By Faith

Bible Study

1 Corinthians 12:9a ESV

Hebrews 11:7 MSG

In Seminary we studied the meaning of faith. We looked at it from every viewpoint. While I did learn more than I knew before there are elements of faith that cannot be taught in a classroom.

We have to experience faith with God.

1 Corinthians 12:9a tells us, God gives “to another faith”.

GOD gives faith.

Faith is not something we can conjure up.

In light of that I wish I had a nickel for every time someone told me I just need to believe more.

In other words they make it my “fault” for doing it wrong.

When that happens I try to explain in the kindest way I can that faith comes from God…it doesn’t happen the other way around.

Then they often want to argue the point.

I know I’m not a Spring chicken but in this case a lot of experience works in my favor. Faith is a gift. It’s not something we work for.

God gives it.

I Corinthians 12:9 is really clear on that point. GOD GIVES US FAITH. If that was not the case we would be dealing with works-righteousness. In other words we do not work to be righteous.

When I was 12 years old my dad had a few sticky points we always circled back to when I started thinking I needed to earn my keep with God. Every time it happened I was thinking like the world thinks…that we have to be good enough to deserve God’s love and salvation.

My dad would tell me yet once again that God doesn’t love us because we are good enough. He would remind me that God loves me just because God IS love.

In time I figured out that God’s love wasn’t anything like love we experience on earth. IN other words I don’t earn God’s love. It doesn’t matter that I mess up and mess up and mess up. God knows I’m not perfect.

What God really wants is for me to receive God’s love.

I can’t earn it.

I don’t earn it.

It’s a gift.

One gift that God gives is the gift of faith. For some reason that was the most difficult concept I struggled with when I was 12 years old.

Then I really started reading scripture. Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God.”

Ahhh…now I get it. So if God told me there was going to be a flood I could believe what God told me or I could choose not to believe there is going to be a flood.

Noah believed and even though it wasn’t raining he cut down some trees and he build a really big ship.

His neighbors all laughed at him but Noah kept building. When the ship was finished his neighbors made fun of him because it wasn’t raining.

Noah set out to collect the animals and it took a pretty long time for him to find a male and a female of every species. I am amazed that he was able to figure out male and female of every species. Noah loaded them on the ship.

It still wasn’t raining. By now Noah’s neighbors were probably sitting in lawn chairs, feasting and playing lawn games.

Noah didn’t stop there. He had to gather food that every animal would need on the ship. Once the animals and the food for everyone was on the ship Noah closed the doors and waited.

It probably didn’t take long to start raining. It rained and it rained and it rained. Noah’s neighbors weren’t laughing now. Even though it was raining they were probably trying to cut down trees so they could build a ship. But by then it was too late.

So back to God giving faith. How did Noah have the faith to believe?

He didn’t conjure it up.

Noah loved God and he worshipped God daily. Let’s say Noah prayed morning noon and night and he listened to God when he prayed. He was so close to God that a really strong relationship developed between God and Noah.

Sooo…the day God told Noah to build a ship and fill it with animals Noah believed God. He had a special relationship with God and Noah trusted God. Because he trusted God he cut down the trees and built a ship and collected animals and waited.

By faith through the relationship that God started and developed with Noah, the ship was built and the animals were collected.

The faith came from God and God gave the faith to Noah.

I personally believe if Noah’s neighbors would have genuinely listened and believed Noah they could have received the same faith Noah was given.

Instead they chose to laugh at Noah.

Who was laughing once it started to rain?

Deborah

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