove the existence of God. As A.W. Tozer has observed, back of all, above all, before all is God. It would be more difficult to disprove the existence of God! That God is, is the starting point for a life of faith.
That God has chosen to reveal Himself to us is the very foundation of our faith. God has revealed Himself to us through the created world around us. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Psalm 19:1) Paul writes in Romans 1:20…Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made. The created world points to a Creator, to God who made the heavens and the earth.
He has also made Himself know to us through His Word. In Isaiah 46:9-10, God clearly declares Himself to be God, the Sovereign Ruler of all: I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ The Bible reveals for us the nature of God. Passages like Psalm 103, reveal His attributes: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. (8) Our faith begins with and rests in who God is.
The Bible also teaches that God has made Himself know to us through His Son, the Lord Jesus. In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. (Hebrews 1:1-3)
The Apostle John writes: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3 14) In Christ, God reveals Himself to us and through Christ our faith in God is established.
Knowing God is first and foremost a matter of grace; by grace and grace alone we come to know Him.
Knowing God thus becomes our highest priority and greatest joy. Moses, as he encountered God asked of Him: If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. (Exodus 33:13)
Dan DeHaan in his book, The God You Can Know writes: Why then is it so mandatory for us to know God? The reason is that man is made in God’s image; therefore, no person can love God, serve God, be encouraged by God, or walk with God until he knows God.
Why were we created?
To know God
What is our highest priority in life?
To know God
What is our greatest joy in life?
To know God
What is our hope for eternal life?
To know God
To the degree that we know Him will determine everything about us. (Dan DeHaan)
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