What's the difference between "stepping out in faith" and risk-taking? (Serendipity Bible 10th Anniversary Edition, p. 604).
The
life and death of Jesus clearly shows that "stepping out in
faith" can often carry great risk. In fact, it is difficult to
imagine the role of Christ played by a totally risk-averse person. He
was "counter-cultural" and thus met serious flak from the
keepers of culture. He said that he did not come to end law but to
fulfill it. That is, his purpose was to fulfill the spirit of the law
and not just the letter of the law. The practical result of focusing
on spirit and not letter is that one is subject to the self-righteous
wrath of those obtaining greatest worth from living self-righteously
and legalistically. This makes one vulnerable to the aggressive
reactions arising from active and determined ill will. Wrath hath no
fury like that of offended sanctimony.
So
what distinguishes one who is "stepping out in faith" from
flagrant indulgence in risky behavior? The answer lies in purpose.
Risky behavior engaged in for its own sake is ultimately based on
selfishness. "Stepping out in faith" serves God and others
first and self only secondarily and in a long-term (sometimes very
long-term) perspective. Thus, risky behavior is often characterized
by impatience, immediacy, and, half-baked objectives; while faith
behavior is characterized by patience, vision, and confident trust in
long-term fruition. The first is characterized by a nervous
instability while the second by a confident steadiness. While faith
behavior often comes with great risks in the short-term, the believer
trusts that long-term risks are nil. The calm assurance of steadfast
faith provides stark contrast to the neuroticisms of the moment that
often characterize the play-out of current events.
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