Faith
This week is on Hebrews 11:1-3:
These verses fit together really well, despite the fact that they're only the beginning of a whole long list of examples of people who held strong to their faith. Faith, our belief in God's statements of reality, starts before we see what he describes. It's only fitting that his universe started off formless and empty.
Taking a moment to ponder the beginning of Genesis, it's hard to picture a world that can't be pictured, existing before the light to see it was spoken into being. Faith is the same way. It's there, but there is no way to access it, no way to even see it, until God has spoken it into being. If you think you're the only one to struggle with that, read about some of the stories Paul lists in Hebrews 11, about people like you and I, who are told to plan for things they can't see or even imagine.
God has spoken to us and brought us into an amazing world. When he tells us things, we have to trust him as if we saw them ourselves. In doing this, we are temporarily on the same page as God, of the same mindset, agreeing with him by sharing his perspective. It's more than just expecting things. It's putting your money where God's mouth is.
Noah is a good example of this mindset. He didn't just expect a catastrophe to destroy the earth. Any of us could have done that. Noah actively worked to do what God told him to do, even though it went against any common sense anyone could have had at the time. Nobody builds a giant boat in their yard based on a vague hunch, especially after being persecuted by their neighbors over it. He invested in God's view of reality, not in the view presented by the world around him.
Be side by side with God in your faith. Jesus said that people had no idea what they were getting themselves into by asking to stand at his right hand. I think you could say something similar about acting in faith. It's scary and unknown. All you have to go on is something which, in trying to explain it to others, is empty and formless. What are you getting yourself into? (Smart Alec answer: God's blessing.) Faith is where we're supposed to be, though.
Our salvation is based on faith. Have you ever tried explaining the gospel to an atheist? That look you get is a good indicator that what your atheist friend is hearing is formless and empty. If we're going to accept that that's true, how can we back down from accepting the other things God has told us? They can't be more preposterous than the gospel story!
So, if you're on the fence about something you believe God has said, because you can't see any evidence that it could be true, then quit being on the fence. It's supposed to be like that. Faith starts off formless and empty, gets hit with light, and then comes alive. If you're trying to come at it with science first, planning to then end up in belief, you're heading in the wrong direction.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
These verses fit together really well, despite the fact that they're only the beginning of a whole long list of examples of people who held strong to their faith. Faith, our belief in God's statements of reality, starts before we see what he describes. It's only fitting that his universe started off formless and empty.
Taking a moment to ponder the beginning of Genesis, it's hard to picture a world that can't be pictured, existing before the light to see it was spoken into being. Faith is the same way. It's there, but there is no way to access it, no way to even see it, until God has spoken it into being. If you think you're the only one to struggle with that, read about some of the stories Paul lists in Hebrews 11, about people like you and I, who are told to plan for things they can't see or even imagine.
God has spoken to us and brought us into an amazing world. When he tells us things, we have to trust him as if we saw them ourselves. In doing this, we are temporarily on the same page as God, of the same mindset, agreeing with him by sharing his perspective. It's more than just expecting things. It's putting your money where God's mouth is.
Noah is a good example of this mindset. He didn't just expect a catastrophe to destroy the earth. Any of us could have done that. Noah actively worked to do what God told him to do, even though it went against any common sense anyone could have had at the time. Nobody builds a giant boat in their yard based on a vague hunch, especially after being persecuted by their neighbors over it. He invested in God's view of reality, not in the view presented by the world around him.
Be side by side with God in your faith. Jesus said that people had no idea what they were getting themselves into by asking to stand at his right hand. I think you could say something similar about acting in faith. It's scary and unknown. All you have to go on is something which, in trying to explain it to others, is empty and formless. What are you getting yourself into? (Smart Alec answer: God's blessing.) Faith is where we're supposed to be, though.
Our salvation is based on faith. Have you ever tried explaining the gospel to an atheist? That look you get is a good indicator that what your atheist friend is hearing is formless and empty. If we're going to accept that that's true, how can we back down from accepting the other things God has told us? They can't be more preposterous than the gospel story!
So, if you're on the fence about something you believe God has said, because you can't see any evidence that it could be true, then quit being on the fence. It's supposed to be like that. Faith starts off formless and empty, gets hit with light, and then comes alive. If you're trying to come at it with science first, planning to then end up in belief, you're heading in the wrong direction.
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