Substance of Faith

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”  Hebrews 11:6

I’ve been meditating on this verse for a couple days.  Then I read it again like this:

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that:

  1. He is,
  2. and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

Faith is essential.  And you cannot claim to be a person of faith if you don’t truly believe He “is” – but also (and this is the one so many people struggle with) that He is a rewarder.  Finally, part of faith is “diligently seeking Him.”  That means not giving up when we don’t understand in our natural minds how He is going to come through.  We don’t have to understand… we have to trust!

Faith = Trust

That is why “…faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  Faith is all about believing when we don’t understand.

But here’s where it gets really interesting – “without faith it is impossible to please Him.”  Ouch!

Add to it “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:38).  Ok, so if we are “just” (righteous before God [Merriam-Webster])  we will live by faith.

But wait a minute, aren’t all those who have been saved made righteous through the blood?  Yes – so what that means is that demonstrating a life lived by faith is proof you have received salvation.  Uh oh – the converse of that is that if you do not live by faith… um, you might want to reconsidered if you are truly saved!  Why is that?  Well, it all comes back down to trust.  Do you believe that “He is”?  And have you truly received Him?

Faith is such a stretch for us.  We get so caught up in people “thinking we’re crazy” and being “logical” or whatever.  All the while our primary concern should be being obedient to God.  What has He told us to do?  What has He promised us?  Act on those things.  Wait on those things.  “He is.”  And He is faithful… we should be “fully persuaded that, what He [has] promised, He [is] able also to perform” (Romans 4:21).

Thank You Lord for being.  Thank You for Your faithfulness and for being a rewarder.  Help me to understand what “diligently seeking You” looks like.  I want to be found “just”.  Increase my faith Lord.  I desire to be pleasing to You.  I stand fully persuaded that You are who You say You are and that You will do that which You have promised.  You are my strength and my firm foundation – I will not be shaken!

I praise You Lord… may my life bring You glory!

9 Replies to “Substance of Faith”

  1. You are pleasing to him, and your life certainly does bring him glory. Your faith is ever growing… I’m sure he must be proud of you.

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