(Jn 3:18) "He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
What does it mean to live by faith?
Now, until this moment we have been talking about the saving faith that leads us to a correct relationship with God, but the story does not end there. On the contrary, from the moment we become and are born again, a new life that must be characterized by faith begins for each one of us. The prophet Habakkuk described it this way: "The just shall live by faith" (Hab 2: 4).
1.The man of faith is misunderstood in the midst of society
As Habakkuk pointed out, the ungodly and the man of faith are totally different, and therefore, they are not on the same path. The Lord Jesus Christ had the same idea when he said that the door and the path that lead to life are not the same ones that lead to perdition. And he wanted to point out that those who travel the path that leads to life are few and often alone (Mt 7: 13-14).
The case of Noah in the Old Testament illustrates well how to live according to faith in God exposes us to loneliness and ridicule. Noah and his family were the only believers of his generation, and there is no doubt that it is very difficult to persevere in the faith when we do not enjoy communion with others, but we are alone. But not only that, faith led Noah to be confronted with all his unbelieving generation, to whom he had to announce a harsh message of judgment from God. Most likely, his neighbors would make fun of him and treat him as crazy. At the end of the day, being in the middle of the arid plain of Mesopotamia, hundreds of kilometers from the sea, who would spend years and years of his life building an immense ship? And to announce a universal flood when it had probably never yet rained on earth? All this made him look like a crazy and unbalanced man in the middle of his generation. And in the same way, if we live by faith, believing and announcing His Word, we can be sure that the same thing will happen to us. But let's not forget that finally everything that Noah announced in the name of God was fulfilled with complete accuracy.
2.The man of faith does not always receive immediate answers
Faith leads us to trust God no matter what happens. This means that even if we live by faith we will not always receive affirmative answers to everything we ask for. Faith is not trust in God while he does everything we expect. Some think it is so, but the Bible offers many cases of the opposite.
The reason is very simple: if every time a believer became ill, he would be immediately healed by the mere act of believing; if every time he finds himself in financial difficulties, God will send from heaven the money he needs; if every time he has to face persecution, God will eliminate the persecutors; if God will automatically provide you with material goods, health, employment, spouses, children, everything you want; then everyone would be a believer. But not with biblical faith. Faith in such a case would be comparable to self-centeredness, and God, instead of being the Lord of all, would be the servant of all. And unfortunately, that is the emphasis of the so-called "prosperity gospel".
But the authentic faith in God leads us to persevere in his ways, not because God intervenes constantly to eliminate any obstacle that is presented before us, but helping us to overcome them.
Faith sustains us and helps us to continue forward when we suffer unjustly and are not vindicated immediately. In fact, the Bible makes clear to us that in many occasions the vindication of God will not always come before our death:
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(2 Tim 2: 11-12) "This is the faithful saying: If we are killed with him, we will also live with him, if we suffer, we will also reign with him ..."
Without doubt, greater faith is required to suffer without being vindicated immediately. And that is the moment when the devil takes advantage to intensify his attacks against our faith, sowing doubt in us: "God does not listen to you", "God does not exist", "God exists but you are not worthy of him", "God he does not love you as he loves others "," you are worthless in the eyes of God ". But let's not forget that all this is a lie.
Now, having reached this point it is important that we clarify two things. The first one is that the authenticity of the faith can not be measured by the immediate results, but by the fidelity of the person in his response to the tests he goes through. And the second is that God has not committed himself to always explaining the reason or the ultimate purpose for which he allows certain tests in our lives.
A good example of all these principles is found in Job. He went through many hardships and difficulties, but not because he was an ungodly man, but on the contrary, because he was a man of faith. In the midst of his trials he found himself completely alone, since his friends, who theoretically had gone to comfort him, accused him unceasingly in an unjust and ruthless way of things that were false. In the midst of his pain, God did not give him any explanation of why he was suffering. His vindication did not come until many months after suffering intensely. And finally, when God answered him, he did not explain the reason why he had allowed such a hard test, he only showed that he is the sovereign God who knows what he does and administers everything with total wisdom, and therefore, Job should rest in him even though he did not understand all the details of divine purposes.
3.The man of faith anticipates the future
The faith of the people of God is related to past things; He believes that God has created the world and also that he sent his Son to save us through his death on the cross. But he also believes in things that are to happen in the future, which is why the author of Hebrews said that "faith is the certainty of what is expected" (Heb 11: 1). In other words, living by faith is living with the confidence that God will fulfill what He has promised.
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But not only that, faith allows us to begin to enjoy now, in the present, what we expect. Using an illustration, we could say that faith acts as the zoom of a camera that allows us to zoom in on something that is far away so we can see it better. And faith "brings" our future hope in such a way that we can begin to enjoy it. The author of Hebrews said that we can "hold on to the hope set before us" (He 6:18), as if we could touch and grasp it. And Paul exhorted Timothy to "lay hold on eternal life" (1 Tim 6:12). This helps us to face the difficulties of the present.
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Credits for the Bible school after the teacher.
Biblical reference Reina valera 1960.
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