Talking about believing in Jesus…
I can tell that the end of the book is approaching because we have talked about some of the issues like believing in Jesus. Randy and I have talked about the issue of believing in Jesus before and this is very delicate because I think that the idea of the “person of Jesus” has been greatly abused. For me, believing in Jesus is the foundation of my faith. Jesus is more than just a god to me. Jesus is not an impersonal character I have heard about. But Jesus is a personal friend that even though I cannot see Him I know he is there. Jesus is the one individual in my life that I can count on unconditionally and I know he cares. He is the one that lived a holy life for me (and you) because he knew he had to die for my sins. He had to live a holy life in order to be sacrificed and offered as a payment for the sin of humanity.
I look at what I believe about Jesus in the sense of me being a criminal. I can be serving my time and my lawyer comes up to me and tells me, “I know how to get you out of here and all you have to do is believe that it is possible. I will serve your sentence, be locked up instead of you and you will be innocent not only before the courts but before everyone. You will without blemish. And all you have to do is believe!” I see myself not as a sinner anymore, but as someone that has been redeemed by the blood of Christ. His payment for me was collected when he died on the cross for the sins of humanity, and all we have to do is believe. There is no payment, just faith and obedience.
In Randy’s life, his faith is completely different. As you know, we were both raised in a Catholic home, but for Randy being a “Catholic” was the same as being a non-believer. His life style was the same as those that did not practice the Christian faith. Part of his life when he believed in Jesus was when he was a child, but he acclaims that to be out of innocence. It was through his research and curiosity about other faiths that has challenged him to look outside of Christianity.
Through talking with Randy I can tell that he has been through a lot and he has truly been challenged in his faith. It is not that he is sheltering himself from being influenced by other religions, but that he is wanting to find out what it is exactly that he believes in. Randy has always surrounded himself with people that have challenged his faith. People like Juan, a Mormon who grew up Catholic. When his father died he and his family converted to the Mormon faith. Even though he has been a person that has always been involved in bad things, he has always kept his faith the best he can. He is true to what he believes and he is loyal to what he believes as a Mormon. James, a friend that grew up Catholic, but does not consider himself a “fanatic Catholic”. James is someone that keeps the values and lives in accordance with his faith, but he is not one that is an “extremist” when it comes to his faith. Alex on the other hand, is a friend who is also Catholic is the opposite of James. Alex is one that claims the Catholic faith, but does not live the lifestyle of the faith, especially when it comes to women.
Above we had three great examples of how people see their faith and how they live it out according to what is “suitable” for them. Like Peace points out that “what matters is not just that we believe but in what or in whom we believe. Faith is not an abstract feeling. Faith has a direction to it.” Our faith can take us many places and lead us to do many things, but the important thing about believing in someone like Jesus Christ or even Buddha is that faith leads us to live in obedience. Obedience is not necessarily “fanaticism” or being an “extremist”, but faith is about living in accordance with what our faith calls us out to live. Believing in someone or something has its standards and process. Faith is like being a child that you tell them to believe something and they believe. That is what is so beautiful about being a child, because they believe without doubting. It is not about being ignorant, but about believing something without explanation.
My faith in Jesus is not centered on fear, but on faith that he is the son of God and died for my sins and now I can find eternal life through him. My faith is something I enjoy and am challenged by on a daily basis. It is a relationship I have to learn to maintain and work to perfect. For Randy, his faith is about living in happiness and knowledge, but that is what is good for him. I want to meet people half way and learn from them and hopefully they can learn from me and my God.
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