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Have you ever stopped to consider how much of our lives are actually lived by faith and how little control we have over anything?  We think of faith as a religious concept, but it actually applies in many every day areas of life.  Anytime you make a move or a decision in life without being 100% guaranteed of how it will all turn out, it's a matter of faith.  This would include some things we do with little or no reservation, like getting in a car or on an airplane, or ordering food at a restaurant where we cannot see it being prepared.  It would also include most of the "big" life decisions, such as getting married, moving to a new community, or choosing a career.  Even the most devout Christian would not be able to claim that he meets every single one of these situations with prayer and a conscious decision to trust.  Many of us operate that way with the big things, but seriously, how many of you pray and consciously choose to trust EVERY time you get into a vehicle or order food at a restaurant? I certainly don't.  I simply put faith in my car, my own abilities, the cooks, etc.  It may not be a conscious decision, but the fact that I'm not even considering the possibility that things won't go as planned proves that it's faith.  Hebrews 11:1 gives us the best definition of this word: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see".  When I get in my car, I'm sure I'm going to arrive at my destination safely, even if I have no actual proof.  Now, if you'd say that's taking things for granted, you'd be correct.  But in reality, that's what we all do many times every day when we act with no certainty.

So why in the world have I been talking about faith when the Word of the Week is Agnosticism?  Well, the two are very much connected. "Agnosticism" is a word that is generally not thought of positively in Christian circles.  But in reality, agnostics aren't telling us anything we don't already know.  The main point of the agnostic belief system is that it is impossible to know with certainty whether God does or does not exist.  Agnostics usually tend to "believe" one way or the other, but will always maintain that it is sheer opinion and that knowledge of God's existence is impossible.  From a human logic standpoint, they are right.  But basically, they are using a lot of words and thoughts to say very little.  Whatever humans choose to believe, they do so by faith, since absolute proof is not possible.

Here is where agnosticism drops the ball regarding God's existence: it fails to take into account the fact that God is NOT wrapped up in human terms.  God is portrayed throughout the Bible as many things which often contradict themselves according to human terms.  For example, He is justice AND mercy.  He is lion AND lamb.  He is king AND servant.  He is near (in the sense that he came to this earth and walked among us and now dwells in those who believe and has relationship with them) AND he is far (the Creator of the whole universe who is perfect, holy, and untouchable for sinful humans). For the purposes of this topic, God is both mysterious AND obvious. Agnostics would stop at saying God or even the notion that God exists is mysterious, and thus they'd only be half-right.  In support of their belief, we have Job 11:7, which says, "Can you fathom the mysteries of God?  Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?"  But they miss God's obviousness as described by Paul in Romans 1:20: "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse".

Friends, the problem with agnosticism is that it promotes the "ignorance is bliss" fallacy.  As humans, we feel like we can be secure and comfortable when we can just say, "I didn't know".  But that's a very dangerous lie that the enemy wants to keep those who are lost believing.  Scripture clearly tells us that pleading ignorance simply will not work.  At some point, you have to stop riding the fence and take a stand on one side or the other.  Consider this: if you choose not to believe in God's existence because you cannot know it for sure, then what is your alternative for explaining how everything you see before you came to be?  Can that alternative be proven beyond all doubt?  I think not.  So it will always be a matter of faith.  The only question you have to answer is, where will you put your faith?  I choose to put mine in the One whom I will never understand or fathom this side of heaven, and who chose to make Himself known through the beauty and obviousness of creation.