Expert: Andrew Foley - 10/21/2006

Question
My problem is, the only reason I seek faith is to avoid hell/get to heaven.  But I dont have the ability to just accept it...believe in the possibility of it yes, and the probability of it compared to some things, but that's about it.  Ive prayed and read a lot through my life, it doesnt seem to change anything, maybe because I dont need it in my life AT ALL except to get to heaven.  So what Im saying is Im a much more secure person without HAVING to TRUST in something.  But youre not a psychologist so maybe Ile take that up with them
Thanks though


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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
This might be out of your expertise a bit, but I like your perspective and I promise I wont rate you if you cant come up with a detailed answer.

Heres my perspective...Dont know anything, way too much info and stimulus out there undiscovered, and for all I know there is a higher way of thinking that humans havent met..called blogic or susie the gay whale...ok?  

My worrying side gets to me though...Ive been raised SDA christian and have those ideas in the back of my head about needing faith for heavens sake.  One of the verses supporting this claim is in Matthew, maybe sixteen or so...in which Jesus says if you only had faith as big as a mustard seed...

So Im searching for my "mustard seed" to some extent...Im just trying to insure a place in heaven with just enough faith.  Not that I believe in it, but I fear it and I wholly believe it's possible...and I guess you could say I have some trust/faith in its truth, just not much at all.  So I figure that getting enough facts and preachy talk will help me keep enough trust in its validity for a mustard seed worth.  Maybe not though.   

So preach!  What do you know about getting to heaven?
-----Answer-----
Hello again. I guess there are two parts to your question: First- though you have a seed of faith within you, you want to know how to increase that faith. Second- how does one get to Heaven?
      As for your first question, well, I think you should be congratulated first of all.  God, by His grace, has granted you the free gift of at least a mustard seed of faith, which is a prerequisite of salvation. But what is faith? Is it just blind enthusiasm about some cool dude/god named Jesus who's going to take us to heaven because we think He exists, as is the prevailing notion in much of modern American Protestantism? No. While one aspect of faith is trust, it is not blind and it is not directed towards some blurry, undefined concept called "Jesus". Faith has two aspects- one objective and one subjective.

The OBJECTIVE aspect is the sum of of Divine truths revealed by God. If we don't know exactly what to believe about God, then how can we really say that we have faith in Him? Without specifics that are transmitted to us by a reliable, infallible earthly authority, all you have is a word (Jesus) or, a best, a hazy concept, and you can't really have faith in that. Within the fractured Protestant world of 30,000 different denominations, so many different things are taught about God (predestination, eternal security, Arminianism, personal revelation, how to be saved, the reliability of the Bible and the correct way of interpreting it, the correct Sabbath, the sinfulness of various actions -like abortion, divorce, homsexuality, war, etc-, the existence of Hell, the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus, continuing revelation, the charismatic gifts, how one is born-again, and so many more) that it is impossible to say that they all have faith in the same thing. It's kind of like how George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden both say that their fighting for "freedom" but we know that they both can't be right. In the same way, if various groups differ on the specifics of God, then it can't be said that they have the same faith. I think the Bible uses the word in this sense in Eph 4:5.  My point is that for the trust to come into play (the subjective aspect of faith), you have to first know exactly what you're trusting in (the objective aspect), so God had to have left us some reliable, infallible means of knowing that truth. Otherwise, real faith is impossible. To be sure, the Bible is an infallible record of God's revelation, but it doesn't interpret itself, as the multitude of Sola-Scriptura Protestant churches attest. I believe that it is the Catholic Church which is the authority which God has chosen as the keeper and interpreter of His revelation, both Biblical and extra-Biblical (Divine Tradition) but that's another topic.

         OK, so the second aspect is subjective, which is the habit or virtue by which we assent to those objective truths. This is the more familiar of the concepts in modern America. As I said before, faith is a free gift from God that we can accept or reject. It is a belief in His promises and commandments and total revelation and it is necessary for salvation. And it does involve trust. Jesus said "Blessed are those who have not seen but believed." (JN 20:29) Even though I believe in Jesus' Word, I was not there when He rose from the dead, so it's here that the trust comes in. I have to trust His words in the Bible and trust in the teachings of the Church that He left us. God knows that it can be a struggle. Think of the man in MK 9:24 who said to Jesus, "I do believe, help my unbelief!" That's why we have to work at increasing and strengthening that faith.

How do we increase our faith? I would say through prayer and study. First prayer- Jesus said ask and you shall receive. (LK 11:9-13) How could God refuse you an increase in the faith which He has already given you? Certain religious movements today warp this verse into a doctrine of prosperity, whereby our prayers will force God to grant us whatever material possessions we demand. That's simply heretical and demonstrably false. Material things are not what Christianity is all about. However, I can hardly think of a situation where God would deny faith to someone who wants it. Pray for an increase and strengthening! Secondly, dwell on the Word of God. The Bible says "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom 10:17). You'll be surprised at how your faith grows when you do these things. My personal suggestion is a daily Bible reading of a chapter of Psalms along with a few chapters of the Gospels.

As for how one gets to heaven, this is where I would differ with the SDA and all of Protestantism. One of the pillars of the Protestant Reformation was the principle of Sola Fide- Faith Alone. I do not believe that we are saved by Faith Alone and I think the Bible and the testimony of the earliest Church speaks against that pretty convincingly. Belief is just not enough. Yes, belief is the beginning of salvation and a necessity to be saved. However, it is by our works that we accept or reject that salvation. Even the demons "believe" (James 2:19) but obviously that doesn't save them. The one place in the Bible where the phrase "faith alone" is found is in Jam 2:24 (and also Jam 2:17) where that concept is explicitly condemned. The Bible says that faith without works is dead. (Jam 2:26). We must have faith, yes, but our actions in this world will either save or condemn us. Right actions must follow faith. Jesus said, "Not everyone who says 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." (MT 7:21) Read MT 25:31-46 where the Last Judgement is based on our treatment of the "least of our brothers". Read Rev 20:13 where the dead are judged according to their deeds. Read Rom 2:5-8 as well. There are actually dozens of verses I could cite that clearly states the necessity of works in addition to faith for salvation. So my advice to you would be to work to increase your faith, repent of your sins and resolve to live a life in accordance with God's will. Unfortunately, since many of the myriad Protestant churches often disagree on what is sinful and what isn't, you might encounter a lot of confusion about what God's will actually is. I will pray that your walk with God will bring you into His Church, the Catholic Church so that you can know the fullness of truth, but in the meantime I would urge you to live to the best of your ability according to His 2 great commandments- " You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." (MK 12: 30-31)

Answer
Hello again. I don't really know exactly how to answer your question, but I just want to share a few thoughts with you that may or may not be helpful. I hear where you're coming from. You feel that your faith is a little inadequate because your motive for embracing Christianity is only one of eternal self-preservation- i.e. avoiding Hell. I would say first of all that that motive is probably a lot more widespread than you think (if not nearly universal among Christians) and that second of all, that's not such a bad thing. Even the Bible says that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov 1:7) As human beings, it's perfectly natural to want to avoid  pain and suffering, and the Bible is pretty clear about the eternal consequences of our actions. There's nothing ignoble about that realization. I personally would currently be committing tons of sins if it weren't for fear of Hell. But the Proverb says that the fear of God, while good, is only the_beginning_of wisdom. The Love of God is the culmination of wisdom. It is a much more mature, stable and fulfilling condition to love God because He is all Perfection and all Love, and because we know in our heart of hearts that His laws are for our happiness and benefit, both earthly and eternal. I personally believe that few people every achieve such a relationship with God, at least in its fullness, but it is still to be striven for, by reading of His word, obedience to His Church, and daily application. In my opinion, a frequent meditation on the grace that we have been granted to be given access to eternal ecstasy in Heaven is an excellent spur to the development of that Love of God. Also, a meditation on the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross impels the heart and mind to understand the Love He has for us. However, there's nothing wrong with having a sense of self-interest predominate in our faith. We are, after all, responsible for ourselves. Jesus tells us that we have to obey the commandments if we want eternal life, and that is something we should all want. He didn't say that we had to have a specific motivation or mindset first. You're the only one who will decide whether you will enjoy eternal salvation or damnation. It's perfectly natural and good for you to be concerned with your own eternal soul. Paul said work out your salvation with fear and trembling. (Phil 2:12) I think though that it would be beneficial for your relationship with God to start giving a thought to how blessed and beloved you are to be given access to eternal life with the Creator of the Universe and how much gratitude He is truly owed.