Blessed

Matthew 16:17 - And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed this to you but rather my father in heaven."

This is the problem I have with the so-called "Roman Road" to conversion. It is a reasoning into faith, which in my opinion cannot be done. It represents a surety, a certainty that leaves out all struggle and doubt. Doubt is good for faith, we need to have our faith tested - not that God tests us - untested faith cannot grow. Faith is not a proposition to be explained or agreed to; it is a way of life, a new way of seeing and being in the world. It is not just our minds that have to accept; it is our hearts and our spirits. Without that, as Paul wrote, we are nothing but clanging gongs.

Flesh and blood cannot reveal the truth on their own. No amount of reasoning can convince someone to be a Christian without God's help. Only God can speak to a person in such a way that they begin to get an understanding. If we somehow play a small part in someone's journey to faith, it is God leading us. No one can come to the Father except by the father's will. Blessed is the one who hears God's voice and follows.
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