Belief

All things are possible to those who believe Prof C K Joseph

It is through faith in Jesus Christ that we are raised to the status of the sons of God. "To all who received him, who believed in his name, he (Jesus) gave power to become children of God" (Jn 1:12).

God the Father has willed that the human race should be saved through faith in his Son. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (Jn 3:16). St Paul also teaches us, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household" (Acts 16:31). The Bible teaches us that lack of faith is sin. "Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God" (Heb 3:12). "...whatever does not proceed from faith is sin"(Rom 14:23). However good may be our actions, unless they are inspired by faith in God, those actions will be just humanitarian works. It is not enough if we are naturally or morally good people ,God wishes us to be people who are spiritually alive.

The Bible insistently teaches us that it is a sin not to believe in Jesus. "He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God"(Jn 3:18).

When Jesus spoke to his disciples about the Holy Spirit he said, "He (the Holy Spirit) will convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgement ;of sin, because they do not believe in me" (Jn 16:8,9). We must understand that a life devoid of faith in Jesus, is a life of sin.

Christian life is a life in the Spirit. "Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him"(Rom 8:9), says St Paul.Receiving this Spirit should be through faith in Jesus. Jesus says, "If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me...out o f his heart shall flow rivers of living water" (Jn 7:37-38).

In short, Christian life is a journey in faith. In this journey of faith, I must see where I stand. I must ask myself, in whom, in what I place my faith. My life can be aptly described in the words of a poet who sang, "In God I believe. In my pocket is my consolation." As my pocket becomes empty, my faith in God is on the decrease. "Examine yourselves to see whether you are holding to your faith. Test yourselves.Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you unless indeed you fail to meet the test" (2 Cor 13:5)!

Faith can be divided into three kinds-doctrinal faith, trusting faith and expectant faith. To the first category belongs the faith of the majority of people. They acknowledge the doctrines of the Christian faith. They learn some truths of faith by heart and repeat them mechanically. They believe in the divinity of Jesus , in heaven and in life after death. Their faith is confined to doctrinal and catechetical matters.

The second type of faith is that of people who believe in God's goodness. Such people easily believe that all things work for good. (cf Rom 8:28). They are convinced that God will take care of them because he loves them. Both types of faith mentioned above are very important and salvific. However, they are not sufficient to enjoy God's greatness.

The faith of the woman healed of the haemorrhage mentioned in Mk 5:24-34 is the ideal faith-expectant faith. She kept telling herself, "If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well". With this faith she touched the hem of Jesus' robe. She was instantly healed. Jesus said, "Daughter, your faith has made you well." The prayer of Martha and Mary that resulted in the resurrection of Lazarus was, again, an expectant faith(cf Jn 11:21). In expectant faith there is a creative aspect. Before God's action takes place we have to do our part. Examine the passage in Mathew 14:28-32. Peter saw Jesus walking on the waves. He then asked Jesus to let him also do the same. Jesus allowed him to do so. Peter instantly jumped into the sea and began walking on the waters. In order to walk on the sea what Peter had to do was to actually step out into the water.It may seem foolishness in the sight of the world. But on the part of Peter, it was absolutely necessary. As he stepped into the water, the Lord's power supported him on its surface. It was not Jesus who did everything. Certainly, the Lord's sustaining strength was with Peter. But the initiative had to be taken by Peter. That was inevitable. An expectant faith led Peter to creative action.