“for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.” (Luke 1:15, NIV84)

“…and he will be filled with Holy Spirit even from birth.” This verse is not talking about Jesus, but John the Baptist. This verse, and others like it, forced me to my current views of what faith is. Have you ever pondered the question, What is faith? Seriously! Is it intellect, reason, will, or something else? Many in Christian circles seem to equate faith with reason, as though coming to faith is like figuring out 2+2=4. But that doesn’t seem sufficient enough of an answer. What about the mentally retarded? The elderly who have Alzheimers? Or infants like John the Baptist who were filled with the Holy Spirit at birth?

Faith seems to be a divine thing. Jesus calls it being “born again”.  I am not saying that our reason is not involved. But I guess I am saying that if babies and Alzheimer patients can have faith even when their reason is limited, then faith must be something more than reason. The Bible describes it as a divine rebirth. The Old Testament describes it as God changing our hearts of stone and making them hearts of flesh. There seems to be a mysterious encounter of the divine and the temporal, and the outcome is spiritual renewal–faith.

It is important that we have a proper understanding of faith, even if part of it is clothed in mystery. We must give God the credit and glory for His marvelous workings in our life–faith being one of them.

Peace!

Pastor Tom