THE END OF YOUR FAITH Monday:
In this text, the purpose of faith is affirmed. Faith is designed to give us something – to bring Divine benefits to the soul. Faith is the appointed vehicle of blessing. Without it, nothing can be received from God. Faith is not an end of itself, but a means to an end. It is not enough simply to know what to believe. For faith to profit you, it must bring to you what God has appointed. Tragically, this is not common knowledge in the professed church. Most people are taught to think of faith as embracing a creed, or agreeing not to contest the word of the Gospel.
Faith has an objective – a end, or goal. It has an appointed purpose or design, something God intends for you to realize through it. This, the Spirit declares, is the "end of your faith." Other versions read, "the outcome of your faith" (NASB), and "the goal of your faith" (NIV). This is the conclusion or culmination of faith – what it is intended to do. When Jesus is called the "Finisher (or Perfecter) of our faith," this is the objective He is accomplishing (Heb 12:2). Faith is given to you, but its outcome is being wrought by Christ! That consequence has been revealed, together with the Worker of it.
While the bulk of our salvation is in the future, we are not left without its benefits here and now. We are presently in the "receiving" mode – taking in from the Lord glorious samples of what is to come. Our salvation is not received all at once. We are in the process of "receiving." The word of God knows nothing of a person in fellowship with Jesus (1 Cor 1:9) who is not receiving from Him. Taking us from one degree of glory to another, the Holy Spirit is changing us by depositing more of heaven in us, and assisting us in purging from ourselves more of the flesh and its manners (2 Cor 3:18). Where this process is not taking place, faith either is absent altogether, or is waning and will soon depart. We are declared to be "receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken" (Heb 12:28). That is another way of affirming the truth of our text.
At once we see where our attention is to be placed: "the salvation of our souls." If we attempt to use our faith for lesser objectives, it will soon dissipate, for it cannot look intently upon any other goal.
But why does He say "the salvation of our souls"? And why does He say we are receiving this rather than that we have received it. The "soul," in this text, stands for the whole life of the individual. It is what Jesus referred to when He said, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mk 8:36-37, NKJV). We are stewards of our souls, and are solemnly admonished, "By your patience possess your souls" (Lk 21:19). And how will that be accomplished? It will be through our faith–our persuasion that God "is, and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Heb 11:6). It will be realized when the eyes of our heart are firmly fixed on Jesus, "the Author and Finisher of our faith" (Heb 12:2), and we run with endurance the race set before us in the effects of that vision. Faith will realize its goal if it is kept.
Notice the present tense of believing and receiving: "yet believing . . . receiving." These words are not in the past tense – i.e., we believed and we received. Rather both are happening right now. They are current activities. These are two sides of the same coin. Believing is the heart toward God. Receiving is God toward the heart. Neither of them is a solitary act, nor do they describe a specific event. They are a posture of the soul – activities that is continual. The person who IS believing IS receiving. Those who are NOT receiving are NOT believing. It is that really that simple.
There is a sense in which we are presently "saved" (1 Cor 15:2; Eph 2:5). But that salvation is not yet complete. We are inside the house of salvation, so to peak, but have not yet occupied all of its rooms. We are really in Christ, our names are really written in heaven, and we have really been given the Holy Spirit. But the work goes on. Faith has not yet been brought to its intended culmination. We are being brought from "glory unto glory," "strength to strength," and "faith to faith" (2 Cor 3:18; Psa 84:7; Rom 1:17). Ever increasing measures of grace are being sent to us that only faith can receive. Faith needs these supplies to flourish, and we need faith to gain the victory. Our victory is only as sure as our faith, and our faith is only as sure as our reception of grace.
In all of this, the Lord is bringing glory to His name. He has brought a salvation to us that depends upon Himself, the work of the Spirit, and the intercession of His Son. Not a single facet of salvation can be accomplished without the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Further, their involvement depends upon our faith. The gracious God intends to translate every part of our person into His presence: spirit, soul, and body. Our faith plugs us into the process, putting us in the "receiving" mode. Strong faith allows a strong grip on what the Lord gives, guaranteeing the appointed end will be realized.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the revealed objective and intention of faith.