A Faith Of Substance
Heb. 11:1 “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (KJV)
What does it mean that faith is the substance of things hoped for anyway? How can it possibly be the evidence of things not seen? What is the Hebrew writer trying to say here?
Faith is the evidence, the proof, the very reality of the things hoped for which are not seen. True spiritual faith shows the reality and the full realization of the thing promised and hoped for. Mere belief can do neither.
Rightly dividing the word of God is of vital necessity to a true understanding of biblical truth. And nowhere is this more crucial than right here in our study of faith. Faith can only result from believing that Word of God given for our faith's obedience (Rom. 16:26). Oh, how important it is that we know what truth is - that truth of God intended for our hearing - truth that can produce a true Living Faith -truth spoken of God for our faith's obedience.
We must study all of the word of God which has been preserved through the divine work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot pick and choose what we like and throw out what we do not like. It all fits together to present a complete message which is God’s scheme of redemption for mankind.
Wrong division of God's Word is one of the devil's most devastating devices. He cannot erase God's words, so he simply beguiles men into misusing and misapplying God’s Word. Satan first did this in the garden of Eden and he continues to use this tactic this very day. He convinced Eve that God didn’t mean what He plainly said. Look again at the first record of wrongly dividing God’s Word.
Gen.3:1-5
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said to the woman, Is it so that God has said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?2 And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden.3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.4 And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die,5 for God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as God, knowing good and evil.
Please notice how Satan first twists what God actually said when he speaks to Eve in verse one. Eve does correct him, but then what does Satan do? In verse four he tells her that she shall not surely die. This is completely opposite of the plain instruction that God provided. Satan reasons with her that God was afraid of them becoming equal to Him in knowledge. Isn’t Satan still using these same tactics today? Yes he is and we see it all around us. People do not believe the plain teaching of God regarding salvation. The false doctrine of once saved, always saved is so similar to Satan telling Eve that she would not die if she ate of the fruit, it should be easily seen as a doctrine of Satan’s.
"By faith Noah, being warned of GOD of things not seen as yet, moved with fear prepared an ark to the saving of his house..." (Heb. 11:7 ). Noah's faith secured for himself and those in his house the reality of the promise contained in that Word of God given to him. Would he and his family have escaped the physical death of the world-wide flood if he had not acted on God’s instructions? Of course not! Saving faith can only come by hearing, believing, and trusting in the Word of God. Until one fully trusts in the Word of God enough to act on their belief, there is no substance to their faith and it will not save them. It will remain unseen especially to God. God wants to see that we love Him and trust Him. He always has wanted that from us. Nothing we do can earn our salvation, but until we act in obedience of faith, we do not have salvation. God requires an appeal from us for a clean conscience according to the apostle Peter.
I Pet.3:18-22
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
I believe with all that I am that my sins were washed away in water baptism by Christ’s blood. I believe that because that is the plain teaching of the New Testament. I pray that everyone will learn the plain truth of God’s Word and be saved because I do not want any to perish and neither does God. Yet, few will find the way that leads to eternal life according to Jesus (Matt.7:13,14). Will you be counted among the few?
What does it mean that faith is the substance of things hoped for anyway? How can it possibly be the evidence of things not seen? What is the Hebrew writer trying to say here?
Faith is the evidence, the proof, the very reality of the things hoped for which are not seen. True spiritual faith shows the reality and the full realization of the thing promised and hoped for. Mere belief can do neither.
Rightly dividing the word of God is of vital necessity to a true understanding of biblical truth. And nowhere is this more crucial than right here in our study of faith. Faith can only result from believing that Word of God given for our faith's obedience (Rom. 16:26). Oh, how important it is that we know what truth is - that truth of God intended for our hearing - truth that can produce a true Living Faith -truth spoken of God for our faith's obedience.
We must study all of the word of God which has been preserved through the divine work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot pick and choose what we like and throw out what we do not like. It all fits together to present a complete message which is God’s scheme of redemption for mankind.
Wrong division of God's Word is one of the devil's most devastating devices. He cannot erase God's words, so he simply beguiles men into misusing and misapplying God’s Word. Satan first did this in the garden of Eden and he continues to use this tactic this very day. He convinced Eve that God didn’t mean what He plainly said. Look again at the first record of wrongly dividing God’s Word.
Gen.3:1-5
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said to the woman, Is it so that God has said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?2 And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden.3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.4 And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die,5 for God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as God, knowing good and evil.
Please notice how Satan first twists what God actually said when he speaks to Eve in verse one. Eve does correct him, but then what does Satan do? In verse four he tells her that she shall not surely die. This is completely opposite of the plain instruction that God provided. Satan reasons with her that God was afraid of them becoming equal to Him in knowledge. Isn’t Satan still using these same tactics today? Yes he is and we see it all around us. People do not believe the plain teaching of God regarding salvation. The false doctrine of once saved, always saved is so similar to Satan telling Eve that she would not die if she ate of the fruit, it should be easily seen as a doctrine of Satan’s.
"By faith Noah, being warned of GOD of things not seen as yet, moved with fear prepared an ark to the saving of his house..." (Heb. 11:7 ). Noah's faith secured for himself and those in his house the reality of the promise contained in that Word of God given to him. Would he and his family have escaped the physical death of the world-wide flood if he had not acted on God’s instructions? Of course not! Saving faith can only come by hearing, believing, and trusting in the Word of God. Until one fully trusts in the Word of God enough to act on their belief, there is no substance to their faith and it will not save them. It will remain unseen especially to God. God wants to see that we love Him and trust Him. He always has wanted that from us. Nothing we do can earn our salvation, but until we act in obedience of faith, we do not have salvation. God requires an appeal from us for a clean conscience according to the apostle Peter.
I Pet.3:18-22
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
I believe with all that I am that my sins were washed away in water baptism by Christ’s blood. I believe that because that is the plain teaching of the New Testament. I pray that everyone will learn the plain truth of God’s Word and be saved because I do not want any to perish and neither does God. Yet, few will find the way that leads to eternal life according to Jesus (Matt.7:13,14). Will you be counted among the few?
posted by Unknown at 10:22 PM
1 Comments:
Hi Joe! I just wanted to jot a brief comment to say what a great example I think you are with the theme of your blog. I really do appreciate your openness and your honesty in talking to others about your faith. Keep fighting the "good fight!" I hope you had a great Thanksgiving Day...:>)
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