How to have a Digital Faith

A digital faith? What does that even mean? Well, if you think of a computer or more specifically, a computer language, you can get some insight. When you dumb down a computer language whether it be Perl, C++, Python, Cobol, or whatever, it boils down to bits and bytes. Those bits and actually 0's and 1's. Like a light switch, they are either on or off, yes or no, true or false. It's pretty simple. 

What does that have to do with faith? Well, the Bible should shed some light on that. In the letter to the church at Laodicea in Revelation 3, Jesus writes, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm -neither hot nor cold- I am about to spit you out of my mouth." 

Basically, the Lord is saying, there are two settings for faith and deeds-cold or hot. On or off. And this church is set to "lukewarm" - that's not even a setting! Jesus says in Matthew that whoever is not with me is against me. There is no other option. Just like computer bits - your faith is on(hot) or off(cold)? 

There are many other illustrations of this digital on/off, yes/no computer bit setting in the Bible. What side do you fall on? 

• You can't serve both God and mammon (money). (Matthew 6:24)
• You either live in Light and Darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14)
• To save your life is to lose it; To lose your life is to save it. (Matthew 16:25)
• Do you live by the Spirit or by the Flesh (Galatians 5:17)
• Do you Believe in Jesus or Reject Him (John 3:36)
• Are you an Old or a New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Bob Dylan put out a song on his album "Slow Train Coming" in 1976 entitled, "You're gonna have to Serve Somebody." I remember first hearing that song and thinking of the novelty that a secular musician is singing about faith. The song refers to the digital nature of life. We have one of two choices. We have to make our choice to serve someone. The chorus went like this:

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You're gonna have to serve somebody

Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody

The devil or the Lord. That's our digital choice to make. Each one of us. Sadly, it seems more and more people are making the wrong choice. Jesus said some haunting words in Luke 18:8 when He said: "...when the Son of Man comes will He find faith on the earth?" That is troublesome. Certainly, there will be those who choose faith, but those on that path are few and the way is narrow (Matthew 7:14). May you be one on that pathway!