FAITH, THE STARTING POINT
Image taken by Euan Cameron from Unsplash
FAITH, THE STARTING POINT
Heb 11:1-6
"And without faith it is impossible to please God." (v.6).
AS WE BEGIN THIS CHAPTER, WE step into a Hall of Fame. In it are hung the portraits of great men and women of faith, from Abel to Moses to Samuel. At the entrance, we read the inscription which introduces us to the one quality that marks out all these heroes: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (v.1).
Faith deals basically with two things: firstly, what is "not yet" (since it is only hoped for); and secondly, what is "not seen". Faith makes present the future and sees the unseen. Examples in this chapter abound. Noah was warned of "things not yet seen" (v.7) and he believed. Abraham went forth at God's command "even though he did not know where he was going" (v.8). Moses saw beyond his immediate circumstances to God, "him who is invisible" (v.27).
Is it so difficult to have such faith? No and yes. No, because whether we realise it or not, we exercise such faith all the time. When we sit in a train, we believe it will take us to our destination though we do not yet see it. (For the matter, we don't even see the driver!) When we walk into a lift, we expect it to bring us to our floor, though we can't see the mechanism that works the lift nor understand it.
Our problem is in transferring our faith in such man-made systems to faith in God. God is always the object of faith. The assurance and certainty of faith lies in God who is completely dependable. It does not lie in ourselves or our ability to wish for something till our faces turn blue. When someone makes us a promise, our trust in it lies with our trust in the person. A promise is only as good as the one who makes it.
God's promises are utterly sure because He exists and He rewards those who earnestly seek Him (v.6). To doubt God is to doubt either His existence or His credibility, that is, that He does not do what He says He will do. Such disbelief is an affront to God. No wonder, "without faith it is impossible to please God" (v.6). Seen in this light, faith is not just a quality for great men and women; itis the starting point for all who desire a living relationship with God.
Have I started off, by faith?
