Faith, according to Scripture is one’s capacity to trust in the things unseen by human eyes. Faith is the capacity to believe in the invisible as if it was as plain as the nose on your face. With this definition in mind, it is clear that Jesus did not require faith in the Father, for there is nothing about His life on earth that was hidden from Him. He was there at the creation of the world, for nothing came into being without Him. He was one with the Father in heaven, so there is nothing of God He did not experience. There was no unseen mystery in His incarnation, for He had planned out each day of His earthy existence before the foundations of the earth were laid.
What then can we make of Hebrews twelve which tells us that Jesus was the author and perfector of our faith? Does this verse in some ways imply that Jesus needed to learn to have faith in the unseen things of God? Does it teach us that only through His death and resurrection did Jesus really perfect His own faith so that ours could be made perfect? No, for this would require that either we change the biblical definition of faith or that we change the definition of God. Certainly it is true that Jesus, the Son, had trust in the Father, but trust is not necessarily a synonym for faith. The fact that the Son had trust in the Father is nothing new to the unity and nature of God. Just as the trinity exists in eternal unity, it exists in eternal love and trust. Would we say that Jesus only learned to love the Father through His earthly life? Did Jesus learn to be united to the Father, only because he died and rose? Certainly this is not the case, and neither is it true that Jesus required or learned to perfect His faith.
What the Scripture makes clear is that Jesus was a model of what it meant to offer perfect trust and love in God. To the degree that we are not yet made full in our hope of glory, we can still have faith that these promises will be made sure. Since our future is hidden from us, we need faith in what is yet to come. This definition takes on practical implications as we look at the idea of God’s Kingdom.
God’s Kingdom is manifest in us as individuals and as a Church, it is growing in and through us, and its fullness is yet to be established in the age to come. We need the faith of Christ; the faith established in the perfect love of Christ, to strive against the domain of Satan and bring to fruition the Kingdom of God. Faith is our hope that even when we loose a battle, or even when it seems the world is falling apart around us, God’s Kingdom is being and will be forever established and Satan’s domain will be abolished without end. The pursuit of God’s Kingdom means divorcing myself from the things that can not enter in: my house, my car, my job, these things shall pass into nothing so I must invest myself in what God has established.
As I consider the things of God’s Kingdom and the demands of faith, my mind falls to the community of God. God’s people are what will last. God’s Church is what will enter into eternity. As I investigate my ministry, I must ask myself, to what end do I serve? Am I investing my giftings and energy into things that will endure? If I break down my day, the hours I spend at the office, the tasks I prioritize on my calendar; do I see a reflection of God’s Kingdom? If not, what must I do to change my life so it is conformed into the image of the Kingdom life? Is there a way I should better structure my church so that it teaches people about God’s kingdom? Do people learn the right lessons when they come to our building? Do they see in our church a reflection of God’s values and His priorities? What could be changed in the life of our Body so that it would help each individual believer spend less time investing in things that will waste away and more time building into eternity?
As I ponder these questions, I am struck by the power of God’s presence. I fear the implications of His Kingdom lived out in me.
Am I really ready to follow after Him? Am I really ready to reject all the things of this world in complete and full obedience to His plan? I wonder if God can truly provide. His Kingdom is not of this world. How can I truly survive in the world and live for his kingdom and still provide the material wealth necessary to sustain the life of my family?
It is the paradox of faith; I have total trust that God will provide, but I fear the future because I do not understand how. Trusting in God’s ability to do what I can not see is the hardest challenge in my life. Why? He has always met my needs, and there is nothing in my past that would demonstrate otherwise. Yet there is fear. Why?
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