Monday, 10 March, 2003

From the last section of Thomas Oden's book The Justification Reader.



Faith is distinguished from hypothesis, conjecture, supposition, fantasy, or imagination, because it is based upon the evidences of faith - revelation in history. The task of faithful reasoning is to assess the quality of evidence. To believe without evidence is gullibility. Faith is not gullible, since it does not require belief without evidence.

Faith looks for evidence in the actual fulfillment in history of God's promises. God teaches us by making promises and keeping his promises. This in part is an empirical search, but more profoundly a search for evidence in the flow of history. The evidence sought is more historical than laboratory or scientific in the narrow sense. Hebrews 11 provides a long list of such evidences in biblical prototypes of persons of faith.



Among us, the record of events in the bible give us that "something" upon which faith is built. We could argue that whether a story is meant to be a "historically" recorded event or a metaphorical image, both can be events that provide evidence for our faith. The stories from the book of Daniel, for example, may not be the retelling of events that happened as told...but they are stories of the faithfulness of God for a community caught within days of trial and tribulation. The God who delivers Israel out of the clutches of imperial power is brought to us from a people who did indeed find life and security in what appeared to be an impossible situation. I think what we are also saying is that we must look back. We must look to what has happened so as to be strengthened for what is about to happen or what is presently upon us. So often, during the unfolding of events in which we live, we cannot see God's hand at work among us.



Connection: I would recommend that sometime during the day you read Hebrews 11. It is a wonderful unfolding of the journey of faithfulness. It is also a good way to consider how we as individuals, might add to the "evidence" that is presented there.



Lord of Every Age, you are faithful to your promises and from your faithfulness we are empowered and encouraged to face the days at hand. Let your reign of peace settle our hearts and keep us forever trusting in your alone. Amen.