Your Foundation in Christ (Victory Series Book #3): Live By the Power of the Spirit (4 page)

Hebrews 11:1–40

Key Point

Faith is the operating principle of life, because everyone lives by faith in something or someone.

Key Verse

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.

Hebrews 11:6

T
here is no more important issue to grasp than the nature of faith. Faith is the means by which we live and relate to God. We are saved by faith (see Ephesians 2:8–9) and we live by faith (see 2 Corinthians 5:7). “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” (Hebrews 11:6). In reality, everyone lives by faith; it is the operating principle of life. The only difference between Christian faith and non-Christian faith is the object of our faith.

The real issue is not
whether
one believes or does not believe. The real issue is
in what
or in whom
one believes. Consider how you drive your car. When you come to an intersection and see a green light, you will likely drive through without stopping. Although you can’t see the color of the light facing the other direction, you believe it is red. You also believe that the drivers of the cars coming from the other direction have seen the red light and will stop. That is demonstrating a lot of faith in a mechanical device and people! How would you approach the intersection if you didn’t have such faith in traffic lights and other drivers?

Hope is the parent of faith. The biblical idea of hope is not wishful thinking. Rather, hope is the present assurance of some future good. People don’t proceed by faith if they have no hope. Suppose you want to catch a bus. You walk to the bus stop in faith, hoping the bus will be on time and that the schedule is right. If the bus never comes and the schedule is wrong, your hope is dashed and you lose faith in the public transportation system. If you never had any hope of catching the bus, you would not have proceeded by faith. That would be foolish.

The writer of Hebrews said, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (11:1). You drive with confident assurance through the intersection with the hope that drivers coming from the other direction will see and stop for the red light. You drink soda out of a can even when you can’t see the contents because you believe the manufacturer is delivering a safe product. In general the public demonstrates a lot of faith in government and private industry, even though neither is perfect.

The God of all hope is the object of our faith. The record of faithful people in Hebrews 11 is a testimony of God’s faithfulness. They had great faith because they had a great God. They chose to believe God and live accordingly, even though it meant extreme hardship. By faith Noah built an ark, even though there was no body of water on which it could rest (see verse 7). By faith Abraham was willing to sacrifice his own son, because he believed that God could raise Isaac from the dead (see verses 17–19). These heroes of faith believed the promises of God—though they never received what was promised in their lifetime—because they looked forward to a greater eternal reward (see verses 13–16, 39–40).

In what ways do we all exhibit faith? What is the difference between Christian and non-Christian faith?

What is the biblical definition of hope? How is it related to faith?

How does the record of faithful people in Hebrews 11 demonstrate that we can have confidence that God will keep His promises?

What confidence do you have that God will keep His Word?

What faith objects have you had in the past that have let you down?

Oh, what an expression has he used in saying “an evidence of things not seen.” For we say there is “evidence” in the case of things that are very plain. Faith then is seeing things not plain, he means, and brings what are not seen to the same full assurance with what are seen. So then neither is it possible to disbelieve in things which are seen, nor, on the other hand, can there be faith unless a person is more fully assured with respect to things invisible than he is with respect to things that are most clearly seen. For since the objects of hope seem to be substantial, faith gives them substantiality or, rather, does not give it, but is itself their substance.

John Chrysostom (AD 347–407)

Hebrews 13:7–10

Key Point

We can trust in Jesus because of the witness of other believers and the fact that Jesus’ nature never changes.

Key Verse

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Hebrews 13:8

T
he psalmist wrote, “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the L
ORD
, and who meditates on his law day and night” (Psalm 1:1–2). Faith is dependent on its object. To say that you should walk by faith begs the question, “Faith in what?” You cannot have faith in faith.

Jesus Christ is the only legitimate object of our faith, for two reasons. First, we can trust in Jesus because of the witness of those who have chosen
to believe in Him. Trusting in Christ results in our becoming new creations and believing that the truth sets us free. The writer of Hebrews says, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7). He doesn’t say we should imitate what they do or say. If their lives demonstrate what they believe, then we should imitate what they believe, because what we do or say is just a product of what we have chosen to believe. People don’t always live according to what they profess, but they always live according to what they believe.

The second and primary reason Jesus is the ultimate object of our faith is that He never changes. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). We learn to trust people who are true to their word and trust in things that have proven to be consistent. The most universally accepted faith object is the fixed order of the universe. We set our clocks and make plans according to the calendars. The world would be thrown into chaos if the rotation of the sun and moon suddenly changed. If we have that much confidence in the sun, why not in the Son who spoke the universe into existence and sustains all things by His powerful Word (see Hebrews 1:3)?

It takes time to establish trust in something or someone, because the process of building faith requires consistent and continuous behavior demonstrated over time. That is why human relationships are so fragile. It may take months or years to establish a great degree of trust in another person, but one act of unfaithfulness can destroy it. We can choose to forgive those who have betrayed us, but it often takes a long time to regain the trust that has been lost.

If God were to change or if His Word proved to be false, He would no longer be a legitimate object of our faith. Centuries of human history have proven that the nature of God is eternally consistent, as is His Word. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18). In other words, heaven and earth will pass away before the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet will disappear from God’s Word or be altered in any way. Critics have hammered on this anvil for centuries. The hammers and those
who wield them have fallen away, but the anvil of God’s Word remains the same.

How does the witness of those who have chosen to believe in Christ demonstrate that we can completely trust in Him?

How does the fact that Jesus never changes enable us to put our trust in Him?

How has the record of history proven God to be completely reliable?

In what ways are you imitating the faith of godly people in your life?

People always live according to what they believe. What are your actions saying about the object of your faith?

If they are not seen, how can you be convinced that they exist? Well, where do these things that you see come from, if not from one whom you cannot see? Yes, of course you see something in order to believe something, and from what you can see to believe what you cannot see. Please do not be ungrateful to the one who made you able to see; this is why you are able to believe what you are not yet able to see.

Augustine of Hippo (AD 354–430)

Romans 10:14–17

Key Point

How much faith we have is dependent on how well we know the object of our faith.

Key Verse

Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:4

I
f faith is dependent on its object, then the amount of faith you have depends on how well you know the object of your faith. If you know seven promises from the Word of God, your faith will be limited to those seven promises. If you know 7,000 promises, your faith will be greatly enlarged. “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17). You grow in your faith as you increase your knowledge and understanding of God and His Word.

Suppose a father stands his young son on a table, encourages the boy to jump into his arms, and then catches him. As the process is repeated, the father progressively steps farther from the table. His son continues to jump, because he trusts his father to catch him. Now suppose the father puts the boy on the limb of a tree and encourages him to jump into his arms. It is a little bigger leap of faith, but the boy jumps nevertheless because he believes his father will catch him. Would the boy jump from the tree into his little sister’s arms? Probably not. Even though the leap is the same, the object of his faith has changed. The ability of the best of fathers to be the perfect object of a child’s faith will diminish as he or she continues to climb the tree of life.

No matter how high we climb the tree of life, our heavenly Father will always be there for us, and we will feel safe and secure if our faith is rooted in Him. As little children, we bore our parents’ name and depended on them for our daily existence, but salvation has brought a change in our identity. We are now children of God, and our heavenly Father has become the ultimate object of our faith. We hear about Him from godly parents and Christian teachers, who instruct us in the ways of God. We read and memorize God’s Word and learn to live by faith according to what He says is true. In order to live a victorious Christian life by faith, we have to know the Word of God. It is presumptuous for us to step out in faith beyond that which we know to be truth. If we don’t know the truth, we can’t live the Christian life by faith.

Perhaps worse than not knowing the truth is deciding for ourselves what we want to believe—which makes us the objects of our own faith. Some self-initiated arbiters of truth try to manipulate God by cleverly worded prayers and claiming false promises by “faith.” That only brings disillusionment and despair. Some are disappointed in God because He doesn’t respond the way they thought He should. It is critically important to understand that God is under no obligation to us. He is only under obligation to Himself and His Word. He is a faithful Father who keeps all His promises, and He will never deviate from His Word.

Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Little children trust their parents. They believe what their parents tell them,
and well-trained children instantly obey without question. To mature in our faith, we need that same childlike faith.

How can believers increase their faith?

Why must the object of our faith change from when we were children? What is there about faith that shouldn’t change?

What is the result of people choosing for themselves what or whom they believe?

Do you believe that you have sufficient knowledge of God and His ways in order to step out in faith? Why or why not?

In what areas of your life do you feel God “stretching” you to trust in Him more?

Faith comes by hearing, because when we hear the holy Scriptures we believe in the teaching of the Holy Spirit. This faith is made perfect by all the things which Christ has ordained; it believes it truly, it is devout and it keeps the commandments of Him who has renewed us.

John of Damascus (AD 675–749)