Hope-Faith=Wish

The reason I decided to call this blog "grace->faith->holiness->" is because I believe there is a cyclical process in growing in these. I'm not going to attempt to explain the interconnectedness completely in this post, nor do I think that somehow in thirty years I've obtained some special knowledge about this subject to speak definitively about it. However, I do want to begin a conversation about the essential nature of the gift of faith in our service to our King, and attempt to demystify the term faith a bit so that we can all walk in it more.

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

I generally don't like to quote just a verse, but I promise I will with all that is in me try not to take this verse out of context. I would dare say it's difficult to take this verse out of context, because what it says standing alone is exactly what it means in light of chapters 10 and 11.

I'm not a Greek expert, but I took a few courses in college; enough, hopefully to shine a little light on my Strong's. :-) From what I understand, "substance" is a tangible thing. It's not ethereal. It's something we can have a hold of and feel confident about (foundational, concrete, supportive). "Evidence" in the Greek here is exactly how we use the term in a legal sense today (proof, bringing about conviction).

If faith is the substance of things hoped for, than it means I misuse the term "hope" in conversation all the time. For example, "I hope the wind doesn't blow too hard today," or "I hope I catch all green lights on the way to work." In this context, the more appropriate term would be "wish." A wish doesn't have anything substantive behind it. A wish is a shot in the dark: a thing you want to happen, but there is no reason for you to believe that the odds will or will not be in your favor.

Hope, however, has something behind it. The bible tells us that that something is faith. It isn't a blind faith--believing a wish will happen because you believe it to be so. There is something more concrete about faith. The way I understand it is like signposts. An event happens, God does something by His grace (another blog post on this in the future), God's grace is made evident to me (a realization, epiphany, etc.), a signpost gets stuck in the road.

These signposts are an awesome tool for dreamcasting, decision making, etc. You look back and see what God has done, either through you or regardless of you, and you see the direction He is leading. This is all done through the lens of the word/Word of God (see Rom. 10:17, Gal. 3:1-6).

My point is, I believe/understand/think (I'm always at a loss of what word to use when talking about truths You believe God has shown you) that looking back on what God has already done, in your life and more importantly as He reveals His word to you, is a rationale and a ever-growing edifice for the hope that lies within You.

The word talks a ton about what God thinks about unbelief, and I think that's because unbelief is a passive denial of what God has already done. God gives us so much grace in coming to a point of faith. If I were Him I'd be saying, "How many times do I have to prove myself to you?" But He is faithful to work with our shortcomings (Gk. paraptomas), that "raw material" (to steal from C.S. Lewis), to bring us to the point of faith beyond natural reason. How great is our God!

I'm trying to take an inventory more often of what God has done and is doing, that way I rely less on my own confidence and more on His faithfulness. Will you pray for me in this? I would love to hear your responses and how God has shown Himself faithful in your life.

Love from above,
Jeremy

"Grace, Faith, & Holiness"

"Grace, Faith, & Holiness" - I just realized this is the title of a systematic theology that served as one of my textbooks in a Wesleyan theology class at Point Loma. It's a good book, but I didn't mean to steal the title of this blog from it. :-) (Also, I'm not really a Wesleyan. For that matter, I'm not really a Calvinist. Nor am I of Paul, nor Apollos... Sorry. I ramble.)

grace->faith->holiness->

I've been thinking for a while about God's grace--about how it changes everything (to rip off the title from a book by Chuck Smith). Going into holy week this year I had a weird amalgam of thoughts and emotions stirring in my psyche. I was hopeful as I was going to be searching for a job in what will be my family's new home in North Carolina. I was nervous at the prospects of what separation and change would bring. I was also feeling a little guilty over some stupidity I'd exhibited the previous week. During an amazing sermon I heard on Palm Sunday at my parents' church in Greensboro, I took the occasion to confess my sin, to repent, to accept Christ's forgiveness, and then to participate in the Lord's Supper during the service. I'd done what I knew to do, and that was all I thought about it... until the week wore on.

Things seemed to be going great on the job front, but my hopes were beginning to wane as the week continued due to the fact I hadn't heard from an employer that I was particularly excited about. As the hopes faded, doubts began to creep in. I started to doubt whether or not I was good enough for the position, whether my qualifications weren't enough to secure the job, and then, suddenly, that perhaps I wouldn't get the job based on that confessed sin of which I had already repented on Sunday. This really started to get my spirits down, and the disappointment was visible to those around me.

And then, as suddenly as those doubts had appeared, the realization of what God's grace is came upon me just as quickly. My mom read me a quote from the aforementioned book earlier in the week. Summarized it said, God's grace is not dependent on my behavior, it's based on His innate desire to bless me with His grace. He wants to bless me, regardless of my actions. Not to mention that Christ is in the business of forgiving sin, and His word told me that He had done that for me already. One of the simplest definitions I know of grace is unmerited favor. I always understood that in the context of my initial conversion experience. I didn't deserve to be saved, God saved me = grace. Also, I knew, at least in a cursory way, that He continues to forgive sin in my life. I might have been able to give the right answer about what forgiveness looks like in a conversation with one of my students, or in a sermon, but I don't think I really understood how quickly and how completely God's grace is there for me.

The moment I really started to think about His grace, specifically in regards to whether or not I would get this job, I felt my face begin to be lifted, the smile return to my face, the color return to my cheeks. I began to celebrate Holy Week more heartily. I have no idea whether or not I will get this particular job (although I believe I will); but if I don't get it, it won't be punishment for this particular poor decision I made or action I committed, nor will it be based on how qualified, knowledgeable, or experienced I am. His provision for me, His position he has in store for me, is all based on His grace. He is good... really, really good. Good I don't even understand.

Grace leads to faith, faith leads to holiness, and true transparent holiness leads us to a renewed understanding of God's amazing grace. That's what this blog will be about. I hope whoever reads this blog, the posts from its various authors, will be blessed with a more intimate understanding of our Father's grace, operate in a stronger faith, and live a life blessed by God's holiness in order to love this world in which He's placed us.

To steal a salutation from my friend Tim,

Much love from above,

Jeremy