Faith, Part 1 of 3Sample

1. Believing is not something you do on your own
2. “… that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.” (Romans 1:12)

Faith has a personal component. No one else can believe in your place. Nor are you automatically a Christian because you belong to a church or grew up in a Christian family. Your relationship with God is a highly personal matter.

At the same time, faith also has a collective component. When you come to faith, you thereby also become a member of the worldwide church. To explain this, the Bible uses the example of a body that is made up of all kinds of body parts, yet is one. Each part contributes to the whole. Paul puts it this way in 1 Corinthians 12:27 (NIV), “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

So believing is not something you do on your own. The New Testament letters give numerous examples of this as well. Prayers are made for fellow believers, practical help is offered, people are admonished when they are in danger of going astray and encouraged when they struggle. Believers come together to praise God and celebrate Holy Communion. You can compare the global church to a family, made up of spiritual brothers and sisters. They are connected to each other across boundaries of language, culture, social status and geographical distance, through their union with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you experience connectedness with other Christians? How is that expressed?

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