We hear a lot these days about faith. The term “faith-based program” usually refers to a program instituted by a religious group.
Faith, however, is a trait of character, and every man or woman of strong character exercises faith: he or she acts on something unseen. He or she holds a firm belief in something for which there is no proof. Everyone has some form of faith. For many, it is negative faith, i.e., firmly believing that something is not true because they can see no proof with their eyes. Those of character have positive faith, i.e., firmly believing that something is true even though there is no outward, visible proof.
To me, holidays such as Christmas are especially good times to consider this trait of character, since true Christians are people of faith. Our faith is strong and firm, and while it does cling to some things for which there is no proof, it is not unfounded. It is not senseless, as some think. We know the truth. We know we can safely trust in God’s unproven promises and prophecies because many of those that once seemed improvable have been proven. People who had faith in those prophecies were rewarded by seeing them happen. We believe that our faith also will be rewarded.
Christmas is an outstanding example of rewarded faith. The birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated at Christmas by millions around the world, was prophesied 300 times in the Old Testament. Hundreds and hundreds of years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, 300 very specific prophecies were made about his birth. People of faith believed those prophecies, even though they could see no proof that His coming would happen that way. They waited and watched, and then – it happened. Jesus Christ was born exactly where and as the prophets had said He would be.
What are the chances of that happening? What are the odds that 300 specific prophecies, all made hundreds of years before, would be fulfilled with utmost precision in the birth of one man?
A French mathematician named George Heron decided to find out what those odds were. He ran a series of computations, and calculated that the odds of one man fulfilling only 40 of those prophecies are 1 in 10 to the power of 157. For only 40 of the 300 prophecies, the odds of one man fulfilling them are 1 followed by 157 zeros. Those are terrible odds! If you were playing the state lottery, your chances of winning would be far greater: 14 followed by 6 zeros: 1 in 14,000,000. Who would play if the chances were 1 in 10 to the power of 157?
If the chances of one man fulfilling 40 specific prophecies are so slim, it is astounding that Jesus Christ fulfilled 300 specific prophecies to the letter. The birth that we celebrate at Christmas was miraculous beyond comparison!
That birth is the grounds of true, positive faith. I sincerely hope that you have found that kind of faith – a character trait that is quite rare.
At this season, the staff of Character-in-Action.com joins me in wishing you and your loved ones a very blessed Christmas. May your faith find its base in the Christ Whose birth we celebrate.
That’s the view from my chair. What’s your view?