Woe to Me if My Faith Depends on Man
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).
Our faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. This is something that the Lord is helping me with, and I am truly thankful.
I’m coming to realize just how little I know about many things. Some family members of mine are converting to a form of Christianity that I know little about. I’m trying to learn, and in learning, I’ve been exposed to whole new areas of Christian theology that I knew nothing about.
At first, this began to shake my faith. It shook my faith because I was afraid that my loved ones were being led astray. It shook my faith because I wondered if I was the one who was astray. It shook my faith because when I asked someone I trusted for help concerning this, I got no answer. So, I felt totally alone in trying to deal with this all-new territory.
I’ve always said that we don’t know anything as well as we should, including myself. The more we know of God, the more He becomes a mystery. However, while I remain humble and open to correction, it bothers some that I don’t let go of my core beliefs more readily.
It seems to me that many arguments within the various churches come from a mind of knowing. If we had the mind of ignorance, then we would not divide over issues of disagreement. It is the blind loyalty, that mimics enlightenment, that causes so much accusation among believers. It is this blind loyalty that keeps me from joining any institution of Christian religion.
It upsets me so much to learn of yet more areas of contention, and it upsets me that in my questioning and unwillingness to simply yield could cause me to be ostracized from people I love. Yet, I am not one who is unfamiliar with the zeal of the convert and how that can cause us to deal with others in an unloving and impatient way. So, I can deal with it. I just hope this is not permanent—and it seems that for those who join with Christian establishments, this does become a permanent form of separation. I have never removed myself from Christian fellowship because I disagree with them. It’s the other way around. I pray that is not what will happen in this case, but I am thankful that my faith is not in men, but in God.
Woe to me if my faith depends on man!
Woe to me if my faith depends on what others say about the bible and the disputes we have because of our interpretations.
Woe to me if my faith depends on loyalty to and acceptance by other churches and other Christians.
Woe to me if my faith depends on friendships in the faith seemingly forsaken.
Woe to me if my faith depends on the conduct of man, as I let their sins against me cause me to refuse my cross and instead become full of anger, fear, resentment, or despair.
I thank God that my faith is not dependent on any of these things. I am willing to say that I know very little indeed, and I am also willing to say that I have extreme caution in joining others who claim they know. Woe to you who say you see, for your sin remains!
My faith is not in the bible, though it informs my faith.
My faith is not in man, though they build me up—either by adding to me or by taking away things that need to die.
My faith is not in a single church, because all who serve Jesus in truth are His church. Does that mean I will never join a church? That remains to be seen, but if I don’t, then no matter who forsakes me, in forsaking me, Jesus will all the more hold me up!
My faith is in demonstration and power of the Holy Spirit Who I have received and continue to receive, the promises of Jesus who says that He will complete His work in me, and through my faith, I will not be condemned. I have faith that Jesus is with me, even if everyone else seems to be against me—and for His sake, I will not do to them what they do to me. I will remain teachable, loyal to Jesus alone, and my faith and peace only comes from Him.
Woe to me if my faith rests on anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ!
