Why does God require faith?

People have one short shot at getting to heaven, so why does God hide himself and require faith rather than speak in a way that is clear and can be understood by each individual?

Do you believe that God would burn someone in hell forever for simply not believing in him? I'm amazed at how many Christians and Muslims actually believe that.

It is such a depressing belief, I don't think I could love a God who would do that.

Would you mind telling me what is so horrible about not believing in an invisible entity, that it merits eternal agony?

Eternal suffering for not believing in someone who is invisible and hides himself? Are you kidding? Such a belief is so strangely prevalent. Why?

I love God, but the God I know isn't the epitome of cruel and unjust. God is love. The God I know said to those who crucified him, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do".

Rather than quote Scripture, I'd like to tell you a true story that happened to me that is a very good analogy for God's Salvation and why Faith is required.

I was Chief Mate on a tanker off the US East Coast in charge of the navigational watch on the bridge. On radio channel 16 I heard the US Coast Guard and a vessel in distress trying to communicate with much difficulty. I could hear them both clearly, but they could only catch bits and pieces of what each other were saying. After confirming that each could hear me clearly, I relayed the information. It was a sport fishing boat with 6 people on board that hit a submerged object and was sinking. After also giving the sinking vessel's position, the USCG asked what our position was and whether we could assist them. As I gave them our position, I realized they must be less than 10 miles away and quickly spotted them. Calling the Captain to the bridge, I was relived from my duties there and organized the deck crew to get a pilot ladder over the side. The sport fishermen had to abandon their vessel and paddle to us in a rubber raft. They climbed up the ladder and were, yes, "Saved". Shortly afterwards a USCG helicopter came by, just in case, but were not needed.

So let's look at the situation and the decisions of the fishermen. 1. They knew they were in danger. 2. They knew they could not survive without help. 3. They believed (had Faith) that someone would help, otherwise they would not have pick up the radio. 4. They called for help but weren't understood. 5. Another vessel could understand, helped with the communication. 6. They then had Faith that not only we could help, but we would help (there is a difference) otherwise they would not have abandoned their vessel and paddled over in a rubber raft.

Isn't that much like God's plan for Salvation? We can't be Saved unless we know we have a need for it, have Faith that God can and will Save us, ask for a way to be Saved (which might not come directly from God, but from someone that is directed by God), abandon what is destroying us (repent), and accept the Saving Grace.

Unfortunately there are those that refuse to see the danger they are in and decide to stay on their sinking boat, or refuse to believe that God wants the best for them and will do whatever it takes to Save them if they will only ask Him and accept His help. :(
 
I am for punishment fitting the crime....if a person doesn't believe in an invisible entity, that doesn't mean they should be tormented forever, and ever, and ever, and ever for trillions of years

First, I have to reject the idea that a human can NOT know that he is God's creature, though not necessarily accept him as his Father. There are no atheists in foxholes. But I don't think that is what you post is about. I think it is about judging our Sovereign Lord and Savior.

So let's have a bit of fun with a thought experiment and see where it leads us. God is all powerful, is all knowing, is present everywhere, and created all things including time itself, yet did not make anything out of himself and is not bound by his creation in any way, including by time. If he wanted to, he could even go back and start fresh as if none of this ever happened. Doesn't that make him responsible for everything, good and bad? And if the punishment should fit the crime, shouldn't He be the one to go to Hell? Yeah, then he would know how it feels!

Let's have Him born to an unwed teenage mother under animal conditions as a member of an oppressed minority in a military state. Then let Him be rejected by the religious leaders that should be worshiping Him, have His own family consider Him to be crazy, and have multitudes gather to listen to Him, but really just want to be entertained, healed, and fed. Then let's have one of His very few confidants betray Him for the price of a slave while the rest of them either ignore or deny they even know Him while he being is tortured to death in front of his own mother and feeling abandoned even by His own creative spirit. But death isn't good enough. Let's put his mutilated carcass in a borrowed grave and send His soul to Hell, where it belongs. Oh, that was all done, wasn't it? And what was the result? He preached to lost souls instead of being tormented in Hell and His soul returned to his body, still showing the mutilations to this day. In doing so he fulfilled His own prophecies in order that no one need go to Hell, unless they choose not to be with Him. And that is what Hell is, btw, being separated from your Creator, damhik. Here on temporal earth, it need only be temporary...

See, it does no good to judge and condemn our Sovereign Lord and Savior. It's already been done just as he planned and it doesn't let us off the hook in any way for our refusal to go to Him.
 
Trunp0101 asked "Why does God require faith?" It's because you can't follow after, and fully give yourself to, something or someone you don't believe in. It's like abortion, many will tell you they know it's wrong, but they have never given themselves to fight against it. It's because you can't fight for/against something that you don't believe in from your heart! We give ourselves to what we believe in! In fact, faith, believing, is so strong that once we accept something as truth, even though it be not, we will give ourselves to it completely!

Hence, consider all the false doctrines that carry men to an eternal Hell. For example: Since I don't believe that God is fair and just in His judgements, He will understand my "disbelief" in Him and let me stand off to the side on Judgement Day while He judges all the rest of mankind from Adam to the last man!
 
Trunp0101 asked "Why does God require faith?" It's because you can't follow after, and fully give yourself to, something or someone you don't believe in. It's like abortion, many will tell you they know it's wrong, but they have never given themselves to fight against it. It's because you can't fight for/against something that you don't believe in from your heart! We give ourselves to what we believe in! In fact, faith, believing, is so strong that once we accept something as truth, even though it be not, we will give ourselves to it completely!

Hence, consider all the false doctrines that carry men to an eternal Hell. For example: Since I don't believe that God is fair and just in His judgements, He will understand my "disbelief" in Him and let me stand off to the side on Judgement Day while He judges all the rest of mankind from Adam to the last man!

We ALL have a measure in FAITH. For a lot of people that faith is misplaced.

When we put a key into the ignition of our car, we have faith hat it will start.
When we place our foot on the brake pedel we have faith it will stop the car.

I could go on and on but I think you get the point.

God requires faith because it allows humans the ability to choose or reject Him. Without the ability to make choices, humanity would cease to be human as we know it. Because people can choose to have faith or not to have faith in God, there is a way for God to know those who have believed in Him and those who have not.
 
We ALL have a measure in FAITH. For a lot of people that faith is misplaced.

When we put a key into the ignition of our car, we have faith hat it will start.
When we place our foot on the brake pedel we have faith it will stop the car.

I could go on and on but I think you get the point.

God requires faith because it allows humans the ability to choose or reject Him. Without the ability to make choices, humanity would cease to be human as we know it. Because people can choose to have faith or not to have faith in God, there is a way for God to know those who have believed in Him and those who have not.

I don't want to pick at little things, but this is important.

The key in lock starting a car & foot on pedal stopping it are both expectations in these cases based upon both knowledge (correct or incorrect) and experience (rightly or wrongly applied).

Although faith is closely related, it is an expectation based beyond or apart the concrete experience. A God that has given us free will and the ability to choose requires faith as a means of making the most fundamental personal choices -- those that worldly knowledge and experience do not illuminate.
 
I feel for those people who are worried about the sad realities that are included in our Christian beliefs. They have good, loving hearts and I appreciate their compassion and the beauty of their spirits.

I believe God is invisible because He is merciful, and it is safe for us not to see Him. He is so powerful He created the Universe, and because He is so wondrously pure, and we are born with sin within our bodies, we cannot see Him or we would die. He is so beautiful He doesn't want to harm us in this way, and so He keeps Himself hidden to us. Jesus was the human, visible face and person of God coming to us to help us all. How wonderful. God knew how much easier it is for hurting, helpless people to reach out to someone human, that we could identify with and learn to trust.

I have found it helpful when considering the horribles of what may very well happen after judgement, to remember that everyone will become an angel when we are resurrected. We will all be immortals and only spiritual beings. Therefore, even though some may sadly and unthinkably be sentenced to God's jail (which is what hell must be) it will be as powerful angels that they will be confined there - angels that could potentially fall if not imprisoned, thereby beginning evil all over again. Those who have trusted God in this life to save them shall have His Spirit within them forever, and therefore never fall. In this way evil really is ended forever, and will never harm anyone again. God has chosen to suffer most terribly to spare us from a terrible fate. This is Love.

And I believe that Scripture tells us that the saved will vastly outnumber the unsaved. God, after all, considering who He is, is perfectly saving the world. He does, in His lovingkindness, give every person many chances in our lives to know and understand His merciful offer of pardon. If He really is fair and just, He is doing no less. He understands us all and is therefore reaching out to all of us in ways that are best for us, wanting us to come to Him.

These are my thoughts and my understanding of what the Bible teaches us. I hope this helps.
 
People have one short shot at getting to heaven, so why does God hide himself and require faith rather than speak in a way that is clear and can be understood by each individual?

Do you believe that God would burn someone in hell forever for simply not believing in him? I'm amazed at how many Christians and Muslims actually believe that.

It is such a depressing belief, I don't think I could love a God who would do that.

Would you mind telling me what is so horrible about not believing in an invisible entity, that it merits eternal agony?

Eternal suffering for not believing in someone who is invisible and hides himself? Are you kidding? Such a belief is so strangely prevalent. Why?

I love God, but the God I know isn't the epitome of cruel and unjust. God is love. The God I know said to those who crucified him, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do".
Here is one person's opinion and it comes from someone who just recently made his choice:

Is there really a thing called “free will?” God knows how our story ends, even before it begins. So, maybe it is not about free will, but about limited choices? I look at it this way: From where I live, there are probably at least 10 different ways to get to The Home Depot. Some routes are longer, by distance, and some are longer, by time of travel. At the end; however, they all get you to the parking lot of The Home Depot.

Yes, if God made himself appear before us, the decision to believe in Him would be easy; however, the Bible has many examples of why this is not necessarily true.

Faith has to be a personal choice for each of us, despite the fact that God already knows which route we are going to take. We can elect to believe in Him or not; however, with the end results being internal Salvation, or not, the choice appears to be simple. Not always easy, but simple.
 
We ALL have a measure in FAITH. For a lot of people that faith is misplaced.

When we put a key into the ignition of our car, we have faith hat it will start.
When we place our foot on the brake pedel we have faith it will stop the car.

I could go on and on but I think you get the point.

God requires faith because it allows humans the ability to choose or reject Him. Without the ability to make choices, humanity would cease to be human as we know it. Because people can choose to have faith or not to have faith in God, there is a way for God to know those who have believed in Him and those who have not.

When we put a key into the ignition of our car, we have faith hat it will start.
When we place our foot on the brake pedel we have faith it will stop the car.

Major, If I may say so, putting a key into the ignition switch and expecting the car to start is not Faith. But if you try to start the car and it won't start, and you then pray in the name of Jesus, actually believing that the car will start the next time you try it, if you really are believing, by faith, that it will start, then it will. That's faith MY BROTHER!!!
 
I don't want to pick at little things, but this is important.

The key in lock starting a car & foot on pedal stopping it are both expectations in these cases based upon both knowledge (correct or incorrect) and experience (rightly or wrongly applied).

Although faith is closely related, it is an expectation based beyond or apart the concrete experience. A God that has given us free will and the ability to choose requires faith as a means of making the most fundamental personal choices -- those that worldly knowledge and experience do not illuminate.

I appreciate your thoughts. I would only ask that you consider the fact that if you had never placed a key into a lock to begin with, wouldn't it then require FAITH to believe that the key would then do what we want it to do.

Wouldn't the same thing then apply to the brake pedal and so on and so on?

The Biblical Definition Of Faith--- Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Anyway, thanks for your thousghts and I do not see any problems with them.
 
Here is one person's opinion and it comes from someone who just recently made his choice:

Is there really a thing called “free will?” God knows how our story ends, even before it begins. So, maybe it is not about free will, but about limited choices? I look at it this way: From where I live, there are probably at least 10 different ways to get to The Home Depot. Some routes are longer, by distance, and some are longer, by time of travel. At the end; however, they all get you to the parking lot of The Home Depot.

Yes, if God made himself appear before us, the decision to believe in Him would be easy; however, the Bible has many examples of why this is not necessarily true.

Faith has to be a personal choice for each of us, despite the fact that God already knows which route we are going to take. We can elect to believe in Him or not; however, with the end results being internal Salvation, or not, the choice appears to be simple. Not always easy, but simple.

God's predestination does not mean that we cannot make free will choices.

God predestines in and through our choices because God is all-knowing and all-powerful. He knows what we will do because he knows all things. He cannot not know all things. So, whatever you choose to do out of your own free volition is known. But his knowing doesn't mean you don't freely choose.

An illustration would be that I could arrange for my child to choose ice cream over something else and not violate his free will. For instance, I could put a bowl of chocolate ice cream and a bowl of dirt and rocks in front of my child, and I know exactly which one the child will choose to eat. But my knowing does not violate my child's free will.
 
Spiritual matters are not proven by logic. Science is proven by logic. No connection. Science is anything that can be measured. Spirit is anything that can not be measured. The only way we can know anything about the spirit realm is if some spirit chooses to reveal it to us. All the revelations have been collected into a book. Anybody can read the book and decide for themselves whether to believe or disbelieve. Why? Because believing is the coin of the realm.

Faith and believing are translated from one Greek word, pistis. Believing is a natural ability: anybody can believe. But the bible says pistis came by Jesus Christ, so that defines two contexts, before Jesus and after Jesus. Pistis is a manifestation of the holy spirit. So faith is a spiritually augmented ability to believe.

The word is often misused by uninstructed people who have no clue about any of this information.
 
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