Why Believe In Jesus NOW?

            This question was posed to me recently:

Why is it that this earthly state of being is the point where so much is at stake for being with God? If you don't believe when you’re alive now, then you're eternally separated from God.

What about this 'earthly state of being' makes it so vital for us to believe in God? Why was so much importance placed on it?

Alternatively, why can't people die and see that there's a God and then believe? Why is the not-seeing-God-but-still-believing-in-Him bit the way it has to be?

            Faith and the timing of that faith are at the heart of this question. There are two parts to this question: (1) Why should I believe in God now? (2) Why am I not given a chance to see God (in the afterlife) and then believe?

            If this question were posed to me in a live Q&A forum, I would have asked the questioner this question, “Do you think that a man would easily believe in God if he sees HIM in person or has a direct and a personal encounter with God?”

            The questioner should respond in the affirmative because the second part of the question presupposes that man will believe in God if he sees HIM in person.

            However, the Bible teaches us that a man has the disposition to not believe God even if he sees HIM in person.

            First, man is very capable of rejecting God’s Word. The Bible teaches us that Adam & Eve disobeyed God even though they had a personal and a direct encounter with HIM. They did not believe in the commandment of God (God’s Word). This unbelief led to their disobedience.

            Second, man is capable of rejecting God even if God were to provide man with a tangible knowledge of HIMSELF. Consider the Lord Jesus Christ.

            When God incarnated in the form of the Lord Jesus Christ, man (a good majority) continued in his state of unbelief citing various reasons (those who were living in the time and age of Christ’s incarnation and later). Hence, a man could choose to disbelieve in God, even if God was to present HIMSELF in the form of a man.

            Therefore, the second part of the question suffers from the logical fallacy of Petitio Principii or Begging the Question (assuming the truth of an argument or proposition to be proved, without arguing it). The second part of the question presupposes man’s belief in God upon sighting/encountering God. This premise could be invalidated.

            If a man would still not believe in God upon seeing HIM, then the second part of the question self-destructs.

            Now let me address the first part of the question. The Bible defines faith as, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen… And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:1,6; ESV).

            God is Spirit. So man cannot see God.

            Although man cannot see God, man is expected to believe in an unseen God. If God has not revealed HIMSELF adequately to man, then man cannot be expected to believe in God. But God has provided man with revelations of HIMSELF. (These revelations of God offers the man a very pertinent knowledge of God.)

            God has revealed HIMSELF through general revelation. The Bible teaches us that since what may be known about God through nature is plain to man, man is without an excuse, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.” (Romans 1: 18-23, NIV).

            Outside of God’s general revelation, there is God’s special revelation. God’s Word (the Bible), the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, the physical appearances of God, dreams, and visions etc. are the various forms of special revelation.

            Therefore, God has revealed HIMSELF adequately to man. These revelations are the knowledge that man requires to believe in God.

            But God can only be known through faith. The type of faith necessary for salvation involves both believing that and believing in, or assenting to facts and trusting in a person. We believe in God and we believe that HE loves us and hence sent HIS Son, the Lord Jesus, to save us.

            Faith, then, has a twofold nature: giving credence to affirmations and trusting in God. This is wonderfully revealed in Christ’s interaction with the disciples of John the Baptist.

            John the Baptist sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus whether HE was the Messiah or should they expect someone else (Luke 7:19). Jesus responded to them by saying that there's enough evidence for anyone to believe in HIM, “And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”” (Luke 7:20-23, ESV).

            Therefore, God has adequately revealed HIMSELF to man, so that man does not have plausible reasons to reject God. Only a hardened heart continues to reject God. This hardened heart is impervious to reason and evidence.

            If God has adequately revealed HIMSELF to us, in this time and age, then we are asked to believe in HIM, now. The timing of our faith in Christ is NOW (in this time and age), not in the future, and most certainly not in the afterlife.

            We are offered time until our death to either believe or reject God. This is so because we sin against God in this time and age. Hence it is in this time and age that we should repent and believe in God.

            In fact, who knows, we may not even have an opportunity to believe in Christ (because of death), if we do not believe in HIM now.

            If you are struggling to believe in the God of the Bible (the living God), then please plead with HIM to reveal HIMSELF to you. HE will most certainly draw you closer to HIS presence.            

How To Live By Absolute Faith In Christ?

            Romans 1:17 says that the righteous will live by faith. If we are in Christ, we would be righteous in HIS presence. Righteousness entails a life lived by faith in Christ. But what does it mean to live by faith and how do we live by faith?

            First, what does it mean to live by faith?

            To live by faith is to be utterly dependent upon Christ. A life utterly dependent upon Christ trusts Christ, be it in good times or bad. Life in faith is to constantly carry the cross of Christ. Even if everything were to go south - wrong and ugly - in our lives, our faith in Christ cannot deteriorate. Therefore, to live by faith is not to expect only happiness and wellness in life.

            To live by faith is to boast about our weakness, for when we are weak we are strong. A life utterly dependent upon Christ enables us to be strong in Christ even in our weakness.

            Easier said than done! How do we live by faith?

            As a case in point, consider tentmaking¹ and fulltime² ministries in Christendom. The dichotomy of tentmaker and a fulltime worker is based on the premise that the time available to these workers to disseminate the gospel of Christ is largely different.

            The fulltime worker has more available time to serve Christ than the tentmaker. The tentmaker ought to spend a considerable portion of his time towards his tentmaking vocation, which deprives him of time in comparison with the fulltime worker.

            Before proceeding further, certain misconceptions about fulltime workers and tentmakers ought to be resolved. So permit me to digress. There are two naïve misconceptions about tentmaking ministry.

            The first argues that only some Christians are called to serve Christ and that the other Christians serving in the secular domain are not called to serve Christ. The second misconception argues that those called to serve Christ fulltime ought to be a tentmaker i.e. he earns his own livelihood without depending on any Christian entity for his livelihood.

            First, fulltime workers do not serve a “higher calling” in comparison to Christians serving in the secular field (e.g. factory workers, teachers, doctors, engineers etc.). Every Christian is called to be a disciple and to make disciples of all nations. Every Christian, in whatever capacity he works, is called to serve the Lord from his/her workplace. The workplace is a means to sharing the gospel of Christ.

            The second misconception argues that every Christian who serves the Lord fulltime ought to be a tentmaker. Here the term “tentmaker” assumes the notion that the fulltime worker should be employed either in a Christian organization or secular.

            Now think this through, how does a Christian mission organization (or church) meet its expenses? Christian organizations depend on fellow Christians to fund its operations. The finances received are then apportioned to its employees as salary.

            Although the fulltime Christian worker earns his salary as a tentmaker from the Christian organization that he serves, his organization depends on fellow Christians for its finances. It is then evident that the tentmaking Christian is indirectly dependant on finances from Christians.

            Therefore, fulltime workers without tentmaking jobs are an existential reality in Christendom. Examples for this category include pastors who serve independent churches or evangelists who serve the Lord independently using their spiritual gifts.

            The pastor of an independent church is dependent on the offerings from his church for his living. The evangelist depends on financial contributions from gracious Christians.

            There could be a situation wherein pastors of independent churches (or evangelists) do not receive adequate funds. What do they do? Should they take up a secular job to care for their family and be tentmakers with reduced time to serve in Christ’s kingdom? If they work in a secular job, would not their calling to fulltime ministry be compromised and their time to serve Christ reduced?

            Alternatively, fulltime pastors and evangelists should trust God for their living, for Christ taught that God would provide their needs, “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matthew 6:30-34a, NIV).

            Imagine the life of a fulltime worker, who has been called into fulltime work by God. If the fulltime worker depends only on God and not on his friends for his living needs, then is he not living a life in faith?

            Such a fulltime worker surely lives a life in faith. He trusts God for his living needs. While trusting God, he remains faithful to God to the best of his abilities. He diligently carries out his duty in serving Christ and in caring for his family. Because God’s words are living and active, God who promised to take care of those who trust in HIM, would never fail or forsake those who trust in HIM.

            How could a tentmaker NOT live a life of absolute faith? The tentmaker’s job pays him every month. When the tentmaker trusts his abilities and his job for his living needs (more than he trusts God), his life would expose his reduced faith in God.

            God enables our abilities so that we work well. God is the source of an organization’s sustenance. Every moment lived out successfully in our workplace is a testimony to God’s goodness and grace.

            A chief obstacle to trusting in God is to trust in self or to trust in other men. The obstacle of trusting ourselves or trusting fellow humans should be absolutely broken if we are to absolutely trust in God. The first and the greatest commandment is to love God. If we truly love God the most, then we would trust HIM the most – more than we trust our neighbors.

            This is not to say that we should intentionally distrust ourselves and our neighbors. No! If we are to live in peace with our neighbors, then we should trust them. Moreover, if we do not trust in our own abilities, we will suffer from low self-esteem.

            Therefore, a life that absolutely or utterly trusts Christ…

            …will not expect only health, wealth and happiness in life.

            …will trust Christ, be it in good times or bad.

            …will not trust self or the neighbors to the point where our trust in humans overshadows our trust in God.

            We will grow into trusting Christ absolutely when we diligently offer ourselves to Christ through the studying of HIS Word (i.e. Bible study) and through constant communication with HIM (prayer).

            May God enable us to live a life that absolutely trusts HIM and HIM alone.

Endnotes:

¹Tentmakers are committed to serve the Lord in various ways by performing other jobs to provide for their living.

Tentmaking ministry is relevant in Christian evangelism, where missionaries have little or no dependence upon any Christian entity for their living expenses while preaching the gospel of Christ. Apostle Paul is the most widely cited source for tentmaking ministry (Acts 18:1-5, 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-8; Acts 20:31-35; 1 Corinthians 4:12; 9:6).

Apostle Paul was a tentmaker because of his three missionary journeys. During these missionary journeys, Paul worked to support himself in Galatia, Corinth, Thessalonica, and Ephesus.

²Fulltime evangelists, missionaries, pastors, itinerant speakers and the likes are fulltime workers.