Hello friends! I know, it’s been a while. Though I’ve been silent on the blogging scene, God has still been at work in my life. In fact, He used that time to prepare me for something new.
After attending a women’s conference last spring, I felt strongly, and was encouraged by some close friends, that God wanted me to start a new women’s ministry at my church.
After much prayer, talking with my pastor and other church leaders, I was given the green light and started a ministry called, ARISE, where women can gather, grow and go.
I’m excited to share with you some of the content we’ve been learning about at our ARISE gatherings.
Our topic today: FAITH
We’ll start by looking at Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Now, it seems as if this verse gives us a definition of faith, right? However, after doing a little research, I discovered that some have debated if this is a “definition of what faith is, or in reality a description of what faith does.” (Ellicott’s Commentary for English readers).
I love the idea of “faith does” kind of like Bob Goff’s book, Love Does, because it reminds us that faith, like love, is not passive.
Hebrews 11 is considered by some to be the “Hall of Fame” of faith because the author lists a number of faithful people found in the Bible and what they did to demonstrate their faith. The heading in my Bible for that chapter is “Faith in Action,” which goes back to the idea of “faith does.” The author of Hebrews is explaining the concept of faith by using examples from the Scriptures of people who, by a strong faith in God and in His promises, resisted huge temptations, sustained heavy persecutions, and obeyed, even when it was difficult.
Let’s look at the first part of the definition of faith in Heb. 11:1:
Confidence in what we hope for…
The idea here is that “faith is a confidence that we shall receive the good things for which we hope, and … a foundation or ground for our expecting them;” because by faith we are justified, adopted into God’s family, and heirs of the things for which we hope; namely, eternal life. Summarized from Benson’s Commentary.
And (this continues our definition in Heb. 11:1)
Assurance (evidence – strict proof, conviction, persuasion or demonstration) about what we do not see
This part of the verse is describing the assurance or evidence we have about the things of God – things that are invisible and eternal. Some might even say that the assurance described is equal to that which our outward senses give us of the things we can see. Our faith is founded upon the veracity and power of God – this is the evidence.
Putting it simply, faith is belief in who God is. Faith is acting on His Word, trusting that He is who He says He is and that His Word is true.
“Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable,
and receives the impossible.”
Corrie Ten Boom
This quote reminds me of the healings we see in the New Testament.
If we read a few verses later in Hebrews 11:6, we can see why it’s important for us to have this kind of faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Don’t we want to please the Creator of the heavens and earth; the One who sent His only Son to die for our sins?
How do we get this faith?
The book of Romans gives us two ways:
- by hearing (Ro. 10:17) “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” (NLT)
As we hear about God, who He is, and what He’s done, it evokes faith.
2. by distribution (Ro. 12:3) “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”
God has distributed faith to His people.
Okay, Suzie, I’m with you so far, but let’s talk day-to-day. What does all this mean at a practical level in my life? Let’s look at the Thessalonians, a great example because they are commended for their faith.
Read 1 Thes. 1:1-4 here.
In this passage, we see that the Thessalonians:
- had “work produced by faith” – v. 3 (we’ll come back to this in a minute)
- had a reputation of faith – v. 8 It sounded out like the blast of a trumpet – such that they didn’t need to say anything about it. It was already known.
- put their faith in God (turning from idols to serve the living and true God and wait for His Son) – vs. 8, 9
What was their “work” produced by faith?
Essentially it means faithful activity, in another words, a work that was characterized by faith and prompted by faith, such as faith alone could have enabled them to accomplish. They were acts that showed an internal faith. These were likely acts of duty, holiness, and benevolence, which proved that they exercised faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Summarized from commentaries by Ellicott and Barnes.
The idea of exercising – of using, building, developing, making stronger is perfect because we can do that with faith. We see that idea carried forward in the passage when it says: “your labor prompted by love.” “This means a laborious toil undertaken for love’s sake, and done in the spirit of love;…” (Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers)
John 6:29 brings us full circle. Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
When it comes to walking in faith, we have to remember that walking is done by taking one step at a time.
The first step is to turn from idols and put our faith in God – just like the Thessalonians did – to believe in Jesus – the One God sent to redeem us, to save us, to sanctify us. That belief is an act of faith.
The second step is to be faithful in what God has called us to do – to serve – like the Thessalonians did. We serve with acts prompted by faith and love.
I believe there is a distinction between having faith and being faithful. We can say we have faith, but are we being faithful?
As you consider living and walking by faith, here are some questions for reflection.
- What kinds of things do we (even as believers) tend to put our faith in besides God?
- Where is it hard to live out our faith and why? What might we be able to do differently in those areas to better live out our faith?
- What do you think it looks like today for someone to have a reputation of faith?
- What do you do daily that you would classify or consider as living out your faith?
- What is one step of faith you can actively take this week?
If you read this far, thank you! I know this was a long one 🙂 I would love to hear your insights, so please leave a comment. Until next time, let us Go Be Radiant as we walk by faith.
Go Be Radiant 