Scripture: Hebrews 11:5-6 (ESV)
“By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
We are continuing our deep dive on what it means to have faith. Yesterday we saw that faith was the instrument by which Abel offered his sacrifice to God. We saw that faith is what changed his heart to want to give God the first fruits of his flock as a thanksgiving offering.
Today we are continuing by examining the faith of Enoch. Now for those who are unfamiliar, the story of Enoch is somewhat enigmatic. What the author of Hebrews is referring to here is found in Genesis 5:18-24. All the passage basically says is that Enoch walked with God, which is a way of saying he was dedicated to living for God, and that God took him to be with him, instead of Enoch dying like normal people. And that’s it.
Now we don’t know what exactly happened there, but that doesn’t really matter. What is important is what this passage teaches us about the nature of faith and what it does to us. This passage from Hebrews 11 teaches us that our faith must have content, and that the content of our faith changes how we live.
First then the content of faith:
The author of Hebrews rightly points out that we cannot walk with God if we don’t believe that he exists and rewards those who seek him. Faith is more than a feeling, or a vague hope that someday when I die I will be ok. No faith is faith IN God. That means we trust that God is who he reveals himself to be in the Bible. We trust in his promises. We trust in the work of Jesus on the cross. We trust that we are, in and of ourselves, not able to save ourselves. We trust that we need a saviour. We trust, in short, the God of the Bible.
Faith needs content.
But faith also results in action.
Notice that the faith Enoch had caused him to do something: it caused him to walk with God. To devote his life to God. True faith today, as it was way back in Enoch’s day, results in a changed life of devotion. A person who walks with God today is someone who prioritises their relationship with Jesus. Who studies his Word, who prays regularly and earnestly. A person who walks with God is a person who makes decisions based not so much on what they themselves want, but on what God would want. A person who walks with God is a person who walks in the footsteps of Jesus, the one who showed us what it means to truly walk with God.
Faith has content, and faith results in action.
Does this describe your faith?
Prayer:
Dear Lord, please help us to walk with you. Fill our faith with the content of who you are and what you have done for us. Strengthen us as we draw near to you. Remind us every day of what it means to live for you. Amen.
Spiritual Challenge:
Consider what you believe. Where do you have gaps in the content of your faith? Commit to filling those gaps through studying the Word.