Faith - Part 1 - Mere Christianity Book 3 Chapter 11 - Episode 24

Is faith blindly believing whatever you've been told? Let's dig into what faith is and what it isn't.

...Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who ask you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...

1 Peter 3:15

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Transcript

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Have you ever been absolutely convinced of something one day and then doubted it the next? Not because the facts changed, but your feelings did. That is exactly why faith is necessary. Today we're exploring Christian faith and why it's not blind belief. It's learning to stand firm when your emotions are trying to carry you somewhere else. Welcome back everyone to the Reason Why. I'm Dana, your host. This is where we walk through what Christians believe, why they believe it, and how to know whether it's true or not. Today we are discussing C.S. Lewis's first chapter on faith in his book Near Christianity. We're taking this book one chapter at a time. So if you're just joining us, make sure you go back and you check out the series from the beginning when you can. Now, when most people hear the word faith, they think of believing in something. And that certainly is part of it. But Lewis points out that faith has two different meanings, or better yet, levels. And in this chapter, he focuses on the first one, simply belief. At first glance, that might seem a little strange, because if faith is simply believing something, how can it be considered a virtue? Isn't it just an opinion, something you either have or you don't? Lewis says no. Faith becomes a virtue because it's rooted in reason, not emotion, and therefore takes practice. Faith comes by hearing and hearing through the word. It's not rooted in an emotion. The problem is that while we like to think of ourselves as rational creatures, our lives tell a different story. Human beings just are not consistently ruled by reason. Our feelings, fears, desires, anxieties, and imaginations are constantly trying to sit in the driver's seat. We can carefully think something through, arrive at a reasonable conclusion, and then a few days later find ourselves doubting it, all because our emotions have changed. So that's where faith comes in. Faith is what helps us hold on to what our reason has already accepted as true. When our feelings start arguing to the contrary. Think about a child learning to swim. I've taught all four of mine to swim. And what happens is they all know, at least intellectually, that people generally don't sink like a rock. They've seen other people swim. They had me right there next to them, telling them over and over again that they're safe. But the moment I let go the first few dozen times, all of that knowledge gets drowned out by fear. Excuse the pun, please. Their imaginations would take over and they would start to sink and panic and flail. Nothing about reality has changed. The water didn't get more dangerous, I didn't suddenly disappear. All the facts were still the same. What changed was their feelings. Or think about it another way. One I have some recent experience with, going into surgery. We know the anesthesiologist is highly trained. We know that these procedures happen safely every day. We know the statistics are overwhelmingly in our favor. And yet, as they prep you for everything and start to wheel you out into that operating room, most of us, our imaginations and fear start creating all kinds of scenarios. For me, it was just one scenario. Anyone remember the 2007 Christian Haydenson movie? Awake? I didn't even see that movie, but the trailer alone was enough to bring it right back to my mind when it was my turn to go under the knife. Fear begins to override everything. Our reason has already concluded. And Lewis would say that's exactly why faith isn't needed. Emotions and imagination are certainly not evil, but they can be used to dissuade us in directions our reason knows we shouldn't go. Now let's notice something here. This isn't blind faith. Lewis nor myself is asking anyone to shut off their brain and simply believe what they are told. True Christianity has never demanded that. Seriously, faith is not pretending something is true when you secretly think it isn't. Real faith comes after you've wrestled with the claims, asked the questions, examined the evidence, and come to a reasoned conclusion. Faith enters the picture after the decision has been made. Because I'll be honest, sooner or later something will come along and challenge it. Maybe it's a tragedy you never saw coming. Maybe it's suffering, disappointment, or seemingly unanswered prayers, or circumstances that just don't make sense. Maybe it's an old temptation coming back around. Or maybe it's a vice you thought you had left behind you. Or maybe it's simply one of those seasons where God feels distant and your spiritual life feels dry. Those are the moments when faith is exercised. Everything inside of us wants to run, retreat, quit, or turn back. Our emotions tell us to abandon the path. Our imagination paints the worst possible picture. But faith reaches back to what we have already concluded and says, No, I know what's true. I know who God is. I know where my hope is found. Again, just me being honest. I still have moments like that myself where doubts try to creep in. And this is exactly what I do and say. Faith is what helps us cling to that choice. It helps us cling to Jesus Christ, our rock. Charles Burgeon was a massively influential pastor, teacher, writer, but he struggled immensely from depression. His thoughts and emotions would trap him and bring him to the brink of absolute despair. He learned to put his faith into action. He famously said that he had learned to kiss the wave that threw him against the rock of ages. Faith is what helps us get beyond our fickle moods so that we are not constantly dismantling our belief systems that we've arrived at after sound examination. Lewis says, unless you teach your moods where they can get off, you can neither be a sound Christian nor a sound atheist. You're just a feather being blown around by whatever wind comes along. This is why the habit of faith must be formed, trained, and practiced regularly. My dad told me something when I was a young adult, and it frequently comes to mind in many circumstances and seasons of my life. He said, Everything in life must be maintained. I don't even remember why he said it in the first place. Could have been talking about taking care of my car, but I have used it as a reminder for relationships, especially my marriage, my spiritual walk, health, and on and on. In the context of faith, Lewis says that if you have accepted Christianity, then you now need to make sure that the things of God are deliberately held in your mind every day. Things like Bible reading, Bible study, prayer, worship, serving others, church gathering and fellowship. These are the things that will solidify your faith. But now be aware and cautioned that while we are talking about a discipline of habit and practice, this is in no way some sort of checklist to get on God's good side so that we can earn salvation or favor. Remember, faith is what helps us lean in to God for all times, but especially those times of temptation and battering, so that we can resist the urges that will pull us away from the very best place for us to be, in the arms of our God and Savior. Resisting temptation may sound easy to some, and to them, Lewis would say, You clearly have not resisted much or not been tempted enough. He says that you don't truly understand how bad or strong something is until you have tried to resist it. A person that gives in after five minutes knows very little indeed about the strength of that evil, as opposed to the one who resists for hours, weeks, years, a lifetime even. And just because you may not be tempted with a certain vice or as affected by a particular weakness, doesn't mean there isn't something the enemy uses to keep tripping you up. It's probably pride. He makes the very good point that Jesus being the only person to ever resist evil completely in every way, in every moment, he's the only one that truly knows what temptation means. Lewis wants us to understand that faith is not primarily about having strong religious feelings. Feelings come and go on the regular. Some days you feel close to God, other days distant. Sometimes prayer will feel natural and just flow out, but other times it will feel like talking the thin air. When our feelings are lacking or enticing to go, a different direction, we have to ask whether what we previously determined to be true is still true. Faith in this first sense is the habit of returning again and again to what you know, even when you don't feel it. Choosing to stand on the truth instead of the shifting sands of emotion and opinion. And that brings us to the second and higher sense or level of faith that Lewis introduces in the next chapter. Because eventually, on this Christian journey, we discover that the greatest challenge isn't simply holding on to what is true, even though that can be really hard in and of itself. The greatest challenge is admitting that we cannot become the people God wants us to be through our own strength. And that is where we will pick up next time. Thank you so much for being here today. I hope it was helpful or insightful, maybe even challenging. If so, please share it with a friend because the truth is always worth knowing and sharing. You can find more resources on my website at seektruthhere.com and Facebook and Instagram at Seek Truth Here. I'll see you next time. God bless it.