And let me suggest that trusting in God is also one of the primary vehicles God uses to deepen and strengthen faith. People often think faith and trust are two terms that are cut from the same cloth. I even used to tell my students. Thanks to Charles Blondin , I now know better. Charles Blondin gained worldwide fame in the summer of as the first person to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope.
Not only did he make it across successfully, he went on to cross several other times, each time adding new elements to his act. On one such trip he crossed pushing a wheelbarrow. The crowd of spectators had plenty of faith in his abilities. A lot of us treat God the same way. We have faith. He explained that the seed that fell on rocky ground and the seed that fell among the thorns failed to bear fruit because of the worries and troubles of this life. Both sets of seed had faith.
The Bible is full of stories of people of faith, both weak and strong. David took five stones to face Goliath. It is something you do or act upon. Faith always comes first, but trust is never guaranteed. It is a willful choice, a deliberate action, and can only grow out of your faith. There is a vast difference between faith and trust, and the story of Charles Blondin and Harry Colcord provides a great illustration.
Blondin was the foremost tightrope walker of his time. He gained worldwide fame in as the first person to cross Niagara Falls. Colcord was his friend and manager. A cable made entirely of hemp, 1, feet long and two inches in diameter, was wound around an oak tree on the American side, while the other end was ferried across the Niagara River and secured to a Canadian rock.
To limit swaying, Colcord had stabilizing guy ropes affixed at foot intervals to anchors on both banks—except for 50 unreachable feet in the center, which sagged and swayed dangerously.
Gamblers took bets on whether Blondin would fall and die, and vendors hawked everything from lemonade to liquor. Shortly before p. Once past the center section, he broke into a run! After a brief rest, he started back again, but this time toting a box camera on his back. Balancing precariously near the middle, Blondin carefully set up the camera and snapped a picture of the crowd. Then he repacked his burden and continued the rest of the way. The entire round trip took 23 minutes. Once safely back on American soil, Blondin immediately announced a series of encore performances, each more daring than the last.
The press ate it up. Over several weeks, Blondin walked backward, blindfolded, backflipped, pushed a wheelbarrow, and even cooked an omelet during one of many trips across the rope. The Final Judgment. Closely associated with the resurrection of the dead is the final judgment. Judgment is an essential part of biblical religion. In both the Old and New Testaments it inevitably arises out of the nature of God as righteous. A righteous God must judge sin and reward obedience.
The judge is none other than God himself and his agent in judgment is Jesus Christ, the Son. The judgment effected by God through Christ is universal. This includes Christians 2 Cor. Judgment of Christians will be based on works 2 Cor. The final judgment is the climax to a process of judgment which was actually inaugurated by the entrance of Jesus Christ into human history. The final judgment has already begun, and its basis is belief in Jesus. There are some passages cf. No uncertainty exists about the outcome of the final judgment.
Both in the teachings of Jesus and in the writings of the apostles the ultimate fate of those who persist in their rebellion against God is eternal condemnation Matt. Differences, similar to those that exist concerning the resurrection of the dead, are found among evangelicals relative to the precise time and number of judgments.
But unanimity exists on the great fact of the final judgment—a judgment that involves the end of history and the ultimate separation of souls. The biblical doctrines of the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment have powerful practical implications for the Christian.
Although he anticipates with joy the consummation of his redemption at the resurrection, and the revelation of the lordship of Christ at the final judgment, aspects of the latter have sobering elements.
He must stand before Christ to be judged on the quality of his Christian life—a potent incentive for holy living! How true it is that eschatology and ethics can never be disassociated; but neither can eschatology and evangelistic concern! Bibliography: P. Althaus, Die letzten Dinge; O. Cullmann, Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection of the Dead?
Kantonen, The Christian Hope; H. Kennedy, St. Milligan, The Resurrection of the Dead ; S. Summers, The Life Beyond; G. Vos, The Pauline Eschatology ; G. Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here. Our digital archives are a work in progress. Let us know if corrections need to be made. Already a subscriber? Log in to continue reading. To unlock this article for your friends, use any of the social share buttons on our site, or simply copy the link below.
To share this article with your friends, use any of the social share buttons on our site, or simply copy the link below. Sections Home. Bible Coronavirus Prayer. Subscribe Member Benefits Give a Gift. Subscribers receive full access to the archives. A Layman and His Faith. Faith and Trust L.
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