Faith in Whom?

"Show us the Father..." It was a reasonable enough request. Jesus' followers understood what they were asking for. The Messiah was destined to usher in an age where the presence of the Almighty would be a tangible reality.

His reply shook their concept of divinity to the core. To see Jesus was to see the the Father. If you wanted to know what the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe would be like were He to take on a body of flesh and bones, then you needed to look no further - He was the image of the invisible, the unapproachable made accessible.

Now it all made sense. His claim of Sonship. If humans beget humans, then what does God beget? But with these astounding claims comes a heavy decision. What will you do with this information?

What can you do for such a being? What works can you perform to win their favour? How do you cope with the realisation that among you stands One who has absolute power over your eternal destiny, who knows how much of your outward act is an empty show.

Fortunately for us, there is no great act that we can achieve. If there was something we had to undertake, no matter how small or simple - the nature of sin within us would mean that we would be ultimately doomed to failure. Insted, the work that God requires of us, is to put our trust in the One He has sent - Jesus Christ. And even that process of believing in Him and the power of His sacrifice on our behalf is only possible through a gift of faith through the work of His Spirit.