“I believe in Christ like I believe in the sun. Not because I can see it, but by it, I can see everything else.”- C.S. Lewis
Romans 5:1-5
Faith is a topic that many scholars, Bible teachers, and ministers have spoken on. The central concept is that faith allows us to believe when no substance is there- which is exactly what Hebrews 11:1 says: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The author of the text then recounts all of the great people of faith: from Noah’s obedience to Rahab’s promise, having faith has served God’s people well. They all received a word from God and acted accordingly, regardless of what their eyes told them. They weren’t held captive by what they could or could not see.
Having faith makes way for peace. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The love of God, shown to us through the birth, life, and death of His Son, is the light that guides us until the manifestation of our faith comes. The key is getting the word and holding on to it for dear life. Abraham held on to what the Lord had told him; according to Romans 4:19 and 20, “he considered not his own body now dead….he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” Because of his faith, he was able to have peace even though those around him probably didn’t believe him as he spoke of what God had promised to him.
Having faith in the middle of adversity is not easy. We are wired to respond based on our senses: what we can see, taste, hear, feel, and smell. But the promises of God are yes and amen (2 Corinthians 1:20), and we cannot look to the sensory aspects that we’re used to in order to believe for the promise. Time after time after time in the Bible, God’s promises have come contrary to what was expected. Jesus Himself, the Messiah that Isaiah had prophesied about, came in a way that no one was expecting…in a way that went against what people’s minds and logic would have expected. When the Israelites hoped for a King, they envisioned majesty and splendor, not a manger and swaddling clothes.
Belief in Jesus Christ is the first step to building one’s faith, because doing so frees us from the chains of doubt. Child-like faith is what allows us to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior; that child-like faith is innocent and not impacted by what the world says. It is not impacted by our senses- what we can feel or see. But that faith and that belief together is the gateway to our freedom, to the promise of our liberty from fear and everything that binds us.
Prayer for Release: Father God, I thank you for the gift of faith. I thank you for the opportunity to believe regardless of what it looks like. Thank you for the freedom to exercise my faith in the face of the captivity that is so easy to fall into.