Tuesday, 29 July 2008
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It takes faith to believe in the unseen future that God has promised to those who trust in Him and to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead -- for the righteous shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4). Now who are the righteous? And what is faith? Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible (Hebrews 11:1-3).
The faith we have is our “assurance of things hoped for” – our unwavering belief that God is who He says He is. And since “assurance” means “to support” our faith supports us like the unseen roots of a tree support it. Roots are unseen, but the tree they support give it assurance.
Now faith isn’t an entity all to itself. Faith in faith is worthless, and unless our faith is set upon something or someone that worthy of our trust, then it won’t bring us much support. This is why the context in Hebrews 11 draws the reader to faith in Jesus, for faith in Him stems from a “conviction of things not seen” – specifically our eternity with Him. God’s word, the Bible, is where faith begins. Any faith worth having begins with believing God through His word.
The second thing that Hebrews 11 teaches is that faith gains the approval of God (v. 2). The saints of old gained salvation the same way modern-day Christians attain it – through faith. Their faith pleased God, for “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). These saints of old bore fruit in keeping with their faith, for none of them wandered about with blind optimism merely wishing God to be true or acting superstitiously. Neither did they gain salvation by merely acknowledging history and doctrine. They gained God’s approval simply because they believed God even during times when God seemed so unbelievable.
Third, faith acknowledges the power of God (v. 3). The author of Hebrews had Genesis 1:1 in mind when he said, “By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God…” So to reject God as the Creator of all things is to reject the very basis of what true and right faith is, namely believing God’s word which clearly says that He created the world.
Of course there are other faiths to have faith in, but are they true? Is evolution true? If you believe it, then you have faith, but does your faith make it true? Of course not. And not even science has proven that vile doctrine to have any basis whatsoever for our assurance. We believe something because we know it to be true, and if it isn’t then we reject it. Hats off to those who believe that evolution created the world, for they have more faith than Christians. But it’s not faith in and of itself that saves; it’s the object of our faith that saves us: Jesus Christ.
Faith is to a Christian what a root is to a tree. It provides support and assurance of salvation. That root then produces a shoot, as it were, which is evidence of life in the tree and nourishment in the root. Then it produces a fruit which nourishes those who partake and in turn creates more seeds that can take root and start the whole process over again. So true faith is about a root, a shoot, and a fruit – all three of which work together in God’s plan to multiply and make more and more disciples of faith in Christ. We must be about the task of planting the seeds of faith (evangelizing) and of watering those seeds (preaching all that Christ taught). Only then can we sit back and watch God cause growth (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:5-9). It all starts with faith in Christ – believing His word, obtaining God’s approval for such, and acknowledging God’s power.
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