Faith and Trust

.... In our previous posting we described faith as "a trusting dependence on God over matters that remain unseen to us, though He has assured us of them." (based on Hebrews 11:1, NAS). But when our faith is exercised in response to God's promise, it is more than simply an 'arrangement'; He always intends a living connection to be formed between us. For ultimately, each and every one of those promises must be fulfilled through abiding in Jesus:

.... "For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us."

(2 Corinthians 1:20)

.... In this passage, the core understanding of a dependent relationship is clearly evident. It illuminates a nuance that is present in every Scriptural example of faith, though not always expressly stated. The whole concept of faith includes an understanding that we can trust in God and surrender to Him because we believe that He has our best interest at heart:

.... "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 11:6)

.... So faith includes an essential understanding that we are looking beyond our means and looking to God Himself to meet our needs, and always in a way that intimately connects with Him. We are trusting in His care through His own infinite power, knowledge, and love, rather than trusting in ourselves (Romans 8:28). The best example of this concept is our faith in the gospel itself: for when we were still without strength and enemies of God through our sin, our heavenly Father still loved us, and sent His Son Jesus to die for the ungodly (Romans 5:6-8).
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.... This brings us to another interesting point about faith. In trusting God, there is actually an inverse ratio between our weakness and God’s own strength, for Jesus told us that in our weakness His strength is made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9). In other words He can demonstrate His strength more fully when, through inherent weakness, we have gotten 'self' and our own efforts out of the way; and in areas where we are naturally strong, we must be cautious not to rely on ourselves and our strength (2 Corinthians 3:5), but to rely on the strength of the Lord instead:

.... "Thus says the LORD: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited.

.... "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit’."

(Jeremiah 17:5-8)

.... In summary: we know that God has our best interest at heart, and that He always wants us to trust Him. It is all about Him, and He wants to show Himself strong on our behalf. But for this to really happen, He wants us to get ‘self’ out of the way, so that we are not simply trusting in our own abilities. And in this way He alone will be glorified, as we abide in Jesus and His life is shown through us.

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.... Faith also restores the element of fellowship that was lost through the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. It completely answers the vacuum that was formed on that occasion, replacing our sin with the righteousness of God in Christ, which is imputed to those who believe:

.... "just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness’."

(Galatians 3:6)

.... We will continue our discussion of faith as a relationship in our next posting.

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Daily Bible Reading: Romans 9