We Do Not Become More Faithful By Checking On Our Faith To See How It Is Doing!

There is nothing more terrifying for the Christian than to imagine Christ has abandoned her.  Christians desire intimacy with Christ, yet our sinful nature, under the guise of piety, will insist this intimacy be on our own terms.  In this scheme, we distrust the clear promises of Christ in favor of our own feelings, so what marks this period of time in the Christian's life is not an absence of God but rather a greater self-absorption.  We do not become more faithful by checking on our faith to see how it is doing, wondering where it might need some pruning, coaxing, chastising or fertilizing.

Instead we look to Christ, who has taken all our sins upon Himself.  If Christ comes only for sinners, then a deep awareness of one's sin should bring one closer to Christ.  Yet it's difficult to feel close to Christ when you are so aware of your sin.  But feeling close to Christ isn't really the point, is it?  The question is not if we are close to Christ, but if He is close to us.  How does He draw near to us?  He does so in His Word, preached into our ears, and in His body and blood, poured into our mouths.

Excerpt take from: Deaconess Ellie Corrow, Feeling Faith (The Lutheran Witness, January 2014), 23.



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