The Dictionary defines faith like this: “confidence or trust in a person or thing.”
That is a decent definition, but I think it is incomplete. Let me explain.
A few years ago I went to New Zealand and had an incredible time. One of my best memories was bungee jumping off the Kawarau Bridge. The bridge is 43 meters (141 feet) above a river and the location of the world’s first commercial bungee jump.
Bungee jumping was a life dream of mine, so I seized the opportunity. As I was getting strapped in, I overheard one of the workers telling a nervous jumper that in 20 years, no one has died jumping. “Of course no one has died,” I thought, “these bungees are perfectly safe. Otherwise, they could never run a business!”
Everyone who jumped ahead of me was visibly nervous. Some wanted to walk away, but eventually they all jumped. When it was my turn, I naturally wanted to prove my manliness by not showing any traces of fear.
When I looked over the edge, however, my manliness forgot to show up and I was terrified. The entire canyon seemed to shift and grow both wider and deeper. All of a sudden, my faith in the “perfectly safe” bungee came into question. “What if my feet slipped? What if the tension is off? What if a crocodile jumps out of the river like in that youtube video?!”
You see, faith is more than just having confidence or trust in something or someone. True faith consists of dependency on that particular thing or person. Sure, I had “faith” the bungee cord would keep me safe when I was standing on the sidelines, but it was a different story when I stood on the edge of the bridge.
When I actually jumped, I put my faith into practice and literally depended on the rope to save me. The same is true about faith in Christ. We are not called to simply stand on the sidelines and believe he has power to save. We are called to depend on him for our salvation and to live our lives in that dependency. We must recognize that our chances of saving ourselves for eternity is equal to my chances of bungee jumping without a rope and then flying out of the canyon in my own power. We simply cannot save ourselves through our own power!
There is one reason I am getting into Heaven, and it has nothing to do with me. It has everything to do with what Christ did. He pulled me out of the wreckage of my sin, and now has set me up for eternity with Him.
As exciting as bungee jumping was, a life with Christ is even better.
The Adventure starts with faith.
What are some exciting experiences you have had?
And if you’re skeptical, here is video proof:
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