How to come to faith? III ...

Thursday, July 23, 2009. How do I come to faith in Jesus? We are taking some days this week to think about this topic. I talk as if you were my friend. We somehow got into a discussion about this. What is faith about? Why do you believe? How do I come to faith? Thats what I want to try. I want to search for the way to faith. How can it happen?

Why should we believe that God exists? It is a difficult matter. Of course we are surrounded by a wonderful world. Is that reason enough? The apostle Paul writes in his letter to the church in Rome: “20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Paul argues that we can learn about God from creation. But does it lead us to faith? It can only support this faith, it is not necessarily bringing us to faith. People of all ages have been fascinated by nature. They have been filled with reverence and awe. People have drawn the connection with the creator, with a powerful and eternal God.

There are two points to say here. First: the faith in Jesus is more than just realizing that this world tells a story about a very powerful and divine creator. The biblical faith is not pure deism, not only the belief that there is a God. It is much more. It is about God coming into the world, about God creating justice, about God starting a new creation, about God coming to me personally and taking me into his purpose and into his kingdom. Deism is not faith! James writes in his letter: “Even the demons believe that [God is] and tremble with fear.” (James 2, 19) Coming to God is more - loosing the fear, being forgiven by him, giving everything to him. Nature might play a role in this process, it is a clear sign to God. But nature does not directly lead to faith!

Second, when you are thinking along the lines of our modern science, there is not much space for God. I have been living in this way for quite a while and I know the arguments, the feeling, the whole spiritual setting. I tried to make the arguments for a story of the world which does not need a God waterproof myself. The story of evolution is quite interesting on an intellectual level. It tells a story which might explain many of our observations in nature. I don't want to argue today pro or contra evolution. Lets just accept that our society tries to find theories which do not need God. If you do not know God - what else should you do. And it is interesting to try how far we get with particular natural processes to explain the genesis of our world today as we know and investigate it. Science is not complete at all with these explanations, there are many questions and gaps - so let us wait for further surprises and new theories when we read and discuss the coming into being (genesis) of or world.

I have not been able to come to faith just by observing nature. I have not come to faith by growing into any special tradition. All the general arguments that there is a God did not convince me. All proofs, old or new, which people propose on a general philosophical level were not enough to me. You might be convinced by particular things, and that is good. For me it did not work, sorry to admit that. But there was one thing which did convince me. Better: there was one person who convinced me. This person is Jesus himself, the stories and reports about him in the New Testament. We need to talk about him, when we want to find a path to faith. We need to listen to him, to read about him, to meet him. He is “the door”. So lets go to the door and enter! [R.W.E.P., jesusnetwork.eu]

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