Living By Faith
The word “faith” sounds simple and profound, yet it can sometimes be tricky. It is our full confidence, trust, and assurance that we give believing what we hope for will happen. Christian faith is believing in Jesus Christ; that He is real, even when we cannot see Him or know what He holds for us. Our faith is instrumental in our salvation. Though faith alone cannot save us, it is an essential catalyst through which God’s grace can.
Romans Chapter 11 is called the “faith chapter”. Paul writes about two distinct dimensions of faith:
First – that faith is a confidence of God’s plan and His provision for our future.
Second – that we should expect that He will fulfill everything that He promised.
Our faith is based on the knowledge given by God through His word, evidence in His creation, and people’s testimonies. We as people of faith must live by faith as this is the only thing that we can do to show others that Christ is real and concrete. In contrast, lack of faith leads to hopelessness and despair which further lead to bad choices.
In this chapter, verses 4-7, we read the description of faith and action- how God’s people have always lived in faith. It is not important what Abel offered to God, but HOW he offered; who gave his life for rightful deeds. No sacrifice is good unless it has faith and sincerity of devotion behind it.
It is impossible to please God without two things. Enoch pleased God through his walk with God. One must believe that He exists. We cannot come to God unless we believe that he is what He has revealed himself to be in scripture. We must seek Him with all our hearts. We must also believe that God rewards those who diligently seek Him. We learn in this chapter how Noah practiced his faith. He had to trust what was going to happen and endure the mockery of his neighbors. This shows how we are warned by God to flee from the wrath to come, moved with fear, and take refuge in Christ. Of course when it comes to faith, we cannot forget about Abraham, the father of faith. He had complete confidence in God. Because of his obedience and faith, God declared him righteous.
There are two women exalted by scripture for their faith to the Lord. These were Sarah, who received the promise of a child, and Rahab, who comes in the genealogy of Christ (in spite of being a prostitute) for her loyalty to the Lord in hiding the spies of Israel.
Faith must have an object or it is useless and meaningless. Christ is our object and our call is to pursue Him. Christian faith is our journey and destination. This is our true definition of worship, seeking to give our life, devotion, and gratefulness to our Lord. The best way to enjoy our comforts is to give them up to God and He will reward us with even better comforts.