Fearless Faith: Faith is the Essence

As it turns out, our faith is at the very core of who we are in Christ. The New King James Version translates Hebrews 11:1 as: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Some scholars say that this word “substance” actually means substantial matter, the real nature of a thing which underlies and supports its outward form or properties.¹

            I hope you realize that your faith—the faith you put in Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior—is at the very core of who you are. It is this faith that secures your eternal life with Him. This should also clearly show us that our identity belongs with Jesus. Therefore, everything we do should stem from the heart of who we are.

 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is what sets Christianity and our faith apart from all other religions. The Newsboys sing about this truth in their song God’s Not Dead: “My God’s not dead, He’s surely alive. He’s living on the inside, roaring like a lion.”² Let me say that the more activated our faith becomes, the more the Holy Spirit will roar like a lion inside us.

 

I may not be convicted of an earthly crime and sentenced to jail, but before God, I am just as guilty as anyone else of one major offense: sin. In referencing the holiness of God, Habakkuk 1:13 says, “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil.” But of course, God made a way to be able to look upon us. At the moment we put our faith in His Son—in His mercy and grace—He removed the penalty of our sin. We became His righteousness. Pondering what this means for me, here’s the picture in my mind: He took a dirty ragged slave and transformed her into a beautiful princess dressed in the most elegant gown she has ever worn. A true Cinderella story! Can you visualize this?

 

No doubt, Paul’s writings indicate what was at the very center of his life (Phil 1:12-18). Everything he did was to bring glory to God. He looked at every aspect of his life—whether good or bad, whether chains or free—as a way for Jesus Christ to reign. He clearly shows us that no matter what, God would use all these things for the furtherance of the Gospel. I believe that what Paul learned about his faith is what governed the way he chose to live: relentlessly abandoned to Christ. Some words that would describe relentless would be: determined, undaunted, unwavering, faithful, fixed.

 

Oh my, imagine how different our lives would be if you and I would choose to live with such resolution. Imagine the work God would choose to do in and through us for the furtherance of His kingdom if He was truly at the heart of all that we did.