So often, we live our lives only in the physical sphere
without even realizing we chose physical over spiritual. Some people choose not
to recognize a spiritual side of life at all. Why do we choose to live solely
to our physical wants? Why do we choose to ignore or avoid anything spiritual? Do
we not believe? Do we not want to give any claim of our lives to
a higher power? Alternatively, do we intentionally only feed our physical nature
out of disobedience?
In my studies, I found humans live in both the physical and spiritual realm at the same time. We may not admit to being dual-based beings, physical and spiritual, because we are doubters or never thought of it. God is around us and, if we are Christians, in us. God’s angels do His work for Him around His created and spiritual world. This is very hard to understand much less deem true when we, as a scientific people, must "see it to believe it.” For us living almost 2000 years after Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension, we say we do not see God and, thus, we cannot have faith in Him. Still, we do have the ability to see God through the statements and testimonies of the many people who walked with Christ while He walked on earth. They testified of what He did, where He walked, and what He said while in human form. In our scientific-based thoughts, we say we must see something with our eyes, but scientific reasoning gives credence to other scientists who state that this plus that makes this compound. The rational scientists are relying upon the testimony of another scientist. So what is the difference to relying upon the testimony of the disciples and other followers of Jesus? They gave actual eyewitness accounts of Christ and His works while on earth. The followers of Jesus experienced real occurrence with Jesus and their testimony is valid. Can we not allow ourselves to comprehend that? The Old Testament prophets foretold of a coming Messiah and trusted the prophecy to be true though they would not physically see the Messiah. The prophets searched and inquired about this salvation (1 Peter 1:10). They did not know to which people, when, or where this salvation would occur, but they knew, because of God's Spirit in and upon them, that salvation through the Messiah was without a doubt in the future. The prophets rendered the prophecies for future people. This did not make them doubt. God’s prophets trusted the prophecies and God who was behind them even though they did not see the fulfillment with their own eyes. They prophesied even though their intellect said salvation was unreasonable because they trusted in the un-seeable, yet visibly powerful, God. These prophets sought to accept the prophecies as true even though the prophecies appeared irrational. God gave them faith to trust and the Spirit to bolster them. In the book of Hebrews 11, Paul told us of a great cloud of witnesses. In both Hebrews 11 and Genesis 5, Enoch stayed in habitual fellowship with God and, because of his close relationship, did not experience death. God raised him to heaven before Enoch’s body died.
If so many people in the Old Testament could trust without having actually seen God/Christ, why can we not believe even though our intellect says this belief is irrational? Relying upon someone’s testimony is not irrational. Belief becomes even less irrational when relying on the testimony of many people whose declarations of faith are bound into one book testifying of God and His work in human history. To rational humankind, it appears more irrational to believe when not seeing before Christ’s physical birth. Why cannot we as humans, almost 2000 years after Christ's works on earth, His death, and His resurrection, acknowledge and trust in Jesus based upon the testimony of many people and the recording of His acts upon earth? What seems harder to consider is that with so many witnesses and testimonies of God's work and His salvation offered, some people still choose not to believe. God is here. God is now, in this present physical world, in and around us, calling our names and choosing to walk in a relationship with us. How can we deny this reality when all along He has been here? Choose to acknowledge and trust. Choose to be in habitual fellowship/relationship with God, our maker.
In my studies, I found humans live in both the physical and spiritual realm at the same time. We may not admit to being dual-based beings, physical and spiritual, because we are doubters or never thought of it. God is around us and, if we are Christians, in us. God’s angels do His work for Him around His created and spiritual world. This is very hard to understand much less deem true when we, as a scientific people, must "see it to believe it.” For us living almost 2000 years after Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension, we say we do not see God and, thus, we cannot have faith in Him. Still, we do have the ability to see God through the statements and testimonies of the many people who walked with Christ while He walked on earth. They testified of what He did, where He walked, and what He said while in human form. In our scientific-based thoughts, we say we must see something with our eyes, but scientific reasoning gives credence to other scientists who state that this plus that makes this compound. The rational scientists are relying upon the testimony of another scientist. So what is the difference to relying upon the testimony of the disciples and other followers of Jesus? They gave actual eyewitness accounts of Christ and His works while on earth. The followers of Jesus experienced real occurrence with Jesus and their testimony is valid. Can we not allow ourselves to comprehend that? The Old Testament prophets foretold of a coming Messiah and trusted the prophecy to be true though they would not physically see the Messiah. The prophets searched and inquired about this salvation (1 Peter 1:10). They did not know to which people, when, or where this salvation would occur, but they knew, because of God's Spirit in and upon them, that salvation through the Messiah was without a doubt in the future. The prophets rendered the prophecies for future people. This did not make them doubt. God’s prophets trusted the prophecies and God who was behind them even though they did not see the fulfillment with their own eyes. They prophesied even though their intellect said salvation was unreasonable because they trusted in the un-seeable, yet visibly powerful, God. These prophets sought to accept the prophecies as true even though the prophecies appeared irrational. God gave them faith to trust and the Spirit to bolster them. In the book of Hebrews 11, Paul told us of a great cloud of witnesses. In both Hebrews 11 and Genesis 5, Enoch stayed in habitual fellowship with God and, because of his close relationship, did not experience death. God raised him to heaven before Enoch’s body died.
If so many people in the Old Testament could trust without having actually seen God/Christ, why can we not believe even though our intellect says this belief is irrational? Relying upon someone’s testimony is not irrational. Belief becomes even less irrational when relying on the testimony of many people whose declarations of faith are bound into one book testifying of God and His work in human history. To rational humankind, it appears more irrational to believe when not seeing before Christ’s physical birth. Why cannot we as humans, almost 2000 years after Christ's works on earth, His death, and His resurrection, acknowledge and trust in Jesus based upon the testimony of many people and the recording of His acts upon earth? What seems harder to consider is that with so many witnesses and testimonies of God's work and His salvation offered, some people still choose not to believe. God is here. God is now, in this present physical world, in and around us, calling our names and choosing to walk in a relationship with us. How can we deny this reality when all along He has been here? Choose to acknowledge and trust. Choose to be in habitual fellowship/relationship with God, our maker.
