“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the convictions of things not seen.” Hebrews 11.1
When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, we have a conviction on an individual not seen by us, but we believe in him. There are promises made to us for an eternal life in Jesus Christ, a promise we cannot verify – but we choose to believe that such a promise has been offered, and it is true – because God is not a liar. This is faith. Such a perspective places things where they belong, you can either choose to believe or disbelieve. That is your choice, and you make that choice by either putting your faith in Jesus Christ or not. It is that simple and that complicated.
“By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s.” Hebrews 11.4
“By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and ‘he was not found, because God had taken him’.” Hebrews 11.5
“By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household.” Hebrews 11.7
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he set out not knowing where he was going.” Hebrews 11.8
The scripture is filled with people who had shown the faith, by believing in things that they had no foreknowledge of. Don’t think that faith is relegated to a time before; your faith is called for every single day. What you decide to do with that is you call!
Yet they displayed a kind of faith that even we today don’t show today because:
“All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them.” Hebrews 11.13
We are of the generation for whom the promise is decked out, and we can participate in that promise at any moment we decide to. We have the opportunity that Abel, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham didn’t have for the Lamb of God who would take the sin of the world had not arrived!
He then arrived - and we are the generation that has the promise that those preceding Jesus Christ could only see and greet from a distance, but for us, it is not a far of longing but a reality ever available.
Now, is there faith!