True Faith

paulnotsaul

I was thinking back to when I believed "the truth". I was trying to remember any real emphasis put on faith. It always seemed that faith, in the JW mind was a visual concept. Paradise earth, live forever, be perfect, never die. All definates in the teachings. But did the bible teach this kind of faith? It appears that true faith is sight unseen. In your heart you just knew and you didn't doubt it. I never understood what faith really was until I left the Org. Does anyone feel the same way? That depends if your still a believer. PeacetoAll paulnotsaul

Broken Promises

As time went on, it seemed we were expected to have more faith in the organisation, that God or anything else. After a while, this troubled me, because for a Christian, real faith should be in God first, everything else second. This lead me to studying the Bible more thoroughly, which of course lead me out of the Witnesses.

I'm no longer a believer but I still think that faith (in people, that things will work out right) is an important quality to have. It could also be likened to hope. You can hope that something will work out in your favour, if you have the faith that it will.

cantleave

One of my all time favourite songs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsfwtXSh1B0

wobble

For me, the way I now use words, there is no such thing as "True Faith " if something is true, and you can prove it to my satisfaction,which means it stands scientific and forensic scrutiny, and above all, it make sense, then faith is not required to put trust in it.

Faith is believing and trusting in something without the above quality evidence, therefore you cannot know if the thing you are trusting in is true, real or not.

So, your Faith may be true or false, for example, if you believe in an afterlife, you have no way of knowing if your faith is misplaced until you die.

paulnotsaul

Thanks wobble. I do understand your point. And yes to after leaving "the truth" I'm a little critical of certain words/phrases. But where I am going with this is in Romans 8: 24-25. I point this scripture out to many jw's and they just don't get it. I guess that why I titled it True Faith. Because what is faith unless you truly believe in it. Sight unseen. I like your avatar. Winnie was a favorite of mine as a kid. He always had a positive outlook in all situations. peacetowobble paulnotsaul

AGuest

May you all have peace! What an interesting post, dear PNS (peace to you!)... in light of a conversation I had with my Lord very early this morning. I had been contemplating various discussions I've had and posts to/from me on the board of late. There are days when, due to challenges with my physical strength (lately), defending my faith was a bit exhausting, physically. Took a bit of a toll somedays. I get tired, literally. And I know there are some who think (wish) "Why doesn't she just stop?" I really didn't know how to answer... until now.

Early this morning I felt my Lord's presence and asked a question that I usually do not (but have encouraged others to ask): "Are you there, Lord?" I don't usually ask this because he always IS when we speak and so I don't have to ask. For some reason, though, I asked today and his response was "Do YOU believe I'm here?" This was an interesting question, however, because his emphasis wasn't on whether I BELIEVED he was here... but whether I, SA, believed he was. (Yes, there is a difference - his question was not about what I believed... but as to ME and whether I believed.)

I started to answer and then hesitated, because I knew that he wanted my answer to be what was TRUE... not what was "right." He always does and I learned this very early on and it has been an integral and very important part of my training. Now, though, what was the TRUTH? Saying, "Yes, Lord, I believe you are there" WAS the truth, yes... but it was more "right" than true. And he wanted to know what was IN me. What was I to say? And then, I knew... as certainly as I knew that I am RLA... a woman... the mother of... wife of... daughter of... and everything else I know about myself that is TRUE. And so I answered:

"No, Lord. I don't believe you are here; I KNOW you are here. I know it... for one reason only: that I absolutely unequivocally CANNOT DENY that you're here, regardless of what others may or may not believe... even if my life depended on it. To do so, I would have to deny the EVIDENCE that you've given ME: the things you've told me and shown me... including yourself. I CANNOT DENY, however, that you speak to me... and tell and show me the things you do. I could not deny it... even if my childrens' lives depended on it. Even if I wanted to. Because it is the TRUTH. And I have vowed to tell the truth."

I realized then that my faith is not based on what I believe... or what I HOPE will occur... but what I KNOW... and what IS occurring... even if no one else knows it... or believes it. Or believes ME. As I have said before, I KNOW what is occurring with ME. To deny it... would be to deny HIM. And to deny HIM... would be to deny my very self, my very existence. And... it would be a LIE, such denial... thus making me the offspring of a viper, the one who is the "father" of the lie. I cannot do it.

I always thought I had faith in God. I learned though that having faith in a religion, in the Bible, in what others say... is not faith in God. Faith in GOD... can only be realized through faith... in Christ, who is the Image of God. Such faith, however, is not an abstract belief or feeling. It is a REALITY... based on REALITY... manifested by SOME EVIDENCE of that reality... although that reality and its evidence cannot be proven through man's currently known means. That is NOT to say it never can/will be.

In the meantime, however, I have heard what I have heard... and seen what I have seen. I cannot deny it. Yet, the things I've heard and see are not astronomical; they are merely the truth... about some things.

"Faith... is the assured expectation... of the thing 'hoped' for... the EVIDENT DEMONSTRATION OF REALITY... though not BEHELD (empirically)."

It is also a fruit of God's holy spirit. May those wishing faith, be granted it... along with ears to hear... when the Spirit and the Bride say to THEM:

"Come! Take 'life's water'... FREE!"

To such ones I implore you: KEEP seeking. KEEP asking. KEEP knocking. For the PROMISE is that if you DO... it WILL be "opened" to you! WHAT will be "opened" to you? The "Door"... and "Narrow Gate"... which is the Holy One of Israel and Holy Spirit, JAHESHUA, the Chosen One of JAH, who is the MOST Holy One of Israel. YOU will be among those "finding" him... and HE will "open" to YOU! (Matthew 7:13; John 10:7)

Again, peace to you all!

A slave of Christ,

SA

True Faith

paulnotsaul

Broken Promises

cantleave

wobble

paulnotsaul

AGuest

Elgiard

frankiespeakin

jgnat

objectivetruth

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