Adult Mentor: 4th Quarter 2017

By R.H. Boyd

The Contemporary Training for the Church (CTC) is a church ministry of training. The discipline of the Contemporary Training for the Church guides train church membership in the distinctive beliefs held by Christians. This ministry is designed as an essential part of the total educational program of the church.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: May 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9781681672977

Book preview

WHAT IS CHRISTIAN FAITH?

QUARTERLY THEME:

Heroes of the Faith

Lesson Scripture:

Hebrews 11:1–4

DISCIPLINES LEARNED

I. FAITH IS ASSURANCE IN WHAT IS HOPED FOR

II. FAITH IS A CONVICTION THAT WHAT IS NOT PHYSICALLY SEEN OR PRESENT IS REAL

KEY VERSE:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

(Hebrews 11:1, KJV)

INTRODUCTION:

Missouri is called the Show Me State because it has the reputation of asking people to provide evidence to prove their claims. Christianity does not operate from this show me type of perspective; rather, it calls for what is known as faith. The writer of the book of Hebrews endorses this call for faith. But what is faith and why is it necessary for one to possess it in order to have a relationship with God? Hebrews 11 provides the answers to these questions. In this lesson we will examine what faith is and answer why it is necessary in next week’s lesson. Two things are important as we look at this text. First, we will analyze the biblical declaration of faith as belief in what is hoped for. Second, we will examine faith as a conviction that the unseen exists and is definitely real.

EXPOSITION:

I. Faith Is the Assurance in What Is Hoped For

Hebrews 11 is often called the faith chapter of the Bible. It begins by declaring faith as the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Heb. 11:1, NRSV). The word faith means the foundation of what something is constructed upon, a building, a contract, or a promise. It is the sense of assurance and steadiness which holds one firm. Two words are essential to help us understand faith. They are assurance and hope. Assurance denotes comfort and confidence. Hope carries the idea of one’s expectations being fulfilled. In short, the Hebrew faith was based upon one’s confidence in God that one’s expectations would come to pass. The greatest expectation for the Hebrews was a personal relationship with God that evolved into a covenant. They would serve God by their lifestyles and commitment to worship Him alone and they expected God, in turn, to bless and protect them. Faith was the assurance that God could be counted on.

THEOLOGICAL CONCEPTS:

1 Faith is assurance that the God we serve will fulfill our needs.

2 Faith is the firm conviction that God is real and sent Jesus to die for our sins.

Two great examples of faith in the Old Testament are Noah and Abraham. Noah is described as a righteous man to whom God personally spoke. God informed Noah He would destroy the world because of its sinfulness, but He alerted Noah he had found favor with God and would be saved from the Flood. He was told to build an Ark to house his family and two of every living creature on the face of the earth. Noah believed God and faithfully built an Ark, even though no rain was in sight. When the rains fell for an extended period of time, the Ark served as their fortress. Additionally, God established His covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12). He called Abraham to establish a people to deliver His message of love to the nations of the world. God promised to bless him by making his seed innumerable and by being his protector as he searched for the city of God. Without question Abraham obeyed God’s call even though he did not know all of the details of his journey. What he did have was an impeccable trust in God’s promise. He believed God would keep His word, and that is what faith is. It is complete trust in God supplying the things hoped for. In this case it is God demonstrating He will take care of His own.

ACTIVITY:

MAKING IT STICK

In singing the hymn Blessed Assurance what is it that the writer was assured and convicted of, even though she was blind? How can we obtain this type of assurance and conviction? What did this type of faith do for her? What will it do for you?

II. Faith Is a Conviction That What Is Not Physically Seen or Present Is Real

The Bible reminds us in the Gospel of John 1:18 that no one has seen God at any time. Yet the Bible plainly affirms that He is the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of the universe. When Philip asked to see the Father, Jesus affirmed that He was the definitive revelation of God (John 14:9). In the very next sentence Jesus asked Philip if he believed what the Lord had just disclosed to Him (John 14:10–14). Philip had to be convicted that what Jesus said was indeed true, even though he had never physically seen the Father. The word conviction carries with it the idea of a deep-seeded or a strong, fixed belief. To the one holding this conviction, the situation is more than a mere perception—it is real. This understanding is supported by another Johannine passage. In John 20:29, Jesus commended Thomas for coming to faith after he had seen the pierced hands of the resurrected Christ, but He offered a special blessing upon those who have not seen and yet believed.

A case in point is the faith of the Roman centurion Cornelius. The centurion had a servant whom he valued highly. The servant was at the point of death. He had sent a group of pious Jews to Jesus requesting Him to heal his servant. But as Jesus journeyed with them, another group of messengers from Cornelius came and revealed the centurion’s expression of unworthiness for Him to enter into his house, and requested that Jesus would only speak the words of healing from a distance and the healing would take place. From one man of authority to another, he expressed the deep-seeded conviction that the healing power of Jesus would overcome the problem of distance. Jesus was amazed at His faith and when those who were sent to appeal to Jesus returned to the home of the centurion, they found the servant had been healed (Luke 7:2–10). The centurion’s faith in Jesus’