what does God require from our faith?
Last week we asked the question, "How do we exercise faith?" This week, I want to suggest 3 answers to the question, "What does God require from our faith?"
I think we need to recognize three things God require from us:
God asks for our trust not understanding. God's ways are not always palatable to reason and logic. This, in fact, is Paul's argument in the opening two chapters of I Corinthians. Abraham did not know where he was going yet God was calling him to trust (Gen 12.1; Heb. 11.8f).
God asks for our obedience not our ability or control. We are not simply called to faith in the areas where we are able. Although this is what we frequently do, it represents little or no exercise of faith. Abraham could not control Lot's choice of real estate (Gen 12.8ff) nor did he have the ability to protect Sarah from the Egyptians (Gen 12.10ff). Yet faith was required in both circumstances.
God asks for our weaknesses not merely our strength. It is easy to have faith in God when we are operating out of a context of competence and ability. The danger is that we retreat to our human ingenuity and resourcefulness when the going gets tough rather than confess mg our weakness, inabilities, and fear to God We also tend to disparage options that appear 'weak" and opt to consider only those alternatives that we perceive match our strengths Paul's reminder to the Corinthians is a sober reflection for us: 'For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength" (I Corinthians 1.25).
A. W. Tozer writes,
Many of us Christians have become extremely skillful in arranging our lives so as to admit the truth of Christianity without being embarrassed by its implications. We arrange things so that we can get on well enough without divine aid, while at the same time ostensibly seeking it. We boast in the Lord but watch carefully that we never get caught depending on Him... Pseudo faith always arranges a way out to serve in case God fails it. Real faith knows only one way and gladly allows itself to be stripped of any second way or makeshift substitutes. For true faith, it is either God or total collapse. 'And not since Adam first stood up on the earth has God failed a single man or woman who trusted Him. The man of pseudo-faith will fight for his verbal creed but refuse flatly to allow himself to get into a predicament where his future must depend on that creed being true. He always provides himself with secondary ways of escape so he will have a way out if the roof caves in.
Summary observation…
According to the Scriptures, faith is vital.
We are justified by faith
We have access into God's presence through faith
We receive the Holy Spirit by faith
We are adopted as sons and daughters of God through faith
We have victory over temptation by faith
We are healed by faith
We saved by faith
We discover that all things are possible through faith.
As we prepare to enter the upcoming Thanksgiving/Advent/Christmas season, may we step forward with a renewed commitment to live by faith as we willingly obey, trust, and surrender our weaknesses to Him.
