For some seemingly enlightened people today, faith is something to be dismissed. “It’s the 21st century after all—the age of science and progress,” the thought goes. Not only is faith wholly unnecessary, it indicates an archaic ignorance that’s out of step with modern life.
Yet, some fail to realize that it is impossible to go through life without faith. We put our faith in people, institutions, and their word every day.
When we go to a restaurant, we put our faith in the people who prepare our food—that they have stored it properly, prepared it correctly, and paid proper attention to the expiration dates. Nobody wants to get sick. Even the restaurant’s name engenders trust because a reputable brand assures us that this is a safe place to eat.
Without faith, we would need to inspect everything ourselves before eating. Without faith, it would be necessary to investigate the weatherman’s data and methods each day personally. We would need to contact all the authors of our textbooks and examine their data & methods before accepting the information they write. Without faith, even the simplest tasks in life would be so time-consuming that we couldn’t accomplish much of anything!
Not only so, but many also have a common misconception about faith itself. Faith is not belief in the absence of evidence. Faith is a trust in the person who conveys information and makes promises. Faith is a trust that a speaker’s data is reliable and that he will deliver on his promises. As such, all of us exercise faith every day.
Living in the age of a pandemic underscores this truth, so much so that 2020 might be thought of as “The Year of Faith.” Many people exercised great faith during the pandemic as they trusted the pronouncements of the CDC, doctors, and other experts—as if their credentials made them infallible and their statements the equivalent of gospel truth. But being an expert or a scientist does not free you from making errors, having biases, starting with wrong assumptions, succumbing to peer pressure, or being power-hungry. If you have believed an expert’s word because of their credentials, you have exhibited faith—and 2020 was a year of great faith.
We should never be deceived into thinking that we can go through life without faith. In the same way, it’s impossible to live life without religious faith. The specter of death looms over us all. Whether we avoid the subject or not, all of us will one day die. And the beliefs we develop about God and the afterlife (or a lack thereof) are governed by faith.
Even for the atheist, a level of self-trust is required to hold his atheistic ideas. He must trust his perceptions and knowledge. And if he reads books or articles to confirm his beliefs, it’s necessary for him to place his trust in the writers—that they are unbiased, intellectually honest, and so forth. It’s impossible to have any belief about God (or a lack thereof) without faith.
For most people, death bothers them because they intuitively know that they have not lived righteously enough to escape God’s judgment. But there is One who invites us to trust Him—to put our faith in Him—so that He can reconcile us to God and forgive our sins. He even promises to give us eternal life in heaven.
Jesus Christ presented his spiritual credentials when He said, “No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. . . . the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.” (John 3:13-15, NLT2).
The Son of God is the only one who came down from heaven, died on the cross, rose from the dead, and returned to heaven. Because of this unique qualification, Jesus is uniquely qualified to direct us to heaven. Acts 4:12 says, “Salvation is found only in the name of Jesus.”
Jesus offers to reconcile us to God if we put our faith in Him. People reject Jesus’ offer for various reasons. Some enjoy their sin and don’t want to give it up. Some are unnecessarily scared to turn to Jesus. These are bad reasons to reject Jesus’ offer of salvation.
By the same token, don’t ignore Jesus because you think that faith is outdated and unnecessary. Everyone exercises faith and even religious faith. Rather than trusting your own perceptions or succumbing to confirmation bias, trust Jesus.
As Proverbs 3:5-8 (ESV) says:
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.
