Why believe?

What’s the point in believing in God?

I sort of struggle with this question, not because it’s hard to answer, but because it comes from a completely different point of view to mine.

If you come to Christianity asking “what can I get out of it” there are obvious answers. The biggest one of course is salvation. The Bible makes it quite clear that salvation and eternal life come through faith. So I would say that that’s a pretty good thing to ‘get out of’ Christianity. And then there are things that come with faith, like peace in your heart and a trust in a higher being watching over you. It gives you stability and hope.

But that’s where I stop, because these things all come at a price. God asks us to give up our lives to him. Luke 14:27 reads “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple”. That’s a big call.

I can’t come at Christianity asking what I get out of it. I come asking what I can give. If the ‘answer’ to this question was that you get nothing but pain and suffering, I would still say it like it is. And for some, the answer is pretty close to that. Yes, they do have the promise of salvation. But for a life lived in suffering, that can seem a small consolation at the time.

I don’t see faith as something you get something out of. Naturally there are ‘benefits’, but that’s not what my faith is about. People seem to assume quite often that Christians follow God because they want salvation, or as it’s often seen, some false hope that there’s something better coming later. My faith isn’t about me. My faith is about God.

It’s sad that Christianity has been softened up a lot, to become something that’s a comfort factor, strength in times of struggle, and an endless source of love. Of course these things come from faith. But being a Christian isn’t just about us. Jesus was hung on a cross. All his disciples except John were martyred for their faith. Each year around the world, thousands die because they believe in God, and stand up for their faith. That doesn’t speak to me of ‘getting something out of’ Christianity. But the very fact that they continue to stand for their faith says something to me. It speaks of a faith that sees beyond our wants and desires, a faith that isn’t about us. For these people, at the height of suffering and persecution, there is nothing in it for them. Sorry to dash your hopes, I’d love to say that you become a Christian, and everything is fine and dandy. But life isn’t always great, regardless of faith. For many, faith makes it harder. And I say that here without hesitation.

So why are people Christians then? I think, and sincerely hope, that it’s because people love their God, and want to worship Him. I’ve used the analogy of parents a lot in these posts, but it continues to serve me well. Why do people continue to love their parents (or other family or friends)? Not because they ‘get something out of it’, although they may, but because they have a personal relationship and love for them, formed and shaped through love, trust and so much more. God is frequently referred to as our father, and embodies that same love and trust that we have from parents. And being God, He’s given so much more too. We don’t love our parents in the hope of getting something more out of them, and it’s the same with God.

Having said that, as human beings we all still hope to receive rewards, and I don’t mean to criticise anyone for thinking that. Many people grow up in Christian environments, and sadly get the impression of an easy Christian life, expecting benefits and advantages. Even the disciples showed this way of thinking, with Peter saying to Jesus “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” (Matthew 19:27) But the core of faith goes beyond our desires. When Peter spoke the words above, it’s worth noticing that he had already given up everything to follow Jesus.

So back to the question – what’s in it for me? Well, if you come looking to get something out of Christianity, not much. Yes, there are benefits to come out of Christianity, but if you come looking just for these you’ll be sorely disappointed. Faith is so much more than gratifying our own desires. I follow God because I love Him as my Creator, and want to worship Him. It may result in suffering, persecution, or any number of woes, but I accept that. In the end my faith is about God. No more, no less.

Some Bible verses to check out on this topic: Luke 14:25-33; Matthew 19:27-30; Colossians 1:24.

Jesus – man and God?

How could Jesus be both completely human and completely God? It doesn’t make sense!

Indeed, at first it doesn’t seem to make sense, how Jesus could be both human and divine! This is how I look at it, and reconcile the two parts.

Jesus came to earth in human form. He was born of a woman, and grew up in a common family of carpenters. He had to undergo all the usual experiences of childhood, learning in the Temple and probably learning carpentry from His father. Luke records a young Jesus at the temple eagerly asking questions of the church leaders. As such, Jesus would have experienced all humanity had to offer – joy, sadness, pain, suffering, hope, despair, temptation and so forth. There was no escaping this; it was a part of His very humanity.

But Jesus was different too, as He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and thus came from God, not from man. He wasn’t just a human being conceived of human genes and blood, but more a case of God in human form, or God incarnate.

Now this is where it gets interesting. All four gospels record that Jesus did nothing miraculous in his childhood, and that both His ministry and His miracles began only after His baptism by John the Baptist. It’s at this point where Jesus becomes radically different, taking on the identity of the Son of God.

As far as I understand it, in His baptism, Jesus had the Holy Spirit bestowed on Him by God (see Matthew 3:16). Because Jesus was fully God and sinless, while in human form, He was able to commune completely with God, and receive the full measure of the Holy Spirit, or God’s divine presence on earth (see “Holy Spirit”). He was able to be one with the Spirit, and thus perform miracles and healings in completeness by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are often held back in our abilities, because we are separated from God, but Jesus was God, and thus didn’t have this problem. The prophet Isaiah wrote of how Jesus would be empowered by the Holy Spirit – “The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2).

It’s far more difficult to draw an analogy of this topic, but I hope this makes sense. Think of it like citizenship – some people can obtain dual citizenship, and as citizens of two countries they can draw on rights and privileges of each country. But while this person resides in one of the countries, they are subject to the citizenship requirements of that country. Jesus holds ‘dual citizenship’ as both man and God, but while residing on earth, He was subject to the ‘citizenship requirements’, or experiences, of human life, and thus had to call on the Holy Spirit for the power He displayed. In coming down to earth, Jesus took on human ‘citizenship’, but this doesn’t mean He’s no longer God, but that while He’s here, He’s constrained to the ‘citizenship requirements’ of humanity.

The core of this idea is that Jesus was God on earth in human form, and was empowered by the Holy Spirit to perform miracles and so forth. I realise completely that this is only a human understanding of something so far beyond our comprehension. The interrelatedness of the Trinity (God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit) is the subject of intense theological research and discussion, and I can’t do the topic justice here. But seeing how the Spirit is an essential part of Jesus’ life and ministry allows me to understand how Jesus could be both man and God, and how he could have suffered and lived just as we humans did. There’s no illusion for me about Jesus in that respect. I have no doubt that Jesus experienced real pain on the cross, real grief at the death of John the Baptist, real anger at the commercialisation of the Temple, and real love for all of humanity. This humanity He had in abundance. But because He was the true Son of God, He could be in complete communion with God, and was thus able to do anything through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Some Bible verses to check out on this topic: Isaiah 11:1-2; Matthew 3:16-17; John 1:32-34.

Holy Spirit

What is the Holy Spirit?

At first this sounds like an exceedingly simple question, but I think the Holy Spirit is possibly one of the most misunderstood parts of Christianity. The ‘fact’ part of this question is that the Holy Spirit is one part of the Trinity, that is, the Father (God), Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit. This in itself is a hugely confusing concept, the three-in-one, and hundreds of analogies have been used to explain it, but the one I’ll go with for now is the three different states water can exist in; liquid, solid and gas. Each form has its distinctive characteristics, but are part of the same general substance - water. This analogy has its limitations, but the idea is that just as water can exist in different forms, so can God. And the Holy Spirit is one of the ‘states’ God exists in.

But beyond the basic facts of the Holy Spirit it seems to get a lot more mysterious. What exactly is the Holy Spirit other than a part of God? One of the things that stands out is the way we say the Holy Spirit and it rather than he or she. We wouldn’t talk about the Jesus, and so I think we often forget Holy Spirit is living, and He is on equal footing with God and Jesus, being a part of one and the same Being.

Jesus gave a very clear picture of who the Spirit is in John 14:15-16, “I will ask the Father and He will give you another Counsellor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him for He lives with you and will be in you”. Jesus identified that it would be hard to know the nature of the Spirit, but made it quite clear that it would be God’s presence in the world, and in us, after His ascension. But in addition to this, the Spirit existed before Jesus time as well, with the Old Testament giving many examples of the Spirit at work, and being active amongst Old Testament figures (see for example 2 Samuel 23:2).

What the Holy Spirit actually does is harder to put my finger on, but the way I see it is that it’s God’s living and active presence here on earth. So we may encounter the Spirit in worship or prayer, or we may have Him speak through us in certain situations. Any miracles or such things that come from God are performed through the power of the Holy Spirit, not our own strength. Also, spiritual gifts come from the Holy Spirit, and are called gifts of the Spirit by Paul (1 Corinthians 12). Jesus’ disciples provide a good example of what the Holy Spirit does. During Jesus’ life, they were nothing more than followers who understood little and were unable to do anything much, Jesus constantly chided them as people of “little faith”. After His ascension, they were given the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2), and were transformed into people of wisdom and understanding, who could perform miracles and healings in the name of Jesus, all through the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s easy to be sceptical of this change, but the Bible quite clearly gives evidence that this was the case, and it wouldn’t be something they’d really want to write in unless it was true, as the image they’re given beforehand is pretty unflattering!

It’s hard to sort out just who does what when it comes to the Trinity, because in so many ways the three are inseparable, unsurprising seeing as they are all God. But in essence, I would say that the Holy Spirit is God’s supernatural presence here on earth now. Of course God is a part of this world, listening and watching over everything, not some distant entity, but the Spirit is the presence of God here and now. I’d probably liken it to God’s arm, reaching down into the world. His arm is the way in which He acts through the world, distinct from God as a whole, but still integrally part of Him.

Some Bible verses to check out on this topic: Luke 4:18-19; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; Acts 10:46-48; Psalm 104:30; Genesis 1:2.

Prayer with purpose

What is the point of prayer? Doesn’t God already know our hearts?

For a while I’ve questioned just why we pray, because once you really start thinking about it, you realise that God already knows everything! Then why does Jesus tell us to pray, echoed by other New and Old Testament writers?

Essentially I think prayer is about communication. A core facet of the Christian faith is that God is active and interested in our lives, and wants us to share with Him in life, worship and prayer. I really don’t think it’s about us having to bring our concerns before God or else He won’t know them, or to earn God’s favour. God already knows our thoughts, and also what’s actually good for us. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk to Him. Think of it like any strong relationship. There may be no doubt about the love shared, but there’s still something special and meaningful in actually coming out and saying it face-to-face. Why not the same with God?

Prayer is also a two way street, something I think we forget a lot. It’s one thing to say “God, you know everything, thanks”, and quite another to talk to God about just what’s going on, what you want, and how you understand God to play a part. Just as it can be helpful talking to a friend in good times or bad to work through stuff, so can talking to God. And God speaks to us through prayer too, in various ways for different people.

Similarly, coming before God in prayer is humbling and respectful for us. We can’t simply assume God will provide for our needs, rather we need to come before God and present our requests before Him. I think this is really important, the idea that prayer is a way of showing respect. And that’s where praise comes in too. God doesn’t need our praises, but they are still incredibly important to Him. And we need them as a part of honouring our creator. God’s worthy of them, and thus it’s fitting that we give God our praises, whether He strictly needs them or not.

That’s why I think an empty prayer is next to useless. God looks for prayer with depth and integrity, something you honestly want to bring before Him. Romans 8:26 says “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express”. I think this captures really well what I think of prayer, realising that in the end it’s not the neatly crafted words we put together, but the way we bring the whole of ourselves before God, even when it’s beyond words.

Finally, God listens to prayers. He may not always agree with us, but He listens when we ask honestly for things, and is not oblivious to our wants and desires brought with an honest heart (that is, not with greed, but with love). He’s not above our own requests, and will listen to what we want too. His answer may be different to what we want, but God will always provide an answer, in His own time, and by His own wisdom, which is far greater than ours!

In a different aspect of prayer, that of praying for others, I think the same sorts of ideas apply, especially with God listening to what we ask when we pray. But also that in asking another person to pray for you it’s not about more ‘power’ in more people asking God for the same thing, but rather sharing our own concerns or issues with others around us in a Christian community.

So in considering why we actually pray, I don’t see it in any way to be ‘nagging’ God or letting God know things He doesn’t already, but being willing and open to talk with our God. In any real relationship with another being communication is a given, and God’s no different. I know I've put a lot of emphasis on us and our needs in prayer, and that's deliberate. While I know God values prayer and that it's important for Him too, I think its core importance does centre on us, and God's love for us. God may not need us to pray to Him, but we absolutely need it for our relationship with Him, and so it becomes essential to the Christian faith. As with any relationship, there are times when I can’t help but talk with God, and others when it’s a struggle. But for me, prayer is fundamental to my faith. If I don’t talk to my God, there’s a whole part of my faith missing. If we believe God is active in our lives and listens to us, why wouldn’t we pray? I think it’s only natural.

Some Bible verses to check out on this topic: Romans 8:26; James 5:13-18; Luke 5:15-16; Romans 15:30-33; Matthew 6:7-13.

News!

Hey there!

It's February, and that means I'm back to blogging! I've been busy over January putting together some of the harder topics, and hope to get some more done in the next few weeks.

I'd love some more questions though! Some of my best topics have come from questions from others - things I take for granted, but that warrant questioning deeply. Leave them as a comment here, or email them to me, gregornewton(at)gmail(dot)com

And in other news, today I commenced as youth worker at St Johns Uniting Church in Wahroonga. This is a huge step for me which will continue to put my faith to the test.

All the best for 2008, and I hope this blog continues to be inquisitive and thoughtful, in working through the toughest questions of the Christian faith.

Take care,

Gregor