“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
Faith in Christ is the key to everything in the Christian life. The text written above shows that this is true. It says that without faith it is “impossible to please God.” The word “impossible” is emphatic here. We could paraphrase the text this way: “Without faith it is absolutely impossible to please (God).” It is also important to stress that the text is about faith in Christ, not faith in the idea of faith. A lot of people claim to live by faith in some life dream of theirs. That kind of faith might bring worldly success, but it will not succeed with God. Faith in Christ opens up a whole new dimension in the life of the believer. Things become possible which did not seem possible before, for Christ, through the Holy Spirit, goes to work in our lives, changing and enriching our lives. . We are saved by grace through faith, but beyond that we are sustained by faith. Hebrews 11:1 gives us the essence of faith: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith makes possible that which seems impossible.It makes real that which seems unreal. Without faith we cannot see the need to be saved, nor can we understand the works of God. For example, I talked to my oldest brother (Maybe “big brother” would be better.) about our various illnesses. He said that when he got prostate cancer he did not wonder "Why me?" but "Why not me?" "Why me?" is not a statement of faith, rather it is a statement of selfishness and despair. As children of God we are not to give way to despair or fear. As for me, I'm not that brave. I just have faith in a great big God, with Whom "all things are posslble." I have faith in a great God Who will be with me all of the way, and will work it all out according to His will. Do not think that I am bragging about my faith. I am bragging about a great God Who made faith possible. He made it possible for you too. If you realize that, this blog has achieved its purpose. Traditionally, Hebrews 11 has been called “the hall of faith.” It reveals the faith of certain great Old Testament saints whose lives portrayed great faith. The chapter points out that salvation and sustenance has always been by faith in Christ. Hebrews 11:13 shows that this is true: “These all died by faith, not having received the promise….” “Promise” here can only mean one thing, i.e., faith in Christ. Christ’s coming had been predicted in various prophecies and types all through the Old Testament. In fact, these texts were used by New Testament Christians to witness to people since there was no New Testament at the time. The verse concludes: “But having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” This saving and sustaining faith has been a reality since the beginning of time. Revelation 13:8 refers to Jesus as the "lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” The faith that we have in Christ is deeply rooted in biblical history. Rejoice that you are saved by your faith in Christ; also rejoice that your life is sustained by faith in Him. Praise Him! Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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