Faithful?

Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

This might very well be one of the most manipulated and misused scriptures in the entire Bible. I hear this verse almost daily from the “sow your seed” preachers on TCT. I think it’s because the verse has a form of the word ‘reward’ in it that these preachers use it to manipulate thousands of people into giving money to support their ministry, but it is a gross misuse of God’s word!

First, allow me to clarify that giving to a ministry is not bad. If you have been led in the past to give to a particular ministry or organization, not out of guilt but out of love, that is a good thing. The Bible clearly tells us that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7) BUT (and that’s a big but) God does not reward us solely for our “faith gifts, love offerings, or sacrificial giving”. Yes, there are blessings (sometimes) for giving of this kind, but that’s not what we’re talking about here in Hebrews.

Now that that is out of the way, let’s truly examine what this scripture is telling us. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him.” This statement follows a passage about Noah, Abel, and Enoch who were all rewarded for their faith. Then it’s followed by a portion of scripture about Abraham, another man greatly rewarded for his faith. But what was their reward? Riches, power, wealth, health, righteousness, and prosperity? I think we could better sum that up with the phrase “abundant life”. Their reward for great faith was abundance of life. (Don’t send me emails, I know Abel was murdered by Cain, but Abel was called righteous because of his faith.)

They received this reward not because of their works, sacrifices, or deeds, but because they believed that God was who He said He was and would do what He said He was going to do. They diligently sought God, heard what He said, and acted on His voice. So how do we grow in faith? Is it by giving out of a sense of guilt to the ministry with its smarmy pastors touting huge bank accounts because they “sowed a seed of faith”? Do we grow in faith by blindly making risky moves with some thinking that “God will cause all things to work for good!”? (This is an interesting thought in itself and merits its own discussion for another day...table this one for now!)

To answer my own questions: no, we don’t grow by blindly making risky moves or sowing our guilt seeds. We grow in faith just as the Bible tells us to, by hearing the Word of God, Jesus. (Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”) John 1:1 tells us “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Faith comes by hearing over and over and over and over and over (and over...and over...) the name of Jesus and the salvation and redemption offered through Him. Just like Noah, Enoch, Abel, and Abraham, through our faith God will reward us with righteousness and abundance of life. Why? Because in hearing the name of Jesus and His grace over and over again we are seeking Him!

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting my reward. I’m righteous because He made me that way (2 Corinthians 5:21), and I’ll receive abundance of life because that’s what He came to give me (John 10:10) and I’ll continue to seek Him all the days of my life!