You have wearied
LORD with your words;
Yet you say,
'In what way have we
wearied the Him?'
In that you say,
'Everyone who does
evil is good in the
sight of the LORD,
Malachi 2:17a
Pointing fingers towards those who claim to be the "real" Church, such as the Roman Catholic Church, and even the break-out Church from them, such as the Greek Orthodox Church, and other Churches that have held onto a religion that are close akin to each other have because of their adherence to tradition making tradition to be conjoined equally to the sacraments or their many words that have nothing to to with Scripture are a wearied to the LORD. Don't be fooled with pointing fingers at those people and forget that in many Churches today there are happenings that are foolish and unScriptural. They think that what they are doing is good when it is only an evil in the sight of the Lord. OH! It is said, they have faith! Yes, so do the Islamic religious people, so do the Hindu's, but is it true Authentic Biblical Faith? The Reformation brought back to the Church a reform to the Bible. You cannot reform that which did not have form in the first place. The Church had and has lost its way when we place tradition above true Authentic Faith. Jesus takes a "back seat" to to other forms of worship. The suffering, the incarnation, even the resurrection is only a good notion, a hope, but not a sure hope, rather a wishful hope. Let us take a look a faith. I will use my preface to the book I am about to publish to answer that question.
"Faith," what is it? In this postmodern era, cultures around the world have made a paradigm shift in their views of life, religion, and morals. Each individual determines absolute truths as he/she sees fit. To have faith in anything other than yourself and your abilities; are taught as something negative. This redefinition of faith has made each individual the center of his or her "universe." To have faith, in anything other than you, is thought as weak. Is this Biblical Authentic Faith?
Many in this world consider faith, in anything other than you undesirable. In spite of that, we all put faith in something or on someone at various times in our lives. Is this really faith, or just a form of trust, or hope? To what degree did any one of these elements, faiths, hope, trust, and form our belief? Do we know the difference? Words have meaning, and it is important to use the correct words to reflect the actual meaning within the context. I will attempt to use care in choosing the words to make each point.
How important is it for those who profess Christianity to determine if they are exhibiting Authentic Biblical Faith? It is very important because if our faith is not authentic then our Christian walk will not represent our Savior, the One who we admit as to be our Savior. Therefore, if faith is anything other than authentic our walk will be misleading and full of false doctrine, and then become simply a form of religiosity that will creep in and cause a form of anarchy to be established. An "anything goes" or an anarchist view that places an individual on himself as the final answer to their life is an attitude that puts faith in a just and righteous God into question. This attitude diminishes God who truly cares for his creation and would establish what is best for his creation.
When everyone is given the right to choose for himself, to determine what is "right," will, more often than not, choose that which will please only him or her self. This leads to confusion and seeking answers in other forms of ideologies that lead a person into a subtle form of anarchy. What develops then, among people, is a certain amount of animosity, because if you do not believe the truth as defined by each individual’s standards, then you must be wrong, because their truth is correct. Even though this belief has no basis upon any real substance, they will still hold to their beliefs. This type of faith based upon those personal beliefs will cause a person to believe that their faith is authentic ignoring True Authentic Faith.
There are absolute laws of the universe; gravity is one such law. While we can temporarily override this absolute law, it requires another law to do so, in this case, Bernoulli's principal which is the principle of lift. This absolute law, gravity, is still in effect, and this lesser law cannot but temporarily override the greater law. There is an authentic faith, truth, which has been established by God. Therefore, anything other than this greater truth, not True Authentic Faith, may give a temporary feeling of rightness, but has not overridden the greater faith or truth; Authentic Biblical Faith. Eventually, God will call into account how our faith is in line with His established Authentic Biblical Faith. Just like when the airplane using the law of lift. It is only as good as the air passing over and under the wings of the plane at different rates of speed and holds the plane up so that it does not fall from the sky, when the air is not passing under or over the wings in the right amount for the size of the plane, the plane will fall. The greater absolute law of gravity had shown itself to be a greater law. So with our faith, as long as it is making us feel "right" with our relationship with God everything is good, but, as soon as there's some form of adversity, discouragement, or trials in our life, this lesser type of faith will not stand, it will fail us.
Why another book/blog on faith? There is a need for a book that anyone can read and understand, a book/blog that speaks to the every day average person’s level. A book/blog, that can teach, children and adults, how to define true Authentic Biblical Faith. A book, to use in Bible studies, that is not overwhelming with too much information. Yet has enough information, to show what God determines as Authentic Biblical Faith and enough information helping them to answer objections that many people have about Christianity and how their faith is truly authentic. A faith that is authentic, and built on absolute truths. Not faith on faith: rather a faith that has absolute substance; that substance being the Authority of God. Therefore, this belief drives the fact that such a book is necessary, especially since this culture has spread secular relativism as the way to live our lives.
Often people; are heard to say that they had faith that God would heal their loved ones. When God does not heal their loved one they often come to believe that they did not have enough faith; or maybe the one that needed the healing did not have enough faith. Possibly, the business, that was struggling financially, failed. They even prayed and asked God for help and had faith, God would help bring them get their finances under control. People with this objection often lose all faith; the blame God. They conclude there is no such thing as authentic faith. Therefore, there is not a God. This type of reasoning is prevalent in today’s society. Too many people want a “god” that will give them what they desire and not make too may demands on their lives. Secular humanism controls their view of life.
Authentic Biblical Faith is so important especially in the times in which we are living because the world is in turmoil. Many people have lost much of their savings and retirement monies. Foreclosures have affected many people. Unemployment rates are at an all time high. And gas prices are at an all time high. Both Christian and non-Christian peoples are affected by the economy in one of the most devastating downturns in history. How are we as Christians dealing with these times? Possibly your faith been affected to the point that you have come to distrust God. Do you really have the faith to believe that He will take care of you? You want answers and you may not be seeing any answer immediately. Only Authentic Biblical Faith can stand up to the pressures of life. It is imperative that you develop and truly understand what is Authentic Biblical Faith that pleases God. Only within the context of Authentic Biblical Faith can you have peace that all will be well and that God is truly in control.
The impetus to write this book came about while doing research on Biblical principles. Important were these question(s), causing me to make an attempt to understand; what were the reasons that life took the paths it took, and why did not Biblical principles guide my life? Was it just rebelliousness to authority or lack of knowledge? Would it have made a difference if there were Authentic Biblical Faith and the principles in the Bible taught in a different manner? This is not to judge anyone or the Church. Wondering what could have made the difference in life and in the lives of other peoples who have taken similar paths and have come from similar backgrounds. It would be true to say that there are other influences besides not being well grounded in Authentic Biblical Faith that played a part in decision making, our own personal personalities, the worldview that developed over time; etc. Nonetheless, it is important to come to an understanding that we all have to give an account for our lives before God and the time to start living out Authentic Biblical Faith and following the principles outlined in the Bible is now. All excuses set aside, we must discipline ourselves to seek the truth and develop the ability to instill Authentic Biblical Faith deeply into the hearts of our children, family, and friends so as to help them to avoid the pitfalls that bring pain and suffering to others and ourselves. The prayer and hope is that this work will entice you to look deeper into what makes for Authentic Biblical Faith and the means to apply Biblical principles in your lives. I believe God will bless us to the utmost when we:
“Seek first His kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”
(Matthew. 6:33).
This attempt to write so that a person may come to know what is True Authentic Faith is done by a fictional story. My hope is that you enjoy the story and the characters as they “flesh” out Authentic Biblical Faith and practical ways to apply Biblical principles.
There may be objections to this writing because I am not a theologian, have not been fully trained in a seminary and I am not a pastor (I am a Student Under Care in Grace Presbyterian Church, Redding, CA.). The hope is that you will judge this work based on the Bible. That seekers of truth will take the time to look deeply into the biblical references and doctrinal statements and determine as to what is wrote is of any value. The goal is not to create legalism. It is to encourage you to become seekers of truth. That this truth will lead you to action in your personal life, as it did mine, and your God given calling within the Christian faith. It is further hoped that your worldview will become like our Savior’s and the necessary changes within our family, Church, community, state, nation, and world will bring about peace, and love towards God and our neighbors. Eternity is for us all and the only difference between people is where they will spend this eternity. Authentic Biblical Faith will lead people to true Christianity.
Until Jesus returns we have work to do and it is the most important work, which we have been commanded to participate in. It is the work assigned to us by our Savior Jesus. We must not only find what is our particular calling is, but also, to become aware of the gifts imputed to us by God and where we need to be the ‘salt and light’ of the world. It is our world, where we work, play, wherever we at any given time. Our calling is to be ambassadors of reconciliation bringing to our world the “Good News” of salvation and eternal life. This will require of us to take time to study the Word of God. This is the utmost mission of this book/blog to help you to address issues that you will be confronted with and prepare you to be able to give an answer in truth. This will require Authentic Biblical Faith based on absolute truths.
Our understanding of the Incarnation of Christ and of our totally depravity that does not allow us to come to him brings to us great joy, an inner peace because God before time began, before any creation, determined to have a people who are His. Eternity began when you were put together in your mother's womb. You and I inherited original sin, but Jesus, the incarnate God, was not made with original sin. He has paid the price for our sins, He is calling and drawing His people. How do we know that we are His children? Live Scripturally, live with Authentic Biblical Faith.
He who testifies to
these things says,
'Surely I am coming
quickly,'
Amen. Even so come,
Lord Jesus!
Revelation 22:20
Put Your Trust In Him
Richard L. Crumb
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