Faith and Sight

In both our staff meeting this week and the Wednesday evening prayer gathering, Hebrews 11 was our text—the faith chapter.

So what is faith?  “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:1).  If we’re only attentive to what we can see, and touch, and manage, and control, we’re not living by faith.

Of course, we do need to operate in the realm of the visible.  It’s not wrong to value concrete, measurable, physical realities; it’s not wrong to track finances, health metrics, and time allocation in our daily lives.  But doing such things involves sight, not faith.

What’s more, it’s urgent to remember that faith isn’t an achieve­ment of some kind; it’s not something we muster up and assert by willpower.  If it were, faith would be a kind of human perform­ance, a “work.”  But we’re saved by faith and not by works—saved in a way that gives no ground for boasting (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Back to Hebrews 11:  the examples of faith are striking.  Let me mention two.  By faith, Noah built a ship where there was no shoreline (v 7).  Sounds crazy—and yet, he had God’s command, so by faith he went to work.  Notice, then, that faith inspires work; trust in God moves our hearts so that we want to obey.

And then there’s Abraham:  “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.” (v 8).  Again, sounds crazy:  hitting the road without knowing where you’re going.  But not if you know the One who’s calling you—that He’s good and wise and ever so trustworthy.

How do we get such faith and grow stronger in it?  Romans 10:17 says:  “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”  Trust deepens as we spend time in God’s Word, but neglect of Scripture pours anxiety and doubt on our souls.