Thursday, 4 February 2016
He Is Your Rewarder
Dr RJ Sing
“You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him.”
God is positively your rewarder in this life and also in the life to come. Now Hebrews 11:1 States, ‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’ This verse is not so much a definition of what faith is, as it is a description of what faith does. Two truths concerning its activity are stated here. First, Faith provides substance (Greek hypostasis). Though broad in its usages, this Greek word normally has the meaning of “assurance” in the New Testament. Secondly, Faith provides evidence (Greek Eleechos).
It is Evidence in the sense of proof that results in conviction. The difference between Assurance and Evidence would be minimal were it not for the phrase qualifying each: “of things hoped for” and “of things not seen”. The first involves future hope, and the second involves present realities that are unseen. The first includes the hope of the Resurrection, the return of Christ, and the glorification of the Saints.
The second involves unseen realities, such as the forgiveness of sins through Christ’s sacrifice and the Present intercession of Christ in heaven. Hope is Faith Relating to the Future and Conviction is Faith Relating to the Present. Be a man/woman of faith who believes all things.
From the February 2016 issue, themed The Lord Will Not Fail Me.
