This article was written
as a continuation on the subject of faith that we wrote about here. That article was based upon the words of Hebrews
chapter eleven – the Old Testament hall of faith. Their faith seemed to be
magnificent. A Christian brother wrote with several questions about that
article. I hope this will help to answer some of those questions or any that
you might have as well.
I don’t understand all
God has said in his word. But what I don't understand, I still hope to be
able to say that I believe it.
When we read about the results of faith in the lives in the saints of antiquity it might make us
wonder how much faith we really have. Do I have the kind of faith those
believers possessed?
The things written in
Hebrews chapter eleven are really a compilation of many people's examples of
faith. I'm not sure each of them had all of these qualities. It was never said
that David built an ark as did Noah nor did it say that Rahab trusted God to
have the strength to conceive and give birth to a son at the age of ninety as
Sarah did. But one thing all these had in common was faith and that faith
compelled them to do what God required of them in their unique circumstances.
God gives us grace for
where we are right now, not necessarily for where we’ll be next week. He gives
us grace as needed for ourselves – not for someone else’s needs.
I have often wondered
if I would be able to have the boldness to serve Jesus if my job, my home, my
family, or my life were being threatened. I don’t know, but I do know that God
has grace for me right now and right here. I believe he would give me grace for
any situation. And God has grace for you, for where you are right now.
How do people endure
the devastation of a divorce? Grace. How does one deal with
the pressure of having heard that they or a loved one has a terminal illness? Grace. How can someone navigate through days of continual loneliness? God’s grace.
How can I remain true to the Lord when dealing
with extreme bombardments of temptation? Grace. How may I find cleansing if I have given in to temptation? By grace also.
How do I handle having lost
everything in this life I possessed? Grace.
What can keep me from
becoming arrogant if I grow wealthy? How can I keep the Lord the first priority
in my life during times of success and notoriety? The answer is the same –
grace. So this means God can be trusted in every condition we may experience in
life – good or bad.
How much faith does
God require? It sounds like a whole lot. But no, Jesus said it only takes faith
as a grain of mustard seed to move a mountain.[1]
So if that mountain
moves, who or what did it? Was it I? Was it my faith? Was it the volume of my
faith? The answer to all these is no.
If that mountain
moves, it was God who did it. All we do is simply trust the God who can move
mountains.
It is God that gives
us that gift to believe, and yes, it is through faith that God supplies his
grace for salvation.
The thief on the cross
only had a short-lived faith and I'm sure he also lacked clear understanding
about everything Jesus was. He knew Jesus was innocent. He called him Lord and
he recognized him as King, saying; "Remember me when you come into your
kingdom." He probably didn't know much about where Jesus was now headed, but
he was justified as Jesus assured him; "Today you will be with me in
paradise."[2]
One man said to Jesus;
"Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"[3] That doesn’t sound
like a whole lot of faith!
Peter said contradictory
things about Jesus in the same setting[4] but he was one of God's
chosen.[5]
The man who had been
born blind simply said; "Whether (Jesus) be a sinner or no, I know not:
one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see."[6] He was not very learned
about Jesus yet profound at the same time. Later he was puzzled that the
Pharisees did not recognize Jesus was from heaven. The man recognized Jesus was
from God. After the Pharisees excommunicated him, Jesus came to him and
revealed himself as the Son of God. There he worshiped him.[7] This worship seems to be a
sign of the man's faith, though, oh, so limited. I believe he had now become a
child of God.
Jesus also said we
would have to become as a little child to enter the kingdom. So it is not
necessarily doing more that exemplifies our faith, sometimes it is in doing nothing.
A child is in so many ways completely helpless. He may not know his directions
but he trusts in someone who does. He would not be able to make a living for
himself but he confides in his parents to do that for him. He does not know the
answer to great mysteries but he can trust in someone who does.
Jesus was saying I
should recognize that I am like a little child. There is so much I don’t know
but I know the one who knows. There is so much I cannot do but I know the one
who can. I cannot save myself from my sins but I believe in Jesus Christ who
redeemed me through his death on the cross and who rose again.
Philippians 3 says:
…that I may… be found in (Christ,) not
having mine own righteousness, which is
of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the
righteousness which is of God by faith.
It is
not our faith that matters most here, because our faith will waver and vary
greatly. It is the object of our
faith that matters. It doesn’t matter how great our faith is. What matters is: How great is
the one in whom we trust. It is not about a big faith, but it is about a big God.
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