Saturday, July 15, 2006

Faith is a Sacrifice

There is a common thread that runs through the Bible -- self sacrifice. It defines love, and I think it defines faith. In fact, I think faith is an expression of love. Let me try to explain.

If I, like the poor widow, give more than I can afford to another, it is self-sacrifice and it is love. If I give up my anger and hatred toward my enemy, it is self-sacrifice and it is love.

Faith requires self-sacrifice also. We accept something to be from God, not by it's evidence, but by, as the Bible calls it, "the foolishness of preaching." Logically, doing such a thing certainly appears to be foolish. We sacrifice our requirement for proof to accept something unprovable.

This seems to be our Creator's M.O. If there was only one objective piece of evidence that could be demonstrated, shared, and scientifically tested, faith in God would not be so illogical.

The rich man in Hell wanted Abraham to send Lazarus to his five brothers with a warning. He figured the only way they would believe the warning would be to see someone raised from the dead. Abraham's response seemed to say that anyone who could not be persuaded by scripture (faith) would not be persuaded by someone rising from the dead. (I don't quite understand why this would be so. I can't imagine my faith not being strengthened by talking to someone who rose from the dead. Perhaps it has something to do with wheat and tares.)

In effect, love without works is dead. Love is demonstrated by sacrifice. Faith is, without a doubt, a sacrifice. Therefore, faith may be a demonstration of love -- the most important requirement God places upon mankind. If so, it would explain such scriptures as, "By grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves." and "Abraham's faith was counted to him for righteousness."

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