walking/living in/by faith
living by faith
6 Sin fe es imposible agradar a Dios, porque es necesario que el que se acerca a Dios crea que él existe, y que sabe recompensar a quienes lo buscan.
6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.
B. Faith Defined
1. The assurance of things hoped for
2. The conviction of their reality
3. Believing God to the point of action
4. Humanity’s favorable response to God’s revelation
it is confidence in the reality of things we cannot see that lies at the root of faith.
We can’t see Jesus, standing as the link between us and heaven. We can’t see ourselves as God does, holy and cleansed by the one great sacrifice of Christ. But when our minds accept these as fact, and we become certain of them even though we cannot yet see their full reality revealed, then we are ready to begin to live by faith.
Faith also exists as response to those facts.
“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (v. 6)
When we are willing to accept as fact what God’s Word says, and in response reach out to seek and to experience relationship with Him, then we have begun to live by faith.
This living by faith—accepting as fact the truths that we cannot touch or feel or see, and then acting on them—seems such a simple prescription for life.
4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.
5 Por la fe, Enoc traspuso sin morir el umbral de la muerte, y nunca más se supo de él, porque Dios le hizo cruzar ese umbral; pero antes de cruzarlo, todos reconocieron que él era del agrado de Dios.
6 Sin fe es imposible agradar a Dios, porque es necesario que el que se acerca a Dios crea que él existe, y que sabe recompensar a quienes lo buscan.
Faith enabled Noah to cut through the contrary views of his contemporaries and to accept the warning of impending disaster as fact. And faith enables us to withstand social pressures and respond with reverence, obeying the command to build.
Faith can enable us to be different as well. We can build our lives on a revelation of the future that men who do not know God count foolish.
Faith enabled Abraham to take an uncertain journey, not knowing where he was going, but only that God had summoned him.
Por la fe, habitó en la tierra prometida como un extraño en tierra extraña, y vivió en tiendas con Isaac y Jacob, quienes eran coherederos de la misma promesa
10 porque esperaba llegar a la ciudad que tiene fundamentos, cuyo arquitecto y constructor es Dios.
10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
* Faith enabled Sarah (11:11–12). Here is a most encouraging example. When Sarah first heard the promise, she doubted and laughed (Gen. 18:12–15). But first doubts were overcome. Faith swept in to enable her dead womb to gain the vitality needed for childbearing.
Often we’re overcome by first doubts. Parts of our personalities seem deadened and withered. But faith can be restored. Even such “second-chance” faith can enable us to experience vitality in areas of our lives we saw as being dead.
11 By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she considered that the One who had promised was faithful. 12 Therefore from one man—in fact, from one as good as dead—came offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as innumerable as the grains of sand by the seashore.
13 Por la fe, todos ellos murieron sin haber recibido lo que se les había prometido, y sólo llegaron a ver esto a lo lejos; pero lo creyeron y lo saludaron, pues reconocieron que eran extranjeros y peregrinos en esta tierra.
14 Porque los que dicen esto, claramente dan a entender que buscan una patria;
15 pues si hubieran estado pensando en la patria de donde salieron, tiempo tenían para volver.
16 Pero ellos anhelaban una patria mejor, es decir, la patria celestial. Por eso Dios no se avergüenza de llamarse su Dios; al contrario, les ha preparado una ciudad.
13 These all died in faith without having received the promises, but they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. 14 Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return. 16 But they now desire a better place—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
17 Por la fe, cuando Abrahán fue puesto a prueba, ofreció a Isaac; y el que había recibido las promesas ofrecía a su único hijo,
18 a pesar de que Dios le había dicho: «Por medio de Isaac te vendrá descendencia».
19 Y es que Abrahán sabía que Dios tiene poder incluso para levantar a los muertos; y en sentido figurado, de entre los muertos lo volvió a recibir.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and he was offering his unique son, 18 the one it had been said about, Your seed will be traced through Isaac. v 19 He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead, and as an illustration, he received him back.
We too can trust God even this much. When we view Him as totally trustworthy, even the most difficult steps of obedience are made possible.
Here we’re reminded that at every critical stage in his life, faith shaped him for his ultimate ministry
His parents’ initial faith saved his life (v. 23). Growing up, faith led him to throw in his lot with the slave people of Israel rather than his adoptive royal family
(vv. 24–26). Faith enabled him to defy rather than give into Pharaoh, remaining obedient to the heavenly King
(vv. 24–26). Faith enabled him to defy rather than give into Pharaoh, remaining obedient to the heavenly King
Almost every difficulty, every challenging experience, every danger, every decision in Moses’ life was faced on the basis of faith’s obedient response. Faith enabled each obedient act, and the pattern of faithful obedience that emerged made Moses the man he finally became.
It’s the same with us. In everything in life we need to be guided and enabled by faith. As we live by faith, we will progressively become the persons God wants us to be.