Tonight in the Edge we looked at Thomas and our decision of faith. Thomas’ stipulation of faith mirrors what gets in the way of our complete faith in Jesus. Poor Thomas gets a bad rap for his lack of faith but from him we learn that our faith too, is not a blind faith but reasonable and logically placed in the evidence of Jesus. Jesus told not only Thomas but also all the disciples in verse 29, “Because you have seen me, you believe; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” That blessing is the peace that Jesus gives and that our salvation is secure in him no matter what anxiety and trails we may face (you decide 2004). As Paul puts it in Romans 5 Jesus is the “grace in which we stand”.
On Christ the solid rock I stand… Our faith is on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). We often look at faith from our point of view, the guts to stand on the rock, but really we are nothing—Jesus is the rock! In fact we take our eyes off of Jesus by placing our hope/trust/faith/desire/passion on lesser things…all other ground is sinking sand.
Consider these quotes, regarding faith, from AW Tozer’s The Pursuit of God.
“We are told from whence it comes and by what means: ‘Faith is the gift of God’ (Ephesians 2:8) and ‘Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God’ (Romans 10:17). This much is clear, and, to paraphrase Thomas a Kempis, ‘I had rather exercise faith than know the definition thereof” (88).
“Faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God” (89).
“It is summed up for us in the Hebrew epistle when we are instructed to run life’s race ‘looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith’ (Hebrews 12:2). From all this we learn that faith is not a once-done act, but a continuous gaze upon the Triune God” (90).
“Like the eye which sees everything in front of it and never sees itself, faith is occupied with the Object upon which it rests and pays no attention to itself at all” (91).
On Christ the solid rock we stand!
2 comments:
Great thinking friends! As we understand grace we rest in the fact that our Christian life is God’s work. From salvation—starting our relationship with Jesus (Ephesians 2:8,9). Through sanctification—the process of being transformed to be like Jesus (Philippians 2:12,13). Until heaven—being with Him for eternity (Romans 8:22-24). It is God who works.
Ed, you are right, God’s response does not depend on my faith. Instead we respond to His faithfulness. “May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23,24). Consider also, Psalm 33:4; Proverbs 20:6; and 1 Corinthians 1:9. We rest in who Jesus is and not in what we can do, because it is God who works.
Courtney, great illustration of a climber. From our vantage point it appears that we are reaching out for Him, yet as we just looked it is God who works. So I would say that God reaches down and grabs us and faith is not swatting Him away. That way, in the illustration, we acknowledge that the key is not our taking of Jesus but His strength to pull us up and in course change us. I would just drop the word “choose” from your statement so that it reads, “I put my trust in God’s grace. I live in the grace that God has made available”. Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I choose you” (John 15:16). Consider also, Ephesians 1:11. We rest in who Jesus is and not in what we can do, because it is God who works.
For this reason, I love Tozer’s definition, “faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God”. May we, as a community, continue to look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). It is God who works.
I love this blog thing!
Thanks guys.
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