Faith Explained?

We are what we believe and do each day. 

Psalm 1 instructs us to meditate on God’s Word day and night.  Why?  I only ask because I have been enlightened over the last few weeks regarding laziness and apathy… specifically relating to the faith Christians profess.  

Youtube provides a great platform for atheists and Christians to support their positions on just about any topic.  I have been spending too much time watching Youtube lately.  I must confess, I was surprised so few Christians were able to intelligently explain their faith or why they believed in God.  Too many believers simply defaulted to “God says so” or quoted scripture as evidence God exists.  I was disappointed when immature or emotional behavior rendered a promising position for God’s existence ineffective.  Both sides exhibited arrogant and unpleasant behavior.  Atheists seemed better prepared to articulate their views.  They were certainly more passionate.  Overall, atheists were more effective communicating their beliefs, or lack thereof, and why. 

Why is that?  Why do atheists seem to easily articulate and support their opinion while Christians struggle?  I began to wonder if our Christian faith hinders our ability to explain why we believe.  Faith, by definition, is personal, intimate, and packed with emotion.  It should impact every area of our life… as a parent, a spouse, a student, an employee, a friend.  The fact is faith is a foundational tenet of the Christian faith.  It occurs 270 times in Bible (NIV).  Paul writes extensively on faith, especially in Romans (34 times) and Hebrews (31 times). It is discussed, directly and indirectly, at length, especially in the New Testament.  Can discussing something that’s so personal and intimate present obstacles as we attempt to explain what we believe and why? 

I have seen long lists of tenets critical to the Christian doctrine spanning from the six days of creation to Christ’s second coming.  Those are important, but can we agree our entire faith is based on God’s Word being perfect and without error.  That one tenet, the inerrant Bible, if proven false causes the Christian faith to implode and cease to exist.  A person accepts the Bible (as inerrant, perfect and true) by faith.  I have read the evidence regarding the Bibles vast amount of documentation, but eventually everyone has to take a leap of faith to believe.  Hence, God says we are saved by faith.        

Do Christian businessmen spend more time developing and refining mission statements and sales pitches?  Do Christian young people spend more time memorizing song lyrics or movie lines?  Why can many sports fans recall, without notice, the starting lineup of their favorite team?  Does it surprise anyone that Christians have trouble communicating who they place their faith in and why?   

The real question is can faith be a rationalization to become lazy to understanding why we believe?  Can faith promote apathy in the Christian community? 

Have a good and godly day.