Faith-Led Certainty
Faith. It’s one of those words we throw around and assume everyone has a healthy, working definition. “Just have faith.” Do we know what we’re saying? Are we meaning what we think? For the believer, faith is the integral piece to our walk with the Lord. So, what is faith?
“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). To have faith in something is to believe with conviction. Assurance of things to come and certainty in things we don’t see. This is how the author of Hebrews sees faith.
Jesus, in talking to the disciples in His resurrected body, says this, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me” (John 20:29). Jesus says this in response to Thomas believing once he sees Jesus. And Jesus seems to point out that there is a blessing for those who believe, who walk in certainty, towards that which we don’t see.
Let me bring one more passage into the mix, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Paul says there is a confession that we say with our mouth and there is a conviction that we believe and agree with in our heart.
It’s easy to get stuck in the “how-to” and “when will I know I’ve done this?” sort of questions. Jesus gives us another glimpse when he mentions, “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).
Children fully depend on their parents. They don’t consider if or how they’ll get fed for dinner, they just know that they’re going to eat because they trust their parents. There’s a humility that we see in children. They don’t try to pay the mortgage or save the world, they just want to spend time with their mom and dad.
I get it, “well how do you do that,” is what my heart is saying. And maybe that’s not the right question right now. I want to encourage you to spend just a few moments considering what your life would look like, feel like, if you related to God as your Father and saw yourself as His child. What comes up?
For me, I get this sense of peace. Yes, there are a million things I could think about, worry about, try to manipulate, and control, but simply telling myself, “I know, but my Dad’s got that,” truly moves my spirit.
See, our original verse in Hebrews does not say that assurance and certainty bring about faith. No, it’s faith that brings certainty and assurance. These are the products of faith rather than the catalysts to faith. They are subsequent to faith in our God.
So, what’s the action item here? Because, yes, there are mortgages to be paid, decisions to make, life to live, etc. Having faith in God doesn’t make those go away and is not a call to stick your head in the sand. Rather, to have faith is to wholeheartedly depend on the revealed character and nature of God. It’s to believe that He is who He says He is.
Is your faith lacking? The best thing we can do is read His Word. Get in the Bible and learn about who the Word says God is. The Bible says God is faithful. So, when you find yourself at a crossroads, wondering whether God is faithful, say, yes He is. If I believe the Bible to be authored by God, then the God the Bible reveals is trustworthy. Friend, faith is a practice that takes time. And rest assured, child-like assurance and certainty are still yours to behold.
