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Enjoy Life, Enjoy God


Dale Patterson

THE FAITH

August 24, 2009

"Keep the faith, baby!" went the chant of the 1960s. "What faith?" I answer. Is it faith that you can't see a vampire's reflection in a mirror? Is it faith that this is the year the Cubs win a pennant? Is it faith that gasoline will be 25 cents per gallon again? "The faith"--what in the world do we mean?

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes...Just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
-Romans 1:16,17 TNIV

I don't know what is meant by "keep the faith"--meaning "faith" in what? Or "You gotta have faith." But I know what we mean when we say, "faith in Jesus Christ." Paul tells us in Romans that this faith in Jesus Christ is not some ill-defined sentiment but a substantive trust in the story and the finished work of Jesus Christ. We call that the gospel, the good news. Our faith is in the good news of Jesus Christ--that faith!

And Christ-followers live, we live, we ground our lives on this truth by putting our faith, our hope, our futures, our lives on that faith. That's what WE mean when we say, "Keep the faith, baby!"
Joyfully,

Dale Patterson