Jun 21
27
Scripture Reading: Hebrew 11:1-12:2
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 11:1–12:2, ESV)
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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
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Introduction
Time will not permit us to consider in detail the entirety of the passage that we have just read. I will eventually focus my attention on verses 1-2 of Hebrews 11, and will make passing references to the remainder of the text throughout the sermon.
If you have not already guessed it, the subject of today’s sermon is faith.
Remember what Paul said at the conclusion of 1 Corinthians 13 which we considered two Sundays ago: “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13, ESV). In the past two Lord’s Days I’ve exhorted you to love one another, to hope in God, and today I wish to encourage you to persevere and to grow in your faith, for these three things remain — faith, hope, and love — and they are vital to the Christian sojourner. If you wish to sojourn well — if you wish to persevere and to serve the Lord faithfully in this world — you must be strong in faith, hope, and love.
So what is faith?
Stated simply, faith is trust.
And we know that faith is the instrument whereby sinners receive the gift of salvation.
How can a sinner be right with God, have the forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting? Can he gain that through law-keeping, by doing good works, or by performing some religious duty? The scriptures are so very clear that salvation cannot be earned by us, but must be received by faith. Salvation is a gift from God. It cannot be earned. As the Apostle Paul teaches, if salvation were earned it would not be a gift, but a wage (see Romans 4). Wages are earned. Gifts are freely given and are received. Salvation is a gift from God, and so it must be received. It cannot be earned. And so faith is the instrument whereby sinners receive this gift of salvation. Faith is the open hand by which we receive the free gift of God offered to us in Christ Jesus.
So faith is trust. And to be saved sinners must trust, not in themselves, nor in any other created thing, but in Christ alone. And why must sinners trust in Christ alone for salvation? Answer: Because he has earned it for us. He lived a life of perfect obedience for us. He paid the price for our sins by dying in our place. He rose from the dead for us, he ascended to the Father for us, and he will return for us. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him. He has earned our salvation, and so we must trust in him to receive it.
This is what the scriptures say:
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—” (Philippians 3:8–9, ESV)
“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 3:21–24, ESV)
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV)
So, Christ has earned our salvation, but we come to be saved through faith, and this faith is itself the free gift of God. Through faith, through faith, through faith. Faith is the instrument by which we receive the salvation that Christ has earned for us.
I have defined faith as trust, and that is what it is. But more needs to be said, lest we fall into error.
It should be clear to all that in order for faith to be true and saving faith, certain truths must be known. Faith is trust, but we cannot trust without knowledge. How can you trust in someone or something that you do not know? To have true and saving faith one must understand the basic teaching of Holy Scripture. Of course, one does not need to be a master theologian to be saved. But it is required that a person know the gospel. We must know something of who God is, of who we are, of our sin, and of God’s plan of salvation in Jesus Christ. We must know who Christ is and what it is that he has done for us. We must know what we must do to be saved, etc. Knowledge is an essential element of faith.
And so too is assent. To assent to something is to approve of it or to agree with it. It should be clear to all that for faith to be true and saving there must be assent. Merely knowing what the Bible says about God, man, sin, and salvation in Christ does not save you. There have been many people who have studied the scriptures and know the doctrines of scripture very well who then say, but I don’t believe it. They may readily admit that the scriptures teach that God is Triune, that man is in sin, that Christ was and is the eternal God come in the flesh, that he was virgin born, that he lived a sinless life, died, and rose again — they may know and understand all of these doctrines — and then say, but I don’t think it’s true. I probably don’t need to tell you that that is not true and saving faith. That is merely knowledge without assent. To have true and saving faith we must know what the scriptures teach and assent to or agree with the teaching of scripture.
And now we come full circle to trust. The one who has true and saving faith does not only know certain things, nor merely believe those doctrines to be true, but also trusts in God, in his word, in the precious and very great promises that are contained within, and ultimately in Christ. Faith that is true and saving trusts in the person of Jesus Christ. The one who has saving faith runs to Jesus Christ for refuge, depends upon him, and rests in him for the forgiveness of sins and for life everlasting. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, ESV). It is not merely facts about Jesus that must be believed. No, we must believe in Jesus Christ, that is to say, trust in him.
So it is possible, then, for someone to know the Bible very well, and even to assent to the teaching of scripture, saying, “I agree it is true”, but to not saving faith, because there is no trust in their heart. Perhaps in their pride, they still trust, not in God, in Christ, and in his finished work, but in themselves or in the church, or in some other thing.
To say that faith is trust is true, but it is prone to misunderstanding. More precisely, saving faith is trust in Jesus Christ. And to know who he is, what he has done, and why he is worthy of our trust, we must go to the scriptures. We must know what the scriptures teach and assent to their teaching. So, the one who has saving faith does in fact trust in God, in his word, and in the Savior that he has provided for us, Christ Jesus the Lord.
So faith is the instrument through which we receive the gift of salvation. Christ earned our salvation. And that salvation must be received. How do we receive it? Not through obedience, not by going on a pilgrimage, not by giving a sum of money or making some other sacrifice. No, salvation is not something we can earn; it is not something we can pay for. Salvation must be simply received, and so it is received by faith. Faith is the open hand by which we receive the gift of salvation.
All of that is so important to understand, but it is really not the main point of the sermon today. Here is the thing that I want you to notice this morning: The Christian life does not only begin with faith, it also continues in faith. Stated differently, not only do we come to receive the gift of salvation by faith — yes, we are justified, adopted, and sanctified the moment we believe upon Christ — we also go on to walk by faith. Faith is not something that we discard after using it to receive the gift of salvation. No, true saving faith perseveres, it grows in the heart and mind, and it produces throughout the Christian life. The Christian begins with faith and also walks by faith, and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Really, this is the focus of Hebrews 11. This passage is not so much about the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Instead, it is about the product of faith in the life of the believer. Faith — true saving faith — will persevere, and it will produce faithfulness in the life of the believer. In other words, faith that is true and saving will remain in the heart of the believer, it will grow, and it will produce the fruit of obedience.
This is what Hebrews 11 is about. Not so much the faith that receives salvation, but the faith that continues in it and grows. It is one and the same faith, of course. We trust in the same God, the same promises, and the same Savior from beginning to end, but the perspective is different. The faith that receives the gift of salvation in the beginning may be described as a hand held out. But the faith that is described here in Hebrews 11 looks more like a walk.
Can you see the difference between these two aspects of faith? First faith receives, then faith walks. True saving faith will involve both things. First, we receive Christ, then we walk in him. This is what Paul exhorts us to do in Colossians 2:6-7: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6–7, ESV).
Now, it is important to distinguish between the receiving and the walking. We are saved — justified, adopted, and sanctified — not by the walking, but by the receiving alone. Salvation is a gift, remember. It cannot be earned by walking. It can only be received. But this same faith that receives the free gift of salvation will surely produce a faithful walk in us. So the receiving and the walking must be distinguished, but they cannot be divorced. This is why Paul said, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6–7, ESV).
I’m afraid that many in our day emphasize the receiving, but neglect to talk about the walking. Men and women are urged to believe in Christ. And so they are called to walk down and isle and to say a prayer, but they forget to urge them to walk with Christ from that day forward. The who believe in Christ are to be baptized and taught to observe all that he has commanded. These are to join themselves to Christ’s church. These are to have Jesus as Lord. And do not forget the warning of Christ: “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:22–23, ESV)
True and saving faith first receives, and then it walks. We are saved through the receiving only, and not by the walking. But true faith will produce a faithful walk. If there is no faithful walk, then one should not be sure of true and saving faith.
The focus of Hebrews 11 is not the open hand of faith, but the walk of faith. The writer to the Hebrews (maybe Paul) is saying, if your faith is true, this is what it will produce. It will produce a faithful walk.
The Hebrew Christians to whom this letter was written needed to hear this. They were under enormous pressure to turn back from following Christ and to return to Old Covenant Judaism. The whole letter argues against this as it shows that Christ and the New Covenant inaugurated in his shed blood is far superior to the Old Covenant, for the New Covenant is the fulfillment to the Old (this is a marvelous book that I hope to preach through someday). But here in chapter 11 the writer to the Hebrews ceases from his theological augmentation (somewhat) to urge the Hebrew Christians to walk worthily by holding before them examples of the faithful men and women who had gone before them — Able, Enoch, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, David, and others.
These were all justified by faith (this we know), but these did also continue in faith. They walked faithfully even while suffering persecution, and in some cases, martyrdom. They suffered faithfully because they truly believed in God, in his precious and very great promises concerning Christ who would come, and their hope was set, not in this world, but in Christ and in their inheritance in the world to come. It is truly a marvelous chapter and one that is worthy of very careful consideration (Lord willing, we will come back to it someday).
But let us turn our attention now to the first two verses where faith — that is the faith that resides in the heart of the believer; the faith by which we are saved and now walk — is defined. There we read,
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.” (Hebrews 11:1–2, ESV). I would like to spend the remainder of this sermon considering these two verses.
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Faith Is The Assurance Of Things Hoped For
First, we learn that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for…”
Do you remember what hope is? It is the expectation of some good thing. Hope is always forward-looking, remember. Once we receive the thing that we hoped for, hope disappears, for we have it as our own. And yes, people hope for all kinds of things. But the hope that is mentioned here is clearly Christian hope. It is hope, not for earthly things or sinful pleasures, but for the things of God. It is a hope rooted, not in our passions and desires, but in God and for the things that he has promised to us in his word.
Do you see the difference? Some who are sinful will read the words, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for…”, and they will think if I only believe then I will have the desires of my heart met. It is no wonder that so many feel as if God has let them down. They hoped in God for a time, but instead of hoping in God, believing that he would accomplish his will, and keep his promises, they hoped that God would accomplish their will and fulfill all of their desires. It is no wonder they are disenchanted now, for they expected things from God which he never promised.
You may read the remainder of Hebrews 11 again to see what it was these “people of old” hoped for. And as you do you will quickly realize that it was not earthly comfort, prosperity, or safety. If this is what they hoped for, then they would not have followed after God. No, their hope was set in God, in Christ, and in the life to come.
Able hoped in Christ and for the forgiveness of sins that is found in him when he offered up that bloody sacrifice on the altar in obedience to the command of God. He knew that the forgiveness of sins would come through bloody atonement, and so he worshiped God according to God’s command and with faith in his heart. God received him, and his brother, being driven by jealousy, killed him. Able’s hope was not set here on earth, but in God and in his Christ.
Abraham forsook the pleasures of this world. “By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:9–10, ESV). You will find this word “promise” throughout Hebrews 11. The hope mentioned in verse 1 has to do, not with any and every wish of ours, but hope in the promise of God concerning a Savior, the forgiveness of sins, and a new heavens and earth. Did you hear it? Abraham did what he did — he walked by faith — because he understood and hoped in the promises of God and looked “forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God”. You may see Hebrews 12:22 and 13:14 to know that this is no reference to an earthly city, but to the heavenly Jerusalem, the new heavens and new earth.
“By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:24–26, ESV). Did you hear that? When Moses left Egypt to side with the Hebrews he did it for Christ, for he knew that it was better to be found in Christ than to enjoy the respect and pleasures of this world.
Verses 13-16 prove the point, saying, “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city” (Hebrews 11:13–16, ESV).
Clearly, when the writer to the Hebrews speaks of “hope” he does not mean, whatever hopes and dreams happen to reside within your heart, but rather, the believer’s hope in God, in the promises of God, in Christ, and all of the benefits that he has earned for us. The “hope” that is mentioned here is hope in something particular. It is not nebulous and undefined hope, nor is it hope determined by the passions and pleasure of fallen men. No, it is hope in God, in his precious and very great promises, in Christ, and in what he has earned for us.
I belabor this point a little because I do believe this is a real problem today. Men and women have gotten the impression that God has promised them health, wealth, and prosperity in this life, when in fact he has not. Think of how devastating this lie is. God has promised us health, wealth, and prosperity. He has promised to protect us from all harm, and my loved one has died, my health has deteriorated, I am struggling financially, etc. Conclusion: God has let me down. He has not kept his promises to me.
What is the problem with this way of thinking? Simply this: never has God promised his people health, wealth, and prosperity. Never has he promised to keep them from all harm. Have you read the scriptures, friends? Did you hear about what happened to Able? Have you considered the trouble that Abraham and David faced? Think of what the prophets of old endured. Think of how the world treated Christ and his Apostles. So not, the problem is not with God and his faithfulness, but with you and your expectations. He will keep every one of his promises. Not one will fail. But you need to pay careful attention to what he has said in his word.
Christ was very honest with his disciples so as to guard against unrealistic expectations. In John 16:33 we hear him say, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, ESV).
If I tell my child I will take them to get ice cream today and then I do not, then I am rightly accused of letting them down. But if I make no such commitment then I cannot be accused of letting them down. Their disappointment may be real, but they have no right to accuse me of unfaithfulness. And so it is with you and with God. Perhaps you have experienced heartaches and disappointments in life. The sorrow that you feel concerning those things is perfectly legitimate. Bring those sorrows to God. But you will not come to him if you think he has let you down. So be very careful to understand what God has promised you, and what he has not, lest you blaspheme the name of God by imputing unfaithfulness to the One who is ever faithful.
So then, hope has reference to God and to the promises of his word. And we are told that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for…” So there is a relationship between faith and hope. Hope is forward-looking. It is the expectation of having something good. In this case, it is the expectation of fellowship with God in the new heavens and earth through Christ. So the things that we hope for are off in the future, but faith is the present assurance of these things that we hope for. Faith reaches out and grabs ahold of these future blessings and brings them into our hearts so that they are in fact ours today.
“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for…”, the ESV says. I think that is a fine translation. But I prefer the NKJV in this instance. It says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for…” When will we enjoy the substance of the things that we hope for? Well, when they come, of course. We hope for the new heavens and earth, and we will enjoy the substance of the new heavens and earth when they arrive. But here we are told that by faith the believer enjoys the substance of these future blessings even now. In Christ, the new heavens and earth are yours now by faith, you see.
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Faith Is The Conviction Of Things Not Seen
And then the Apostle adds these words: Faith, is“the conviction of things not seen”. This statement is very similar to the previous one, but it is not exactly the same.
“Things not seen…” That encompasses more than the phrase “things hoped for” does. We do not see the things that we hope for with our eyes, do we? The new heavens and earth, or glorified bodies, the manifestation of the glory of God, etc., are invisible to us. We look forward to these things, and we “see” them not only with the eyes of faith. But there are other things that we do not see and yet are convinced of that do not fit into the category of “things hoped for”. Do you see God presently? No, but by faith, we know he exists. Did you witness with your eyes the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ? No, but by faith, we are certain that these things did happen. And did you witness the creation of the world by God out of nothing in six days? No, but by faith, we know it is true.
So then, these unseen things do not fit into the category of future hope because they are either past events or present realities that are beyond our sense perception. And yet we know them to be true. How so? By faith. Faith in what? Faith in God and in his word. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for…” and it is “the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, ESV).
You will notice that the writer to the Hebrews mentions the creation of the world expressly in verse 3, saying, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible” (Hebrews 11:3, ESV). How do we know this? It is by faith. We know this because God has revealed this to us in his word. No one was there to witness the creation of the heavens and earth, and yet we know that they were created by the word of God and out of nothing because we believe God’s word.
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By Faith, The People Of Old Received Their Commendation
“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, ESV). And in verse 2 we read, “For by it [that is, faith] the people of old received their commendation” (Hebrews 11:2, ESV).
“People of old” might also be translated as “elders”. The context makes it clear who the writer is referring to. He means the faithful who lived under the Old Covenant. What follows is a sampling of some of them — Able, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, etc..
But the point is this, these Old Covenant saints received their commendation from God by faith. They lived with this assurance of things hoped for, and this confidence of things not seen, and it produced a faithful walk in them, leading to commendation from God. Other translations say “approval, a good testimony, or a good report.
I will repeat what I said earlier. The focus of this passage is not faith which receives justification, but faith that produces a faithful walk. It is one and the same faith, of course. But it is faith considered from a different vantage point.
If I put it into question form, I think it will become clear. What propelled these “people of old” — Able, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, and all the rest — to live faithful lives, lives that God commanded or approved of? It was faith.
These people really hoped in the promises of God so much so that they possessed the substance of those promises in their hearts even as they sojourned on earth. They were truly convinced of God’s promises, of the coming of Christ, of the salvation that he would bring, and of the new heavens and new earth. In fact, they were convinced of many other things that they could not see with their physical eyes — the creation of the heavens and earth out of nothing, the existence of God, and his sovereignty over all things, etc. They had faith. Real deal faith. And they walked by this faith, not by sight.
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Conclusion
To bring it all home I will ask you this, who in their right mind would choose to endure persecution or Amsterdam, to abandon the treasures and pleasures of the world, to stand alone with the whole world against you for the sake of Christ? Answer: Only those who have real deal faith. If you do not have the assurance of the precious and very great promises of God in your heart, and if you are not convinced of the truthfulness of the things that God has revealed in his world — things that you cannot see with your physical eyes — then you will not walk faithfully my friends. And neither will you be commended by God. You may appear to walk faithfully for a time, but the trials and tribulations of this life, or the threat of the loss of the treasures and pleasures of this world, will soon derail you.
So, brothers and sisters, be sure that you are strong in the faith today. That is what Paul commands in 1 Corinthians 16:13, saying, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13, ESV). Yes, faith is a gift from God. But the scriptures do also call us to grow strong in the faith and to persevere in it.
This will require you to examine yourself. Paul commands this in 2 Corinthians 13:5, saying,
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5, ESV). The Lord’s Day Sabbath is a wonderful day for self-examination. Examine yourselves today to see whether you are in the faith. Is your faith strong or is it weak?
And be resolved, brothers and sisters, to continue in the faith, steadfast. Paul commands this in Colossians 1:21-23, saying, “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister” (Colossians 1:21–23, ESV). Persevere, brothers and sisters. Yes, I know that God will preserve all who are him. But he will do this, in part, through the exhortation of the scriptures to persevere. And so I say to you, persevere! “Continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard…”
So then, how can you grow stronger in the faith?
One, by knowing God’s word and the precious and very great promises that are contained within. Read God’s word, brothers and sisters, and be eager to hear preached and taught. If you wish to grow stronger in the faith then take advantage of every opportunity to hear the word of God read, preached, and taught. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17, NKJV), the scriptures say. “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4, ESV)
Two, daily clothe yourself with the whole armor of God so that you may fight the fight of faith. And we know that it is through prayer that we clothe ourselves for this battle. Pray daily, friends. Pray throughout the day.
Three, be mindful of the schemes of the Evil One whose highest aim is to destroy whatever faith you have. Do not be naïve concerning his schemes.
And lastly, lean upon one another in the church. This is one of our primary responsibilities in the church — to encourage one another in the faith. Paul and his companions traveled from region to region, and from church to church, to minister the word of God in those places. Listen to how his ministry is described in Acts 14:21, and with this we close: “When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:21–22, ESV)
Dear brothers and sisters, let us continue in the faith, for “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”, and by it we will receive our commendation from God.
