Childlike Faith
I’ve had the privilege of traveling to 16 countries and I’m always fascinated by the people and the different cultures. Regardless of where I am, generally speaking, there is always one thing that is the same. No matter the country, the small children laugh, chase each other, play silly games, and appear to behave in a way which indicates their only concern is to be a kid. I’ve also seen kids who may not know where their next meal is coming from but even then you see some of those same traits even though they are overshadowed by their situation.
Little children tend to have a sense of trust that they are safe, that they can trust their parents, and that they don’t need to be concerned with much outside of learning and playing. I’m certain that’s why, when it comes to our initial faith, Jesus said we must become like little children.
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 18:1-4
Jesus also thanked God for revealing the truth to the little children which means the core of our faith and our belief must not be that complicated.
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. - Matthew 11:25
Children have an innocent faith in their parents and we should have a similar faith in Jesus. With that in mind, when it comes to the core of our faith, it’s very simple. God sent Jesus to die for our sins, all of them (past, present, and future) and he asked us to believe in his son, Jesus, to receive forgiveness of those sins. Then he asks us to love him and love others. Everything else falls under those two commands.
So simple even a child can understand
While the journey starts with a simple faith, it’s not where we need to stay. The author of Hebrews wrote about growing in our faith through gaining greater knowledge of the Scriptures:
You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. - Hebrews 5:12-14
Maturing through studying the Bible, and reading commentaries and devotions is very important. Maturing in our faith is not about making God’s word more complicated, it’s about growing closer to Jesus simply through getting to know him better. It also provides hope, strength, and comfort in all situations.
It’s about a relationship, not a set of rules, it’s just that simple.