◄ What Does Hebrews 11:1 Mean? ►

The good news of salvation and life eternal, is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Whether Old Testament saints or New Testament believers, the only way to access this free and eternal gift from the Father is to trust in His Word and believe in His Son. 

Faith is simply having the confidence that the future things God has revealed in His written Word, will unquestionably happen. The reformation verse that shattered corridors of Christendom was: "The just shall live by faith." The righteous man shall live by faith, the godly man, the virtuous woman, the justified sinner, the maturing believer, are to all live by faith, as well as being saved by faith. 

A living faith in God's Word and the confident hope in His promises are two graces that embrace each other in love at the foot of the Cross. This is not a 'Que sera sera, fingers-crossed and-hope-it-happens' type of faith. This is the faith that accepts without question that the Word of God is entirely dependable and is an indisputable fact.

This is the faith that unquestioningly takes God at His Word, knowing that all He has promised to us in Christ is more secure than the rising of the morning sun and more certain than the daily passage of time. It is the firm persuasion, unshakable confidence, and indisputable expectation, that all God has said, in and through His WORD, is established forever and does not take refuge in the a 'maybe' or a 'perhaps'.

It is an objective faith that is secured to the knowledge that our redemption rests on Who Christ is, and what He has already done on the Cross on our account. Our faith is not on who we are or what we have done to commend ourselves to God, but on Christ and His accomplishments. Objective faith is not based on sight or sense but rests its case in the arms of God's Word of Truth.

Faith is not based on experience, nor calculated through reason. True faith is anchored on scriptural facts. It is beyond man's intellect and cannot be penetrated through reasoning or discovered through scientific 'proof'. It has nothing to do with personal opinion or impressions. It is beyond the dimension of human thought because it is the substance of facts that are conceived in the mind of God. 

God is not a man, so He does not lie. The Lord is not a fallen being, so He does not flirt with fantasy or feasibility. He does not change His mind and has never spoken a word that He has failed to act upon. Has he never made a promise that has not been carried through to its fulfilment, and it is incumbent on us to know what His Word says and to believe the promises He has given.

The eye of faith sees beyond our present reality and places its feet firmly on divine revelation given by Almighty God, through the Word-made-flesh. It believes God's Word of truth in the pages of Scripture, which was written for our learning, instruction, encouragement, and hope. The heart of faith enables us to treat as reality those things that are unseen, even when circumstances of life appear to contradict the truth of God's Word.

All that God has revealed to us through holy men of God is just and good and true, and Scripture is designed to be a sure foundation upon which to build. It has nothing in common with so many superficial apologies for faith, based on sight, experiences, opinions, fancies, dreams, or imaginations that excite the soul, feed the flesh, and pander to the human ego. Without faith it is impossible to please God and Jesus said, "Blessed are those that have NOT seen, and yet have believed."

May the hope we have in Christ and the faith we have in God be built on the truth, of His Word and grounded on a sure conviction. May we never stumble when situations seem to go amiss, and may we be firmly persuaded: "He who started a good work in each of our lives is well able to bring it to completion."

Loving Father, I can be so entrenched in my own thinking that sometimes I doubt Your Word and question Your promises, often wishing I had some concrete proof of Your love for me. Forgive me, Lord - I know that Your Word gives me all the affirmation of this absolute reality that I need. Your Word and promises are sure, and Your faithfulness stretches beyond the limits of time and space. Thank You for the gift of faith. I pray that, day by day, my loving trust in You will become increasingly established within my heart for I long to please You in all I say and do and am. In Jesus' name, AMEN.