The Essence of Faith - Pt. 5

 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3 ESV).

 

Continuing our thought from yesterday that faith is the "evidence of things unseen” we see that God created the world by his word. We can surmise the truth of this by looking at another passage from the Apostle Paul:

 

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20 ESV).

 

The word "perceived" (v. 20) is the same word as in Hebrews 11:3, "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God."

 

So, in both passages we understand the invisible word of God behind creation by faith. Paul seems to say that the evidence that God made the world is the things made. They clearly point to a Creator, or Maker. The writer of Hebrews seems to say that the evidence that God made the world is faith. Now think about this for a moment. Faith, at least in part, is the spiritual seeing or perceiving of the fingerprints of God on the things he has made. Now the fingerprints of God on the things he has made, that is the order, the beauty, the greatness, the "irreducible complexity" are the evidence that God made the world. But so is the seeing of these fingerprints a kind of evidence. It's just the other side of the coin.

 

I think that is the way faith is the evidence of things unseen. We all look at the same fingerprints, but some see and some don't. Those who see have the evidence - the testimony - in themselves. This will lead us to another discovery of the expanse of the work of grace in our lives. Today, thank God for giving you life and with that the knowledge fueled by faith to understand and experience its fulness! It is a glorious gift!