In short, human investigation into sacred doctrine threatens to render faith superfluous. 5). Offer a story about how your faith helped you in a difficult time in your life. Throughout his pontificate, Pope Benedict has argued that faith and reason are both necessary for the human person to understand reality and … Life in the Spirit exists to give you a deep understanding of who the Holy Spirit is, how He works in your life and how you can interact with Him on a daily basis. Get in Your Inbox advertisement 1. Tribulation tests our identity as Christians – Tribulation tests our identity. He also quotes St. Gregory’s objection: “ ‘Faith has no merit where human reason supplies proof.’ But it is wrong to do away with the merit of faith. Since laws of logic are necessary for reasoning, and since the Christian faith is the only faith system that can make sense of them,8 it follows that the Christian faith is the logical foundation for all reasoning (Proverbs 1:7; Colossians 2:3). As St. Thomas Aquinas argued, because the light of reason and the light of faith both come from God, there can be no contradiction between them (n. 43). It is “the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” that changed everything for the Ephesians (1:13), and “the word of life” to which the Philippians must hold fast in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation (2:15–16). Think back to a time when you made an important decision and, if you are comfortable, share how your faith … Explain to your child the reason you are devoted to this saint and talk about other people whom you admire. 4. "Faith asks that its object be understood with the help of reason; and at the summit of its searching, reason acknowledges that it cannot do without what faith presents" (n. 42). And so, in the Christian fight for joy, John Piper writes, Your beliefs influence your behavior. One of the most basic ways that beliefs can shape reality is through their influence on behavior—no quantum physics needed. A number of my fellow religious-studies students – muddled agnostics who didn’t know which way was up, who were in the thrall of reason, that fool’s gold for the bright – reminded me of the three-toed sloth; and the three-toed sloth, such a beautiful example of the miracle of life, reminded me of God. 4 Micro-Habits That Build Your Faith,Lucas Hagen - Read more about spiritual life growth, Christian living, and faith. Moreover, faith is such an element by which we get access to the many mind-blowing blessings that God has promised us … Therefore it is not right to investigate matters of faith by reason” (Ibid., obj. Consider the miracle of life and being aware of your own ability to think, reason and question. In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23), Jesus described several situations. Our faith in God is the very thing that holds us steady and keeps us safe from the terrifying storms of life. CBN.com – . This isn’t to say, of course, that non-Christians cannot reason. It’s the intrinsic base of our reliance and confidence in God. TRIALS Seven Ways God Uses Tough Times to Shape Our Lives By William D. Black New Life Ministries.