The Foundation
of My Faith
It is absolutely vital for believers to have a
solid understanding of why they are members of the Christian faith.
Millions of people think they are part of the body of Christ, but they
have no idea what it really means to be saved. I've known dozens of
people who confessed to be Christians for a time, but who later simply
wandered away from the flock. It is like their faith in God came with an
expiration date.
We tend to view salvation as being a boundless
commodity. Jesus warned that it is a finite resource with a limited time
offer:
“Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth
unto life, and few there be that
find it” (Matt.
7:14).
The key reason some people have no grasp of faith
is that they never established a meaningful relationship with their
Creator. True believers stand firm in both good and bad times because
they have a firm foundation for their faith. Carnal Christians will blow
away when adversity, comes or even when the Christian experience becomes
boring to them.
In June of 2008, I got a first-hand look at the
importance of having a good foundation of support. On a Saturday
afternoon, severe thunderstorms came roaring through my area with 90 mph
gusts. The force of the wind blew down two huge spruce trees in my front
yard. After the storm, I was amazed to see that a group of cottonwood
trees, which were twice as tall as my spruce trees, had suffered little
damage. While surveying the mess, I realized why my spruce trees had
fallen and the cottonwoods had remained standing: the trees' root
system. Spruces are big and broad, but they have very shallow roots.
Cottonwoods endure the wind because they have deep roots. In fact, I
later learned that nurseries warn people not to plant cottonwoods too
close to houses because their aggressive root systems can get into sewer
lines.
There is a mirror reflection of my tree experience
in Luke 6:47 “Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth
them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built
an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when
the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could
not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and
doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon
the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately
it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”
Don't Lean on Man
I frequently receive emails from people seeking my
support for their particular doctrinal views. They want me to validate
their beliefs by agreeing with them. It astounds me that some people
base their view of truth on a thumbs-up from someone else. The Bible is
the only foundation we should use for our faith.
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy
mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou
shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success”
(Josh. 1:8).
One day, I was sorting through a bunch of old
teaching tapes I had collected from as far back as the early ‘80s. I
pitched many of these tapes in the trash because I know now the people
who authored those tapes held to some grievous doctrinal errors. Hobart
E. Freeman is one such case. He believed that all sickness was a lie
from the devil, and that it was a sin to go a doctor. Despite Freeman's
claims of being able to rebuke all illness, he came to sad end in 1984,
when he died of bronchial pneumonia and congestive heart failure
complicated by an ulcerated gangrenous leg. One report said that 19
members of his church also died from needless neglect of medical
conditions.
I didn't learn of Freeman's death until many years
later. I had simply lost interest in his teaching because it was in
conflict with the Bible. I have found that anyone preaching some new
truth is most likely a false prophet. The best teachers are those who
stick closely to the Word of God.
Don't Even Trust a Fool
The devil uses every trick in the book to deceive
us. I was once searching through the YouTube site, looking at videos on
evolution. I found a series of videos by someone named Edward Current,
who was defending creationism. After listening to some of the messages,
I was amazed at how poorly Ed was doing at defending his cause. About a
month later, I was reading through the mountain of email I get each day,
and I ran across a note that alerted me to the fact that Mr. Current was
an atheist pretending to be a believer.
Some of the videos produced by this deceiver have
been viewed nearly a million times, so I'm sure thousands of people have
watched them and concluded that Christianity is a bunch of nonsense.
Because even the fool might be working for Satan, we need to confirm
everything with the Word of God.
“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put
confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put
confidence in princes” ( Psalm 118:8-9).
Firm Foundations
Everyone has their own reasons for placing their
trust in the Bible. Some reasons have such strong basic truth, they
should be universally applied to the lives of most Christians. Listed
below are the top four reasons I believe the Holy Bible is the supreme
authority on all matters.
1. Prophecy Fulfillment
Many books claim to be the inspired writing of God.
What makes the Holy Bible stand out from the crowd is that it is the
only religious document that contains historically verifiable prophecies
that have consistently been fulfilled. The Koran makes no attempt at
predicting the future.
I'm at a loss to find
a book that can be remotely compared to the Bible. Even the best
soothsayer can only claim an accuracy rate of less than 4
percent. The writing of Nostradamus is widely acclaimed for
predicting the future, but it's all based on smoke and mirrors.
The success of his book, Les Propheties,
rests on the fact that it is nothing but a collection of vague
gibberish. For example:
“The year 1999 seven months from the sky will come
the great King of Terror. To resuscitate the great king of the Mongols.
Before and after Mars reigns by good luck.” (X.72).
Too much good times, too much of royal goodness,
Ones made and unmade, quick, sudden, neglectful: Lightly will he believe
falsely of his loyal wife, He put to death through his benevolence.
(X 44).
Any predictions that have come to pass that can be
attributed to Nostradamus were made so after the event occurred. The
only connection is the resolve of people's active imaginations.
The Bible makes clear predictions, and there has
never been a case when one of its prophecies has not come to pass. The
Good Book has been so successful at foretelling the future, I believe
people who scoff at it are making a "Sucker's Bet." They fail to realize
that 87 percent of end-time prophecy is already in an advanced state of
fulfillment.
The accurate prediction of the rebirth of
Israel is Bible
prophecy’s most stunning achievement. The Word of God also said that
China would rise to be a world power;
Europe would form a single government; the world would someday have a
globally integrated financial market; and that there would be a
diplomatic struggle (which we’re seeing today) over who should control
Jerusalem.
There is no need for blind faith in what God has
said in His Holy Word. I trust in the Bible because it has proven
itself through prophecy.
2. God's Deliverance of the Jewish People
About 150 years ago, the King of Sweden was having
personal doubts about the Bible's divine nature. He called for Count Von
Zinzendorf, who was the bishop of the
Moravian
Church, to provide
evidence that the Bible is inspired by God. When the Count arrived, the
King told him he had set aside 10 hours to be enlightened on this
matter. Zinzendorf said that much time would not be necessary because
all he needed to do was to say two words. The King, skeptical, asked,
“What words might those be?” Count Von Zinzendorf replied, "The
Jews."
One of the greatest miracles of God is the
preservation of the children of
Israel. No other group of people has
ever been completely annihilated as a nation and then later reborn. The
rebirth of Israel in 1948 is the key indication
that we are in the end times.
"Therefore behold the days are coming, says the Lord, that they shall no
longer say 'As the Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from
the land of Egypt', but 'As the Lord lives who brought up and lead the
descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all
the countries where I have driven them' (Jer. 16:14-15).
The regathering of
Israel is a remarkable task alone,
but what makes one have to admit that the hand of God was involved is
how the Jews managed to overcome unbelievable persecution. Each of
the following nations and tribes has failed in its attempt to destroy
the Jews:
Amalekites
Arameans
Assyrians
Babylonians
Canaanites
Edomites
Egyptians
Germany
Hittites
Midianites
Moabites
Persians
Philistines
Romans
Spain
The whole Muslim world
Of course, God is not finished preserving the
Jewish people. During the tribulation, Satan will inspire several
genocidal attacks against Israel. Anyone
reading this article near the end of the tribulation will be able to add
a few more names to this list of defeated foes.
3. Testimony of Jesus Christ
The Bible verse, John 3:16, is regarded as the one everyone in the
Western world knows: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.” Being familiar with this passage doesn't
make one a believer. Jesus may be a savior, but is he your Savior?
What causes people to fail to connect with Jesus is a failure to realize
the importance of making him Lord of our lives. You can’t get a firmer
foundation than realizing Jesus is your only hope for eternal life. "For
other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus
Christ" (1 Cor. 3:11).
Testimony of Jesus in the Gospel is proof enough of His deity, but the
Bible has an added bonus. The Old
Testament prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah in great detail.
They listed several prophecies that Jesus fulfilled.
He would be a descendant of Abraham
(Gen. 12:3; Gen. 22:18).
His tribe would be Judah (Gen. 49:10).
He would be an ancestor of David (2 Sam. 7:12 and 13).
He would be born in the city of Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2).
He would enter Jerusalem on a donkey (Zech. 9:9).
The Lord would lay on Him the iniquity of us all (Isa. 53:5-6).
He would remain silent before his accusers (Isa. 53:7).
He would be considered a criminal and executed with criminals (Isa.
53:12).
He would bear the sin of many (Isa. 53:12).
He would be killed (Isa. 53:8).
His hands and feet would be pierced (Ps. 22:16).
His clothing would be divided up and gambled over (Ps. 22:18).
He would be buried in the tomb of a wealthy man (Isa. 53:9).
His body would not see corruption (Ps. 16:10).
He would rise from the dead (Isa. 53:9-12).
He would ascend into heaven (Ps. 110:1).
4. The Work of the Holy Spirit
My last foundation of faith is the greatest one of
all, but it is probably the least understood by most Christians. The
Bible tells us that one of the missions of the Holy Spirit is to reveal
the nature of God to those who seek knowledge. I know Jesus is Lord
because the Holy Spirit revealed this truth to me.
“Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us,
because he hath given us of his Spirit” (1 Jn. 4:13).
In Matthew 16:16-18, Simon Peter said to Jesus,
"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and
said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah: for flesh and blood
hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I
also say unto thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build
my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."
It is the function of the Holy Spirit to reveal and
confirm that we are a part of the family of God, “For as many as are led
by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received
the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth
witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so
be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified
together " (Rom. 8:14-17).
Many people make the error of just assuming that
the Holy Spirit is directing them. If you have any doubt about your
foundation of faith, seek the Lord's guidance and He will eventually
bring you an assurance of salvation and understanding.
“Trust in
the Lord with all thine heart; and
lean not unto thine own
understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall
direct thy paths.
Be not wise in
thine own eyes; fear the Lord, and depart from evil” (Prov.
3:5-7).