Religious preference, baseless belief, credulity, stepping out in the dark… What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘faith’?
“Different strokes for different folks”, it is said. Admittedly, faith is multi-faceted, but that doesn’t confine it to the realm of subjectivity as many often suggest. Going by Hebrews 11, faith does have a pivotal purpose, and that probably explains why it features prominently in the Christian narrative. Not only do we start our journey with and by faith, we continue on that journey by faith.
In the earlier referenced passage – Hebrews 11, we see believing faith as substantial, reasonable and recognisable.
- Substantial Faith
Believing Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see – in this case, the goal of the Christian faith. Naturally, we experience a gap between what we see now and what is promised; faith is what bridges that gap. It is the substance of hope that leads to action; actions that inevitably reveal our belief.
- Reasonable Faith
Believing Faith is a reasonable trust in God’s Word. It is not a blind faith that expects you to suspend rational thinking when it comes to matters of ‘faith’. Neither is it the gullibility of believing any and every subjective claim labelled as ‘truth’. Rather, biblical faith engages our minds and helps us understand, and even exclaim ‘oh I get it!’
- Recognisable Faith
Believing Faith is recognisable, as it was in the ancient heroes of faith. The famous Hebrews 11 ‘hall of faith’ lists men and women who believed and acted upon God’s promises. Even though many of them did not see those promises fulfilled in their lifetime, they were commended for their faith.
The fairly newly released children’s book Everyone a child should know is aimed at young children, but as an adult, I find it enlightening reading about the lives of ordinary people who dared to live lives of faith ‘oh so recognisable’!
Are you believing?
Looking back, some of God’s promises have been fulfilled in the history of ancient Israel. By the same token, we have warrant to believe that God is who He says He is, and future promises will be fulfilled. In the meantime, we keep on believing, more so in light of Jesus’ death and victorious resurrection.
While truth claims are often proven by experience in Empiricism, and by repeatable experiment in Science, Biblical faith offers the believer the ability to grasp what is objectively true without having seen it. This act of faith is not a one-off question of ‘have you believed?’ rather an ongoing (less grammatically correct) question of ‘are you believing?’
Faith is not merely important for persevering, it is indispensable. Therefore, let’s not settle for a Christian life lived from a distance, but draw near with full assurance of faith (Hebrews 10:22).
Thanks for reading!
Sike Osinuga