Fight for Joy! Blog
Where Jesus Changes Everything
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval…And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:1-2, 39-40).
Hebrews chapter eleven is often referred to as The Faith Chapter or Faith’s Hall of Fame. This is because it records for us numerous examples of the saints of old who, “by faith,” believed God. Over and over again the writer of Hebrews employs two simple words: “By faith.” He says, “By faith we understand the worlds were prepared by the word of God…By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice…By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death…by Faith Noah prepared an ark for the salvation of his household…By faith Abraham obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive…By faith…” (Hebrews 11:3-31). Furthermore, he says, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (11:6). This is the Word of the Lord! It is important we understand what the Bible teaches about faith. The word itself is never plural. In other words, the Christian faith does not mean believing in a number of things. It is a single disposition of mind and heart towards Jesus Christ. This faith in the Lord Jesus Christ involves a desire for eternal life. This is what the writer means by “things hoped for” (11:1). It is looking for more than is on the surface. So when the Bible talks about having faith in Jesus Christ, one must understand that faith is only as good as its object. The object of faith in salvation is Jesus Christ. Therefore, one must believe in Jesus Christ. But what does it mean to believe? Saving faith in Jesus Christ produces three elements. First of all, there is knowledge of Christ. Such knowledge would include the historic facts about the person and work of Christ. This is the gospel! Peter presented the basic facts of the gospel on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Paul mentioned the basic content of the gospel in his first letter to the Corinthian believers (1 Cor. 15:1-3). However, mere knowledge is not enough. There is a second element to faith known as assent to Christ. We must be convinced that these historic facts (knowledge) about Christ are true. We must believe that Jesus is able to do what He said he could do – forgive sins and guarantee eternal life! However, just as mere knowledge is not enough, neither is mere assent. There is a third element known as commitment to Christ. By commitment I mean whole-hearted committal to Jesus Christ. In John’s Gospel, the Bible says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). Believe here means to believe “in, into,” or “upon.” You must believe in, into and upon Jesus Christ. It is a belief that brings about a change. This change is known as conversion (salvation). When a person is saved, he or she does not take three distinct steps. However, that person’s salvation does begin with knowledge of the Saviour leading to assent to the Saviour, which brings about commitment to the Saviour. Saving faith is simply committing oneself to Jesus Christ. This is clearly expressed in Acts 16:31: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.” When we put the sum total of our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation, then we pass from spiritual death to spiritual life. We experience conversion! “Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness. Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me. This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:19-23).
“Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness…” Obviously these are the words of one who struggled with despair and depression. After all, the writer of Lamentations begins chapter 3 by asserting, “I am the man who has seen affliction because of the rod of His wrath” (3:1). Depression. It is the common cold of emotional disorders. At any given time, 17 percent of the population suffers from it. It is more than the occasional feeling of the blues. It is a condition of general emotional dejection and withdrawal. It is sadness greater and more prolonged than anything one who has not experienced it could ever imagine. It can even be incapacitating on occasion. And the believer is not exempt. Some of the great biblical characters wrestled with depression. At one point in his life, Moses wanted to die (Exodus 32:32). While struggling with his suffering, Job “cursed the day of his birth” (3:1). Furthermore, he cried, “My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, the grave is ready for me” (17:1). Elijah was incapacitated with depression soon after he had been an integral player in one of the greatest demonstrations of God’s power (1 Kings 19). Even the great prophet Jeremiah (who also wrote Lamentations) declared, “Why did I ever come forth from the womb to look on trouble and sorrow?” (20:18). How is the Christian to respond? As a mental health professional, I work with people everyday who are depressed. Some were abused as children. Others are depressed because they missed their “dream” in life. Still others have suffered loss over which they had no control. And finally, there are some who cannot point to any particular reason for their depression. How should the Christian respond? Well, it is never appropriate for one believer to look at another believer, who may be struggling with depression, and indicate that it is their “lack of faith” that is the cause of their depression. Furthermore, the Christian who may be struggling with depression should not feel guilty because they cannot seem to “hold it together.” Even Jesus was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). The Christian should respond to depression by remembering that it is God who gives strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. The Bible says, “This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:19-23). This is the word of the Lord! One Christian brother I know said this: “I am a Christian who has struggled with depression for a long time. I am finding it hard to face each new day. My wife and I want to have children but are unable to. I don’t understand why God is allowing this. And I don’t like this feeling of not being in control. But I choose to believe that God is sovereign…that He is in control. I choose to believe that each day, His mercies are new…Great is His faithfulness!” Indeed, there is strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow! “But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling. My steps had almost slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked. When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight. Until I came into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end” (Psalm 73:2-3, 16-17).
Why does God allow evil and suffering in the world? This is a question we are confronted with everyday. We turn on the news and see images of passenger jets slamming into buildings. We listen to the radio only to learn a sniper has taken yet another innocent life in and around our nation’s capital. We pick up the newspaper and learn of abuse allegations within the Church. We answer the telephone and receive news a loved one has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. We read and hear about the fact that in many parts of the world there are wars, famines, natural catastrophes, and epidemic diseases. It seems that everywhere we look, people are suffering. Furthermore, evil abounds and the evildoers seem to be getting away with the evil they perpetrate. It is no surprise that such evil and suffering and the supposed prosperity of the evildoer causes many to question how a good God can allow such evil and suffering. Such was the case with Asaph, the author of Psalm 73. He begins by saying, “But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling.” Why? Because he was “envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” Like many believers today, Asaph almost lost his confidence in the Lord because he was envious of the prosperity of the wicked. Like most believers, Asaph struggled with why? Why does God seemingly allow the evildoer to prosper while the believer, who seeks to live righteously, suffers? To understand the answer to this question, we must look to eternity. Our problem is that too often we view the purpose and promises of God in terms of our present personal happiness. However, we fail to realize that the purpose and promises of God are more about the coming of Christ’s kingdom than our individual enjoyment here and now. God’s focus is eternal. Therefore, as believers, we must focus on eternity. For us, life is more about eternity than it is about the here and now. For Asaph, the turning point for him came when he “came into the sanctuary of God.” It was there that his focus began to shift from now to eternity. He came to recognize that God would reward the righteous in eternity and destroy evil and the evildoer. Clearly, eternity makes all the difference. Paul says, “For momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17-18). This is the Word of the Lord! I do not know what you are struggling with today. I do not know what losses you have experienced in life. I have no idea what evil you might have experienced. I can only testify to my own experiences. But this I do know, our citizenship is in heaven (1 Peter 1:1), and as believers, our questions will one day be answered. When? When we all get to heaven. Paul put it this way: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known” (1 Cor. 13:12). I do not understand fully now. However, in eternity I will know fully. |
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