“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6, KJV)
The eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews provides an explicit model of what living by faith means and what it entails. The entire chapter shows the direct relationship between belief and physical action. In every instance, action was not based on clarity of direction or on a complete understanding of the purposes of God. Neither did believers require God to fully disclose or detail what He would consequently require of them following their initial step of obedience.
In every instance, these patriarchs chose to completely trust in the Word of the Almighty rather than allow their own intuitions and uncertainties to determine their courses of action. They were convinced that trusting in the character of the Almighty as being much more easier that to dwell on their own wisdom and on conventional thinking to head towards a future which they regarded as secure and certain.
These patriarchs had to obviously contend with every day decision making processes—the what, who, where, how, and when. Modern day believers have the benefit of knowing how the saga of faith will ultimately end as it has been clearly spelled out in the Scriptures for our edification. But these patriarchs of faith were not given a preview into things to come, neither did they have the benefit of opening a book that encapsulated all the promises of God in the same way we, as modern believers have the New Testament to aid our understanding. It must also be further noted that, unlike modern day Christianity, believing in a God they did not see was not popular or even culturally accepted. All the patriarchs had to hold on to was the instruction of God. They knew the who and the what, but did not know the where, how, or when.
Faith, when viewed through the testimony of these patriarchs, is where the supra-logical imposes itself over the logical. The reason why man cannot fully explain even the revealed purposes of God is because God’s purposes, methods, and means transcends human logic. It is not illogical but supra-logical.
Foresight and Faith
Foresight and faith are indissolubly bound to each other. Foresight is not omniscience. It is the ability to frame one’s actions toward the ultimate rather than the immediate and to do so requires faith. The veracity of faith is tightly bound to the object of faith. For one to simply act on faith that is not bound to an absolute is not faith but an emotional response to a specific circumstance, as such it is folly. The kind of faith the Bible speaks of is bound to the person and character of the Almighty God. Hence the faith of the patriarchs, their foresight to frame their actions toward the ultimate, was not based on an emotional response to a specific circumstance, but on the absoluteness of the Almighty. This is why it was not important for the patriarchs of faith to completely understand the where, how, or when simply because the Who and what are clearly established.
Actions and Faith
The actions of the patriarchs, following their decision to obey God, provides believers with a clear model of faith by demonstrating how that faith and action are eternally bound. Their belief in God framed the basis of every action.
As we peruse through the pages of Scripture, we will immediately come to realize that actions framed in faith were not easy. In fact, we will always find difficulty as the twin of living by faith. Could you imagine what difficulty Abraham faced as he bade farewell to his Father Terah, or how he explained what they were about to do with his wife Sarai? Or the difficulty Moses had endured as he led the children of
Apathetic Faith
Modern day believers have divorced faith from action. Worse still is that the modern day description of “living by faith” is bound to omission rather than to commission. A faithful Christian is characterized by what he or she does not do, but hardly are they characterized by what they do. So that as long as Christians are not involved in open sin, he or she is considered to be living a life of faith. The problem with this is that it is contrary to the model prescribed in Hebrews 11, where the emphasis was more on what they did to demonstrate faith, rather than what they did not do in order to prove their faith. This is not faith but ascetism.
I am utterly disconcerted by believers who get easily dissuaded the moment the first sign of a struggle or challenge to prove faith appears. They spiritualize their actions by falsely assuming that challenges make it clear that the present course of action is not the will of God. This is a pathetic and unbiblical attitude towards the purposes of God in their lives. It is a clear indicator that apathy and complacency—not faith—governs their thought processes and actions. They are not living by faith but by fear, and where fear is present, faith is non-existent.
When confronted, some believers would even go so far as to equate this fear with the will of God. How further can you get from the Scriptural model! This mindset now governs the lives of a majority of believers and is the reason why most believer live despicable, defeated, and hopeless lives. Modern day believers have somehow conditioned themselves to believe that as long as they attend all the services, read their Bibles everyday, and avoid sin, they are doing the will of God. Modern day believers have forgotten that the Christian faith is all about action; action that demonstrates the power of God despite our human frailties and weaknesses.
The Biblical Model of a Life of Faith
The believer’s life is one that by faith moves against the current; defying the logical in pursuit of the supra-logical. We have been tasked to rise above the realities and constraints of this present age in pursuit of the high calling of our Lord and Master. For the believer to live complacent and apathetic lives is against the purposes and calling of the Master. The fact is, as Paul states, it is impossible for men to please God apart from faith. It is impossible for bench-warmers or Christian spectators to please God regardless of pious speech or demeanor. He is not the God of words or appearances, but the God of action. Even the Greek word for the Word (logos) denotes activity and action.
The believer’s life must demonstrate a life that believes God in everything that he or she does—whether in Christian service, or in attending to the needs of the home, or in earning a living through business (1 Cor. 10:31)—and by belief I do not mean a simple mental or emotional agreement about what the Bible says, but a belief that drives believers by faith to defy the natural in pursuit of the purposes of the supernatural. As James clearly puts it, faith without works is dead and the dead cannot honor or glorify God. Paul clearly states that we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. By the use of the word conqueror, Paul intended to communicate that the believer’s life must be of faith in action. No conqueror withdraws from battle, and no conqueror ever conquers anything in mediocrity or at arm’s length. A conqueror is completely engaged and exposed—defying the elements at the forefront and frontlines of battle. We should not live in withdrawal but in engagement—a life of action that demonstrates the power of God through our frailties and weaknesses.
The believer’s life is not life of omission but of God-honoring commission—actions vividly demonstrating the veracity of our faith in the Almighty God; it is characterized by faith and action and by faith in action. Modern day believers have been led to live in ascetic sophistication where their withdrawal from anything and everyone becomes the bar for holiness and faithful living. A majority of believers today live in fear—fear that they might do wrong, fear that they might fail, fear that they might cause others to stumble; fear that they might rock the boat; fear that others might think ill of them; fear of this and fear of that.
Consequently, believers have convinced themselves that is safer to omit than commit. Such a mindset is regressive and is unbiblical in every respect. By omitting that which we should do, we commit that which we should not. By failing to commit to action, we immediately sin by omission. James makes it clear that if anyone knows to do good (the operative word being “do”) and does not commit to doing it, sins.
Modern day believer’s are so accustomed to “reel” faith and are oblivious to “real” faith. Their exercise of faith is framed by the perception and reception of others, much like an actor in front of a reel of film; they so clamor for the attention and approval of their peers that they completely minimize the approval of the Almighty. They act in piety but think in vanity.
Real faith is a result of a pure conviction and commitment to action. Actions that show how God works through earthen vessels to accomplish His purposes. Real faith cannot be divorced from action. A faithful life can only be characterized as such if it is dominated by faith and action and faith in action. Everything else is pious folly.
Conclusion
If your life is governed by the fear of the unknown, then you need to get to know the Lord and Master more deeply. It is indicative of compliance to human standards and not obedience to the Almighty. It is telling that you give more importance to how others would think of you rather than what God would think of you. Jesus Christ very clearly says that let our yes be a yes, and our no, a no, for anything beyond this is evil. He very clearly calls us to action, we must decide to act and we must make good on our commitment to action. Nothing pleases God more than for His children to prove His faithfulness, and experience His power in their lives on a daily, even on a moment by moment, basis.
God never promised us a trouble-free life, but He did promise to be with us and to guide us, and to provide us the power to overcome every obstacle or challenge we encounter(1 Cor. 10:13). I challenge you to remove yourself from complacency and apathy towards an engaging life, a life that proves the power of God on a daily and moment by moment basis.
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