The Lens of Faith

I read my first devotional reading from "My Utmost for His Highest" back in 1968.  Day in and day out it has been a spiritual mainstay.  Everywhere I have lived this volume of Oswald Chamber's has been only a reach away.  I am always amazed at the insight of this spiritual giant.  A few days ago a reading said, "I may not understand what Jesus Christ says, but it is dangerous to say that therefore He was mistaken in what He said....When I have to weigh the pros and cons, and doubts and debate come in, I am bringing in an element that is not of God...Are you loyal to Jesus or loyal to your notion of Him?"

 

When I was doing my theological training, it was the in thing to figure out what Jesus actually said and then to figure out what He meant to say with the words He was using.  For those of us who grew up with the words of Jesus in red print, it was quite a shock to hear that He might not have said some of the things He was supposed to have said.  While it seems like an intelligent approach to reading the teaching of Jesus, the danger is that what we want Him to be saying might be taking precedence over what He is saying.

While I would never be one to say that intelligence and contextual understanding needs to be thrown out the window, it is always important to remember that the Word of God as well as the teachings of Jesus are to be read through the lens of faith.  Faith does not require understanding.  Faith calls us to take as truth what cannot be nailed down completely.  Complete understanding presupposes control which is why faith is the only response which makes sense.