Romans 10:17 - Living Faith.
Romans 10:17 - Living Faith.
Romans 10:17 (NKJV) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God.
Romans 10:17 (NLT) So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing
the Good News about Christ.
This verse is an important statement of the nature and source of
true faith. Genuine faith is not a blind confidence to be exercised
in the absence of adequate evidence. Faith is our conviction about
things that we cannot see (Heb. 11:1), and this conviction must be
founded upon knowledge, a knowledge based upon the Word of God, the
message about Christ. As a means of developing a transforming and
enduring faith, there is no substitute for the regular and earnest study
of the Bible. [SDA Bible Commentary]
The creative energy that called the worlds into existence is in
the word of God (Psa.33:6, 9). This word imparts power; it begets
life. Every command is a promise; accepted by the will, received into
the soul, it brings with it the life of the Infinite One. It
transforms the nature and re-creates the soul in the image of God
(2Pe.1:4). {Ed 126}
People need to hear the Good News of salvation in Christ in
order to believe it (10:14). Faith does not respond in a vacuum or
respond blindly. Faith is believing what one has been told about God's
offer of salvation and trusting the one who has been spoken about.
(Life Application Commentary)
Martin Luther quoted two proverbs to show both sides of the
life of faith - our efforts, and the help of the Lord:
Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich.
(Proverbs 10:4 NLT)
The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich. (Proverbs
10:22 NLT)
So it's both/and, not either/or; yet those two quotes
describing how life works best raise a lot of questions. Some hard workers
get rich, but millions work very hard and barely survive. Some even
starve. And God blesses many with prosperity, but other believers with
great faith live desperate, impoverished lives.
The book of Proverbs is right that all good things come from
the Lord and that generally we must work hard to become prosperous.
But beyond those principles are questions about the mysterious ways
of God that defy our logic and reason.
We don't have to figure it all out - nobody can. Our option
is to concentrate on making sure we are in harmony with the works
of God.
"If God isn't with us," Luther writes, "we are nothing at
all, no matter how great our gifts may be. If he doesn't constantly
uphold us, the greatest amount of knowledge will be useless, even if we
are experts in theology. In the hour of temptation, the devil can
tear away all the comforting Bible verses from us and leave us with
threatening ones that crush our spirits."
Luther advises us to have a humble view of our spiritual
progress and our talents, coming to God in faith and at the same time
praying as his disciples did, "Increase our faith."
Father in heaven, sorting through the significance of all the
troubles around me and around the world does seem hopeless. Let me see
through your eyes, and let me move at the impulse of your love.
Faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News
about Christ. Romans 10:17 NLT [The One Year Book of Encouragement by
Harold Myra]
Brother Lawrence was known for "an extraordinary firmness,
which in another walk of life would have been termed fearlessness. It
revealed a great soul, lifted above the fear and the hope of all that was
not God. Nothing astonished him; he feared nothing."
What made his fearless faith possible?
He saw God as infinitely just. He was convinced that God
would never deceive him but only bring him good. His part was not to
displease God, and for the love of God, to endure whatever came.
It was said that as Lawrence's death drew near, his patience
grew even stronger.
A contemporary wrote, "He seemed never to have a moment of
sorrow, even in the greatest violence of his malady. Joy was evident not
only on his face, but also in his manner of speaking, so much so that
members of the Community who went to visit him asked whether he was
actually in pain. 'Pardon,' he said, 'I am in pain. The place in my side
hurts. But my soul is content.'
"When the hour came for his departure from this world he
cried again and again, 'Faith, Faith.' By the light of faith he
already saw something of this intimate presence. He said he feared
neither death, hell, nor the judgment of God, nor the efforts of the
devil."
When asked at the last what was occupying his spirit,
Lawrence replied, "I am doing what I shall do through all eternity. I am
blessing God, praising him, worshiping him, and loving him with all my
heart."
Brother Lawrence was so used to praising God, and so
accustomed to the joy of it, that he could enjoy God's presence on his
deathbed.
What better time could there be to get started following his
example than when we are relatively healthy?
Lord Jesus, in the garden before your crucifixion, you
agonized in prayer to your Father - and then you faced it all with
firmness. When death comes for me or for my loved ones, grant us the gifts
of faith and courage.
Faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News
about Christ. Romans 10:17 NLT [The One Year Book of Encouragement by
Harold Myra]
Every day I have the honor of sitting down with a book that
contains the words of the One who created me. Every day I have the
opportunity to let him give me a thought or two on how to live. If I don't
do what he says, he doesn't burn the book or cancel my
subscription. If I disagree with what he says, lightning doesn't split my
swivel chair or an angel doesn't mark my name off the holy list. If I
don't understand what he says, he doesn't call me a dummy. In fact, he
calls me "Son," and on a different page explains what I don't
understand. In the Eye of the Storm by Max Lucado [Inspirational SB]
Read it through, pray it in, live it out, pass it on. George
Gritter [Spirit Filled Life Devotional SB]
BIBLE READING & STUDY RESOURCE LINKS:
One Year Audio Bible:
http://www.oneyearaudiobible.org/manual.html
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
