But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God must first believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Faith is a deep-rooted trust or conviction about the truth of anything. In regards to God, it is the deep-rooted trust and conviction that He exists. In relation to Jesus Christ, it is the trust and conviction that He paid the debt for our sins on the cross, died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day so that whosoever believes in Him (has faith... trust in Him) shall not perish but have everlasting life.
I keep going back to these definitions because faith is the prerequisite to any positive interaction with God. It is by grace through faith that we are saved. It is by faith that we understand the worlds were framed by the word of God. It is by faith the elders (i.e. the Bible heroes) obtained a good report. Faith is needed for salvation and spiritual growth. Since faith is so important, we must remember what it is. Faith is not a series of practices and beliefs... that is religion. Faith is not our 21-points of doctrine. Our 21-points of doctrine are basic Biblical truths that are fundamental to Christianity, but they are not faith. No, faith, simply defined, is trust in God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
This faith is once delivered to the saints, as you can only be saved through faith once (and you can not lose it). We are to defend our faith (by being ready to give a reason to those who question the hope that is within us.)
This faith should affect the way we live (the just shall live by faith.) It should be the reason we live morally and study God's Word. It should be the reason we live the way we live.
Faith should be the reason we abstain from alcohol. True, there is no verse that says "Thou shalt not drink Budweiser," but the truth is that drinking alcohol affects our ability to "be sober and vigilant." One beer may not make you drunk, but has it benefitted your soberness and vigilance? Has it helped you grow closer to God? Has it increased your faith? Or is it a small step in the wrong direction?
Faith should be the reason we abstain from sexual immorality. Sexual immorality flies in the face of God's plan for one man and one woman to be married. Sexual immorality means more than two people have cleaved together. What God has joined, man is putting asunder daily. If we trust God and His plan, we should be willing to approach love, marriage and romance from a Biblical point of view.
The reason we should study our Bibles is to get to know God better and thus grow our faith. Furthermore, our faith should move us to action.
However, without faith, it is impossible to please God. Without the deep-rooted trust and conviction about God's existence, none of our morality will please God. Our abstinence from alcohol will mean nothing. Our sexual purity will have accomplished little more than helping us avoid a litany of diseases. Bible study, without faith, is boring and pointless, because it doesn't please God.
The reason actions without faith does not please God is that our existence is not about us. It is about God. That's the way He wants it. Without faith, we make it about ourselves, and that is pride, and the LORD resists the proud, but gives grace to the meek.
So, let's spend time praying to God, that we may grow to know and trust Him more, and that our faith will grow through our study of His Word. Make it all about Him, and not our "works of righteousness." Trust God. Trust Christ. It's what He wants.
No comments:
Post a Comment