Posted by PS on December 06, 2002 at 11:01:17:
In Reply to: Re: Just a few thoughts, kind of long. posted by john on December 06, 2002 at 06:55:40:
: I can't possibly take the entire system of things alluded to in the Bible and taught by Jesus and make them apply to my life in a satisfactory way. I just don't see enough of the whole picture to see how it all fits. So i must trust. I guess this is faith. But it is far from blind. It is a faith built from experience. I can test what I know against it, and it has not failed yet.
Good point. Faith is not blind when it is based on something. I would like to expound on this. May I? Why, thank you. :-)
The faith that I must "become like water" is to some degree based on our ability (learned through discipline) to do this, that is, to conform our thinking to this pattern, because, in the truly Buddhist or Taoist sense, it is to be done without a supernatural personhood effecting the change.
If our faith is based on a teaching or on our understanding, then it is based on our intellect.
If our faith is based on our experience, well, enough said. I would not say "based on;" I would say "confirmed by." Your phrase, "built from," is good too, as long as we don't think we are doing it ourselves or the power lies with us to construct our faith (I speak of faith in essence, not in the finite sense of faith as an understanding).
If we remove our ability, intellect, and experience as foundations of faith, and faith remains, it is assumed to be "blind faith." But the beauty of Christianity is that the faith is in a PERSON. Like a small child who does not understand why daddy is picking him up to carry him across the street, but trusts daddy will keep him safe, the child's faith is not power-based (he cannot overpower daddy or make daddy do his will), his faith is not understanding-based (he has no clue why daddy is moving him and perhaps would rather not go), his faith is not experience-based (this may be quite new to him), but rather, his faith is the PERSON of his daddy alone. No matter how the child complains because his personal desires are compromised, at some base level the child truly believes daddy has his best interests at heart. This is the closest I can come to explaining the essence of this faith in my life.
I experienced this faith, for example, when I was desperately ill and was sure I was dying, and yet I knew without a doubt that God was completely GOOD, completely fair, completely righteous, that there was no fault in Him, nor any desire to hurt me: His whole purpose for me was good, true, and best; this was His way of blessing me in some honorable way. Now no understanding, experience, or ability founded this faith, I assure you; it was the most real experience of faith I have ever known.