 There are three basic systems of perception (means of learning) among humanity. There is the approach of "Empiricism", that is, learning by scientific means, experimentation, and by using our human senses (touch, taste, sight, sound, smell). Atheists foolishly use this method of perception when trying to prove or disprove the existence of God. Though God can be seen through Empiricism, through the world around us, this witness of God is easy to explain away. You cannot study God empirically and reach any lasting and positive conclusions. There is the approach of "Rationalism", a system of perception that studies things then reaches conclusion by logic alone. Rationalism focuses along the lines of "I think, therefore I am". Yet Rationalism is a poor system of perception to use in learning about God for it is rooted in the finite. God is infinite, high above man. Rationalism can prove that there had to be a Creator, for all higher reason must have a higher Source, yet Rationalism is too firmly rooted in humanism to be effective. Finally, there is the approach of "Faith". This is an absolute system of perception because all other systems of perception have their basis in Faith. No one can learn a vocabulary without faith. Higher mathematical theory started out as faith. When Einstein proposed E=MC2 he had no absolute proof of this theory, but his faith in it caused him to seek to prove that theory as true.
The "natural man" or unsaved person cannot hope to learn all there is to know about God. You may have a sort of "God Consciousness" before you are saved - history has proved the existence of such a consciousness, an inner knowledge that there is a God - but this God consciousness cannot help you understand who God really is. God has predetermined that Faith is the means of perception by which He will reveal Himself to man:
And unless you start out knowing God by Faith, specifically by Faith in Jesus Christ, you will never truly know God. There has been a lot of anger directed toward Evangelical Christians lately because we tell others that faith in Jesus is the only way to knowledge of God. Even some Christians have proposed that we "draw back in the interest of religious unity" and not speak the Gospel to Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Mormons, and so forth. "Why rock the boat?" we are told. Yet if you are a Christian you know that Jesus said:
.. that you can only know the Father by knowing Him. And you know that Jesus said:
These are not our words, but the words of Jesus. "Christianity without Christ is just religion", and useless at that. You cannot take Jesus out of the Gospel message, regardless as to whose feelings it hurts, and still have the Gospel. Further, you can use rationalism and empiricism to learn more about God "after" you have come to Him by Faith in Christ, but Faith must be your root. For, you see, we can only understand God by revelation from God, and we can only accept the revelation that God has given us by Faith.
Faith, Christian Faith, is a system of perception that accepts an established criteria (the Bible) as its basis of reality. This has been the definition of Christian Faith from its start in Christ, up until just a few decades ago. In recent times the Church has become infiltrated with apostate thought that sets rationalism, empiricism, and humanism far above the integrity of the Scripture. Be aware, though, that this is apostasy, not the normal Christian life. Faith is illustrated in the original language of the Scriptures. There are four words in the Hebrew that refer to different degrees of Faith.
In the Greek New Testament there are three words that are used for Faith.
All degrees of Faith carries with it this caveat: it is "Non-Meritorious". In other words, Faith places the burden squarely on God, and God gets the glory for our triumphs of Faith. Billy Graham is a wonderful, Spirit Filled man, and he would be the first to tell you that the mighty works he has done for God were done "by" God. Billy would give God the glory, not himself. You can always spot a true man of God from a fraud, for the true man of God always puts the glory back on God where it belongs. "Faith is non-meritorious". We trust Him, He does the work, He gets the glory.
God could do everything on His own, but the "wonder" of our Father is that He has decided that, if something is to be done on this earth, He wants to "do it through His believing children". We work for Him by Faith, believe in Him by Faith, and He in turn gives us the increase. "We are laborers together with God", laboring with Him by Faith, and He is doing a mighty work in and through us when we exercise Faith in Him.
I can imagine the angels of Heaven watching the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Adam eats the forbidden fruit, and as he does so Michael the Archangel turns to God and says, "Well, that's it. Time to destroy the lot, Lord, and start over". Then, to his amazement, God says "No, this was my Plan. Man will come back to Me, but I will only have him return by Faith in Me. I will have him work by Faith in Me, and I will redeem the world only by his Faith in Me." Jesus added, "Look, Michael. Look, Gabriel. Tell all the other angels to look, and see the miraculous work that I will accomplish for man, if he but has faith in Me".
There are many fine and noble specimens of man and woman on this earth. There are beautiful people, women with perfect figures, men with exquisite physiques. There are the super intelligent, those who are walking brains, and others who could take a dime and turn it into a million dollars. There are genius' and athletes, world leaders, movers and shakers. But, without Faith in Christ, they will all go to their deaths and only find hellfire and separation from God on the other side.
You cannot "work your way" to Heaven, for God has decreed that Faith, not Empiricism or Rationalism, will be the means to secure salvation. Faith "HAD" to be the only means of reaching God, because only Faith is a system of perception available to all humans regardless as to their intelligence or level of education. God is a fair God, and wanted to give all mankind an equal chance at salvation. He instilled in each human an inner God consciousness, a certain knowledge that there was Someone greater than we are.
"God has promised that all people will have an opportunity to reach God consciousness sometime in their lives, and after reaching that consciousness they will be given an opportunity to accept or reject Jesus Christ by faith". Man can reach God consciousness in a variety of ways. He may have association with others, and notice that they have God consciousness, therefore there must be a God. Or he may notice that all men have natural standards of morality and law, and based on this determine that a Creator must have instilled these standards. Or he may become aware that the earth and the universe has structure and order, this making a Creator absolutely necessary - for there is no design without a Designer. God can call and make His presence known in a variety of ways, and once He makes Himself known He wants His people (those who are Christian) to reveal Who Jesus Christ is. That Jesus is the only way to Him, that Jesus is the Messiah. "If we do our job, our calling by faith, this will lead others to accept Jesus Christ by faith and be saved". These new believers accept Jesus Christ (and only after this point) and begin a relationship with God, a relationship of Faith and growth.
Believers, you entered a state of salvation, salvation from hell, salvation from the mediocrity of this life by Faith in Jesus Christ. Quite frankly, "it is now time for you to live your life by Faith in Christ". Faith is like a muscle, and quite frankly, many Christians are so bed-ridden from compromising with the world that their Faith muscle is useless, atrophied. Use your Faith and tell others about Jesus Christ. How will others be saved if we fail in this calling, the calling to "tell the world"? How will any come to know God if we waffle and try to stay "politically correct" to a damnable heretical humanistic ideology that says "We're all brothers and sisters at heart. Don't rock the boat, don't tell others about Jesus. The Buddhist is saved in his own way, the Mormon is saved in his own way - leave them alone". When God draws a person to God consciousness He expects us, in faith, to share Jesus with them. Let them decide either for or against Him, for or against salvation. But we, in Faith, must follow our calling. We, in Faith, must tell others about Jesus. If not, one day you'll be held accountable for your failure:
If you are a Christian, how are you going to explain "Well, Lord, I was just too scared to witness Christ. The peer pressure was intense, and the denomination I belonged to said to not rock the boat."? Get ready, for you will have to give an account.
We, in Faith, must learn to trust our Heavenly Father in the midst of trials. He saved us, who were unfit to be saved, so He will certainly take care of us in this life. I don't care how terrible your trial, I know that God can see you through that trial if you trust in Him. In one Christian's life he nearly had his left leg torn off in a car accident, and God saw him through. He also lost a child, precious and only 17 years old, and God saw him through. Personally, I have been backbitten, aligned, hated without reason, slandered, and God saw me through every one of these situations. He is God, He is powerful, and I thank my God who gives me the victory, gives us all the victory in Christ Jesus! Approach Him in Faith, He will not fail you. 
If you have not already done so, please consider trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. For more information on Salvation Click Here to view "How can I get to Heaven?"
 Send mail to: webslave for Christ with questions or comments about this web site. Last modified: 10/29/2002 |
