The keel is an essential part of every sailboat. It is basically a flat blade sticking down into the water from a sailboat’s bottom. It has three functions: it creates forward motion, it prevents the boat from being blown sideways by the wind, and it holds the ballast (counterweight) that keeps the boat right-side up. Pretty simple, right? Also very essential.
Utilizing our sailing metaphor one more time, the keel could represent faith. We cannot spiritually sail in God’s direction without it. The mast of discipline, the sails of spiritual practices, and the tiller of obedience are useless without the keel of faith that keeps us from capsizing or drifting in the wind. Although hidden from view, the keel of faith is an essential part of turning wind power into forward progress.
The writer of Hebrews declares that without faith (our keel) it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). The author also describes faith as assurance, conviction, and evidence of things not seen. The Amplified translation states that faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses (Hebrews 11:1).
Sailing paraphrase: Without the keel of faith which is the conviction of an unseen reality, we cannot successfully sail under the power of the Spirit of God.
Webster defines believing as the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting on his authority and veracity, without other evidence; the judgment that what another states or testifies is the truth.
However, biblical faith is more than cognitive acknowledgement that what is declared is true. It includes “trust” which implies a conviction strong enough to inspire action in line with the belief. Faith and hope are very similar but with a slight difference. Faith sees what is real but invisible while hope sees what is real but not yet. Faith is a function of visibility, hope a function of time.
It is important to remember that faith does not create reality; it captures it. Therefore, biblical faith is not superstition, fantasy, or optimism. It is the lens by which we can see what is real though not visible to the natural eye. Our culture would have us think that science is comprised of the world of facts while religion is the world of faith; science is real while religion is pretending, superstitious, illusionary or imagined. In reality we all live by faith. The only difference is the faith lens we use.
For example, a faith lens used in science is illustrated by the electromagnetic spe
ctrum. Our eyes are excellent receivers of visible light. However, visible light is but a small part of the total electromagnetic spectrum of energy waves. The rest are real but invisible.
Our eyes cannot “see” infrared rays, but they are real nonetheless and we feel their effects on a sunny day. However, when we attach a lens specifically tuned to that range of frequency, we can “see” what is normally invisible. Night vision goggles are a type of lens that allows us to see the infrared radiation (IR) given off by living bodies even in the absence of visible light. Our IR lens does not create reality; it reveals it.
Another example is found in astronomy. Scientists boldly claim the existence of black holes and dark matter even though they have no lens that actually “sees” them (hence the term “black”). But they believe (faith) that they are there because of the evidence for them. They even conclude that most galaxies have a black hole totally based on evidence not visual sight. These cosmic phenomena are believed because they fit the observable data or information.
As apprentices of Christ we must have a keel of faith: the confident belief that God’s Word is true and the courageous conviction to move in the direction of that reality. Faith, as our keel, keeps us moving forward, avoiding the dangers of capsizing or drifting in the chaotic cultural currents of our world.
We are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming (Eph. 4:14).
Learning to sail takes knowledge, skill, and practice and it involves knowing our resources and how to use them. We are more inclined to row than to sail, but only sailing allows us to experience our new journey of life in Christ. The conclusion is we need to take advantage of every opportunity to further our sailing skills by looking for sailing coaches who can model and instruct us in the art of spiritual sailing.
Next time I will look at the next part of our discipleship description: The relational context of an apprentice of Christ and His kingdom.
Reflection:
- What faith based truths are hard for you to trust and live by?
- How has your keel of faith expanded and allowed you to see more of God’s invisible reality?