EXPRESSIONS OF FAITH
Bible gives direction to our lives
By The Rev. Dr. Rick Bartosik
A number of years ago, I enrolled in a private pilot course at Hawaii Country Club of the Air. In the process of learning to fly, I discovered that there are some parallels between the training every pilot needs to fly an airplane safely and the training every Christian needs to effectively live the Christian life.
Part of every pilot's training is learning to fly by the instruments. So periodically during my weeks of flight training, my instructor would intentionally induce vertigo. He would have me put my head down while he took the controls and turned the plane in unusual directions. Then he would tell me to look up and take the controls. I would be disoriented and feel as though the plane was spinning in circles.
My strong tendency was to trust my feelings instead of the instruments. I had to learn to operate against my feelings in obedience to the instruments.
It is absolutely crucial for a pilot to learn to trust the instruments, or he will destroy himself, because when you are flying in bad weather with the clouds obstructing your vision, you can't trust your feelings.
Faith in God operates in the same way. The Bible is to the believer what the instrument panel is to the pilot. Authentic faith depends upon the word of God, no matter how strong our feelings may be to the contrary. The basic discipline in the Christian life is to learn to believe God's word, no matter how we feel.
Feelings are the result of believing, not a basis for believing. Obeying the instruments, a pilot goes through adverse weather and lands safely at his destination. Believing the promises of God, a Christian is taken through difficulties of every shape and size, but he arrives safely!
I realize there are many, even among professing Christians, who deny the authority of the Bible as the absolute standard for living, and who would reject the analogy of the Bible and the airplane instrument panel. They would say that absolute claims such as these are intolerant and must be dismissed. They would insist that individual choice is the highest good, and that truth is "whatever makes you happy," or "whatever you sincerely believe."
Post-modern consciousness is hostile to any world view that claims to give the final word about what truth is. Nevertheless, the analogy is confirmed by the claims of Christ himself and by human experience.
As a pastor, I am constantly made aware of the importance of holding to the absolute standards of Scripture, not only for my own spiritual health and safety but also for the spiritual health and safety of those to whom I minister. When we fail to live by the standards God has revealed in his word, the Bible, we reap the tragic consequences of disobedience to it in broken hearts and mixed-up lives.
Faith in God's word and obedience to it leads to integrity and authenticity in every area of life.
The Rev. Dr. Rick Bartosik is senior pastor of Mililani Community Church and an instructor in Bible and theology at International College and Graduate School.
