A Commitment of Faith
by Doy Moyer
I fear that, at times, faith today is seen as a weak contingency. We’re fine as long as we are convinced, kind of, but we are open to changing allegiances if the timing works. Faith may be seen as just what’s best for now, but we are really hoping for something more secure that doesn’t require such faith (good luck). God, then, is simply our best option for now, but since it is a matter of faith, we are open to switching when it is convenient. This is similar to the attitude of those who marry, who say, “until the love between us dies.” We’ve opened the door wide to failure. This is not true faith. You don’t just “try out” Jesus.
Faith is a commitment that gives us assurance of hope, and in this we have an anchor of the soul (Hebrews 11:1; 6:18-19). Having real faith doesn’t mean we are giving it a good try “just in case.” It does not mean we use it as a placeholder until something more solid comes along. Faith is about a lifetime of dedicated service, not subject to the whims of the world. The one driven and tossed about by every wind of doctrine is not commended (Ephesians 4:13-14). We aren’t children looking for the next craze.
Am I saying that we don’t have open minds? We do. We listen. We judge content. Yet we do so with faith in God. We need not lay aside faith to judge ideas and doctrines. Neither am I saying that there is no room for questions. When we claim faith, we recognize that we do not have all the answers. We do not know it all. We have space for questions and know that we won’t figure everything out, so that it’s a neat, tidy package of theology. Yet even forms of doubt can be approached in faith. I don’t need to lay faith aside to try to better understand God or Scripture. The doubting of James 1 is about inconsistency, wrong motives, and straddling the worldly line. Faith bears the questions and continues to trust God even when we don’t know or understand the answers. Faith doesn’t just give up because it’s tired.
Does this make faith weak? Not at all, for faith is made stronger the more we rely on God and less on ourselves. In truth, everyone relies on something; all have faith in something. We need to choose who and what we will have faith in. Once we choose the Lord, we need to resolve ourselves to a lifetime of faithfulness in spite of the various philosophies that wage war on our souls. The commitment we make is for life.
Faith is not for sale. Let’s not act like it is.
“Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints” (Revelation 13:10).
