Focus
on Purpose
Focus
on Purpose
If I have faith to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing
Focus
on Purpose
If I have faith to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing
© Focus On Purpose July 2017
Evidence-Based
Faith
“How blessed is the man whose strength is
in You; in whose heart are the highways
[viaducts] to Zion.”
Psalm 84:5
Is Faith Based on Evidence?
Last week I quoted an article written by a Rabbi, that I am sure has ruffled
your thoughts - it certainly did mine!
The Rabbi stated: “A conviction based on desire or feelings alone has no
place in Judaism. The Hebrew word ‘emunah,’ which is often translated as
faith, does not describe a conviction based on feelings or desire. It
describes a conviction that is based on evidence.”
(Aish.com "Faith vs
Knowledge" )
Faith is “a conviction based on evidence”? I am sure the first thing that
comes up on your mind is Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of
things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
Distorted Faith
Satan has taken the brilliant opportunity provided by the ever-changing
English language, and distorted the truth of Hebrews 11:1, producing a
diabolical teaching on faith.
The KJV translates this verse as “Now faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” New age teaching picks up on
that word 'substance' and says, effectively, that faith is what brings
substance to the thought in your mind. They teach that focused thought,
combined with positive emotions, will produce vibrations which then
attract the thing you desire, thus producing the 'substance.'
This is not what the author of Hebrews is teaching, but it is what the Rabbi
was speaking against.
Yet, as he teaches against the New Age concept of faith, is he also
negating the teaching of Hebrews 11?
What Does Hebrews Teach?
The book of Hebrews is written by a Jewish author, as he writes to
Jewish recipients. Is the quoted article from the Rabbi, consistent with the
thinking of the author of Hebrews, or not?
As I mentioned, the English language is ever-changing. The meaning of
some words used just fifty years ago, have no relationship to the same
words as they are used today. So, if we want to understand what is being
communicated, we need to know the meaning the words as they were
used at the time of writing.
The King James Version was written in the 17
th
century, and it was
translated from Latin. With this in mind, it is interesting to note that the
word 'substance' comes from the Latin word which means 'to stand
under'. This is also the meaning of the Greek word that had been
translated into Latin.
Looking at the Greek Interlinear Bible, it is noteworthy that there is no
Greek word for 'things' in the first part of verse 1: "Faith is the assurance
of (things) hoped for ..." So, could one then say that faith is the
underpinning of hope? Faith the foundation of hope? Or that faith is that
which makes hope stand steady or firm?
As I meditated on this thought, Proverbs 13:12 came to mind : “Hope
deferred makes the heart sick ..." Could it be that hope deferred points to
a weak foundation of hope? What is the focus of your hope? The outcome
hoped for, or the goodness of God?
The goodness of God will never fail, but His ways are much higher than
ours, and He may meet us in a completely different way to our
expectation.
Over the past three weeks, we have seen that faith is a heart-persuasion
that results in some form of outworking. This heart-persuasion is what
gives substance to hope; it is that which makes hope firm, strong, and
enduring. And this is more reliably so, if our heart-persuasion is based
upon the God-breathed word of God.
So faith is that which gives substance to hope; it is that which makes hope
stand firm, strong, and enduring. Faith changes hope from being a mere
possibility, to being an expectation.
The verse goes on to say that faith is ”the conviction of things not seen.”
The Greek word for "things" in this second part of the verse, is quite
broad; it speaks of that which may be a physical object, but it also
includes something that needs to be accomplished, though the end result
is not necessarily a physical object, e.g. healing in your body or in a
relationship.
Now the interesting thing is, that the Greek word translated as 'conviction'
in the NASB, speaks of "proof". The King James Version translates this
Greek word as 'evidence', "... the evidence of things not seen."
Is that not interesting? Faith itself is our proof, or evidence.
But the Rabbi says that Judaism teaches a belief or conviction based on
evidence. How can faith be both evidence and based on evidence?
Evidence or Based on Evidence?
Romans 1:16-17 tells us, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the
power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and
also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith
to faith; as it is written, ‘but the righteous man shall live by faith.’”
Does a picture start to form for you?
It all starts with the Gospel. What is the Gospel? It is the Good News of
Jesus: God who took on the form of a man, lived for a while among those
of that time, died an horrific death to pay the penalty for our sin, which we
could never pay, then rose to life again. He now offers us forgiveness of
sin, together with eternal, abundant life in and through Himself, as He
reconciles us to intimacy of relationship to God, Who is one.
You hear the message of the Gospel. You sense a heart-persuasion that
this is true, and you choose to respond to that persuasion by surrendering
to the truth of the Gospel. As you surrender, you receive His grace that
sets you free from the power of sin and death in your life, as he gives you
a new heart, and His Holy Spirit comes to live within you.
Though this is through faith, there is usually some evidence that is
noticeable within the first few days. Probably the most general evidence is
a sense of deep peace, because there is peace in the presence of God,
and the Holy Spirit is now within you.
My initial evidence was a sense of joy and peace, and then when I picked
up my Bible that evening, as was my custom before turning out my light
each night, suddenly it made sense! Though I read the Bible religiously
each night, I needed some form of devotional book to make some sense
of what I read. But this night, I did not need a devotional book, I knew
what God was saying, and He was speaking right into a situation I had
faced earlier that evening; a situation that carried seeds that could
potentially derail my faith.
Though this was over forty years ago, it was so significant that I can still
remember the passage I read and the lesson I had learnt.
So, the beginning of the faith that pleases God, is a heart-persuasion that
the Gospel is truth. If we choose to act upon that persuasion and receive
the gift of grace from God and enter into relationship with Him, on His
terms, then there will be some evidence, no matter how subtle.
This evidence becomes a part of the foundation of our faith.
The next time we sense that heart-persuasion regarding a truth or a
promise, we act upon it in trust, and later see the evidence. This evidence
is added to the foundation of our faith, and it becomes stronger and
stronger - from faith to faith.
As I go through trials, as we all do, I am sometimes tempted to question
the validity of my faith. When this happens, I usually go back to that night,
over forty years ago, when the Bible suddenly became for me, the living,
breathing, word of God, and which remains so to this day.
This evidence supports my faith and keeps it alive. Since that time there
has been more evidence that is making my faith more and more resistant
to the enemy's jackhammer.
“... the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘
but the righteous man shall live by faith'.”
The more we trust God, the more we find Him trustworthy. The more we
experience Him as trustworthy, the more we surrender to His ways, and
the more stable our faith becomes.
Fulfiling Our Original Purpose
The original purpose of our creation is for us to be representatives of
God's nature, on earth. Now, as we walk this path of faith, which produces
evidence, which strengthens our foundation of faith, causing us to trust at
deeper levels, we begin to reflect the righteousness, goodness, and
faithfulness of God more and more.
As we move deeper and deeper into the darkness of the end times, the
predominant atmosphere of fear and hopelessness forms a dark
background against which the diamonds of love, hope, and faith reflect
the light of God in magnificent beauty.
But diamonds were nothing but coal before being exposed to great
pressure, and diamonds display no beauty until the facets are masterfully
cut.
In the same way, it is in our trials that our faith is forged, purified and
strengthened, and the facets of the diamond are cut to precision by the
Master Craftsman. It is in our trials that we need to trust, and we find we
can trust, and the foundation of our faith becomes strengthened as we
layer evidence upon evidence, personal testimony upon personal
testimony.
But Faith is the evidence of things not seen!
Yes! Layer upon layer of evidence!
As we sense the heart-persuasion from a word we know is from God, then
that heart-persuasion is our evidence. And that faith is strengthened by
the layers of evidence of our experience of His goodness and faithfulness
- the layers of our testimony.
In the very early stages of our walk with God, the foundation of our faith
may be partly based on the testimony of others, until our own testimonies
begin to replace the temporary supports of borrowed evidence.
With this in mind, what is the focus of your testimonies? The receiving of
what you have asked for? Or the goodness and faithfulness of God?
Do our testimonies provide a solid ‘substance’ or support for hope, in
others - especially those young in the faith?
Or do our testimonies set others up for the possibility of hope deffered?
Hope deffered because the focus is on a specific outcome, rather than the
goodness and faithfulness of God?
If our testimonies are to be weapons that overcome satan, then the focus
needs to be God’s faithfulness and goodness.
Think of your testimonies. How can you share them in a way that subtly
shifts the listener’s focus from seeking a specific outcome, to seeking the
goodness and faithfulness of God?