LETTING AND FAITH
Two of the most important words in the vocabulary of spiritual life are “LET” and “RECEIVE”. It is commonly (and erroneously) believed that these two words denote passivity. Nothing could be further from the truth. To “LET” and to “RECEIVE” both require a choice, an act of the will and so involve activity, not passivity.
The late Major W. Ian Thomas has contributed some thoughts on “LET” and “LETTING” as related to faith. His insights have been of great personal benefit in my own spiritual journey.
Major W. Ian Thomas: “The Bible has only 2 things to say:
- Christ died to redeem you, LET HIM,
- And He rose again from the dead to live his life IN you, and share that life WITH you, and communicate that life THROUGH you, LET HIM.
That’s really all the Bible has to say; everything else derives from those two basic facts, and LETTTING HIM is what the Bible calls faith. Faith LETS! Faith isn’t believing things you know aren’t true. Faith isn’t trying to believe things. Faith is LETTING something or somebody demonstrate to you by your consent the truth of the things you find it hard to believe. Your faith brings somebody or something else into action on your behalf.
Since faith allows somebody or something else to come into action on your behalf, the strength of your faith lies not in your faith; the strength of your faith lies in the object of your faith.
The more confident you are in the object of your faith, the less conscious you are of the faith you are exercising in that object. This confidence comes from getting acquainted.
Faith allows the invisible (God acting within you) to become visible (to the rest of the world).
Faith allows God to vindicate His Deity.”
Commentary: The giving of consent is active, not passive and involves a choice, an act of the will. So is it possible that a person who thinks he has weak faith, actually has weak LETTING? And is this weak LETTING a symptom of being more focused on himself rather than being focused on the object of his faith? And is it possible that such a person’s real problem is not in the realm of faith, but in the realm of relationship, in needing to become better acquainted?
Commentary by Lowell E. Becker, M.D.