Faith is essential to life. Think of all the things in life you put faith in. We sit in a chair and have faith that the chair will support our weight. When we drive, we have faith that when we cross a bridge, it won’t fall. I’m sure you can come up with many more. Then there’s the choice of who we put our faith in to give us truth.
Do you have faith in politicians? Public school? News reporters? These are all fallible humans, and you must use discretion. A wise person will place their faith in God. He has given us everything we need, including the only way to eternal life. If you listen to the world, you’ll become confused and probably make very poor decisions. If you place your faith in God, then you’ll be much happier. God has given us Scripture in order to guide us. Scripture was penned by men but inspired by the Holy Spirit.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
If you are faced with a choice, turn to Scripture for guidance. It will teach you how to make choices that please God, or reveal whether or not the church you want to attend is built on a foundation in Christ; it will show you where you need to make changes in your life, and much more. We must have faith in God and desire to please Him.
Our “instruction in righteousness” begins in Genesis. Adam and Eve had all they needed; it was a perfect life for them. Then, Satan entered the Garden, twisted God’s words, and because they chose to believe Satan over God, they ate the forbidden fruit and lost everything. Sin and death are a part of our life today because of the misplaced faith of Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, and they had children. The first son was Cain, who grew up and became a farmer. They also had a son named Abel, who was a shepherd. When Adam and Eve tried to cover their sin with fig leaves, God demonstrated that blood had to be shed in order to cover their sin.
“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21).
The skins came from an animal; its blood was shed to cover their shame. The blood that was shed showed them just how ugly sin is. It also showed them that blood had to be shed to take away sin.
“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).
Cain and Abel were taught about sin and the blood sacrifice by God for covering their parent’s sin. People haven’t changed much since Eden. We know God’s truth but choose to do things our own way. So it was with Cain. When it was time to sacrifice to God, Cain brought a so-so sacrifice before God. He brought the fruit of the ground. That’s not the sacrifice that was required, but it was all that Cain was willing to sacrifice; Abel brought a sacrifice that God required.
“And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell” (Genesis 4:4-5).
Isn’t that just like people today? We aren’t careful to give our best to God, and we do things our own way. Then when God doesn’t bless our efforts, we blame God. Scripture tells us how to please God, but too many Christians either don’t study Scripture, or they twist God’s words like Satan did when talking to Eve. God demonstrates that marriage is between one man and one woman, but Satan lies and questions God’s truth. God commanded that we don’t kill, but Satan lies and says an unborn baby is just tissue, so kill it if it’s inconvenient. Satan always lies.
God doesn’t want us to sin, and Scripture is our guide in all things. It’s in our nature to sin, but we need to control our sinful thoughts and acts.
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
How can we do that? Sin often looks like fun, but it isn’t. There’s always a consequence to sin. You may be the life of the party on Friday night, but when you wake up in the hospital after a drunk driving accident, that’s not fun. Do you say hurtful words? Look what Satan’s words did to Adam and Eve and all of humanity. Your words can either lift someone out of depression or crush their spirit. What if your words are the final push they need to commit suicide? Jesus tells us our words matter.
“But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).
I know I’ve said many things that I’m not proud of. Will my words condemn me? Will yours condemn you? More about that later. There is hope for us all.
As we read through the book of Hebrews, we come to a list of names of people who stepped out in faith. Were these people perfect? No, but they did have faith. Where do you put your faith? Is it in God, or is your faith in fallible humans?
“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3).
Instead of trying to make Scripture align with man’s ideas, trust Scripture. God created all things in six days, just like Scripture says. He spoke, and the sun, moon, and stars appeared. He spoke, and the earth was filled with grass, trees, and all of the critters we love so much. He created Adam, and He took Eve from Adam’s side. This makes so much more sense than billions of years of evolution. We all have faith in something, but it’s important to put your faith in God.
In Hebrews chapter 11, we see a list of men and women who weren’t perfect, but each one stepped out in faith to accomplish what God asked of them. The first in the list is Enoch.
“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5).
Scripture doesn’t give us a detailed account of how Enoch pleased God, but because of his faith he was raptured prior to God’s judgment. Christians will also be raptured prior to God’s coming judgment.
“But without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Faith is important to everybody, but your faith must be in God Almighty. “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19).
The devils don’t repent. You cannot just give lip service to God, but you must repent and truly believe. Do you have faith in God? Has that faith changed your life?
Hebrews 11 goes on and lists Noah, whom God asked to build an Ark to protect him and his household through the flood. Because Noah was wise, he listened to God and followed the directions God gave in order to build the Ark. Noah must have been confused about what he was building and why, because there had never been a need for such a boat. It’s good that Noah obeyed God; because of his faith, humanity was saved from the flood.
We read of Abraham having faith to leave his pagan home behind and follow God’s directions to a land promised to him by God. Abraham and Sarah were very old, but God promised Abraham that he would be the father of the great nation of Israel.
“By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:9-10).
Abraham was very old when Isaac was born but was faithful to obey God when asked to sacrifice his son. “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son., Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure” (Hebrews 11:17-19).
Isaac had fulfilled the promise God made to Abraham that he would father a great nation, but Abraham obeyed when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham had faith and knew that somehow God would fulfill His promise even if his son Isaac was sacrificed. God did have a plan. Abraham, the father, was willing to give Isaac, his son, as a sacrifice. This is a foreshadowing of God the Father sacrificing His only begotten Son. Jesus.
Keep in mind that God never requires human sacrifice. Jesus was God’s son, so his pure blood was shed for the redemption of sinners. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, but His mother was human. In that way, His blood wasn’t tainted by the sin of Adam, but He was fully human, so He qualified as our Kinsman Redeemer. When Abraham had raised his knife to sacrifice his son, God stopped him
“And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou has not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son” (Genesis 22:11-13).
Many more names are listed in this roll call of people who walked by faith with the Lord.
Faith is the basis of salvation. All of the men and women listed in Hebrews chapter 11 had faith in God and allowed their faith to guide them. We can learn great lessons if we study the lives of these men and women. In this list is a harlot named Rahab; she lived in Jericho. When Joshua was about to attack that city, he sent spies into it. They met Rahab, who protected them and helped them escape.
“And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you” (Joshua 2:9).
Then she named the many ways God had protected the Israelites as they wandered. “And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath” (Joshua 2:11).
That’s faith. She married a Jewish man named Salmon, and they are listed in the genealogy of King David, and of Jesus.
That brings me around to condemnation. Will our words condemn us? All of us sin and don’t come close to the perfection required by God. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Our words and our actions will condemn us, but God had a solution for our eternal separation from Him. The solution is Jesus.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18).
The words we say and the things we do may not always be pleasing to God, but we are saved by faith through the grace of God. “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” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
We are all sinners, but if we repent of our sin and truly have faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, our sins are forgiven through the blood sacrifice of Jesus.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).
The words and the confession must be your own; nobody can make the decision for you. Then live your life as a testimony to God. Step out in faith and accomplish things that you never thought possible. Abraham never thought he and Sarah would have children, let alone establish the Jewish nation. Enoch walked with God, and his faith is a foreshadowing of the Blessed Hope Christians have of the Rapture prior to the Judgment that is approaching fast. There is no other way to be forgiven of sin and have eternal life with Jesus than by faith.
Do you have faith? If not, your time is running out. You must repent of sin and place your faith in Jesus now while you live on this side of Heaven. He will forgive you, not condemn you.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
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All original Scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.
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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).