Believing Is Seeing!
I live in the "Show Me" state. We pride ourselves in the "I'll believe it when I see it" mantra. Living in a fallen world populated by dead people who are only motivated by their own lusts, that isn't such a bad creed. But when we come to God and His Word, we run into a wholly different operating principle. God calls upon us to believe that we may see! (John 20:24-29)
Now I readily confess that He gives us historical truth to believe in and that the life death, burial, resurrection and ascension of His Righteous Son indeed occured in history and was witnessed to by His chosen apostles. They give profound witness to "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life--the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us--that which we have seen and heard we declare to you....(I John 1:1-3a) But that isn't very satisfactory in a "what have you done for me lately" society. We want signs and miracles at every turn. We cry out for the visible pillar of fire or the floating axe head. It would be so much easier if we had something to see right now!! But checking Old Testament Israel's history, it is plain to see the visible did little to engender faith in their hearts. Their problem is described in Hebrews 3 & 4 as an evil heart of unbelief!
Hebrews 11:6 plainly declares the necessity of faith/belief in God's design. "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." So here we are back in the realm of the INVISIBLE!! We must believe that the INVISIBLE GOD IS, and that that same INVISIBLE GOD rewards those who diligently seek Him. Diligently seeking is the evidence of faith. Diligently seeking is the "proof in the pudding" of a living faith. That faith is anchored in the INVISIBLE, is stated earlier in Hebrews 11:3, "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen are not made of things which are invisible." Are you uncomfortable yet??
Do you remember the words of Jesus to the "bread seekers" in John 6:29. Jesus told them to quit laboring for the bread that perishes, but labor for that which endures to everlasting life. The context shows that they found that very attractive. They didn't have day old bread stores on the corner or fast food outlets on every street. They were poor people who would have considered the minimum wage a kings salary. Bread for eternity was too good to pass up. Vs 28 Then they said unto Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"--and get this eternal bread. Vs 29 Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you BELIEVE IN HIM WHOM HE HAS SENT." He made the "working requirements" of God very simple--Believe in Jesus. He is the Bread of Life. Vs 35, "I am the Bread of Life, Th who COMES TO ME shall never hunger, and he who BELIEVES IN ME shall never thirst." Coming to Jesus is the "seeking" of Hebrews 11:6, believing in Jesus is the believing that He IS. God asks nothing else of His people. Everything else is a corollary of believing in Jesus--the historical God made flesh for our redemption. (John 1:14, Hebrews 2:10-14) Hebrews speaks plainly and fearfully of not believing. "For who, having heard, (the gospel-see 4:2-3) rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief." (Hebrews 3:16-19)
The warning is this, "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you and evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God." (Hebrews 3:12) Belief comes to Jesus. Unbelief departs from the living God. Belief enters into the very rest (satisfaction and peace) of God. (4:3) Unbelief cannot enter in to that rest. (3:19) And where does God rest? In His perfect Son and His perfect work. He is completely pleased with His Son.
(Matthew 3:17, 17:5) He has ceased all his labors in the finished work of His Son--"It is finished", our Jesus cried. "Amen" said the Father, "welcome home". And Jesus is our finished work, our Sabbath Rest! Believe in Him. "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved--eternally!
I live in the "Show Me" state. We pride ourselves in the "I'll believe it when I see it" mantra. Living in a fallen world populated by dead people who are only motivated by their own lusts, that isn't such a bad creed. But when we come to God and His Word, we run into a wholly different operating principle. God calls upon us to believe that we may see! (John 20:24-29)
Now I readily confess that He gives us historical truth to believe in and that the life death, burial, resurrection and ascension of His Righteous Son indeed occured in history and was witnessed to by His chosen apostles. They give profound witness to "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life--the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us--that which we have seen and heard we declare to you....(I John 1:1-3a) But that isn't very satisfactory in a "what have you done for me lately" society. We want signs and miracles at every turn. We cry out for the visible pillar of fire or the floating axe head. It would be so much easier if we had something to see right now!! But checking Old Testament Israel's history, it is plain to see the visible did little to engender faith in their hearts. Their problem is described in Hebrews 3 & 4 as an evil heart of unbelief!
Hebrews 11:6 plainly declares the necessity of faith/belief in God's design. "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." So here we are back in the realm of the INVISIBLE!! We must believe that the INVISIBLE GOD IS, and that that same INVISIBLE GOD rewards those who diligently seek Him. Diligently seeking is the evidence of faith. Diligently seeking is the "proof in the pudding" of a living faith. That faith is anchored in the INVISIBLE, is stated earlier in Hebrews 11:3, "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen are not made of things which are invisible." Are you uncomfortable yet??
Do you remember the words of Jesus to the "bread seekers" in John 6:29. Jesus told them to quit laboring for the bread that perishes, but labor for that which endures to everlasting life. The context shows that they found that very attractive. They didn't have day old bread stores on the corner or fast food outlets on every street. They were poor people who would have considered the minimum wage a kings salary. Bread for eternity was too good to pass up. Vs 28 Then they said unto Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"--and get this eternal bread. Vs 29 Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you BELIEVE IN HIM WHOM HE HAS SENT." He made the "working requirements" of God very simple--Believe in Jesus. He is the Bread of Life. Vs 35, "I am the Bread of Life, Th who COMES TO ME shall never hunger, and he who BELIEVES IN ME shall never thirst." Coming to Jesus is the "seeking" of Hebrews 11:6, believing in Jesus is the believing that He IS. God asks nothing else of His people. Everything else is a corollary of believing in Jesus--the historical God made flesh for our redemption. (John 1:14, Hebrews 2:10-14) Hebrews speaks plainly and fearfully of not believing. "For who, having heard, (the gospel-see 4:2-3) rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief." (Hebrews 3:16-19)
The warning is this, "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you and evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God." (Hebrews 3:12) Belief comes to Jesus. Unbelief departs from the living God. Belief enters into the very rest (satisfaction and peace) of God. (4:3) Unbelief cannot enter in to that rest. (3:19) And where does God rest? In His perfect Son and His perfect work. He is completely pleased with His Son.
(Matthew 3:17, 17:5) He has ceased all his labors in the finished work of His Son--"It is finished", our Jesus cried. "Amen" said the Father, "welcome home". And Jesus is our finished work, our Sabbath Rest! Believe in Him. "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved--eternally!
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