The evidence of things not seen

“I cannot see it but I know that it is there. I can neither smell it nor reach out and touch it. When asked to provide concrete and tangible proof of its existence I can only say that providing proof only proves that it is not there….”


My brothers and sisters I am talking about faith, and more specifically faith in God. In the book of Hebrews 11:1 Paul says “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith in and of itself is proof and evidence unto itself. In a court of law when one party is asked to produce evidence to support a thesis, the lawyer in question would produce “real life” tangible evidence. Evidence that can be seen by all, touched and physically examined, or even heard through an audio recorder. Pieces of evidence such as these are usually termed exhibit A, exhibit B, exhibit C etc in a court of law. But as Saint Paul teaches us, faith on the other hand is the only evidence anywhere in the world that can neither be seen, touched or heard, except as a manifestation in the lives of those that carry it in their hearts. In the life of the Christian it becomes an assurance of things hoped for, and a sure evidence of those things that cannot be seen because they have not yet come to pass. Our faith in God renders all manner of tangible evidence and exhibits irrelevant. For the Christian, God becomes exhibit A, Jesus! becomes exhibit B, and yes you guessed it, the Holy Spirit is our exhibit C. Cheesy? You bet. Simplistic? Perhaps, but when the world deals you those difficult situations that test the core of your faith and beliefs those are the truths that help you get through.

In a court of Law, tangible evidence is often presented before the Judge (and Jury)

In response to such questions as these: How do you know you will get well? What makes you think things are going to work out? Your loved one just died, what makes you think you can carry on? The response of the faith filled Christian is something along these lines: I know this because I serve a faithful God.

We have faith because God is faith(ful) . That’s it. All the evidence we need. For us, the evidence of victory and success over any circumstance or challenge now or in the future is never cash filled bank accounts, degrees from prestigious universities, great “connections”, or any material possession. Evidence unto victory and success begins and ends with faith in God because we define success from a Christian Perspective. Not by the world’s standards, but by a standard that states that the truly successful life is one lived for God. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this IS the whole duty of man” Ecclesiastes 12 Chapter 11.

As we can see from the passage above, God gives us exactly what our job description is here on earth: To fear him and obey his commandments to love him and love each other, his commandments to honor our father and mother, and all the other teachings and commandments in the bible. We can do whatever else we want to do, as long as it does not conflict with his instructions to us. And so we see that we can have all the money we want, win all the awards we can, even be thought of as great peoples and Christians even, but if we are not living by his will then in essence we are wasting our lives.

I am all for trying to get ahead in life, this much we owe to our families and ourselves. But let us never let getting ahead in life get in the way of God getting us ahead to where really matters…. heaven. And it all begins with faith.

And yet we struggle with faith. I struggle with faith. As Christians we all have our strong and weak areas (I only speak for myself because I am not in a position to speak for anyone else). And so for my part I know that when it comes to faith there are areas where I am strong. God puts something in my heart and I do it by faith, when it comes time to believe I am right there with him, but in other areas of my life I fall flat on my face, especially those areas in which I have faced hardship and disappointment. God fills my heart with knowledge of his blessings and goodness in these areas, but time and time again I lose heart out of habit. But my brothers and sisters I am here to tell you that we serve a God who is not disgusted by our weakness. We serve a God who wants to heal our weakness. And so more and more, I see this God building up those weak areas in my life. All we have to do is even by faith let him increase our faith in him. All we need to do is begin to understand that God means what he says when he says “The Just shall live by faith” Hebrews 10:38 Living by faith is the only way to live.

So how do you know you are living by faith? When some of the things you do and the ways you act don’t seem to make sense to the world. If you are doing what everyone expects you to do then perhaps you are not living by faith. And by this I mean that if there is nothing that separates you from a person who hasn’t given their life to Christ, then what incentive does God have to separate you from such a person when you stand before him?

I think Dennis De Haan, a contributor to “Our Daily Bread” said it best in one of his writings: “As Christians our speech and our actions should cause others to ask “What’s different about her, about him?

Now I don’t mean jump off a bridge because no one expects you to (That is suicide and will likely cost you more than your life!) I mean you begin to forgive things that others deem unforgivable, give things that others deem most precious, obey God in the doing of things that people (Even fellow Christians) at times do not understand. You begin to hear such question as these: Why did you stop here? Where did you go? Why are you laughing/What is so funny? Why are there tears in your eyes? How could you give that away? Why aren’t you angry? Why are you angry? You see, God’s plan and purpose for you isn’t always understood by you, let alone by others. In his book The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren asks if we are willing to give God a blank sheet and let him fill out the rest. Now that is living by faith.

I believe that this is one of the biggest obstacles to unbelievers coming to Christ. Give God a blank sheet and let him fill out the details? Wow. No doubt the details aren’t like to include all the things we like to do or even the pursuit of our own happiness. And so excuses are made and questions are asked: What about people who weren’t born Christians? Who says Christianity is the only way? Who wrote the Bible? Paul answers these questions in 1st Timothy Chapter 1 verse 4: “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith” Everyone is faced with a choice: Ask questions and make excuses or take it on faith.

Live by faith everyday of your life. When you do, faith consumes you; God consumes you for the bible has said…God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 12:29

Remain in the lord. God bless you all.

TESTIMONY

Recently (And even currently) I have been fortunate enough to do the same thing as two different people. Confused? Let me explain. A little over a year ago I took a class titled Data Models. It’s one of the most difficult classes in my MBA program. A little over a year ago, there were many aspects of my life that I hadn’t completely given over to Christ, and I was not completely living by faith. Fast forward to today and I find that I am not the same man that I was then.

When I took the class early last year, my workload was immense and so many aspects of my life were disorganized and I ended up withdrawing from the class because I was literarily failing out of it. Currently I am taking the same class, and though I still have a heavy workload I am taking it with Jesus.

I look at it as an experiment. Now every time I walk into class I walk in with the spirit of God and full knowledge of his presence. On the first day of class I had a fever and almost did not make it to class. But God led me to the class. On my way to class I had a fever, but as soon as I entered the classroom the fever ceased. I focused for the 3.5 hours that the lecture lasted, and as soon as I stepped out of the class the fever came back. I praised God as i walked back to my car.

Oh I can say maybe the temperature of the room helped the fever, or maybe I can say that somehow I mentally pulled myself together for the duration of the class. But I know the truth: God got me through the class.

And so as I take this class I know that whatever my grade will be has been determined by God, but more than anything else I know this in my heart to be true: I am taking the class by faith, in stark contrast to how I went about it the first time around. God is using it to glorify his name. Things I didn’t understand the first time are made abundantly clear, time I do not have is found for studying, God is on my side. Same class; two people; very different results. To God be the glory now and forever. Amen!