True Faith

Background Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-40; 12:1-3
Lesson Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-3, 6, 10; 12:1-3

Introduction

Faith is at the core of the Christian experience, for “without faith it is impossible to please [God]” (Heb. 11:6). It is the channel by which the penitent soul receives Christ, and it is by faith he walks the Christian way. Through faith he anticipates a future heavenly reward.

May God grant us the insight to understand how faith is planted in our hearts and how to walk the walk of faith. As we study this lesson, may we allow our heavenly Father to lead us in the true and living faith of the patriarchs and church fathers.

Key Verse

We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak (2 Cor. 4:13).

Lesson Scripture

Studying the Lesson

Hebrews 11 is an explanation of the tremendous role that faith plays in Christian life. Here, faith is explained, and a record is found of many faithful patriarchs who, against all odds, chose to believe in the almighty God. They left a ringing testimony still echoing through history that there is victory through faith in God for believers of all ages.

Since the fall of man, all are born depraved with the seed of sin. Paul, writing to the Romans, says, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing” (Rom. 7:18). We have no inherent power or capacity to generate faith of ourselves. God looked down in mercy and formed a plan to redeem fallen man. Despite the completeness of the salvation plan, the human race, lacking the faith to believe in it, would be stranded without any means to access the grace of God. Seeing our dilemma, God in his great mercy provides for this deficit by giving each of us a measure of faith as a free gift. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). This gift is without qualification or respect of person. God delivers this measure of faith to every man (Rom. 12:3). As it is planted in the heart and allowed to grow, it will enable us to see our lost state and find repentance. Though it is possible that our individual dispositions incline some to a greater faith than others, all receive an ample amount with which to believe and be saved.

When it comes to accepting faith, God will not intervene with the will to believe. God has provided salvation to redeem fallen man, given the Word and the Holy Spirit to call lost man, and has predisposed the human race to faith. He has provided a remedy for all the pitfalls that man may face. All he asks from us is the decision to grasp these promises and claim them as our very own. To reach out and grasp our undeserved salvation is perhaps the essence of faith. John the Revelator aptly wrote, “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17). The rejection of this most benevolent offer is possibly the greatest sin one could commit. Countless souls will be lost because in unbelief they turned away from the outstretched hand of mercy.

The intangible element in faith confounds the intellectual mind. To the carnal mind it is elusive, yet the Scriptures point out that true faith is a substantial reality. The Bible uses “substance of things hoped for” and “evidence of things not seen” to describe faith. A living faith is anchored in unseen heavenly things, which are more real and trustworthy, the Scripture says, than earthly securities.

Abraham looked for a city whose builder and maker was God. He left his home country for a foreign land with the promise that his descendants would be as the sand of the sea. Abraham could not immediately see how these promises would be fulfilled; in fact, there were times when it looked impossible that they could come to fruition, yet “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness” (Gal. 3:6). His life and actions, prompted by faith, lent substance and evidence to that which was promised by God. He could follow an unknown way with confidence because he was looking beyond that which was currently seen to something bigger and grander, though unseen. Reason would have said it was impossible, but Abraham chose faith.

Practical Truths for Today

“I just need more faith” is a common expression when someone is asked about their Christian walk. A greater faith, we conclude, would rid us of assailing doubt and troubling worry and fear. “Am I really saved? Did I tell the full truth when I shared my new birth experience many years ago? Am I really a Christian?” Some of these thoughts can plague us until there is little joy left in our world. We are advised that faith is the remedy, yet it seems like a cryptic message; some days we feel we have it, and other days it has slipped away, leaving us so burdened. If only we could be certain in our Christian life and could attain to a level of faith that would answer all the wondering. How we long for a strong faith!

God will come gently to just such a distraught soul with a reminder of all that He has provided: his mercy, grace, salvation, and love. He reminds us that it is not really faith that we need but Him. We need his touch of love, his hand on our shoulder, and his whisper of assurance in our ear. Faith, though important, is only an avenue through which all these great blessings are channeled into our hearts and lives. Too many times we strive for faith as a point of achievement when we should view it as a conduit within which God’s blessings flow. Faith is not as important as the object in which we place our faith. We should be looking—which is faith—to Jesus rather than feverishly trying to generate more faith.

True Christians believe in the doctrine of justification by faith as it is taught in the Scriptures. By the title of this doctrine, we could suppose that faith is the means by which we are justified. However, taking a step inside this doctrine reveals that it is Jesus’s blood that is our justification. Through faith we are able to access Christ’s atonement, and therefore, it is the means by which we are justified, not justification of itself.

We place faith in something that we associate with value, be it good or bad. Some trust in their intellect, some in their paycheck. For others, it may be an insurance policy or a new health remedy. The confident in nature may even have a certain faith in their own faith. When our worship or devotion is upon an object or a symbol instead of God, it is a dishonor to Him. This illustrates how faith and love work together. We can put our faith in good things such as church membership, but that too may indicate a misplaced faith.

A faith that is superficial, that is, only a claim or a declaration, will not make a fundamental difference in one’s life. Our faith must exceed this to be of a saving nature. James writes extensively about the relationship between faith and works. He explains that the evidence of true faith is the change it causes in one’s life, using the example of Abraham willingly sacrificing his only son. If his faith had only been lip service, it would have failed the test. We need faith like Abraham’s that acts even if it comes at great cost to the flesh. This was the faith of the apostles, the faith of our martyr brethren, and the faith of our brethren who conscientiously objected to taking part in the great wars of the twentieth century. The false belief that we will be saved regardless of our actions may influence us more than we care to realize.

“Genuine faith embraces all the truth as taught in the Scriptures and held by God’s church. Many times the sacred writers use the term ‘the faith.’ This is no coincidence. The doctrine and principles of the Word have such an affinity with faith that their entirety is known simply as ‘the faith’.” 1 The Lord has provided the church as a haven for the faithful; within her walls, faith is encouraged and succored.

As Jesus’s time on earth was nearing its close, He asked a thought-provoking question: “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). The call to true faith is a rallying cry to courage. Millions before us have conquered; we have a cloud of witnesses who have faced every conceivable difficulty with faith and courage. Let us cast aside every weight, going forth in the original apostolic faith, and battle courageously. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).

Illustration

There is a drawing in Martyrs Mirror of a man with outstretched arms reaching down to rescue someone who has fallen through the ice.2 The floundering man’s arms are reaching up to grab the proffered hand of his rescuer.

The story is that of Dirk Willems, who found himself hotly pursued by a thief-catcher who sought to apprehend him because of his faith. Dirk made his escape by fleeing across some thin ice which his pursuer, attempting to follow, broke through. Seeing his pursuer’s life in danger, Dirk returned and saved his enemy. Ultimately this cost him his earthly life, but he was ushered into glory.

Looking at the picture, a parallel emerges—Christ, the unappreciated, reaching out his arms of mercy to us, the drowning ones. We would be shocked if the thief-catcher had not cooperated and reached out for his rescuer’s hands. He would not have if he had not believed that he could be saved, yet sometimes we do just that. Our Rescuer stands at the edge of the hole in the ice with outstretched arms, and we withdraw our hands in unbelief. We say he can’t do it, at least not now. Oh, that all would choose to believe in Him. All we need to do is hold out our arms to him in faith, and He will rescue us from our miserable state.

Questions

1. How is faith increased? (Rom. 10:17)
2. What does it mean to stagger at the promises of God? (Rom. 4:20-21)
3. What is the difference between confidence and faith?
4. Is an innate sense of confidence a help or a hindrance to faith?
5. How should a Christian respond to fantastic, “super faith” spirits that are lifted up in nominal Christendom?
6. 1 Bible Doctrine and Practice, p. 137-138
7. 2 Martyrs Mirror, p. 741
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).