GateKeeper
March 15th, 2009, 02:21 PM
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)
Have you ever given much thought to this verse? It might seem to be vague, and maybe even hard to wrap your mind around, but there is a meaning present in these words that we all need to understand. I think we need to understand what faith is, so we know that we are in fact walking in it.
I think many people confuse belief with faith. We can believe in eternal life. We can believe in God. We can believe in Gods Son. We can even believe in the tooth fairy, but belief is simply a conviction that something is true. Faith on the other hand, is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.
Before we can establish faith in something, we must first have hope. Faith comes only after we act in accordance to that hope, and is then strengthened by substance. For example: There is an old chair sitting in the corner. You believe the chair will support your weight. It is your hope that it will support you, but you don't know for certain until you sit in it. You have to act in faith, and in accordance to your hope before your faith is substantiated.
Once you sit in the chair, and it does support your weight, then you have experienced substance, and have therefore established a certain amount of faith in the chairs ability to support you. Your faith is then evidenced, and further shown by repeated sittings in that particular chair. Thus, faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen. Evidence being our works of faith.
That was a simple illustration, but the same principles apply when it comes to establishing faith in Christ. What I'm suggesting is that faith is never blind. Faith is based on experience. For instance, I had little faith when younger, but later in life I developed a hope that I could become who God wanted me to be..
My natural self is selfish, prideful, and disobedient to Gods will. I was much like the prodigal son, who spent his life squandering all that His Father gave him. You see, It wasn't until I was in such a shape, and enthralled in hopelessness that I sincerely turned to our Father in Heaven.
I began to study the scriptures, so I might understand what He expects from me. By doing so, I realized that God desires my complete dedication to Him, my complete dedication to His son, and to know them through His word, and through the Spirit He has given us. He wants us to be filled with His grace. Grace being the substance of our Faith.
As I began to desire the things of God, and by trusting in Him more than myself, He started working on my pride, and selfishness. I obviously never got anywhere good by trusting in my ways. My ways led me to destruction, but Gods ways are far above my own. I somehow knew that if I simply trusted in Him, He would develop in me what He desired.
After falling time and again by my insistence to continue to serve my selfishness, I slowly came to rely on Gods will, and He became my strength. He became my provider; not just in thought but in application also. What I mean by this is that I began to experience the substance of my faith in Him. He is replacing my selfishness with a heart to serve Him. The void I once tried to fill with selfish desire, He is filling with His grace. Simply because I first had a desire, and hope to be what He wanted me to be. He is replacing my natural, earthly, disobedient self with a transformed self geared for His service.
It is written in Romans 10:17 that, Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
As I began to study scripture, I learned more and more about His son. I started to trust in Him, and in His words. My hope is being met with open arms. Christ is leading me into Gods will, and is filling me with Gods love and influence.
When I act in accordance to my hope, (Trusting in Christ) I experience the substance of that hope. The substance being Gods influence on me. My faith is being substantiated by His grace. God's Grace being the love and influence He places in the hearts of those who love, and have Faith in Him.
You see, my faith is being established because I initially acted according to my hope. My hope is being validated by the grace of God. I can't see His grace, but His Grace is experienced deep within myself. I am experiencing the substance of my hope, which is the love, and influence God has placed in me.
His Grace is further evidenced by the 'fruits' of the Spirit that I allow myself to experience and display. These “works”, or fruits are love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, humility, patience, and self control. I am not yet as God wishes me to be, (I'm not yet perfected) but through my Faith in Christ, and through my love for God, I am being transformed.
We need to examine humility also, as God gives Grace to the humble. He gives Grace to those who are faithful, and who submit to His will. Pride is not an option when it comes to God, as He resists the proud. To be humble is to submit oneself, taking a lower station, and not being proud or arrogant in disposition. A person cannot be humble when they view themselves to be better than another, or when viewing others to be unworthy.
A good way to remain humble is to NOT gauge ourselves against others, but against God Himself. When we do this, we realize that we ourselves are insignificant. We are but dust and ashes, but we are also of great value when we allow Christ to work through us.
There is no way that we can be full of self pride when we see our selves in light of Gods own majesty, and greatness. Even Christ in His perfection, humbled Himself and became obedient to God, even unto death. The truth is that we can do nothing of ourselves, but we can do all things through Him who strengthens us.
Consider what Jesus said in John 15:1-5
Joh 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
Joh 15:2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch t
hat does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
Joh 15:3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
Joh 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it
abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
Joh 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it
is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Christ Himself always glorified, and gave credit the Father. Christ said that He is the true vine, but that His Father is the “vine dresser”. We as believers are, in effect, extensions of Christ. We are the branches stemming from the true vine.
God is the vine dresser; those who bear no fruit, He takes away, but He prunes those of us who bear the fruits of righteousness, so we might bear more fruit through His grace.
This is a very humbling reality (We can do nothing of ourselves). We can do nothing apart from Christ, but when we humble ourselves, and place our faith in Him, we become Gods vessels whereby we produce the fruits of righteousness.
Humility is necessary, as God resists the proud. He can't use you when you insist on doing things your way. We have to humble ourselves under God will, and trust in His ways before we experience His grace. When we do this, He uses us, so we might make increase, and help lead others to Him.
Consider 1 Peter 5:5-7:
1Pe 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble.
1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt
you in due time:
1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Paul tells us this:
Eph 2:8 For by “grace” are ye saved through “faith”; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
We are saved by Grace through Faith, so in light of what has been said thus far, I think it safe to conclude that we must humble ourselves, and have Faith before we can realize salvation, or experience Gods grace in our lives. God resists the proud, bur give grace to the humble.
Paul goes on to say:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
We are not saved by our works, but by Grace through faith. The works Paul is talking about in that passage are works done of ourselves, and not the works produced by the Grace of God. The works Paul is speaking of are the kind of works where we attempts to earn our way into Gods Kingdom, as opposed to those works that His Grace produces in us.
We cannot earn our way anywhere when it comes to God, for it is by grace that we are saved through Faith. Appropriate works come only by Gods grace, and are carried out only by those whom walk in true Faith.
Remember, grace comes through faith, but we must first have a hope for something, and then act according to that hope before our our faith is substantiated and strengthened.
Let me try to explain what I mean:
When our faith is sufficient, and when we have humbled ourselves before God, the Grace gained naturally produces "evidence", which are “works”. James tells us that “Faith without works is dead.” Without the evidence of our faith, then our faith is false.
We know that we are walking in true faith when we are producing good works. The works being fruits of the Spirit, which derive from God grace.
Consider Galatians 5:5-6
Gal 5:5 For through the “Spirit”, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the “hope” of righteousness.
Gal 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only “faith working through love”.
Continued ....
Have you ever given much thought to this verse? It might seem to be vague, and maybe even hard to wrap your mind around, but there is a meaning present in these words that we all need to understand. I think we need to understand what faith is, so we know that we are in fact walking in it.
I think many people confuse belief with faith. We can believe in eternal life. We can believe in God. We can believe in Gods Son. We can even believe in the tooth fairy, but belief is simply a conviction that something is true. Faith on the other hand, is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.
Before we can establish faith in something, we must first have hope. Faith comes only after we act in accordance to that hope, and is then strengthened by substance. For example: There is an old chair sitting in the corner. You believe the chair will support your weight. It is your hope that it will support you, but you don't know for certain until you sit in it. You have to act in faith, and in accordance to your hope before your faith is substantiated.
Once you sit in the chair, and it does support your weight, then you have experienced substance, and have therefore established a certain amount of faith in the chairs ability to support you. Your faith is then evidenced, and further shown by repeated sittings in that particular chair. Thus, faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen. Evidence being our works of faith.
That was a simple illustration, but the same principles apply when it comes to establishing faith in Christ. What I'm suggesting is that faith is never blind. Faith is based on experience. For instance, I had little faith when younger, but later in life I developed a hope that I could become who God wanted me to be..
My natural self is selfish, prideful, and disobedient to Gods will. I was much like the prodigal son, who spent his life squandering all that His Father gave him. You see, It wasn't until I was in such a shape, and enthralled in hopelessness that I sincerely turned to our Father in Heaven.
I began to study the scriptures, so I might understand what He expects from me. By doing so, I realized that God desires my complete dedication to Him, my complete dedication to His son, and to know them through His word, and through the Spirit He has given us. He wants us to be filled with His grace. Grace being the substance of our Faith.
As I began to desire the things of God, and by trusting in Him more than myself, He started working on my pride, and selfishness. I obviously never got anywhere good by trusting in my ways. My ways led me to destruction, but Gods ways are far above my own. I somehow knew that if I simply trusted in Him, He would develop in me what He desired.
After falling time and again by my insistence to continue to serve my selfishness, I slowly came to rely on Gods will, and He became my strength. He became my provider; not just in thought but in application also. What I mean by this is that I began to experience the substance of my faith in Him. He is replacing my selfishness with a heart to serve Him. The void I once tried to fill with selfish desire, He is filling with His grace. Simply because I first had a desire, and hope to be what He wanted me to be. He is replacing my natural, earthly, disobedient self with a transformed self geared for His service.
It is written in Romans 10:17 that, Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
As I began to study scripture, I learned more and more about His son. I started to trust in Him, and in His words. My hope is being met with open arms. Christ is leading me into Gods will, and is filling me with Gods love and influence.
When I act in accordance to my hope, (Trusting in Christ) I experience the substance of that hope. The substance being Gods influence on me. My faith is being substantiated by His grace. God's Grace being the love and influence He places in the hearts of those who love, and have Faith in Him.
You see, my faith is being established because I initially acted according to my hope. My hope is being validated by the grace of God. I can't see His grace, but His Grace is experienced deep within myself. I am experiencing the substance of my hope, which is the love, and influence God has placed in me.
His Grace is further evidenced by the 'fruits' of the Spirit that I allow myself to experience and display. These “works”, or fruits are love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, humility, patience, and self control. I am not yet as God wishes me to be, (I'm not yet perfected) but through my Faith in Christ, and through my love for God, I am being transformed.
We need to examine humility also, as God gives Grace to the humble. He gives Grace to those who are faithful, and who submit to His will. Pride is not an option when it comes to God, as He resists the proud. To be humble is to submit oneself, taking a lower station, and not being proud or arrogant in disposition. A person cannot be humble when they view themselves to be better than another, or when viewing others to be unworthy.
A good way to remain humble is to NOT gauge ourselves against others, but against God Himself. When we do this, we realize that we ourselves are insignificant. We are but dust and ashes, but we are also of great value when we allow Christ to work through us.
There is no way that we can be full of self pride when we see our selves in light of Gods own majesty, and greatness. Even Christ in His perfection, humbled Himself and became obedient to God, even unto death. The truth is that we can do nothing of ourselves, but we can do all things through Him who strengthens us.
Consider what Jesus said in John 15:1-5
Joh 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
Joh 15:2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch t
hat does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
Joh 15:3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
Joh 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it
abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
Joh 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it
is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Christ Himself always glorified, and gave credit the Father. Christ said that He is the true vine, but that His Father is the “vine dresser”. We as believers are, in effect, extensions of Christ. We are the branches stemming from the true vine.
God is the vine dresser; those who bear no fruit, He takes away, but He prunes those of us who bear the fruits of righteousness, so we might bear more fruit through His grace.
This is a very humbling reality (We can do nothing of ourselves). We can do nothing apart from Christ, but when we humble ourselves, and place our faith in Him, we become Gods vessels whereby we produce the fruits of righteousness.
Humility is necessary, as God resists the proud. He can't use you when you insist on doing things your way. We have to humble ourselves under God will, and trust in His ways before we experience His grace. When we do this, He uses us, so we might make increase, and help lead others to Him.
Consider 1 Peter 5:5-7:
1Pe 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble.
1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt
you in due time:
1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Paul tells us this:
Eph 2:8 For by “grace” are ye saved through “faith”; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
We are saved by Grace through Faith, so in light of what has been said thus far, I think it safe to conclude that we must humble ourselves, and have Faith before we can realize salvation, or experience Gods grace in our lives. God resists the proud, bur give grace to the humble.
Paul goes on to say:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
We are not saved by our works, but by Grace through faith. The works Paul is talking about in that passage are works done of ourselves, and not the works produced by the Grace of God. The works Paul is speaking of are the kind of works where we attempts to earn our way into Gods Kingdom, as opposed to those works that His Grace produces in us.
We cannot earn our way anywhere when it comes to God, for it is by grace that we are saved through Faith. Appropriate works come only by Gods grace, and are carried out only by those whom walk in true Faith.
Remember, grace comes through faith, but we must first have a hope for something, and then act according to that hope before our our faith is substantiated and strengthened.
Let me try to explain what I mean:
When our faith is sufficient, and when we have humbled ourselves before God, the Grace gained naturally produces "evidence", which are “works”. James tells us that “Faith without works is dead.” Without the evidence of our faith, then our faith is false.
We know that we are walking in true faith when we are producing good works. The works being fruits of the Spirit, which derive from God grace.
Consider Galatians 5:5-6
Gal 5:5 For through the “Spirit”, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the “hope” of righteousness.
Gal 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only “faith working through love”.
Continued ....