I like my faith like I like my coffee…bold!

It seems like whenever someone refers to me as bold; it’s never for a good reason. When my mouth works before my brain, my questions are referred to as bold. I might make a bold decision with my wardrobe (I still maintain my green shirt under my purple plaid shirt was a great choice!) Although people stop themselves from directly critiquing, the use of the word bold conveys their disapproval.

So why then am I advocating a boldness in faith? Do we really need more reasons to be critiqued for our faith?

Let’s look at the word bold in a different light. Turn in your bibles (or click the nice hyperlink) and go to Ephesians 3:12. Not just boldness, but confidence!

Now for me confidence in faith times comes up in two different ways.

1. Internal Confidence
2. External Confidence

Let’s look at #1 first.

When I’m talking internal confidence, I’m talking more about the confidence that we have in our salvation. It’s internal because it’s something that we believe and that is in us. For example, you’re reading through your bible and you come across a verse that really solidifies your faith, makes you feel good about yourself, let’s say a verse like 1 Peter 3:18. It reminds you that Jesus died for your sin and that you are promised life eternal in spite of all the crappy things you’ve done.

Unfortunately, if you’ve read that particular verse, more than likely you’ve read the one that goes before it too. In 1 Peter 3: 15 we are called on to the external confidence, the one that requires us to make known the reason for our faith.

This #2 reason is the one that calls for increased boldness.

Just to be clear, being bold in your faith, giving a reason for your faith doesn’t require you to stand on a street corner shouting out what you believe and condemning everyone around you. It doesn’t require you to make pamphlets, or go knocking door to door.

What it does require is you going outside your comfort zone…you can’t be bold whilst being afraid.

Your argument to me right now is going to be, “But I don’t know enough.” And you’re right, you don’t. You never will. Because you, like me, would like to have all the answers, to know the bible inside and out and to have the same amount of knowledge about all the different –ologies and –isms as 27 Religious Studies professors. What you want is an excuse to stay inside your comfortable bubble. Truth be told, I would like to do the same.

Unfortunately the bible calls us to give a reason for our faith, not to stare at the floor and hope that nobody ever asks us about it.

We are expected to give a reason for our faith, but we are not expected to go it alone. Matthew 10 tells us that in these situations we are given the words to say. Our words are those of someone much wiser, someone who can give the answers that we could never produce.

Our boldness in faith doesn’t come from us. Our boldness isn’t tied to our personality. The only way we can be bold in our faith is through the understanding of what Christ has done for us. In understanding our unworthiness, how we are all failures in our own right, we are led to the greatness of Christ and what he has done. Our boldness comes when we realize the reason for our faith is something so great that we just can’t keep it inside.