Faith, a grounded belief in and reliance on the ability of something or a phenomenon even in the absence of proof, is one of the most mysterious notions that require mastery.
It is essentially spiritual and supernatural (when it is religious in nature), and therefore structural and dimensional. Let me reflect a bit on the religious dimensions of faith.
It is the central organising principle of our being, and it is foundational to our access to God (for those who believe).
Its logicality and agency cannot stand on the wisdom of men. A rational being can hardly operate on faith but it is nonetheless underwritten by courage. The reason those who have faith in God are defiant even in the face of adversity.
Interestingly, you don’t necessarily have to be righteous to benefit from grace and proceeds of faith but you must demonstrate faith in the phenomenon, call it supernatural, and have a relationship with that supernatural element, again call that ‘element’ God.
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Let me instantiate with a few anecdotes from some of the lessons I gleaned from The Bible College, where I made a distinction but still grappling with the fundamentals of Christian theology. Honestly, The Bible is such a puzzle. You need more than human wisdom to discern it in all its dimensions. Today, I got to know why Paul wrote to the Corinthians in the manner he did. But that’s a story for another day.
Anyway, to my examples. Abraham was not as righteous but he had abundance of faith, or at least a modicum of it. The reason he acted as God directed him. Only faith could have made someone to take his only child to slaughter for propitiation.
Equally, Job was defiant in the vortex of his adversity because he had faith in God and a belief in his ultimate triumph over adversity.
A rational being can hardly operate on faith but it is nonetheless underwritten by courage. The reason those who have faith in God are defiant even in the face of adversity.
Zaccheus was virtually a scammer, I mean, in a modern day financial sense. So, he wasn’t really righteous but he had faith. Faith was the reason he got access to the supernatural. Faith drove him to climb the tree to get a view of the supernatural.
Indeed, Bartimeus (the blind beggar son of Timeus) was seen as creating nuisance. He created a huge environmental noise when he got a whiff of Christ approaching from Jericho. Even when he was told to be calm, he refused to be placated. Faith nudged him to keep shouting. “Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me” (Mark 10:47), he cried out loud, mustering all the energy in his being, and hailing Christ to His origin (the throne of David). Bartimeaus knew the day had come for his healing, and he got it. You have to master how to understand the mysterious. It is often the path to breakthroughs.
Interpretively, to increase the intensity of my submission on the foundational essence of faith, if you believe in God and you want to relate with Him, you have to take His Word as the fabric. In that case, faith is the loom, because like the loom, faith brings the intended effect to every expectation.
We need to process, deeply, these matters that look like mysteries, so we can achieve mastery in the journey to an understanding that will make us to have a reasonable interaction with the supernatural.
Dear Friends! Another week beckons still in the Holy Month as Ramadan and Lenten season are running concurrently. Enjoy all the blessings.
*Dr. Ibietan is Secretary General of the African Public Relations Association. He lives in Abuja
