Monday, December 10, 2007

Faith Anomaly

The hierarchy of faith as normally perceived by worldwide community of believers is:

  • First, the lowest grade is those who do not know about, believe in and experience God’s power and miraculous deeds. We may call them as unbelievers.

  • Second, next to that lowest grade is for those who intellectually know about the miraculous deeds of God, but do not believe in and experience that mighty power. Some may point this characteristic to the agnostics and the atheisms.

  • Third, higher than that is for those who know about and believe in the power of God. Unfortunately their belief and knowledge are limited to the level of theory. They never see or first handedly experience God’s miraculous power. The Pentecostals and the Charismatics tend to accuse scholars and the academy as the common representative of this category.

  • Fourth, the final level is for those who know about, believe in, see and experience God’s mighty power.

Against the traditional view, and from a different angle, I offer a modified of the third model as the highest in faith hierarchy. What if someone who never see or experience God’s miraculous power persists and faithful to believe in God? He or she does not yet see and does not yet taste God’s power, but decides to keep his/her faith in God boldly. This sounds stupid and crazy, yet this is truly a faith that is unconditional, bold and at the same time genuine. A faith that is completely free to believe in God no matter what happen around and to us. A faith that is not blind, but founded on the ground of conscious and mature decision. This kind of faith has its ultimate subject and ultimate ground in the true knowledge of God, rather than simply in His power or miracles.

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