Introduction:
When
you want to find out the prominent people who made significant contributions to
our country’s welfare, where would you search for them? In the Halls of Fame. The
term Hall of Fame was popularized in the United States by “The Hall of Fame for
Great Americans,” a sculpture gallery completed in 1900 and officially
dedicated in 1901. Located in The Bronx in New York City, it is on the campus
of Bronx Community College[1]
The meaning of “fame” has changed
over the years, originally meaning “renown” for achievement, as opposed to
today’s more common definition of “celebrity.” The induction into the halls of
fame is essential because “they connect the past with the present. They serve
to recognize the best of the best and give current kids and families a
blueprint for success.”
As Rick Warren says, “There are 750
Halls of Fame in America and 450 Who’s Who Publications, but you won’t find
many real servants in those places. Notoriety means nothing to real servants
because they know the difference between prominence and significance.”[2]
We have been on a quest to find out “better
things in life” in the Book of Hebrews. For the next few weeks, I would like us
to visit what I call “Faith’s Hall of Fame.” We will glean faith principles
from the lives of men and women who have gone before us. In chapter ten, we were
told not to throw away our confident trust in the Lord because he is coming
back soon
To continue to do the will of God
during challenging times, we need patient endurance. God is not pleased when we
turn away from Him. We are His righteous and faithful ones, so we are to live
by faith. We live in the Last Days, where many people lose their faith in God,
especially during this COVID-19 Pandemic worldwide. Jesus even wondered, saying, “when the Son of
Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” Luke 18:8
I. WHAT BIBLICAL FAITH IS NOT?
Why is it essential that we
understand this crucial Biblical concept of faith? Firstly, the word faith is commonly
used by many people, especially pastors and politicians, and it is often
misunderstood. Secondly, a lack of proper understanding of faith could be
destructive.
The dictionary definition of faith
is confidence or trust in a person or a thing. For religious purposes, it is
the belief in God or the doctrines or teachings of religion. For our
discussion, we are talking about biblical faith. Let’s look at what it is not
first. Biblical faith is not presumptuous. A presumptuous person is the one who
fails to observe the limits of what is permitted or appropriate. In the Bible,
we see several people who acted presumptuously.
For example, at the time of
sacrifice, King Saul took matters into his own hands, did something that God
did not permit, and offered the sacrifice because the Prophet Samuel was
delayed in coming to the temple worship. The result was, Saul, lost his
Kingdom. I Samuel 13.
Presumption is a grave offense.
Whether we care to admit or not, we tend to act arrogantly at times and take
matters into our own hands. Therefore, we should remain humble and pray, as
King David prayed. Ps 19:12-13, “How can I know all the sins lurking in my
heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate
(presumptuous) sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and
innocent of great sin.”
Biblical faith is not acting
foolishly and expecting God to bail us out. Remember, Satan tempted Jesus in
the wilderness. He took Jesus to the top of the temple and asked him to jump
down. He even wrongly quoted scripture to Him,” ‘He will order his angels to
protect you.
And they will hold you up with their
hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.” Matt 4:6 What would have
happened if Jesus had acted foolishly and jumped off the temple? It is like
foolishly jumping in front of a moving train and expecting God to protect us.
Biblical faith is not a Hyper-Faith.
There are many Christians around the world who are being swept under this new
movement called Hyper-Faith. What do we mean by the term “hyper-faith”? According to one pastor, “The prefix hyper
describes that which has gone over or is blown out of proportion. That is what
we mean by hyper-faith. It is faith that is overstated or is blown out of
proportion. It is faith out of balance.”[3]
Hyper-Faith people lay overemphasis
on trusting God for healing without seeking medical intervention. Jeff and
Marci Beagley from Oregon City were recently convicted in February for failing
to seek medical help for their son. The couple had laid their hands on their
16-year-old son and prayed for him but did not take him to the hospital. Neil
died from complications from a urinary tract blockage. The parents were found
guilty of criminally negligent homicide.[4] Incidents like these
misrepresent the nature and the character of God.
God is powerful to heal any and
every sickness; therefore, we ask Him to heal us. In some cases, He heals us
without any medical intervention; other times with medicines’ help. Yet other
times, He may not heal us like in the case of the Apostle Paul, who prayed for
a thorn to be removed from His body three times. Instead of healing, God said,
my grace is sufficient for you. Unfortunately, some of my good
Christian friends here and back in India are falling for these false teachings
of Hyper-Faith, and the prosperity gospel. God warns us to be careful about
such erroneous teaching and teachers. 1 Timothy 4:1-2, “Now the Holy Spirit
tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith;
they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These
people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.” With the help
of the Holy Spirit, we try to avoid all extremes. With that background, let us
talk about what Biblical Faith is all about and where does it come from.
II.
WHAT IS BIBLICAL FAITH?
Vs.1, “Now faith is confidence in
what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the
ancients were commended for.” (NIV) In NLT, Faith is the confidence that what
we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot
see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.”
The word faith occurs 503 times in
the Bible in various forms. That shows its significance. The Greek word Pistis
means having a belief in God and His divine truths. In our passage, after
encouraging his audience to persevere, the author defines faith, saying it is
the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Biblical faith is always tied to an
active trust in God and his Word. For the believer, there is no such thing as “blind
faith.” Faith is the sensible response to God’s revealed will and the
privileges he has promised his people.
Our Faith in Jesus and his finished work plays a crucial role in our
salvation. Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and
believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Biblical faith is not something we
can earn, but a gift from God. Ephesians
2:8, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit
for this; it is a gift from God.” This gift of faith is about our salvation.
But there is also a spiritual gift of faith that the Holy Spirit gives to
whoever He pleases. In the list of spiritual gifts in I Corinthians 12:9, we
are told the Holy Spirit gives great faith to some and others the gift of
healing.
Can we pray for our faith to grow?
Indeed, we can, but God doesn’t increase our faith; instead, He will send
specific experiences on our path to make us grow. James 1:2-3, “Dear brothers and
sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity
for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has
a chance to grow.”
Vs. 2, “Through their faith, the
people in days of old earned a good reputation. By faith, we understand that
the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not
come from anything that can be seen.” This passage encourages us to look back
at the heroes and the heroines of the Old Testament’s Faith. It also commends
them for their faith, saying they earned an excellent reputation. In the coming
weeks, we will learn about them.
Let us look at what is the basis of the
biblical faith? It is not our assumptions or people’s explanations that give us
faith. But our discipline of hearing God’s word through reading, and listening,
and applying the scriptures in our daily lives.
We cannot substitute the reading of God’s word daily with anything else
because that is where we grow in our faith. Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from
hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”
Hearing in this verse is not merely tuning to
YouTube or TV channels of great speakers. In the scriptures, hearing is always
tied to action. So, when we say faith comes by hearing the word of God, it
means applying it to our situations and trying to live accordingly. For
example, Matthews 6:31-33, “So don’t
worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What
will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your
heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all
else and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
I wonder how many Christians apply
that scripture and live accordingly? This passage is certainly not advocating
laziness and passivity but is calling us to trust God because our heavenly
Father knows that we need food, water, and clothing. He is capable of providing
them.
What are we encouraged to do? To
seek the Kingdom of God above all else and live righteously, and God will give
us everything we need. How do we seek
God and His Kingdom first? We will learn
from the many examples in Faith’s Hall of Fame in the coming days. Amen!
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_halls_and_walks_of_fame
[2] Rick
Warren. Purpose Driven Life. Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids Michigan. 2002,
pg. 263.
[3] https://amos37.com/what-is-hyper-faith/
[4] https://www.christianpost.com/news/pentecostal-leaders-talk-faith-healing-reject-hyper-faith-movement.html
