The Permanency of Faith
Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash
Our Dilemma with Faith
The physicality of our world tends to limit our grasp of the spiritual realm. If we can't see, touch, taste, hear, or smell something, we have a hard time accepting it.
I remember my introductory philosophy course in college. On the first day, the professor challenged us with the argument of naturalism. That we perceive knowledge only through our five primary physical senses.
And yet, our thoughts and imaginations aren’t just perceived through our physical senses. We realize their existence beyond our physical senses. How does naturalist philosophy explain the existence of thoughts and emotions? They say our thoughts, emotions, and behavior result from biology and the environment.
This is our dilemma with faith. How can we prove faith in a physical or empirical way? We can’t. Faith isn’t based on empirical science. But you can witness the effect of a person’s faith by how they live, their interactions with people, and their worldview.
When a person lives by faith, they make faith visible, even touchable. Faith may seem paradoxical, but it’s real. The paradox exists because of the prevailing naturalistic worldview around us.
Scripture Text
Faith led Noah to listen when God warned him about the things in the future that he could not see. He obeyed God and built a ship to save his family. Through faith Noah condemned the world and received God’s approval that comes through faith.
Faith led Abraham to obey when God called him to go to a place that he would receive as an inheritance. Abraham left his own country without knowing where he was going. [vss 7-8]
Faith led Abraham to live as a foreigner in the country that God had promised him. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who received the same promise from God. Abraham was waiting for the city that God had designed and built, the city with permanent foundations. [vss 9-10] (Hebrews 11:7-10 GW)
[Context– Hebrews 11]
Key Phrase
Faith led Abraham to live as a foreigner in the country that God had promised him.
Dig Deeper Into the Text
What are 3 things Noah did as a result of his faith?
Did Noah receive God's approval for building the ship (ark) or for listening and obeying God?
In what way is Abraham's faith demonstrated? How is his faith similar to Noah's?
What was Abraham waiting for? What do you think this refers to?
Things to Consider
It may be hard to imagine having faith like Noah or Abraham, but it shouldn't be unless your idea of faith is misguided.
Faith is about trust. It is a personal trust relationship with God. Its foundation is not the physicality of this earth nor anything we do except putting our trust fully in God (Hebrews 11:6).
When genuine faith becomes a foundation for our life, it enables us to build a life of trust beyond life in a purely natural sense. We trust God for what we cannot see at first. We see this illustrated in the lives of Noah and Abraham.
Faith becomes visible through the lives of believers every day. This is easier to see over a period of time or in a time of crisis. Those who trust God personally see beyond day-to-day struggles and even life situations we see as crises.
Faith has a sense of permanence in the lives of those who genuinely trust in God. It becomes evident to others in how they live by faith, even as seen in the lives of Noah and Abraham.
Answer These Questions to Apply God’s Word in Your Life—
How do you think Noah knew what God wanted him to do?
Why do you think a person receives God's approval only because of their faith and trust in God?
What did both Noah and Abraham endure because of their faith?
Does your faith have a sense of permanence in your life? If so, in what specific ways?
Here’s a link to a free study guide for the book of Hebrews— Study Guide and Study Questions for Hebrews
