Much of life is about faith. We have faith that our car will get us to school or work. We have faith that an elevator in a building is in working order. We have faith that the crew of the airplane we fly in knows how to fly the plane. We have faith in people to manage our bank accounts, teach and care for our children, pay us for work, and repair our car.
Faith is essential in the Christian life. The writer of Hebrews tells us that faith is the one absolutely necessary quality required to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Even if we were to possess every other Christian virtue, they would not be sufficient to override the absence of faith.
Faith is not merely intellectual belief. Churches generally accept and promote a statement of faith which reflects core beliefs agreed upon and held to. Agreement with such core beliefs does not fully constitute faith. The writer of James states: "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder" (James 2:19). Faith that is, shall we say, only one layer deep can result in vastly different life responses.
It has been said that the faith that saves is faith that works. Such is the message of the book of James: saving faith manifests itself in appropriate action. It is like the story of the daredevil who strung a wire across the mighty Niagara Falls and proposed to walk across the falls on the wire while pushing a wheelbarrow. He asked a man in the curious audience if he believed this feat could be accomplished. After repeated affirmations, the daredevil finally requested that the man get in the wheelbarrow. The real test of faith was believing action.
Faith is power: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith" (Romans 1:16-17). Faith in the gospel empowers us for salvation, such that God's righteousness is transferred to us via faith in the saving work of His Son, Jesus.
Today is a venture of faith. We each will face many unknowns, but our faith is in the Creator of all who reigns supreme over His creation. Our faith trusts that He will work life circumstances for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28), and that working faith in the finished work of His Son is and will result in our salvation. Faith gives us confidence in the ultimate outcome even as we walk by faith through life's unknown.
Keep faith walking, dear friend.
©Steve Taylor, 2022 --Used by permission
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