See Hebrews 11 🙂 Tim Keller starts his sermon by reading it out.
Faith –NOT in what is seen but that which is unseen.
What is faith?
Three elements
– begins with understanding
– leads to conviction
– commitment takes place
Understanding = reasoning
By faith we understand. By faith we think.
Orthodox Christians like to rely on tradition rather than understanding.
V3
Faith is compatible with thinking. The bible says faith consists and requires of and stimulates the ability to think, to rationale. There is not much faith today because there is not much understanding today.
Thinking leads to faith
Basis of faith
That it does
How it does
Why it does
V6 U can’t come to God unless u believe He is actual. There is a bottom layer before u can have a relationship with God.
How do you make a conclusion? Illustration of how you find an island.
U don’t just head there coz u heard about it. You research, find out more about it and how to get there THEN you head there.
People who come to Church in a time of great need will say they want Jesus. And they have great needs but before they receive Christ, do they know if Christianity is true?
They often say it is true for them and it fits and excites them. You cannot skip over how before u come to him u need to believe it is not just true for u. U need to believe Christianity is true period.
We walk by faith not by sight. Paul doesn’t contrast faith with reason, but with sight.
Doubt comes from too little thinking.
Doubts don’t come from new reasons or new evidence but from sight. Losing faith = not because of new reasoning. But the sight of the challenge- it looks more awful than assumed. It How does one renew faith? By renewing thought. Remembering why you are doing this and what’s been promised. Doubts and fears come through reacting without thought.