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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Jumping off a cliff vs. trusting	Mark	Monday, December 27, 2004
Question: What's the difference between jumping off a cliff and expecting God to catch us (one of the temptations Satan threw at Jesus) and trusting in God?
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Mark: If we jump off a cliff we can expect God not to catch us. God has no obligation to save us from our own stupidity. Gravity will determine our fate if we are stupid enough to jump off a cliff. The difference between jumping off a cliff and expecting God to catch us and in trusting God is that the jumping off the cliff expecting God to catch us is an act of tempting God; it is an act of lack of trust. As the Navarre Bible Commentary explains: To tempt God is the complete opposite of having trust in him. It means presumptuously putting ourselves in the way of an unnecessary danger, expecting God to help us by an exceptional use of His power. We would also tempt Him if, by our unbelief and arrogance, we were to ask Him for signs or proof. The very first lesson from this passage of the Gospel is that if ever a person were to ask or demand extraordinary proofs or signs from God, he would clearly be tempting Him. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Jumping off a cliff vs. trusting

Mark

Monday, December 27, 2004

Question:

What's the difference between jumping off a cliff and expecting God to catch us (one of the temptations Satan threw at Jesus) and trusting in God?

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Mark:

If we jump off a cliff we can expect God not to catch us. God has no obligation to save us from our own stupidity. Gravity will determine our fate if we are stupid enough to jump off a cliff.

The difference between jumping off a cliff and expecting God to catch us and in trusting God is that the jumping off the cliff expecting God to catch us is an act of tempting God; it is an act of lack of trust.

As the Navarre Bible Commentary explains:

To tempt God is the complete opposite of having trust in him. It means presumptuously putting ourselves in the way of an unnecessary danger, expecting God to help us by an exceptional use of His power. We would also tempt Him if, by our unbelief and arrogance, we were to ask Him for signs or proof. The very first lesson from this passage of the Gospel is that if ever a person were to ask or demand extraordinary proofs or signs from God, he would clearly be tempting Him.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum