Bible Studies for Life
Chair and Armstrong Professor of Religion, Department of Religion, Samford University
Making Sense of Faith
Romans 4:1–3, 23–25; 10:9–13; Hebrews 12:1–2
Christianity is centered on Christ, not only in our experience of God’s grace in conversion but also in terms of our continuing commitment to Christ as Lord of our lives. Christ calls us to express faith in who He is and what He has accomplished for us through His death and resurrection.
Faith’s Object (Rom. 4:1–3, 23–25)
Paul argued that our acceptance by God has never been on the basis of anything that we have accomplished but only on the basis of His grace, received by faith. This was as true of Abraham in the Old Testament as it is for any believer since the time of Christ’s Incarnation. God’s relationship with His people is never based on a contract, on some agreement that has conditions to be met. That is the basis of legalism. Our relationship with God is founded on a covenant, a gracious desire and intention that He has accomplished for us through the life, death and resurrection of our Savior. We enter into this covenant relationship by receiving God’s promise, believing that He is merciful toward us and living our life in joyful gratitude and obedience. On the basis of such grace, we are accepted as being righteous before God and adopted into His family. We have not achieved this relationship and cannot maintain it by anything we do. We are members of a family of forgiven sinners, celebrating the grace of God who welcomes the ungodly rather than the pious. As those who are astonished by God’s generosity, we are called to manifest this same attitude toward one another, but especially to those without faith at all.
Faith As an Act of the Will (Rom. 10:9–13)
Faith is a response to God’s offer to all human beings. The response involves our whole personality, our minds, our hearts as well as our wills. Paul made this crystal clear when he declared that faith involves “confessing with our lips” and “believing in our hearts.” Faith involves a human response, a free decision of the will to the free offer of the gospel. It is at the very heart of human personality, in the heart that the transformation of God’s grace is active. When this occurs, the resurrection’s power is truly at work, changing us to be like Jesus. In this way, we truly believe in the resurrection, not merely as a dogmatic confession but commit our lives to live under His lordship.
Faith As a Way of Life (Heb. 12:1–2)
Faith is only, in one sense, the starting point of a life that is both a pilgrimage and a journey. It is a life that encounters many obstacles, experiences many trials and temptations and can only cope by continuous trust in the One who has pioneered the journey Himself — Jesus. The Book of Hebrews was specifically written to a group of Jewish Christians who was experiencing persecution and considering giving up and returning to Judaism. The unknown author of the book encouraged these Christians to press on, to keep going, to run the race with confidence “looking to Jesus.” The phrase suggests looking away from anything that is distracting their commitment and concentrating entirely on Him. The name “Jesus” reminded them of the fact that their Lord did not flinch from enduring the cross, even though it brought shame and scoffing into His experience. As He identified Himself with sinners, so those who have encountered His saving grace should identify themselves, without hesitation, with His cause. In our contemporary culture in which self-gratification is the order of the day, the terminology of Hebrews calling the Christian to a life of endurance may appear strange. Yet this is the heart of Christianity. The example and encouragement of our Lord is vital in this passage. He is the One who exercised faith “par excellence.” He is the “author and pioneer” of our faith. No one expressed such utter reliance on and humble confidence in God the Father as He did, and no one has been so empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a life in obedience to God’s will. As those who are united to Him by faith, who have received the same resources of the Holy Spirit, we, too, can remain committed and “not grow weary or lose heart.”
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