Seeing or Believing?

Hebrews 11:1-3

Message No. 0789 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca

Preview

We live in a world where we trust human beings more than we trust God. Though man has failed us over and over again, somehow, we still prefer to put our faith in them rather than in the Lord God Almighty. Is it not because of the repeated failure of man that the world coined the phrase, ‘seeing is believing’? This week, we examine this erroneous statement vis-a-vis what the Bible says about faith. God bless you as you read.

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There is a popular but erroneous saying, which still exists even today, that ‘seeing is believing,’ and I used to be one of those who repeated this many times in the past, until I gave my life to Christ and began to attend Bible studies. The real problem with this saying is, why do you need to believe the thing that you have already seen, because faith, a synonym of believing, does not operate in the realm of the visible. In Hebrews chapter 11 verses 1 - 2, the Bible says:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

This definition clearly defeats the popular saying in our first paragraph. In the Bible, and in Christianity, you must believe before you see anything. What’s the point of believing what I can already see and touch? The world coined this erroneous popular statement to confuse people and to keep people in perpetual unbelief. It is nothing short of the language of the devil himself. In verse 6 of the same passage, the Bible says:

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Note the first statement in this passage: without faith, it is impossible to please God. Seeing is believing means that I do not trust God, therefore, I do not believe anything until I see it. Conversely, the Bible says in Mark 9:23, if you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. In many of the miracles performed by Jesus, He first asked, do you believe that I can do this? That’s how important it is to God that you believe Him.

In Matthew chapter 17 verses 14 - 21, Jesus demonstrated the power of faith when a father brought his son to him and narrated how the boy was epileptic and suffered severely, and that he had brought the boy to his disciples and they could not heal him. In verse 18, the Bible says that Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. After the boy and his father left, the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked Him why they could not cast out the demon. Jesus responded in verse 20:

"Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

This is a very powerful revelation. The Lord is saying to us, His children, that nothing will be impossible to us if we have faith. Faith is the power behind everything that we do as God’s children. It is the power behind salvation, for it is by faith we are saved, not by works, lest any man should boast. It is by faith that we believe we have brains in our skulls, for no one sees his own brain. It is by faith that we board vehicles, ships and airplanes and believe that we will reach our destinations safely. If anyone does not believe that he or she would arrive safely, then it is foolish to embark on the journey. 

If we have faith so much in the drivers, captains and pilots to take us to our destinations safely, how is it that we do not have faith in the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Alpha and the Omega, to take us to the expected end? How is it that we cannot trust God to help us in our daily lives as He has promised in many scriptures that He will? Why can we not trust Him with our health, businesses, jobs, families and relationships? Abraham trusted Him and was called the father of faith. David trusted Him in all situations, that’s why he was referred to as the man after God’s Heart. God never fails, and He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above what we can think or ask. Why not trust Him today with your entire being?

What to Do?

Stop doubting God. He never fails, and your case won’t be an exception.