What is the Christian Faith?
7: Conclusion
Faith in God has to make sense and stand up to investigation. This does not mean that we have to be able to understand God, but if we believe that God made this world then we should not be afraid to engage in debate with science, history or whatever. Faith should make sense of this world in which we live and enable us to live in a better way. Yet the purpose of faith in God is to trust and serve God to know his will and love him.
Being a Christian will not be the end of all your problems, even Jesus found himself killed and hated. However I do believe that faith in God causes us to think and behave in ways that work with the grain of the universe. We were made to know and serve God and there can be no better way for us to live than what we were made for. To ignore God is like running a car on the petrol, when we open ourselves to God’s ideas then it is like suddenly finding the right fuel. We might still have to go up mountains but we know that God is with us co-operating with us no matter what problems we face.
Some prayers which you may find helpful
God of goodness, give me yourself.
For you are sufficient for me
If I were to ask for anything less
I should always be in want,
for in you alone do I have all
Julian of Norwich (?1342 - after 1413)
O God, our true life, to know you is life,
to serve you is perfect freedom,
to enjoy you is a kingdom,
to praise you is the joy and happiness of the soul.
I praise and bless and adore you,
I worship you, I glorify you.
I give thanks to you for your great glory.
I humbly beg you to live with me,
to reign in me, to make this heart of mine a holy temple,
a fit habitation for your divine majesty.
St Augustine 354 -430