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 T IS BEST THAT we study about faith this time. How can we have faith, and what kind of faith should we possess, especially so today when a lot of religious organizations are proliferating? Although most of us believe that there is God, yet we do not believe in God in the same way. We vary in our manner of worshipping God; we have our own way of acknowledging and showing our faith in God. Perhaps, it would be better if all of us would be able to realize the rightful manner of showing our faith in God.
Do you know why people have different beliefs in God? One of its reasons is because we have different basis in our faiths. There are people who base their faith on what their elders tell them. And this gave rise to so many superstitious beliefs like witchcraft and sorcery for instance. But if we will only think about it, we practically share the same beliefs. Sometimes, our faith is founded on facts, sometimes it is not. The Feng Shui, for instance, tells that the doors of the house should not be directly opposite each other, because that is not good. It also tells that the bed should not be adjacent to the door. That is also not good. Actually, the Feng Shui tells of so many “don’ts”. And because of these superstitious beliefs, our faith in God has taken a back seat. More importance is given to superstitions. As a result, man has begun to undermine the things that God can do for him. It is as if even God is governed by these superstitious beliefs. For example, one should not sweep the floor at night because God’s blessing would also be swept out.
For this reason, I decided to tackle, in this particular edition, what should be the correct basis of our faith for us not to be misled. Faith is one thing which we do not really possess from the beginning. We were still without faith when we were born. Faith is not inherent in man. It is not an original component of our being. Instead, it is simply injected in us. Allow me to give you an illustration. By nature, a person gets tired; he feels sleepy; he gets bored. All these human attributes are necessary, because it would afford him great danger if, for instance, he doesn’t get tired of something. For example, you had lechon (roasted pig) for breakfast; you had lechon, again, for lunch; and lechon, again, for dinner. And when you had your snacks, you ate barbecue. The following day, you had the same viand again. If, after a month, you ate nothing but lechon, it will no longer be surprising if, one day, you will just drop dead. In other words, our tendency to grow tired of something came from God. We get tired of the food we eat, of the same beverage we drink, of the same sight that we see, and even of the same things that we do.
For this reason, I decided to tackle, in this particular edition, what should be the correct basis of our faith for us not to be misled. Faith is one thing which we do not really possess from the beginning. We were still without faith when we were born. Faith is not inherent in man. It is not an original component of our being. Instead, it is simply injected in us. Allow me to give you an illustration. By nature, a person gets tired; he feels sleepy; he gets bored. All these human attributes are necessary, because it would afford him great danger if, for instance, he doesn’t get tired of something. For example, you had lechon (roasted pig) for breakfast; you had lechon, again, for lunch; and lechon, again, for dinner. And when you had your snacks, you ate barbecue. The following day, you had the same viand again. If, after a month, you ate nothing but lechon, it will no longer be surprising if, one day, you will just drop dead. In other words, our tendency to grow tired of something came from God. We get tired of the food we eat, of the same beverage we drink, of the same sight that we see, and even of the same things that we do.
“To love and to cherish
In sickness and in health
For better or for worse
For richer or for poorer
Until death do us part...”
In other words, the will of God is for the husband and the wife to stay together until death. But nowadays, wives are no longer far different from their husbands. If there are husbands who get tired of their wives, there are also wives who get tired of their husbands. They also look for other men. Bear in mind that getting tired of something, or of somebody, has specific uses. What do I mean to say? Why am I saying this? Boredom and forgetfulness are innate traits of man. We do not remember everything, all the time. Sometimes, it is not good to remember everything all the time. For instance, you saw a decomposing rat, which smelled badly. If you remember everything, perhaps, you would not be able to eat anymore. Perhaps, you would always throw up because you could vividly recall the dead rat. So, for you not to be affected by that unpleasant sight and odor, that sight would be erased from your memory. Therefore, our ability to forget something is already in us from the very start.
There are also feelings and emotions that we are already endowed with from the time we were born, but there are things which are not inherent in us. Let us take vitamins, as an example. Our body can readily produce Vitamin D. Just subject yourself to the morning sun, and your body will produce Vitamin D. But one of the essential vitamins that our body needs is Vitamin C. However, our body does not have the capacity to produce it. We have to draw it from various sources like fruits and vegetables. In other words, although Vitamin C is good for our body, our body is not equipped with it from the very start.
It is just like faith. Faith is something, which we implant in ourselves. We do not have faith, yet, when we were born. This is simply introduced to us. And we can definitely feel its presence once it is already implanted in us. Sometimes, it even governs our feelings and our principles in life. And because of faith, we, sometimes, find ourselves leaving our respective homes and families. Faith has a very compelling power over men. Nonetheless, faith is something that is simply imbedded in our beings; it is not inherent in us. And because of that, we have to be cautious in the kind of faith that we are introducing our beings, because it is capable of influencing our totality. Sometimes, it is our faith that directs our lives. That is why we need to examine first the kind of faith that we shall embrace. If we won’t, we might end up embracing a faith that is of the devil. That would be very unfortunate of us. Even devils have faith also. Let us read James 2:19, which says--
“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”
So, even devils also believe. And they even tremble. Do you know why they tremble? That is because they were enveloped with fear, because of their wickedness. The devil trembled with fear because of their wicked ways. Therefore, even devils also believe. That is why it would be risky if you would not examine a certain faith before accepting it. For all you know, that faith is of the devil. If that would be the case, yours is a useless faith. That kind of faith is deceitful, superficial, and hypocritical. That kind of faith will not make you worthy in the sight of God. There is really an evil kind of faith which we ought to avoid. James 2:26 says--
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
What it says is clear. A body without a spirit is dead. Similarly, faith without works is dead. In other words, there is such a thing as dead faith. If the faith that a person acquired is without works, such faith is dead. So, this is the kind of faith that a person should not possess. Titus 3:10 says --
“A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject.”
There is also such a thing as wrong faith. It would be a great mistake if a person would practice this wrong faith, or heresy. God said, “A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject.” God wants you to reject a person who exercises wrong faith. Why? What can a wrong faith do to a person? II Peter 2:1 says--
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies ...”
Damnable heresies, which come from false prophets, can bring one to perdition. We know very well that, right now, there are many false prophets that have emerged. Actually, among the Born Again groups, there are many false prophets. The Bible said many false prophets shall appear; they shall prophesy falsely; they shall speak of lies. According to Peter, those false prophets “privily bring damnable heresies.” Therefore, erroneous faith can lead people to destruction. Wasn’t it that Jim Jones misled 913 people? That had been recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. Jim Jones read that if a person has faith, he would not die even if he drinks poison. So, what did he do? He let his 913 members drink cyanide. All of them died, including Jim Jones. That is a result of wrong faith. That is why we have to be cautious.
We are not saying that all, but most Born Again pastors today are false prophets. So, the Bible warns us to be careful of these false prophets because they bring damnable heresies, which could lead us to perdition. What is our proof? Let us read Galatians 5:19-20--
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies ...”
(Galatians 5:21) “of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
A person who practices heresy will not be worthy in the sight of God. He shall not inherit the kingdom of God if he is practicing the wrong faith. How can we be saved if our faith is wrong? Do you know that there is another form of damnable heresy? II Corinthians 15:1-2 says--
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