What you believe makes a difference

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." – Hebrews 11:1

What is faith?" asked the writer of the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. Then he answered his own question, saying, "It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead" (Hebrews 11:1, THE LIVING BIBLE).

It is like buying a piece of property which you have never seen. When the transaction is completed you are given a title deed–a legal piece of paper that says you own the property. "But you have never seen the property!" someone exclaims in surprise. "True," you say, but you add, "I own that property; I have the title deed in my possession."

In a very real sense that is how faith functions in relation to God. There are two aspects to biblical faith, and without them, faith is defective. The first ingredient is belief, which relates to knowledge. The second is trust, which demands commitment and action. Believing is important, but it isn’t enough.

Let me illustrate. Suppose you wanted to hire a person for a position in your company. After an interview, you make a proposal. In your letter you offer the individual a position, outlining the benefits of working for you. But you never get a response from the individual.

Then you call asking, "Did you receive my job offer?" Hesitantly, the person admits that he did. "Well, then," you ask, "why haven’t you responded?" Reluctantly, the person admits that he believes you can make good on your offer, but then adds, "But frankly, I just don’t trust you!"

How would you respond? There is no way you would bring that person into your firm, right? This is a picture of God’s relationship towards a "would-be" Christian. He cannot extend the full benefits of company membership to someone who’s not willing to trust Him and "sign on".

Unlike employers who make promises and don’t keep them, or friends who forget what they tell you, God is never remiss on His promises. The foundation of our faith in God is His very character. Because people fail us, we often bring God down to their level, wondering if He can really be trusted as well, forgetting the times when He has met us in the past.

Your earthly father may be untrustworthy, but your Heavenly Father isn’t like that. The Bible puts it pointedly: "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?" (Numbers 23:19). The obvious answer is, "No!"

The Quaker scholar David Elton Trueblood put it so well as he said, "Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation." Believing is important, but trusting is what brings the promises into our lives and our families. Real faith includes both.

Resource Reading: Hebrews 11:1-7