In order to have faith in the promise of eternity, Christians must be able to believe things they cannot immediately see, Pastor Rick Warren says, citing 2 Corinthians 4:18 and Hebrews 11.
In order to have faith in the promise of eternity, Christians must be able to believe things they cannot immediately see, Pastor Rick Warren says, citing 2 Corinthians 4:18 and Hebrews 11.
This ability to believe in that which cannot be seen requires imagination, Warren writes in his "Daily Hope" devotional on Thursday.
Warren, who heads Saddleback Church in Orange County, California, points to Hebrews 11, in which God encourages Abraham to look up to the sky and count the stars, saying that those stars represent the number of descendants he will have.
This, according to the megachurch pastor, is an example of how God encourages Christians to use their imagination to maintain their faith.
"The Bible says you need to focus on the things that will last — the things you can't actually see with your eyes. So how do you focus on things you can't see? You use your imagination," Warren asserts.
For most eternal promises Christians need their imagination, he continues, as concepts such as the Holy Spirit and one's soul cannot be readily seen.
"You can't see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but they're going to last for eternity. You can't see your own soul, but it's going to last for eternity," Warren adds.
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