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Live by Faith

As Christians, we are to live our life by faith. For some Christians this simply means obedience, and obedience is something we are to do. Of and by itself, obedience makes us unprofitable servants Luke 17:10 and the description of what happens to unprofitable servants Matthew 25:30 makes me want to avoid that description. If obedience of and by itself makes us unprofitable servants, what is it the righteous do when they live by faith?

Hebrews 11:1-16
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 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. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Verse one shows us that faith is something that we hope for that is not clearly evident. Verse one is sometimes called the definition of faith and some Christians minimize the importance of verse one and marginalize faith to just the definition itself. These Christians miss the big picture. Verse two shows that faith is the reason we read about the Old Testament heros, the elders. In verse three we are shown it takes faith to believe in creation, because it requires belief in a creator we cannot see. Verses four and five show how Abel and Enoch were men of faith, and verses 7-12 show the faith of Noah, Abraham and Sara.

Verse six ties back into verse one and three, and also ties into verses thirteen through sixteen. This verse tells us that without faith we cannot please God becase through faith we believe that God exists, and that he rewards those that seek him. Verse thirteen approaches an idea of goal-setting we embrace today in society, and that in some manner has been around since people have existed. Verses fourteen through sixteen show that faith, the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (verse one) is tied to the promise of a heavenly country where God will be our God.

So when we are told to live our lives by faith, we live our lives with the hope of this heavenly country. This heavenly country is the goal we live for. Those who understand motivation and goal setting know that unless a goal is established there is little hope of attaining the goal. So what is more attractive? The glitz -- and heartache -- of today, or the joy of the Kingdom of God?

While living in the glitz -- and heartache -- of the world today, we live for the joy of the Kingdom of God in the world tomorrow!

All verses are from the King James Version.
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