Why does God require faith?

Answer

Our relationship with God resembles our relationships with others in that all relationships necessitate faith. We can never completely understand another person. We cannot experience everything they do or delve into their minds to comprehend their thoughts and emotions. Proverbs 14:10 states, “The heart knows its own bitterness, and a stranger does not share its joy.” We are even unable to fully grasp our own hearts. Jeremiah 17:9 mentions that the human heart is deceitful and wicked, posing the question, “Who can know it?” Essentially, the human heart tends to conceal the extent of its wickedness, deceiving its owner. This is achieved through shifting blame, justifying wrong actions, downplaying our sins, and so on.

Since we are unable to fully comprehend other individuals, trust (faith) plays a crucial role in all relationships to some extent. For instance, a wife rides in a car driven by her husband, trusting him to drive safely, despite his tendency to drive faster than she would on icy roads. She believes he will always act in their best interest. We disclose personal information to others, trusting that they will not betray us with that knowledge. While driving, we trust that other drivers will adhere to the rules of the road. Therefore, whether with strangers or close friends and partners, trust is always an essential element in our relationships.

If we cannot completely understand our fellow finite human beings, how can we expect to fully comprehend an infinite God? Even if He were to desire complete revelation, it would be impossible for us to entirely know Him. It is akin to attempting to pour the seemingly infinite ocean into a finite quart-measuring jar… iImpossible! Nevertheless, just as we can develop meaningful connections with others whom we have come to trust due to our understanding of them and their character, God has disclosed sufficient information about Himself through His creation (Romans 1:18-21), His written Word, the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17;2 Peter 1:16-21), and His Son “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” (John 14:9), allowing us to engage in a meaningful relationship with Him. However, this is only achievable when one’s sin barrier has been eliminated by placing trust in Christ’s person and work on the cross as atonement for one’s sin. This is crucial because, just as light and darkness cannot coexist, a holy God cannot commune with sinful humanity unless their sin has been paid for and eradicated. Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, sacrificed Himself on the cross to bear our punishment and transform us, enabling those who believe in Him to become children of God and dwell eternally in His presence (John 1:12;2 Corinthians 5:21;2 Peter 3:18;Romans 3:10-26).

There have been instances in the past when God revealed Himself more tangibly to individuals. One illustration of this is during the exodus from Egypt, when God demonstrated His concern for the Israelites by sending miraculous plagues upon the Egyptians until they agreed to release the Israelites from bondage. Subsequently, God parted the Red Sea, allowing around two million Israelites to traverse it on dry land.Egyptian army sought to pursue them through the same opening. He crashed the waters upon them (Exodus 14:22-29). Later, in the wilderness, God fed them miraculously with manna, and He guided them in the day by a pillar of cloud and in the night by a pillar of fire, visible representations of His presence with them (Exodus 15:14-15).

Yet, despite these repeated demonstrations of His love, guidance, and power, the Israelites still refused to trust Him when He wanted them to enter the Promised Land. They chose instead to trust the word of ten men who frightened them with their stories of the walled cities and the giant stature of some of the people of the land (Numbers 13:26-33). These events show that God’s further revelation of Himself to us would have no greater effect on our ability to trust Him. If God were to interact similarly with people living today, we would respond no differently than the Israelites because our sinful hearts are the same as theirs.

The Bible also speaks of a future time when the glorified Christ will return to rule the earth from Jerusalem for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-10). More people will be born on the earth during that reign of Christ. He will rule with complete justice and righteousness. Yet, despite His perfect rule, the Bible states that at the end of the 1,000 years, Satan will have no trouble raising an army to rebel against Christ’s rule. The future event of the millennium and the past event of the exodus reveal that the problem is not with God insufficiently revealing Himself to man; rather, the problem is with man’s sinful heart rebelling against God’s loving reign. We sinfully crave self-rule.

God has revealed enough of His nIt is human nature for us to be able to trust Him. He has shown through the events of history, in the workings of nature, and through the life of Jesus Christ that He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise, all-loving, all-holy, unchanging, and eternal. In that revelation, He has shown that He is worthy to be trusted. However, as with the Israelites in the wilderness, the choice is ours whether or not we will trust Him. Often, we are inclined to make this choice based on what we think we know about God rather than what He has revealed about Himself and can be understood about Him through a careful study of His inerrant Word, the Bible. If you have not already done so, begin a careful study of the Bible so that you may come to know God through a reliance upon His Son, Jesus Christ, who came to earth to save us from our sins. This way, we might have sweet companionship with God both now and in a fuller way in heaven one day.