Romans 10:14-17 (NKJV) How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Most of us will find walking by faith in God uncomfortable because we are too used to “seeing is believing”, and we fear the loss of absolute control of our lives. As a result, most of us will have a contingency plan for almost everything in our lives. Often, we will ask ourselves how we can have faith in God and what the Word says about our situation, but ultimately, we will either succumb to fear and oppression or respond in faith in God. If we are honest with ourselves, even after doing everything possible, we still cannot avoid walking by faith because of the many life variables we face. As such, we should simply walk by faith in God from the start because it is faith in God that pleases Him.
Faith in God involves having faith in Him as a person. Therefore, it begins with knowing God. So, how do we know God? We can know Him through the gospel. The Bible advocates that one should not love with words only but in action and in truth. God expressed His love towards us through Jesus’ act of redemption and atonement for our sins. God sent His only begotten Son to die for us on the cross of Calvary—He spared no cost to save us.
Jesus is the Word made flesh, and He walked the earth. Jesus was the spoken Word at the time of creation. God and His Word are one. The Word of God represents God, and He will watch over His Word to perform it in our lives. All His promises are Yes and Amen in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). Therefore, we can take God at His Word because He is not a man that He should lie nor a son of man that He should change His mind (Numbers 23:19). If He speaks, He will act on what He has spoken.
We can rest in God’s promises by remembering that the Messiah was eventually born, even though it took twenty-two generations after the covenant was established with Abraham. God honoured His covenant promise to bless all the families of the earth! Essentially, the Bible is the word of the covenant. Therefore, we can take it as a done deal whenever God gives us a word of assurance when we seek His face in our daily devotion.
Sermon Series: Growing Our Faith In God (Part 1)
我们的信心始于福音
罗马书10:14-17 然而人未曾信他,怎能求他呢?未曾听见他,怎能信他呢?没有传道的,怎能听见呢?若没有奉差遣,怎能传道呢?如经上所记:“报福音传喜信的人,他们的脚踪何等佳美!”只是人没有都听从福音。因为以赛亚说:“主啊,我们所传的有谁信呢?”可见信道是从听道来的,听道是从基督的话来的。
我们中的大多数人会发现凭信心而行很不自在,因为我们太习惯于“眼见为实”,而且我们害怕失去对自己生活的绝对控制。因此,大多数人几乎为自己生活中的每一件事都准备了应急计划。我们常常会问自己,如何在神面前有信心,神的话语又如何回应我们的处境,但最终,我们要么屈服于恐惧和压迫,要么以信心回应神。如果我们诚实面对自己,即使做了所有能做的事情,我们仍然无法避免在生活中走信心的道路,因为我们面临着许多生活中的变数。因此,我们从一开始就应该单单依靠神的信心行走,因为只有依靠神的信心才能讨神的喜悦。
信靠神意味着信靠祂作为一个真实的存在。因此,信心的起点是认识神。那么,我们如何认识神呢?我们可以通过福音来认识祂。圣经提倡爱不仅仅停留在言语上,而要在行动和真理中表达。神通过耶稣为我们的罪所作的救赎和赎罪行为表达了祂对我们的爱。神差遣祂唯一的儿子为我们死在加略山十字架上——祂毫不吝惜代价来拯救我们。
耶稣是道成肉身,祂行走在世上。耶稣是创造之时所说的道。神与祂的道是合一的。神的话代表神,祂必看顾祂的话,在我们的生命中成就祂的应许。所有的应许都在基督里是“是”和“阿门”(哥林多后书1:20)。因此,我们可以凭神的话语行事,因为神不是人,祂不会说谎;也不是人的儿子,祂不会改变主意(民数记23:19)。如果祂说话,祂必定会按照所说的去行动。
我们可以安息在神的应许中,因为我们记得弥赛亚最终诞生,尽管在与亚伯拉罕立约后,经过了二十二代。神信守祂的约定,成就了祝福地上万族的应许!本质上,圣经是神与人立约的话语。因此,每当我们在每日的敬拜中寻求神的面,神向我们赐下确据的话时,我们可以相信这已经成就。
讲章系列:在神里面让信心生发成长 (第一部份)
Image Source:pixabay.com