Faith

Downloadable Reflection Guide

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

 

The long-promised Messiah was not only something that was hoped for, but an article of faith trusted in. God’s promised grace, that grace which was promised right after the fall into sin, is a gift given to those who by faith trust in that promise.

So what is faith? Sometimes we talk about faith as though it is something that we trust in absent any evidence. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Just as we have not seen the risen Christ, the Jews two thousand years ago had yet to see the coming of the Messiah. They had every reason, based on their ongoing relationship with God to trust in His promise. Each time God promised to do something, that promise was kept. Even when God’s people failed to hold up their end of the covenants that God made with them, God still honored His promises.

Looking forward to the coming of the Messiah, God’s people had faith in the promise of God, and that faith was credited to them as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). They looked in anticipation faithfully trusting that in the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4) the Messiah would come and set us free from the bondage of sin.

Our faith is in the promise that Christ will return and bring to completion life in this sinful world. We have faith in the restoration of all of creation which was the final promised outcome of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

Now that is Faith!

 Thoughts for Reflection

How does reflecting on the fulfilled promises of God strengthen your faith this Advent?