What Do You Hope To Get Out Of Your Faith?

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

I had this question posed to me by an unbeliever and to my shame I was kind of taken aback by it and was unsure how to answer. I stammered a little and said the only thing I can hope for is eternal life. Not the deepest of answers.

How would you have answered?

 

[ADKing]

Two thoughts come to mind.

1. If an unbeliever asked a question like this it sounds like it is coming from wrong presuppositions. You are not a Christian merely for what you can "get out of it". You are a Christian to glorify God. One can challenge this backwards way of thinking. Simon Magus in Acts 8 was baptized for what he hoped to get out of Christianity and it proved to be false.

2. That having been said, the Bible does teach us of inestimable benefits that are the result of being united to Christ. See the shorter catechism...

Q36. What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification?
A36. The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are, assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end.

Q37. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?
A37. The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection.

Q38. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?
A38. At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity.

As Christians, not only do we glorify God, but ours is the promise that we will enjoy him forever.

 

[ColdSilverMoon]

I agree with Rev. King, and would add that if faith exists only for what we can get out of it, then it is inherently selfish, and thus not of God. Our faith should be out of obedience and love for God with only the desire to please him as our interest...

 

[moral necessity]

I had this question posed to me by an unbeliever and to my shame I was kind of taken aback by it and was unsure how to answer. I stammered a little and said the only thing I can hope for is eternal life. Not the deepest of answers.

How would you have answered?

The end of my selfishness and sin that would cause me to ask questions such as that!

 

[Jimmy the Greek]

This came to mind:

If I had to die like a dog, and had no hope whatever of immortality . . . let me serve my God, let me be a follower of Jesus. If there were no hereafter, I would still prefer to be a Christian . . . for I am persuaded there are more delights in Christ, yea, more joy in one glimpse of His face than is to be found in all the praises of this harlot-world, and in all the delights which it can yield to us in its sunniest and brightest days. (Spurgeon, Autobiography, Vol. 1, p. 96)

 

[Presbyterian Deacon]

It is not a matter of what we hope to get out of our faith, so much as it is a hope which is given to us by our faith.

This quote from Ambrose comes to mind:

I will not glory because I am righteous,
but I will glory because I am redeemed.
I will not glory because I am free from sin,
but because my sins are forgiven.

Redemption and forgiveness of sin is mine through a faith given to me! What more is there to hope for! The gift of salvation is already beyond the wildest imagination of the sinful heart.

 

[Seb]

I had this question posed to me by an unbeliever and to my shame I was kind of taken aback by it and was unsure how to answer. I stammered a little and said the only thing I can hope for is eternal life. Not the deepest of answers.

How would you have answered?

Peace with God.

 

[Zenas]

I would have answered that I'm not in it for me and that his starting point is all screwy.

 

[Ivan]

This came to mind:

If I had to die like a dog, and had no hope whatever of immortality . . . let me serve my God, let me be a follower of Jesus. If there were no hereafter, I would still prefer to be a Christian . . . for I am persuaded there are more delights in Christ, yea, more joy in one glimpse of His face than is to be found in all the praises of this harlot-world, and in all the delights which it can yield to us in its sunniest and brightest days. (Spurgeon, Autobiography, Vol. 1, p. 96)

Amen! Many excellent responses. Perhaps I would say that I have been given by the LORD the ability to glorify God and love Him forever.

 

[JBaldwin]

This came to mind:

If I had to die like a dog, and had no hope whatever of immortality . . . let me serve my God, let me be a follower of Jesus. If there were no hereafter, I would still prefer to be a Christian . . . for I am persuaded there are more delights in Christ, yea, more joy in one glimpse of His face than is to be found in all the praises of this harlot-world, and in all the delights which it can yield to us in its sunniest and brightest days. (Spurgeon, Autobiography, Vol. 1, p. 96)

I would add a hearty 'Amen' to that as well. To know Christ, to have Him in my life is everything.

 

[jambo]

It is easy to consider what we would have said and it is easy to give an answer after spending a few moments thinking about it. However it often happens that in a live situation when a question is sprung on us we give a quick answer and later we are in disbelief that we did not say this or say that.

As I read the question the first thing that came to my mind would be to say "What do you want to get out of yours?"

If I had time to think, Gomarus answer is spot on

This came to mind:

If I had to die like a dog, and had no hope whatever of immortality . . . let me serve my God, let me be a follower of Jesus. If there were no hereafter, I would still prefer to be a Christian . . . for I am persuaded there are more delights in Christ, yea, more joy in one glimpse of His face than is to be found in all the praises of this harlot-world, and in all the delights which it can yield to us in its sunniest and brightest days. (Spurgeon, Autobiography, Vol. 1, p. 96)

Some answers we feel are inadaquate whilst other answers we feel are very good, wise and powerful (and we can even become proud of our answers) yet I am reminded of Paul in 1 Cor 1.17,21; 2.1-3; etc who says it is not by eloquant speech and fine sounding arguments that people are won over. Very often in the kingdom it is the answers we deem inadaquate that God uses to great effect.

 

[MrMerlin777]

....that I may gain Christ......

 

[jwithnell]

Every time I see this thread, my instant thought is: "To glorify Christ and to enjoy Him forever." Can't think of a better way to summarize it, and likely that is what I'd express to an unbeliever if asked the same question ....

 

[shackleton]

My first thought was the same as yours, eternal life. Just about anything else you can get without being saved.