Faith Unto the Saving of the Soul

FAITH UNTO THE SAVING OF THE SOUL
(Jim McDonald)

The writer of Hebrews admonished his readers: “For ye have need of patience in that, having done the will of God you may receive the promises. For in yet a very little while he that cometh will come and shall not tarry. But my righteous one shall live by faith and if he shrink back my soul hath no please in him. But we are not of them that shrink back unto perdition; but of them that have faith unto the saving of the soul” (Hebrews 10:36-39).

He continued the same subject into chapter 11 by saying, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). If one has no faith that he will attain a certain thing, there is no basis for him to hope, for just as we cannot hope for something we already have, we cannot hope a desired thing can be ours if we do not have faith it might be. Christians  know that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), but we also believe that Christ died for our sins. Since we have obeyed His will, we believe we will receive the remission of sins and eternal life which Jesus also promised. We long for our old, worn bodies to be turned into immortal ones; for the place where neither sorrow, pain, sickness, tears, or death exist and we are confident that such exists and in the power of God to provide such a place for us.

“For therein the elders had witness borne to them” (Hebrews 11:2). Through their faith the patriarchs received assurance that what they believed in was true.

“By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which appear” (Hebrews 11:3). We know that the earth and all heavenly bodies (the sun, moon, and innumerable host of stars) all exist because of the mighty power in the Word of God. The psalmist wrote, “He spake and it was done.  He commanded and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:9). Job reassured us of all this when he wrote, “He stretched out the north over the empty space and hangeth the earth upon nothing” (Job 26:7). Moses wrote, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was waste and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep …” (Genesis 1:1-2). And God said, “Let there be light” (1:3); “Let there be firmament in the midst of the waters” (v. 6); “Let the water under the heavens be gathered together in one place” (v. 9); “Let the dry land appear” (v. 10); “Let the earth put forth grass” (v. 11); “Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven” (v. 14); “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures” (v. 20); and, “Let us make man” (v. 27). In each instance after it is written, “God said …” what God had said came into being.

How significant! In his gospel, John wrote of Him who was in the beginning with God, who was God, saying, “All things were made through him’ and without him was not anything made that hath been made” (John 1:3). He further added of Him, “He was in the world and the world was made through him, and the world knew him not” (John 1:10). Christians believe that Word is Jesus because while He was on this earth, He manifested His powers over the same elements that He had manifested thousands of years before when He spoke them into being. In the midst of a “storm-tossed sea” He said, “Peace, be still.” Suddenly there was a great calm (Mark 4:39).

Then the writer adds, “And without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seeketh after him” (Hebrews 11:6). Notice the two things one must believe to please God. One must believe that He (God) is. No atheist can please God. There is no reason for men to doubt God is; evidence that He is is all around us: “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shewed his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). Man must also believe that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. And, just as God gives us abundant reason to believe He exists, He also gives us reason to seek Him: His constant oversight and our daily blessings and care for us. A blessed resurrection from the dead, an immortal body, eternal life, and a heavenly home! Truly, as we teach out little ones to sing, we also sing, “God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He is so good to me.”