RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2021-01-11	Without Faith It Is Impossible To Please God (He.11:6)
		Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11 is famous for its display of Old Testament heroes of the faith. As people of God they placed their whole confidence in God. Their actions proved that faith pleases God, and that He will reward those who seek Him. There are two necessary elements to this faith. First, we must come to God believing that He is. Specifically, that He really does exist. Without this deep rooted sense that He is real such knowledge would be mere intellectual knowledge. This deep rooted sense gives a wholehearted devotion to God's presence in every part of our lives. Without a genuine conviction that God exists, it is impossible to have an intimate relationship with Him. Second, God's children must believe, “that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” This element of faith trusts in the character of God as good, loving, and gracious (Lm.3:22-23; Ps.84:11; Ja.1:17). Jas 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Psa 84:11  For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. Faith is the avenue by which we come to God and trust Him for our salvation. In God infinite goodness, He provides the very things we need to draw close to Him. God even gives us the faith required to please Him (Ep.2:8-9). Eph 2:8  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, Eph 2:9  not of works, lest anyone should boast. Hebrews 11:1 gives us a description of faith that pleases God. Heb 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. “Substance” is the translation of a Greek word that means “foundation.” Faith is the foundation that undergirds our hope. Faith is not a blind grasping in the dark, but an absolute conviction that comes from experiencing God’s goodness and the faithfulness of His Word. The word, “evidence” gives us assurance and spiritual proof. With our natural eyes, we cannot see the realities of God’s kingdom, but by faith we receive the evidence or proof that they exist. Thus, we “see” with the eyes of faith. It is impossible to please God without faith. Thus, it also is impossible to live for God without faith (Hk.2:4; Ro.1:17; He.10:38). Heb 10:38  Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in Him.   Without faith, it is impossible to believe God’s Word and obey it. Without faith we cannot begin to approach the Lord and experience a personal relationship with Him. Faith is the atmosphere in which the believer’s life is lived. By faith the Christian life begins, and by faith it perseveres until the end. The heroes of faith in this chapter obeyed God's Word even when they did not understand it. This kind of walking by faith—accepting as truth the things we cannot yet touch, feel, or see, and then acting on them is the prescription for living a life that pleases God. Rom 10:17  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

An Independent and Evangelical Church

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