Nuggets from "An Urgent Call to a Serious Faith" by Dave Hunt: "Why Faith Is Essential"

Nuggets from “An Urgent Call to a Serious Faith” by Dave Hunt

The Bible speaks of “the faith which was once [for all time] delivered unto the saints” and declares that we must “earnestly contend” for this unchangeable truth because there are false teachers even inside the church who will seek through subterfuge to oppose it (Jude 3-4). Jude is not referring to faith in the sense of believing that a prayer will be answered or an event will occur. “The faith” is the body of truth that must be believed for one to be a Christian.

The Bible allows for no compromise, no discussion, no dialogue with the world’s religions (remember, Christianity is not a religion but distinct from all of them) in search of common ground. There is no common ground as far as God, Jesus Christ, and salvation are concerned. The very suggestion that dialogue may be appropriate denies that “the faith” has unique doctrinal content as a definitive body of truth for which we must earnestly contend, and opens the door to compromise in the interest of public relations.

Jesus didn’t say, “Go into all the world and dialogue about faith.” He said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel” (Mark:16:15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
See All...). Paul didn’t dialogue with the rabbis and philosophers and pagan priests. He “disputed in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily” (Acts:17:17Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.
See All...). Was it because he was angry and argumentative? No, it was because the eternal destiny of his hearers depended upon whether they believed or rejected the gospel.

A reasonable and genuine faith must take very seriously what Jesus said—not what somebody says about what Jesus said, but His very words as recorded in the Bible. And we must face this truth for ourselves, not look to someone else to interpret it for us, no matter what credentials that person or church or institution might claim qualifies them to think for us. We must arrive at this serious faith personally, for true faith is between each individual and God.