Faith

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…

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them (Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-16).

Do you believe that man walked on the moon? Do you believe that William Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet? Do you believe that germs can make you sick? Do you believe that Ronald and Nancy Reagan really loved each other?

How do you know that these things are true? Some claim that man never set foot on the moon, that the whole thing was faked in a secret television studio. Some believe that Shakespeare took the credit for another person’s work. Have you ever seen a germ? And even if you have looked through a microscope, how do you know that the little wiggling thing you saw can actually make someone sick? And as to the Reagans, how can you be certain what was really in their hearts?

We believe in things that we cannot see. I believe that the Great Wall of China exists, even though I’ve never gone to see it. I believe that John Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence, even though I was not in Philadelphia that hot July day in 1776. I believe that ultraviolet rays make my skin tan, even though I cannot see the radiation. And I believe that my wife loves me, even though I cannot read her thoughts.

These are all examples of faith—believing in something that you cannot see. Hebrews says, faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Faith is what makes us different from animals. Animals live for today in a world they can experience with their five senses. But human beings are not so limited. We think about things that cannot be experienced with the senses. We make plans for a future that we hope will come to be.

Paul says in 2nd Corinthians chapter five, We live by faith, not by sight. As Christians, there are several things we believe in and hope for, things that cannot be seen or proven. Nevertheless we are sure of them, and we take these beliefs into consideration as we make decisions about things and lay out plans for the future.

First of all, we believe in God. We believe that the universe is not the result of accidental evolution, but that it was hand-crafted by a Master Architect. Scripture says, every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything (Hebrews 3:4). We believe that God is loving and that we can depend on Him; James tells us that Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17). And we believe that He is righteous, rewarding good and punishing evil; Psalm 145 says The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

We also believe in Satan. Ages ago, the devil tried to overthrow God’s rule. But God is far stronger than Satan, and so the evil one was defeated. Knowing that he cannot win a direct battle with God, Satan switched tactics—since God loves humanity, the devil has made us his primary target. He tries to destroy us as a way to cause God pain; while God loves us, Satan views us as nothing but pawns to be used for his own evil purposes. Satan does everything in his power to separate us from God. He tries to convince some people that God is far away, that He doesn’t get personally involved in our lives, or that He doesn’t exist at all. Satan leads the fearful to believe that God is too angry at them to ever forgive their mistakes. He convinces others that they can do whatever they want, because a loving God would never punish anyone. And the devil encourages many to believe that they are such good people that God must reward their outstanding behavior. Satan tells all these lies in order to get us to abandon God, show Him disrespect, or take Him for granted.

Neither God nor Satan can be seen, yet they are the two most powerful forces in the universe, and they both have a significant impact on whether our days are filled with peace and hope or stress and fear.

Something else we believe in, but cannot see, is heaven. Although God is everywhere, heaven is His home, the place from which He rules. Paul was given a glimpse of heaven, but all he could say of the experience was that he heard things that cannot be put into words, things that man is not permitted to tell (2 Corinthians 12:4). In his vision of heaven, John heard joyful singing. On one occasion, Jesus described it as paradise; another time He compared it to a festive dinner party. But access to heaven is restricted; only those made clean by Jesus are admitted. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, those who worship false gods and everyone who loves and practices falsehood (Revelation 22:14-55).

Just as much as we believe in heaven, we also believe in the prison called hell. Hell was created by God as the place where Satan and his followers will be incarcerated forever. Isaiah describes it as a place of being always tormented by fire, yet never dying from the pain; a place of constantly decaying health that never ends with the release of death. Jesus says that hell is a place of darkness, filled with sounds of weeping and cries of frustration. This is God’s final punishment for all who do not believe in Jesus Christ.

Neither heaven nor hell can be seen, yet the wise person is concerned about which place awaits his soul and he lives his life accordingly.

Angels are all around us, yet we cannot see them as they go about their work. God sends them to help and protect us; Psalm 91 says He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. Sometimes angels take on human form to interact with us; Hebrews chapter 13 says Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Angels make God’s will known to us, nudging us in the right direction when we are so wrapped up in ourselves that God is pushed into the background.

Just as we believe in angels, we also believe in demons. Satan was an angel, and when he took on the role of devil, the angels who followed him became demons. Demons are at work in the world all around us, causing sickness, provoking acts of rage and violence, luring people into sexual encounters outside of marriage. Fallen angels tempt us to overeat and overspend while ignoring the needs of the poor and weak. Demons find the same joy in tormenting us as a sadistic child does in pulling the wings from a fly and watching it limp around in pain.

Neither angels nor demons can be seen, but we still experience their presence in our daily lives, gently pushing or rudely shoving.

Lastly, we believe in God’s promises. God promised to forgive all the ways in which we anger Him. That promise is fulfilled in Jesus. God sent His Son to die for our sins, suffering the punishment we deserve for dancing to Satan’s tune. Jesus experienced all the horrors of hell while on the cross, so that when we die heaven can be our place of rest. Jesus made this terrible sacrifice out of love for us, and He offers us the benefits of His death for free. We do not need to repay Him—indeed, such a thing would be impossible. Jesus makes this clear when He says, what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26) No, rescue from punishment in hell is a gift freely given, having only one stipulation: that we love and trust in Jesus as God’s Son and our Savior. The Gospel of John says, God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life…Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son (John 3:16, 18).

God promises salvation to those who trust in Jesus, but He also promises judgment on those who do not submit to Christ. Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). Peter said, Salvation is found in no one else (Acts 4:12). John wrote, No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also (1 John 2:23).

God and Satan are invisible. Heaven and hell cannot be seen. Angels and demons go about their business undercover. But Jesus came to live in our world. Crowds listened to His words. Peter, James and John saw His glory. Thomas touched the crucifixion scars in his hands. Jesus lived, died, and rose from the dead. The New Testament is written by people who were witnesses to these incredible events.

We may feel a little jealous that they saw what we cannot. But Jesus praises faith like ours: blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29). Peter reassures us, Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:8-9).

Faith is about living your life as if unseen things are real. Faith leads you to make decisions that are based on hope alone. Everyone lives by faith to some extent—faith that the sun will come up tomorrow, faith that washing a cut will prevent infection, faith that when someone makes a promise they will keep it. But this kind of faith is limited—it offers no release from guilt, it offers no hope for life after death. To live life as it should be experienced, we need faith in Christ—faith that our lives are valuable and have a purpose, faith that old hurts can be forgiven and enemies can become friends, faith that good is stronger than evil. You cannot see such things; you can only hope that they are true. But Jesus is a miracle-worker, and faith is one of His greatest miracles. He gives you faith in what lies unseen, so that you might have life, and have it to the full.