Faith Vs Feelings. You Have To Know The Difference - Christianity Etc - Nairaland
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| Faith Vs Feelings. You Have To Know The Difference by h777(op): 12:17am On May 30 |
Faith is not feeling. Faith is conviction rooted in the WORD of GOD ALMIGHTIEST. Feelings rise and fall, but faith stands on what THE LORD has spoken. Feelings say, “I do not see it.” Faith says, “GOD ALMIGHTIEST has spoken, therefore it is settled.” The scripture says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” Sight includes emotions, circumstances, pressure, fear, excitement, and human reasoning. Faith goes beyond all of that. Faith is not pretending problems do not exist. Faith is seeing a higher reality in CHRIST JESUS above visible conditions. Many people think faith means emotional intensity. No. A man can cry and still doubt. Another can be silent and still carry unshakable faith. Faith is not measured by outward excitement. Faith is measured by dependence on the WORD. Abraham did not consider his body already dead. He considered the promise. That is faith. JESUS in Gethsemane felt sorrow, yet HE still obeyed THE FATHER. That proves feelings and faith are not the same thing. Feelings can speak, but faith chooses who to obey. Fear says, “What if it fails?” Faith says, “GOD ALMIGHTIEST is faithful.” Feelings say, “I am weak.” Faith says, “Let the weak say, I am strong.” Feelings say, “GOD has left me.” Faith says, “HE said I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Faith does not deny reality. Faith establishes a greater reality. It calls those things which be not as though they were because it trusts the integrity of GOD ALMIGHTIEST. A believer who lives by feelings will always be unstable. One good day, they rejoice. One bad day, they collapse. But a believer grounded in faith remains steady because their foundation is not emotion, it is CHRIST. Faith is hearing the WORD, believing the WORD, speaking the WORD, and standing on the WORD even when feelings disagree. The just shall live by faith, not by mood. |
| Re: Faith Vs Feelings. You Have To Know The Difference by h777(op): 12:04pm On May 30 |
You need to learn everything expected of you |
| Re: Faith Vs Feelings. You Have To Know The Difference by MaxInDHouse(m): 4:43pm On May 30 |
h777:According to apostle Paul faith the assured expectation of what is hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities that are not seen. Hebrews 11:1 What hope or expectation has been assured and how has it been demonstrated even though not seen?🤔 |
| Re: Faith Vs Feelings. You Have To Know The Difference by h777(op): 7:54pm On May 30 |
MaxInDHouse:That is an excellent question, because Hebrews 11:1 is often quoted without asking *what exactly is being hoped for*. First, a small observation. While many translations say "faith is the assurance of things hoped for," the context of Hebrews 11 is crucial. The writer immediately begins listing people who trusted GOD concerning promises they had not yet received in full. So, what hope has been assured? The hope is GOD'S promise. Ultimately, it is the promise of salvation, resurrection, inheritance, the Kingdom, and eternal life in CHRIST. The faithful were looking forward to realities GOD had spoken about, even when those realities were not yet visible. For example: * Noah had assurance of a coming flood before there was any visible evidence. * Abraham had assurance that he would become the father of nations before he had a child. * Sarah had assurance of a son while her womb was barren. * Moses had assurance of a future reward greater than Egypt's treasures. * The patriarchs died without receiving the fullness of the promise, yet they saw it from afar and embraced it. The second part of the verse asks how it has been demonstrated even though not seen. The demonstration is not that the unseen thing has become visible. Rather, faith itself acts as the evidence that convinces the believer of the unseen reality. Think of Abraham. He could not see the future nation GOD promised him. Yet his obedience, his journey out of his homeland, and his willingness to offer Isaac demonstrated that he regarded GOD'S promise as real. His actions became the visible expression of confidence in an invisible promise. This is why Hebrews 11 repeatedly says: "By faith Noah..." "By faith Abraham..." "By faith Moses..." Faith was demonstrated through obedience. So the logic of Hebrews 11 is: **GOD speaks → a promise creates hope → faith becomes assurance of that hope → obedience demonstrates belief in the unseen reality.** In that sense, faith is not merely believing that something will happen. It is being so persuaded by the WORD of GOD ALMIGHTIEST that you order your life around a reality that your natural eyes cannot yet see. The writer then reaches the climax in Hebrews 11:13: > "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them..." They did not see the fulfillment with their eyes, but they saw the certainty of it through faith. That is the assurance. That is the demonstration. |
| Re: Faith Vs Feelings. You Have To Know The Difference by MaxInDHouse(m): 6:19am On May 31 |
h777:Your answer to both questions is really satisfying! Now how are those claiming Christians today DEMOATRATING their belief in the unseen reality through their obedience? There are tens of thousands different religions claiming Christians and they are contradicting themselves both in teaching and doctrine we know that anyone living with or close to ancient servants of God back then can see how they demonstrated their faith through obedience to God's covenant regarding His future promises is there any group you know today that is also acting in line with future promises of Christ's kingdom? |
| Re: Faith Vs Feelings. You Have To Know The Difference by h777(op): 9:28pm On May 31 |
MaxInDHouse:That is a fair question, but it assumes that demonstrating faith through obedience requires belonging to a single visible organization that can be identified without dispute. In Hebrews 11, what distinguished Noah, Abraham, Moses, and the other faithful servants was not membership in an institution. It was their obedience to what GOD had revealed to them. Their faith was demonstrated by trust, loyalty, endurance, and obedience. The challenge today is that many groups claim to represent CHRIST while teaching different doctrines. Therefore, the question should not simply be, "Which organization claims to be acting in line with CHRIST'S Kingdom?" The better question is, "Which teachings and practices align with what CHRIST and His apostles taught?" JESUS said His disciples would be identified by their love, their obedience to His commands, and the fruit they produced. HE did not say they would be identified merely by belonging to a particular religious label. If faith is the demonstration of unseen realities, then believers today demonstrate that faith by living as citizens of CHRIST'S coming Kingdom before it is visibly established. That includes proclaiming the gospel, loving one another, pursuing holiness, refusing to compromise with evil, and placing their hope in GOD'S future promises rather than in the present world. Whether any particular denomination, including Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholics, Orthodox, Pentecostals, Baptists, or others, fully meets that standard is a matter that must be examined against the scriptures rather than assumed. The existence of many competing groups does not prove that true faith is absent. In the days of Elijah, the majority were wrong, yet GOD still had faithful people. The existence of counterfeits does not eliminate the genuine. The real question is whether a person's beliefs and actions agree with the teachings of CHRIST and His apostles. So before asking, "Which organization demonstrates faith?" we should first ask, "What does the scripture define as faithfulness to CHRIST?" Then every group, and every individual, can be measured by that standard. |
| Re: Faith Vs Feelings. You Have To Know The Difference by MaxInDHouse(m): 6:03am On Jun 01*. Modified: 6:32am On Jun 01 |
h777:The above question should lead us to a group or organization because that is what they are teaching their members otherwise faithfulness to Christ can't be possible where it's not being taught. Jesus said a lot about the organization that will be practicing what he taught in our time. But before asking what the scriptures define as faithfulness to Christ it is also important to ask: What was the ministry of Christ meant to achieve among adherents? So what do you know about the purpose for the ministry of Christ? |
| Re: Faith Vs Feelings. You Have To Know The Difference by h777(op): 8:37am On Jun 01 |
MaxInDHouse:That is an important question because before identifying who is faithful to CHRIST, we first need to understand what faithfulness to CHRIST actually means according to the scriptures. The ministry of CHRIST was not merely about creating religious followers. It was about producing disciples who would be transformed into obedience to GOD and prepared for the Kingdom HE promised. According to the scriptures, the ministry of JESUS was meant to achieve several things among His followers: 1. To reveal the FATHER. JESUS said: «"He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." (John 14:9)» His ministry helped people know GOD accurately and understand HIS character, purpose, and will. 2. To call people to repentance and obedience. JESUS began preaching: «"Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17)» His message was not simply about belief. It required a change of life, conduct, and loyalty. 3. To gather and train disciples. JESUS did not merely attract crowds. HE trained disciples to observe and practice everything HE commanded. «"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:20)» 4. To produce unity in truth. Before His death JESUS prayed: «"That they all may be one." (John 17:21)» The ministry of CHRIST was designed to create a united body of believers built upon the same teachings and understanding. 5. To prepare people for the Kingdom of GOD. The central theme of CHRIST'S preaching was the Kingdom. «"I must preach the kingdom of God... for therefore am I sent." (Luke 4:43)» His followers were to place their hope in the future fulfillment of GOD'S Kingdom. 6. To make people spiritually fruitful. JESUS taught: «"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples." (John 15: »True discipleship would be visible through conduct, love, obedience, endurance, and spiritual growth. Because of these objectives, faithfulness to CHRIST cannot simply be defined by claiming to be Christian. The scriptures consistently connect faithfulness with obedience. JESUS said: «"If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15)» And again: «"Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46)» Therefore, scripturally speaking, faithfulness to CHRIST would involve: • Teaching what CHRIST taught. • Living according to His commandments. • Promoting the Kingdom message He preached. • Producing disciples who obey Him. • Demonstrating Christian love. • Remaining separate from teachings that contradict His words. Your observation about an organization is also worth considering. The New Testament presents Christianity as a visible community of disciples, not merely isolated individuals. Therefore, if a group claims faithfulness to CHRIST, a reasonable test would be: Does it teach the same message JESUS taught? Does it encourage obedience to all His commands? Does it promote the Kingdom of GOD as JESUS did? Does it display the qualities HE said would identify His disciples? JESUS Himself provided a standard: «"By their fruits ye shall know them." (Matthew 7:16)» The ultimate measure is not the name of an organization, its size, popularity, history, or claims. The measure is whether its teachings and practices align with the purpose and instructions of CHRIST as recorded in the scriptures. That is why the question, "What was the ministry of CHRIST meant to achieve?" is foundational. Once that purpose is clearly established from scripture, every group claiming to follow CHRIST can be examined against that standard. |
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