11 Jun 2010

Is Faith Merely a Gamble?

Submitted by theshovel
Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly versionSend to friendSend to friendPDF versionPDF version

What makes believing in Christ different than believing in any other option? Of course, it’s often said that the object of our faith is the only difference — and Christ is no doubt superior to anything people may trust in — but what if there is more than meets the eye to our assumptions regarding faith? I’m talking about how the word “faith” oftentimes describes little more than the taking of a chance, that is, a gamble. If we will only take a moment to consider how people claim to have faith in one thing or another, we might not be so quick to regard our faith in Christ as anything similar.

Good news to you!
Jim (aka theShovel)

!date

Related Content: 
faith
coincidence
Spoonful: 
spoonful 2010

Comments

Visitor - June 11, 2010 - 9:09pm
It is the faith OF Christ that redeemed the entire human race…not mine or anyone else’s. Do I have faith? Only in the fact He had the faith to redeem the world. This is not “taking a chance”….it is accepting the reality of the fact that it was His faith and not mine that made it possible for Him to say “it is finished”.

Visitor - June 12, 2010 - 1:25am
Earlier this evening while I was upset due to one of our daughter’s having heart problems, I remembered hearing people say “keep the faith”. I don’t see faith as something I can “keep”. Shortly after this I remembered a verse that helped me. ‘He will keep to the uttermost those who come unto God by Him.’ Our daughter’s name is Dawn. Please pray for her. love, Darlene
theshovel's picture

theshovel - June 12, 2010 - 9:31am
Thank you Darlene for adding this. Your daughter, Dawn, is in my heart and prayers. Jim

DIGNZ - June 14, 2010 - 12:01am
that is kind of how the religious game of faith is played, isn’t it? taking chances with god by doing a, b, c to win what’s in door #1, 2, or 3, etc. chances are if you do x, y, z then god will be pleased and give you 1, 2, 3 etc. all i know about faith in god is that i do not NOT believe in him. does that make any sense? it is as natural to me (the new creation) as breathing is to my body. for instance, i do not decide to breathe, i just breathe. i think that the only faith which concerns god is that of christ, and christ is the very source of the new creation who we are in him. all that christ has is ours and is sourced in him. we have the best definition of faith in him … faith is defined in christ himself.  :) darlene, your dawn is in my heart and mind as well at this time. please keep us posted. i send a hug and a smile for you and your dawn. :)

luvin - July 30, 2010 - 10:29am
Jim said: “I’m talking about how the word “faith” oftentimes describes little more than the taking of a chance, that is, a gamble.” It is funny, for years I remember believing that the portion of the writing of Paul that stated that: “..to each has been given a measure of faith” was something that was akin to what Jim described above. I got that idea from my good friend and former Pastor who described it essentially that way. I think it assumes that we make a “divine choice.” Yeah, you guessed it “faith”. Oh I remember hearing example after example, preacher after preacher talk about the intricacies of “faith”, this great “leap”, this great “choice”. It was all hinged upon our ability within the natural mind to choose what was the “right” thing to choose.[or logical, or fill in the blank]Man they put up some fantastic stories though! Stories about trains and chairs..he he he he he..and all KINDS of things!! It just always dropped me off in despair. For at one time it may have temporarily sufficed but, in the time of shifting..I could not even stand to hear it for 10 minutes. I knew it was the natural mans thoughts and I knew that was death. It just made for more anxiety. Now I am seeing were I truly stand. I stand in the faith of Christ who out of mercy caused me to believe something I would have NEVER believed on my own. For once I was dead but, now I am alive. Thanks Jim for the confidence to preach Christ and He ONLY..I thank my God for you daily. Adam

Add new comment

Random Shovelquote: Christ in us (view all shovelquotes)

Life in Christ is all about Christ in us and us in Christ because of what He did on the cross and through His resurrection. I will claim no institution of man, religious or otherwise.   source