Faith

Today we will be looking at the issue of faith and why it is so important in our journey with God. The author of the book of Hebrews really tries to get to grips with what faith means and why it is so crucial in the growth and development of every believer. Although the author of Hebrews is something of a mystery, the book is clearly written as a defence of Christianity to a people steeped in Old Testament law and struggling to hang on to the truth of the gospel.

While the author builds the argument by declaring Christ’s supremacy and deity, and follows with a warning about not falling away or continually going over the basics (see Hebrews 6:1—6:3), we also come to the question of faith. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as ‘being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it’ (New Century Version). All too often we neglect the necessity to activate faith in the now! Our default is a tendency to talk about faith in the past, as a trophy of days gone by, or as a ‘one-off’ burst of belief that led us to receive Jesus as Lord of our lives. Let us not neglect faith in the present and for the future; what are we hoping for today? What is God revealing to us about tomorrow? Have we stopped searching God for the unseen possibilities of ‘now’ and responding in such a way that displays courageous belief?

Just maybe, God wants to reactivate, today, the faith that has been overtaken by the things of the world? A question for you and me to decide, I think…