Beginning of Faith

Beginning of Faith

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Hebrews 11:3

I read an article in National Geographic about a 14,000 year old city named Göbekli Tepe located in Turkey. The scientist excavating the site has come to a new conclusion about why humans have built societies in ancient times. Previously, "Anthropologists have assumed that organized religion began as a way of salving tensions... in large societies." In other words, religion was a way to tame the masses. But now they think that a shared religion might be the reason humans have gathered to build society.

I think those scientist are right. A shared religion could be a great reason for hundreds of people to settle into one area. Religion might be a great way to calm the masses and establish a code of conduct, laws and ethics. For many, religion is a set of laws, agreed upon protocols and socially acceptable behaviors. Religion really is a product of humans, but Faith is a product of God. Faith predates religion. God gave us faith (a living and thriving relationship), which is only available in first hand communion with the Father. And that has nothing to do with religion.

Our faith in God is His gift to us. And our faith is nothing new; it is something that began before the foundations of the universe were even planted. It is something sure, reliable, time-tested and trustworthy. Faith in God is the thing that we live by, and it will be the thing that brings us home to God.