Good morning church,
Today I want to examine some commonly abused verses. We will start with one, cover a few in the next few weeks.
Hebrews 11:3 (NKJV)
3By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.There are several instances where Jesus rebuked his disciples for their 'little faith'-Matthew 6:30,8:26,14:31,16:8......and he praised 'great faith'-Matthew 8:10,15:28. And he exhorted the disciples to have faith-Matthew 17:20,21:21-22,Mark 11:22
Faith is desirable. Doubt, unbelief is not desirable. So when Christians land in Hebrews 11, a chapter that dwells at length with faith, and gives historical examples, they get excited. Look at the two verses I shared above v3
A common misreading goes like, 'God had FAITH in His word so much that whatever he spoke, it became. You man because you are created in His image, you too armed with sufficient faith, can speak words and they become'. From here, you are actually blamed for your poor lot. Are you sick? It is because you have not spoken health to your life. Are you broke? Speak wealth, and wealth shall pursue and overtake you....
But did God have faith in His word, and is that why His word was effective increasing matter out of nothing? The answer is NO. It us, the believers,the students of Genesis who upon reading Genesis account BELIEVE that He framed the world,made matter out of nothing. God does not require faith in anything. When He speaks, His Word is not effective because He believes in it, but rather because it is His Word!
Note again, '....by faith WE UNDERSTAND...'. Faith is how we understand, how we believe. How does Jesus raise a 4 days old Lazarus corpse? I know He did, I believe He did. I believe first, comprehend later if at all.
The strength of your faith is not merely the extent to which you believe something,it is also in the VALIDITY of that belief. Faith permits me to act as if something is certain even when I lack evidence. It allows me to RISK,HOPE,SACRIFICE,SUFFER,ACT and in so doing am approved of God, am rewarded.
Please take your time and go through Hebrews 11 with this in mind and you will appreciate the heroes of faith better.
Have a faith-filled Lord's Day even as we worship the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls(1Peter 2:25)