An Action-Packed Faith
The New Testament has a lot to say about faith. Many of us may think that faith is simply believing and accepting the existence of God and that Jesus Christ is His Son. But a close study of the Scriptures will reveal that faith is much, much more. The 2nd chapter of James spends quite a bit of time explaining that faith must be coupled with good works, else, it is dead and useless. (James 2:14-26) We may want to argue that we can’t "work" our way to heaven and that’s absolutely true. (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:4-5) However, when considering the message of the New Testament as a whole, we learn that we must possess a faith of action in order to be pleasing to the Lord.
Let’s consider the "Heroes of Faith" listed in Hebrews Chapter 11:
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By faith, Abel "offered" (v. 4)
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By faith, Enoch "pleased" God (v. 5)
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By faith, Noah "moved" and "prepared" an ark (v. 7)
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By faith, Abraham "obeyed" (v. 8)
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By faith, Sarah "conceived" a son (v. 11)
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By faith, Abraham "offered" up Isaac (v. 17)
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By faith, Isaac "blessed" his sons (v. 20)
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By faith, Jacob "worshipped" leaning on his staff (v. 21)
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By faith, Moses "suffered" affliction (v. 24-25)
The Old Testament heroes did not live to see the promise of Jesus Christ come to pass, but now we can look to the "author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:1-2) and access the mercy, love, and saving grace of God through an action-packed faith. (Ephesians 2:4–5)
Jay Launius – 2023 Maud church of Christ Maud, Texas