Faith in what? And why?

Various passages of the Old Testament speak of redemption and salvation in terms of deliverance from physical harm, physical enemies, poverty, and other temporal dangers rather than referring to being saved from sin and eternal damnation:

“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you . . . .’” (Isaiah 43:1–3)

In the New Testament, the message of redemption is from sin, beginning with deliverance from God’s wrath and extending to deliverance from the power of sin to rule our lives. Instead of physical well-being, the focus is our relationship with God and the wonderful gift of eternal life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ:

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:1–11)

I heard a well-known radio preacher talking about this offer of salvation belonging only to those God has chosen, the elect. He said that a person might wonder if he is one whom God has selected, then added that those who are not in that group would never ask that question because God has not put it in their hearts to care. This reminds me of a man who said he could be “saved anytime” he felt like it, but he “didn’t feel like it.”

My hubby often chides the idea that people who say, “I gave my life to Christ” need to eventually realize that this happened because Christ put a hunger for Him in their hearts. The saving work belongs to Him, from start to finish and the glory of it should go to Him.

Even in the OT, God is the author of all saving work, whether it is salvation through fire, floods and enemy attacks, or that salvation by faith that makes a believer a child of God. Access to Him is and has always been by faith, yet faith comes by hearing Him, by hearing the “word of Christ.”

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

Faith requires an object, something to believe. It does not stand alone because no one can say “I have faith” without that ‘faith’ being in something or someone. Faith in ‘faith’ is worthless. However, I can put my faith in many things, such as electricity, my computer, the postal service, and so on. I can do it because evidence shows that these things will do as expected, at least most of the time.

Faith in God is not exactly the same. For one thing, He is totally reliable. He does not lie nor break His promises. How do I know that? I know it because He declares it and I take Him at His Word. Logically, if this were faith in any human person, my faith would require more than that, like evidence that they are what they claim and will do what they say. Yet God didn’t have to prove anything to me. Instead, He simply gave me the gift of faith through grace so that I could trust Him.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9)

Saving faith is a gift. While it is bolstered by seeing the works of His hands in creation, or having answers to prayer, it first comes simply by hearing God speak. That is a gift; that is salvation. That is saving faith.

^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, nearly every morning and every day since that day of my salvation, You continue to speak to my heart through Your Word and grace me with faith to believe what You say and to trust You with my life here and my life for all eternity. Your salvation, redemption, reconciliation, and all other names for the gift You give are covered in the word “grace” and again today I rejoice in the marvel of it.

No fear of death’s suffering

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me . . . (Psalm 23:4)

Death has three ‘fears’ — the fear of physical suffering, the fear of finality, and the fear of judgment. The aches and pains that seem to come with aging no doubt add to that first fear, but doctors say that what some call the agony of death is felt much more by those who are watching than by the one who is dying.

I didn’t know that, but I do remember hearing about a Christian martyr who was burned at the stake for his faith. He told his friends that he would signal them if he felt no pain. At the end as the flames enveloped him, he lifted his arms to let them know that God made death a mere shadow and for him there was no agony.

This is a gift from the God who created and formed us. He says, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:1–3)

Death is that final enemy, but I must never forget that Christ defeated it. Paul’s logic in 1 Corinthians 15 is comforting for it fits with the realities in my life. Even though sin still tries to pull me away, Jesus Christ has given me victory over many things that once enslaved me . . .

For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:16–22)

This is to say that for a Christian, the ability to overcome sin is proof of new life from Christ. So also is the ability to be contented, for we know that God is with us, helping us and giving us protection. He is our Shepherd who leads us in life and will not abandon us when life draws to a close because He keeps us during all other threats.

Because He is my Shepherd, my response should be loving obedience. Yet as my pastor’s wife said yesterday, each of us has “buttons” that the enemy so easily pushes, drawing us into some sin or another instead of loving God which makes more sense.

As I read the following two verses, I thought about the things that draw me from loving God as I should. The word in the first blank is “money”, but it could be anything. The word in the second blank is “man” but it also could be filled in with anything else that I might fear . . .

“Keep your life free from love of ___________, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can ___________ do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5–6)

Some possible combinations: praise/rejection, attention/loneliness, achievement/failure, and even life/death. 

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.”

Nothing is an Accident

Last night we were nearly home when an oncoming vehicle suddenly swerved in front of us. As my husband turned our vehicle to the left, the truck seemed to accelerate. We watched it pass to the right, speeding into a high bank of snow and stopping when it hit a signpost. This happened so fast that there was no time for fear, only a deep sense afterward of how close we came to having our lives changed forever. 

This morning Joni Eareckson Tada came to mind. At 17, she had a diving accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down. After living 43 years in a wheelchair, she learned in 2010 that she had breast cancer. Her response was an assurance, “I am genuinely content to receive from God whatever He deems fit for me even if it is from His left hand — because better something from His left hand than no hand at all, right?"

Today’s devotional takes me to a passage that Tada probably has memorized…

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you… “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:1–3)

The devotional writer says something similar to Tada: “God’s presence in the trial is much better than exemption from the trial. The sympathy of His heart with us is sweeter far than the power of His hand for us.”

We met Joni once. She attended a church that we also attended and we happened to be in the parking lot at the same time. She has an amazing attitude, a result of her deep faith in God. Someone who knows her well said that when he sees her expressing optimism and total trust in God even in suffering, she's not putting up a front. 

"What you hear from Joni is truly Joni. This is a woman of great faith who has spent (much of her life) in a wheelchair. This is not a woman who is going to pretend about things. You are seeing a woman who is truly communicating her very deep and personal thoughts and feelings and trust and faith in God, not to perform or not to display anything for people but it's because it's who she is."

He went on to say that God has molded her in her years of suffering as she surrendered to His will and call on her life. She views trials and suffering with a biblical worldview, understanding that God is involved with the suffering that we encounter. His intention is to work it out for the good of ourselves and for the good of those around us (Romans 8:28). (Note, at this time, she is cancer-free.)

God’s "good" is not always total health or freedom from pain. Romans 8:29 says His goal is to make His people more like Jesus. While we don’t completely understand the process, reading about the life of Christ shows me what He is like. Jesus always has an attitude of surrender based on total trust in the character and goodness of His Father. He should know more about His nature because He was in the beginning with God and also is God (John 1:1–2).

Being a redeemed person means that no matter what happens, He walks with me, either to rescue me from danger or walk with me when I experience it. Isaiah’s quote promises protection from harm, but I know that even if harm happens, God is in charge. He does not make mistakes and nothing is an accident.