Faith, Hope And Love (Faith)

The foundation of the servanthood lifestyle and life-purpose was manifested through the life of Jesus and the love gift of His life on the cross. Before His mission was complete, Jesus inserted seeds of Hope and Love for the New Covenant that was to come. After His death, resurrection and ascension to Father God - Faith was established first in this triune of Faith, Hope and Love found in 1 Corinthians 13:13 and Hope and Love naturally followed.

Hebrews 11:6 states this idea like this - 

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

This world is hope-less. If you desire more hope in your life, the writer of Hebrews instructs - 

1. You must believe that God exists
2. You must believe that God rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

The first point calls for pure belief. The second point calls for action on our part - to "earnestly seek Him", God through Christ Jesus.

The definition of Faith is spelled out in Scripture in Hebrews 11:1 - 

"Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

 

This means Faith is NOT Chance or Luck. Faith deals in confidence and assurance while Chance is in the realm of the absence of any cause of events that can be predicted, understood, or controlled.

The believer in Christ is NOT to treat his/her Faith as luck, chance or a charm. Faith in the person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth for our Salvation should not be seen as a gamble. When we accept the sacrifice at the Cross and the victory of the Resurrection we are not gambling by sliding all our chips on Lucky Number 7 nor gambling by placing all of our eggs in one of many religious baskets.

As the lyrics to the hymn state -

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus' name

On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand

(Song - "On Christ The Solid Rock I Stand")

How can I sing - "All other ground is sinking sand"? How does the believer have confidence in what they hope for and assurance about what they do not see? 

When you read and hear Jesus Himself state He is the only way to a restored relationship with Father God then all other options that suggest themselves in history as beliefs to follow become by default null and void. Jesus said about Himself - 

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

Also, every prophecy about His first visit was fulfilled.

Matthew 7:24 joins with the hymn that was mentioned earlier and pictures The Rock as Jesus, the firm foundation upon which we can place our confidence, remain assured and build our faith-based life. Matthew records Jesus saying,

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock."

Finally, He promises to come again. With all the prophesies of Christ's first visitation being fulfilled, our confidence and assurance should soar about His Rapture of the Saints found in Matthew 24:40-41 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

Jesus required those He sought out for His inner circle of disciples to drop everything and come follow Him. Through the human lens this is a risk, a gamble. All of those summoned by Christ had occupations and families they were tending. Yet, there must have been something about Jesus because on numerous instances the Scripture records the one being called "immediately" followed Christ. Perhaps the immediately was due to the rapidly rising powerful reputation Jesus was developing. Those Jesus called seemed to know of the prophecy of The Messiah to come and they matched those words up with Jesus and His potential and said, "Yes, I will follow you Jesus." From this point forward, Scripture depicts the daily life of Jesus as the proving ground that anybody that follows Him, their choice is not a gamble.

Yes, we have the luxury of hindsight to testify through historians like Josephus, the Apostles and other witnesses that Jesus of Nazareth lived, said and did the things recorded. The authenticity of Yeshua or Jesus on earth should not be in question anymore. What one does with belief in Him as Son of God, sent to humanity as Savior of our souls is the decision. 

Jesus is The Rock of All Ages. He is The Sure Foundation. He is The Cornerstone. Again, His seeding of Hope and Love by visiting as Love incarnate is the reason we believe without a shadow of a doubt that Our Faith Is Not A Gamble.