Faith
“Now faith means that we are confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (Moffatt)
The Bible study class that I attend at my church on Sabbath mornings has been studying the book of Hebrews. This past week while driving to work I listened to three taped lectures on the views of Soren Kierkegaard. They are part of a 24 lecture series by Robert Solomon, PhD, entitled “No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life.” Following are some of the concepts gathered from those lectures which formed the basis our discussion of Hebrews 11, yesterday morning.
According to Kierkegaard…..
1) An individual may choose one of three options which will inform the choices one makes in life. These are the “aesthetic life” (a life in search of the satisfaction of desire) , the “ethical life” (a life ordered by reason) or the “God-centered life.” The choice among these options is an irrational choice, though particularly in the case of the “ethical life” the choices one makes after the initial decision to lead an ethical life will be rational.
2) Those who make the “leap of faith” and choose the God-centered life do so because they have been coaxed or wooed by God rather than because they have been convinced. It is the paradoxes about God that make a passionate experience with God (faith) possible. One does not feel passionately about something that is completely rational.
3) Although the God-centered individual typically leads an ethical existence, there are instances when God’s demands appear to be unethical or at the very least counterintuitive. (God’s request to Abraham to sacrifice his son) At such time it is faith that maintains our relationship with God.
These are old concepts, but new for me. Rational by nature I find it intriguing that someone would suggest that life’s most important decisions e.g. who one’s life companion will be or whether to live a God-centered life must be arrived at irrationally (or at least extrarationally) and that it is nevertheless wise to do so.
“Now faith means that we are confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (Moffatt)
The Bible study class that I attend at my church on Sabbath mornings has been studying the book of Hebrews. This past week while driving to work I listened to three taped lectures on the views of Soren Kierkegaard. They are part of a 24 lecture series by Robert Solomon, PhD, entitled “No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life.” Following are some of the concepts gathered from those lectures which formed the basis our discussion of Hebrews 11, yesterday morning.
According to Kierkegaard…..
1) An individual may choose one of three options which will inform the choices one makes in life. These are the “aesthetic life” (a life in search of the satisfaction of desire) , the “ethical life” (a life ordered by reason) or the “God-centered life.” The choice among these options is an irrational choice, though particularly in the case of the “ethical life” the choices one makes after the initial decision to lead an ethical life will be rational.
2) Those who make the “leap of faith” and choose the God-centered life do so because they have been coaxed or wooed by God rather than because they have been convinced. It is the paradoxes about God that make a passionate experience with God (faith) possible. One does not feel passionately about something that is completely rational.
3) Although the God-centered individual typically leads an ethical existence, there are instances when God’s demands appear to be unethical or at the very least counterintuitive. (God’s request to Abraham to sacrifice his son) At such time it is faith that maintains our relationship with God.
These are old concepts, but new for me. Rational by nature I find it intriguing that someone would suggest that life’s most important decisions e.g. who one’s life companion will be or whether to live a God-centered life must be arrived at irrationally (or at least extrarationally) and that it is nevertheless wise to do so.
posted by Thrushsong at 8:46 AM
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