Reclaiming Authentic Christianity: Living A Life Of Faith

Christianity and Faith in God

In September 2021 I wrote a post titled Christianity Is Not A Religion, It’s a Lifestyle of Faith.

In the Old Testament, Haggai … that in the midst of corruption …

Hebrews11:1 is quoted in several other places in the New Testament. Obviously, as believers we are called to live a life of faith in God:

• Romans 1:17 – “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”
• Galatians 3:11 – “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”
• Hebrews 10:38 – “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him.”

I believe Christianity was never meant to be a religion, but a lifestyle of faith in God, a way of life. Faith in the God who created heaven and earth, and all living creatures. The One that you cannot see with your natural eyes, but you know He exist by the things that he made. The truth is that we are surrounded by evidence of a Creator who is wise, powerful, loving, kind and faithful to fulfill His promises. The presence of God is evident everywhere, in the vastness of the creation, and at levels so small the human eye cannot see. What is this evidence, and how undeniable is it?

The creation story in Genesis 1 tells us how when the world, a formless and desolate emptiness, the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters (v. 1-2). God begin to form the earth. God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light” (v.3). Seeing that the light was good, God separated the light from the darkness. He called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening and there was morning, one day (v. 5) . He goes on to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens calling the space “sky” (v. 8-11). After creating the earth and heavens (v. 12-25), God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (v. 26-27). Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground” (v.28). After God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! (v,31).

God’s qualities could be seen “from the world’s creation. That evidence is all around us. It is not hidden in nature but is “clearly seen.” From the rising of the sun to the night sky we can see His invisible qualities, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20).

Faith is real. It is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The things we expect to receive from God
by faith. Faith is taking God at His Word. Believing in God’s power, wisdom and goodness, and believing that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6).

Faith doesn’t make sense in the natural realm because faith cannot be seen or understood when situations beyond our control require us to believe beyond what we can see with our natural eyes. The Amplified Version translates Hebrews 11:6 this way, “NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].”

Faith is the proof of the things we are hoping for, seeing as real what is not yet evident in the natural realm. In Hebrews, the ancients noted Abraham, Isaac, Moses, all had faith; otherwise they would not have seen nor been able to do the things God asked of them.

Every believer is called to a life of faith. It is the substance of what we cannot see with our natural eyes. In this time of chaos, political upheaval, a global pandemic, global climate change, environmental degradation, inflation: prices on the rise, and attacks against U.S. democracy the just will live by their faith (Hab. 2:4). There is no single text in the Old Testament that plays a role in the New Testament and the life of the believer than this little sentence from the prophet Habakkuk’s prophecy.

Our Heavenly Father desires His children to live by faith. “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:17) The gospel or “good news” is the power of God to save everyone who believes; it is the very revelation of the righteousness of God!  The “good news” is that Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for our sin so that we might become the children of God through faith alone in Christ alone.

Life can be difficult! So where do we find the help we need in facing real-life challenges? One very important factor to be observed in a lifestyle of faith is having hope and patience. “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised”(Hebrews 6:12).

We may be hard pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We might be perplexed, but not driven to despair, persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Cor. 4:8). “But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint (Isa. 41:31).

Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ!!

Pray for spiritual awakening in America and abroad!  

Blessings,

Minister A. Francine Green

Notes: All scripture references are taken from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted.