As I was listening to the radio recently while driving, I heard someone talking about “holding on to our faith” in times of trial and difficulty. And while the context of this sound byte was, well, very sound, this little phrase of holding on to “your faith” is not so sound.
When trials and difficulties come our way, we are called to have faith. Hebrews 11 gives us account after account of the men and women of old who “by faith” obeyed when the situations around them seemed impossible. 1 Peter 1 tells us that the “various trials” that we face are to test “the genuineness of [our] faith” (v. 6 & 7). Ephesians 2: 8 says we’ve been saved “through” faith. And those are just to mention three. Clearly, the life of a Christian is one that is built upon the foundation of faith.
Definitely, the question here is not whether we are to have faith. The questions is upon what or who should we have faith in?
Hebrews 11’s account of the men and women of old follows chapter 10 where the author speaks of the sufficiency of Christ’s death to atone for our sins and bring us into fellowship with the Almighty God. We have full assurance of faith because our hearts have been sprinkled clean by the blood of Christ, and we will hold fast to our confession of hope because he who promised the cleansing and hope is faithful (v. 19-23)
1 Peter’s encouragement to continue rejoicing is based upon Jesus’ “great mercy” which “has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (v. 3), and the testing of our faith is to “result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (v. 7).
Ephesians 2 points our salvation “through faith” not to “our own doing” but rather “the gift of God” who, being “rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us… made us alive together with Christ…and raised us up with him” (v. 4-6).
Our faith is based on the work of Jesus Christ at the cross. Our faith is based on the mercy and grace extended to us by God the Father through the perfect obedience of his Son, the long-promised and long-awaited Messiah. Our faith is based on the faithfulness of God.
Being biblical about our faith, we must understand that the faith that saves us, the faith that allows us to obey in the midst of painful circumstances, and the faith that pulls us through those trials is not our faith. It is, in fact, the faithfulness of the Ever-Constant, Never-Changing, Always True, Father God that saves us, helps us obey, and leads us on.
If my transfer from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light was based on my ability to have faith, I’d be in big (and worsening) trouble. I am always changing my mind, doing what I don’t want to do, not doing what I want to do, and am consistently inconsistent with my obedience. The only thing I am faithful to do is to sin. I am extremely unfaithful to Christ in my day-to-day walk.
But, thanks be to God, my transference, my justification, is based on the faithfulness of God. He does not change His mind. He does exactly what He wants to do, when He wants to, how He wants to. He is extremely faithful in every moment.
And if justification before God, my right standing before Him is based on the faithfulness of Christ, than I really am saved from my debt of death to walk by Christ’s faith in my day-to-day life.
Following the author of Hebrew’s account of the men and women of old, he writes this:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Christ is the founder (beginning) and perfecter (finisher) of our faith. He demonstrated this at the cross where he endured great wrath from God in place of us.
When internal and external pressures squash you down, when the weight of the burdens and loads you must carry press on you until you think you might implode, when you can’t see any possible solution to the problems you are facing, don’t hold on to your faith. Don’t try harder to do the right thing. Don’t force your heart feel differently.
Hold on to the Faithfulness of our God. Hold on to the promise that He never lies, always fulfills His promises, and will use all you are facing to glorify Himself and mold you more into the likeness of Christ.
We can run our race with endurance because Christ has already run it completely and perfectly.
We can lay aside the weight of “our faith” and the sin of pride which clings (and perverts) so closely, when we fix our eyes on Jesus.
Not on your current pain. Not on the path that brought you to where you are. Not even on the road up ahead.
Fix your eyes on Jesus.
Because He is faithful.
What you’ll find here is a collection of musings, thoughts, writings, and ramblings about things I’m reading, watching, and thinking about. It’s my goal to inspire, encourage, and instruct my fellow sisters in their walk with Jesus and their understanding of the Word.
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