Walk by Faith, Not by Sight

Contradictions and Holy Scripture, the two seem inseparable to those of us willing to take a leap of faith, after all, faith IS what it is all about.  

I find it interesting that Corinthians documents were included in scripture that would be used as guiding text by any leaders of the Christian Church.  Have you ever asked yourself why there are ministers and priests running your chosen church, or why there is a church at all?  Have you ever asked yourself why there is a bible, for that matter?  Don't look to the bible for answers to these questions, as you may not like what you don't find.  If you get a chance, you might find perusing 1 & 2 Corinthians to be an interesting read.

He who made us worthy to be Ministers of The New Covenant, not in The Scripture, but in The Spirit, for The Scripture kills, but The Spirit gives life.

-- 2 Corinthians 3:6

We are instructed to "walk by faith, not by sight" because, "The Scripture kills, but The Spirit gives life."  Yet, time and again we find ourselves confronted by those faithful who wield the written bible as a shield or a sword, or both, depending on their need of the moment.  Have they not read this passage?  And what of these ministers and priests that seem to lead and judge our every waking moment?  Who appointed them the cock of the walk?  Well, Ephesians 4:11-13 says, "All Christians are ministers in the body of Christ."  Ray C. Stedman says this about the ministers and priests we have been coached to revere and respect down through the ages:  

"When I use the term "minister of Christ," I am not speaking of the traditional concept of a full-time employee of a church who is kept around to do the preaching, the teaching, the counseling and to run the mimeograph machine. Unfortunately that is a widespread concept of what the pastor ought to be and I run into it in many places. This concept, of course, is totally unknown in the New Testament. The idea of having a single pastor, the pastor, is an unbiblical imposition that has come into the church within the past 250 years. A minister of Christ in the New Testament churches was anyone, anyone, who by virtue of a gift of the Spirit was a preacher or a teacher of the Word of God."

-- Ray C. Stedman, www.raystedman.org/new-testament/1-corinthians

Hallelujah! Someone gets it!  "A minister of Christ in the New Testament churches was anyone, anyone, who by virtue of a gift of the Spirit was a preacher or a teacher of the Word of God."   But, were they discussing the written Word, or the spoken Word?  

We have seen the evidence put before us, especially in these current days of written mail, email, and texting, of how the written word can cause more problems than it solves due to misinterpretation.  Heck, most of the time a message isn't even transcribed word for word, so how in the world is one to make any accurate interpretation of it?  For heaven's sake, we're only human.  And, according to the bible, so are these so called religious leaders, appointed by other religious leaders of churches that were never intended.  All are only human, and none are beyond reproach.  So, we must rely on face to face oral communication which allows for a much greater accuracy and understanding of the spirit of the message trying to be conveyed.  In this way, perhaps we can understand the phrase from 2 Corinthians 3:6, "Scripture kills, but the Spirit gives life." 

"Do not go beyond what is written."  Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.  For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive?  And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

-- 1 Corinthians 4:6-7

Did you catch the comment about churches that were never intended?  Find in the bible where it says to build a church, which is really defined as just a congregation of people.  Remember, then, Peter was to be the rock on which this congregation (church) was to be built.  We seem to have gone beyond that which was written and arrived at a misinterpretation due to a faulty translation.  When it came to prayer, what we were instructed to do was something totally opposite:

"When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men.  Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.  "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.  "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words...

-- Matthew 6:5-7

Walk by faith, not by sight.  Don't stand and quote chapter and verse, as any fool can read the written word.  Do not hold Holy Scripture in front of you like a shield or a sword.  The only shield and sword at your disposal is your faith, and that faith is your armor against all evil in the world, not against your fellow man.  If they are not evil, "who are you to judge someone else's servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand."  If you use the bible as anything other than a reference document, you run the risk of violating God's rule as set forth in Exodus 20:3-5, to wit:

"You shall have no other gods before Me.  You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.  You shall not worship them or serve them..."

Isn't your faith supposed to be enough?  It isn't a race.  It isn't an argument.  It isn't some game to be won.  And, it isn't for you to pass judgment, for this is the task of each person's Master.  When confronted by an individual wielding their holy book, remember, the words used against you, to judge you, are simply words.  Your faith will carry you forward as you smile, bless them for being one of God's "special" children, and walk, by faith, along your own path; continuing he journey God placed you on.  These other people, they have no power over you, and they are not for you to judge.

I have quoted the written word much in this post, as I have been known to do in other posts.  I do this for reason.  It is a great reference document for Abrahamic religions!  There is no reference document for faith.  Faith is something God must help you find.  Man is simply a tool, and, unfortunately, not many of them are sharp.

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Frank Anthony Villari (aka, Pastor Tony)

Pastor Tony is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path."