THE FULL ASSURANCE OF FAITH
Job 19:25 (NIV 1984) I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
How do you know something? What is knowing? Is is absolute scientific certainty? Science is never certain because is it is always dissecting and questioning itself. That is why the phrase "settled science" is an oxymoron. There is no such thing. The terms “settled science” and “follow the science” seem to be terms employed to push a set of ideas about something that may or may not be true. It is a modern use of language to convey dogma. Historically, religious folks have pressed hard the use of dogma in their language, but they do not have a monopoly on the practice. It is interesting, and actually alarming, how secular society can employ dogmatic principles to thought and practice, maybe not in the name of a deity or a religious book, but in the name of science, or popular opinion, or maybe in their prediction of the future. Ever heard the phrase, “on the wrong side of history”? Who determines who is on the wrong side of history? First of all, history is neither right nor wrong, it merely “is what it is”. How we view history is solely based upon who writes it and who interprets it, and that is seriously affected by our moral belief system. Secondly, how can anyone predict the wrong or right side of history not knowing who will be writing and interpreting it in 100 years? Again, this too is a phrase that seeks to control with dogmatic, absolute statements that can’t be proved but can influence opinions.
So what is knowing? How do you know something that you can't see or prove through scientific measures? Enter faith. The knowing is a knowing of faith, the full assurance of faith (Heb 10:22). You can't prove it in the natural, but you believe it, to the point that it affects how you live and ultimately how you feel. My redeemer is Jesus. He has purchased me from the chains of sin and death. I know that He lives, not because I have photos of Him or of His resurrection. I know by faith that He is alive, and that knowing has affected the way I live and ultimately the way I feel. I don’t have to strong-arm anyone with my religious convictions in order to pressure them into my beliefs. I am merely required to live by faith, and enjoy the peaceful assurance it gives, trusting that this, rather than dogmatism, will persuade others.
