Jesus (by a process alien to our human understanding) is the very words of the Eternal Creator (YHWH) housed in the human body: John 1:1. So when you read the words of YHWH written in the (normal every day) bible or Torah, you are coming into contact with the very essence of who Jesus is.
To trust the written words of God is to trust Jesus.
You can't imagine my excitement when I discovered that the word often translated as 'Faith' in many English Bibles is better rendered as 'Trust' as it is n the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) translation. Now, don't get me wrong, I find most versions beneficial, but 'Trust' is definitely easier to get one's head around than the ambiguous word 'Faith'.
For example, the first few verses of Hebrew 11:
1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
In the CJB, this is:
1 Trusting is being confident of what we hope for, convinced about things we do not see. 2 It was for this that Scripture attested the merit of the people of old.
3 By trusting, we understand that the universe was created through a spoken word of God, so that what is seen did not come into being out of existing phenomena.
4 By trusting, Hevel offered a greater sacrifice than Kayin; because of this, he was attested as righteous, with God giving him this testimony on the ground of his gifts. Through having trusted, he still continues to speak, even though he is dead.
And this goes on to verse13:
13 All these people kept on trusting until they died, without receiving what had been promised. They had only seen it and welcomed it from a distance, while acknowledging that they were aliens and temporary residents on the earth. 14 For people who speak this way make it clear that they are looking for a fatherland. 15 Now if they were to keep recalling the one they left, they would have an opportunity to return; 16 but as it is, they aspire to a better fatherland, a heavenly one. This is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
'Trusting' is so relational, isn't it?
The Bible is a relational book. It is inspired by a God who actually (and honestly) wants to communicate and relate with us. He is not trying to confuse. The point of all the (very human) accounts, warts and all, is so that we can know this: YHWH is accessible to ALL of us - and all the more now that we have a very human advocate (Jesus0 representing us up there FOREVER.
''Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one! God is the one who makes them right.
Who can say that God’s people are guilty? No one!
Christ Jesus died for us, but that is not all. He was also raised from death. And now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us.
Can anything separate us from Christ’s love?
Can trouble or problems or persecution separate us from his love? If we have no food or clothes or face danger or even death, will that separate us from his love?''Romans 8:33-35 Easy-to-read version
Since trust grows with the knowledge that comes from relating with an individual, will you grow your trust in YHWH today (and daily) and engage with Jesus through the bible?
Try www.biblegateway.com, www.bible.com/ or www.biblehub.com to start right now!
“Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.'' - Jesus (Matthew 7:7-8)
''But in all these troubles we have complete victory through God, who has shown his love for us. Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord.'' Romans 8: 37 - 39
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