Sunday: The Righteous Will Live by Faith
Read Hebrews 10:35-39. What is God saying to us in these verses?
Endurance is a characteristic of God’s end-time people, without which they will not be able to receive the promises (Revelation 13:10, Revelation 14:12). In order to endure, however, believers need to “hold fast” their faith (Hebrews 10:23, Hebrews 4:14).
Image © Kevin Carden Goodsalt.com
Paul has shown that the desert generation was not able to receive the promise because they lacked faith (Hebrews 3:19). Hebrews portrays believers as also at the threshold of the fulfillment of the promises (Hebrews 9:28; Hebrews 10:25, Hebrews 10:36-38) and need to exercise faith if they want to receive the promises (Hebrews 10:39).
Paul introduces his exposition on faith with a quotation from Habakkuk 2:2-4. Habakkuk had asked God why He tolerated the treacherous people who oppressed the righteous (Habakkuk 1:12-17). The prophet and his people were suffering; thus, they wanted God to act. God answered, however, that there was an appointed time for the fulfillment of His promise, and they needed to wait (Habakkuk 2:2-4). Habakkuk and his people lived, like us, between the time of the promise and the time of its fulfillment. God’s message continued in Hebrews, “He who is coming will come and will not delay” (Hebrews 10:37, NIV; see also Habakkuk 2:3).
The message refers to Jesus. He is the righteous one, the embodiment of faith who pleases God and provides life (Hebrews 10:5-10).
Why, then, would He “delay”? He won’t. He has already come to die for us (Hebrews 9:15-26), and He will surely come again at the appointed time (Hebrews 9:27-28; Hebrews 10:25).
God’s message continued: “my righteous one shall live by faith” (Hebrews 10:38, ESV). Paul states the same in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11. Romans 1:16-17, is especially enlightening because it explains that the righteousness of God is “revealed from faith to faith.” What Paul means is that God’s faithfulness to His promises comes first, and His faithfulness produces, as its result, our faith and/or faithfulness.
Thus, because God remains faithful to His promises (2 Timothy 2:13), the righteous, in response to God’s faithfulness, will remain faithful, as well.
| Why is it important to recognize that our faith results from and feeds on God’s faithfulness? How can we learn more to trust in His faithfulness to us and to the promises He has made to us? |
(19)
Faith is belief that it’s done already. “It’s” means whatever you ask God for or need. He knows what you need even before you ask. Also, the provisions are already there and timing is what you need to wait on,
Endurance means having the ability and strength to wait until it happens.
Christians believe some pretty weird things when viewed from a secular viewpoint. We often run out of arguments justifying our beliefs to the secular mind with something like, "We accept that by faith." It makes us feel good, but at the same time, the secular mind shakes its collective head, knowing that it is useless to argue with us.
This week, we should probably think a lot more about what faith really is, and what some of the somewhat cliche expressions we use really should mean.
I have visited the Australia Telescope near Wee Waa, NSW. It is a radio interferometer array telescope and consists of half-a-dozen dishes on railway tracks so that they can be moved appropriately for data collection. There are lots of displays in the visitors centre to explain the working of the equipment.
Most of the people who visit the site probably know very little about interferometry and are simply impressed by the optical interpretations that are presented to the public. All they get to see is the "Wow!" However for those of us who understand some of the physics and mathematics involved the optical images are just there for show. Radio signals from distant (100s of light-years away) arrive not quite simultaneously at the array of detectors over several hours. The signals are processed for several days to remove random noise and local artificial artefacts to reveal the clean, original signal. This in turn is used to provide data about what is (or I should say, "was") happening in that distant source. Not everyone involved in the operation of the telescope array knows all the detail of every process involved. There are probably mechanical engineers, charged with ensuring that the telescopes are aligned ad run smoothly on their tracks. There are electrical engineers who ensure that the signals are collected by the antennae and arrive at the processing equipment without the introduction of artifacts. Then there are the software engineers who craft the signal processing algorithms so the signal can be viewed and processed.
My point is that nobody at the array telescope understands everything in detail. They have to work together collectively by putting their faith in one another to achieve their goal.
We like to put a lot of emphasis on personal faith. That is important, but we also need to understand that faith works within the complex matrix of interacting persons with different perspectives but a common goal. Hopefully, that idea will help us understand a little more of what faith is.
So, Maurice, your essay did not end with the last paragraph I do hope you realized that you must do the conclusion because you must tell your readers (to include me) that when all of us as Gods people comes together in faith from different persuasion, we can become complete in Christ!
To use another metaphor, Ronald, the story of the grain of mustard seed did not end when it poked its leaves above the ground. There is more to the story of course. And the invitation is there for others to add their own continuation (I prefer that to "conclusion") Faith is a journey, not a destination.
Maurice, not to quibble about the use of words, though when it comes to the use of the word ‘Faith’, I suggest to be extra careful how we depict faith, especially using colloquial language.
To me, “Faith” is the single, absolute foundation of our Faith-based religion, the foundation of ‘what’ we believe and ‘how’ we apply that which we believe.
Without understanding this foundation properly, the spiritual structure build upon it cannot withstand the daily shaking which being truly ‘alive’ will bring about.
Yes, ‘faith is a journey, not a destination’, but most importantly, it is its beginning of our true life through Faith in God’s Word, making it impossible to start or experience the journey without faith.
Without this initial "stepping into the new, true life by faith", the paradigm-shift from works to faith will not take hold in the persons's life, nor can a person maintain faith if it was not firmly present at the beginning.
It is impossible to ‘please’ God without faith – Heb.11:16. If the bliever's purpose for this journey is to ‘please’ God, the journey ought to take place on a strong, unassailable foundation of unshakable, committed faith.
We sometimes spiritualise the concept of faith as though it is mystical. However, when I read Hebrews I find the "substance of faith" is rooted in practical activity. It is not "getting lucky with God".
Yes, Maurice - You might have noticed when reading my comments that at the heart of all my comments is *Faith and Love* - Love of God by believing that which He said is the Way of 'Truth and Life', and applying this Love of Him through practical service for our brothers and sisters; even of those who are not part of the brother- and sisterhood of the believers.
In all my comments I point out that Christiany is based on a 'living faith'; one has to live one's faith to show oneself faithful to the word of God.
My comment implied that 'Faith in the Word of God will transform the person's heart and mind and is expressed in the believer's life. Strong, unmovabel, unshakable living faith causes this believer's faith-based life to become unasailable when challenged with life's circumstances.
Because the true believer has chosen Faith to be his life's paradigm, they will be able to live life assured by the promises Jesus made to all who come to Him by faith - John 10:25-30KJV!
The LORD's promise is non negotiable, it remains the same whether humans accept it or reject it. He is faithful and will carry out His promise to be our God, our protector and provider, if we allow Him to transform our characters to be like His.
The author of the letter to the Hebrews uses their collective history to demonstrate this truth.
As a group at different stages they accepted the offer of a divine protector and provider however not that of a transformer and accordingly did not receive the promised rewards.
However the author of Hebrews shares the good news that many individuals accepted the complete package of the LORD's promise, that He would be their God and that they would be transformed to be His people. They trusted He knew what would be best for them in the long run and were happy to live according to His principles by the power He provided.
God is our Father, Creator and Redeemer. As we believe in and trust Him we become like Him by the power of His Spirit. As He is faithful, we become faithful because He promised.
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Great is God's faithfulness even unto us. Morning by morning His mercies we see(feed on His faithfulness). Pardon for sin, and a peace that endureth, His own dear presence to cheer and provide.
Even when we are faithless. He is faithful to us. 2Timothy 2:13. Inspiring us to let Him pick up the pieces and mold us into a child of God, presentable to our Farther. Truly the righteous in response to God's unwavering faithfulness will remain faithful as well. John 8:31-32. Who are the righteous? Those who don't refuse the drawing of His faithfulness and turn and or return to Him. Hebrews 7:25. Isaiah 55:7. I can visualize Christ hand extending to us, in that hand is the gift of faith, its up to us to to take hold of it, and depend on Him to help us utilize it. Like feeding the 5000 there is more than enough to go around. We can use the words of Christ and extrapolate it from physical nourishment to spiritual nourishment. Seek ye 1st the kingdom of God, and all His righteousness; and all these things(including faith) will be added unto you. Matthew 6:33.
Our reward for faithfulness to God in response to His faithfulness to us is; we enter into His rest. Hebrews 3:18-19. Because we have taken belief in Christ, and chosen to recieve His love and power, as a means to act on our belief, seeking His righteousness, letting Him transform us to faithfulness.
2Corinthians 3:16-18. Hebrews 10:20.