January 28th

Faith is fundamental when it comes to understanding God. Building off Saint Augustine’s writing, Wilken states that faith and reason work together. He states “Faith enables reason to exercise its power into realms to which it would otherwise have no access.” (Wilken, 185) Humans desire to know the world around us, along with the creator of these things- God. According to the words of Saint Augustine, “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” This is evident when we have “run ins” with God in our everyday lives where we feel God’s grace working in us and in others. Wilken elaborates on this point being made by stating that God works in indirect ways; “It is always mediated, usually through another human being”. (Wilken, 180) Faith is unavoidable in the fact that it binds human nature together. Augustine states “Nothing would remain stable in human society if we determined to believe only what can be held with absolute certainty”. Faith is a necessary part of the human existence. It is beneficial in the fact that it aligns with love and obedience. Faith is so powerful that it draws other people in. Our own personal faith brings God’s people together, and the faith of an entire community strengthens our own relationship with God. Faith is a lifelong process in which we are able to grow closer to God only if we open our hearts and minds to His will.