The Hall of Fame of Faith

By David R. Ferguson       Hebrews 11:1-2 [ESV] reads as follows: 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. So begins this wondrous chapter in God’s word, a chapter which has been aptly named the Hall of Fame of Faith.     A life spent learning to obey God is like a journey with a starting point, a route and a destination or ending point. For Abraham that journey began when he left his home in Ur of the Chaldees to travel wherever God would lead him. He didn’t always know what route that journey would take. But he learned through faith to trust in God to direct his steps.     We can all be encouraged by these examples we read of in the Book of Genesis from the life of the father of the faithful, Abraham. Just like Abraham, one doesn’t learn to live by faith all at once. It does not come naturally. You must learn and, as you learn, you will make mistakes. But those mistakes need not cut you off from God. He’s a patient, compassionate and merciful teacher. He’s a gracious, loving Father! And for those who do follow God in faith, there’s the absolute promise given to us by Jesus Christ: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5 [ESV]).     Without faith we cannot please God (Hebrews 11:6), yet faith only will not save us, either, as can be seen in Numbers 20:7-12 [ESV]. Moses obviously had faith in God, but he was disobedient when it came to him not speaking to the rock as God had commanded, and he struck it instead. His disobedience cost him from entering into the Promised Land.     And for further proof that faith alone doesn’t save us, listen to what James writes: “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24 [ESV]). It doesn’t get any clearer than that.     There is but one true faith. And you and I must examine ourselves and prove ourselves on this point, whether we be in "the faith” as Paul refers to it in 2 Corinthians 13:5 and Jude does in Jude 1:3. By being in “the faith,” we can walk in the light of the Lord and bring others to Christ!

- David R. Ferguson preaches for the Mentor Church of Christ in Mentor, OH.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://mentorchurchofchrist.com/ or davidferguson61@yahoo.com