A Nugget from New Life Network
(by Dr. Larry Ollison)
Scripture for the Day (March 25, 2016)
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
I am constantly amazed by some of the mail I receive. Just this last week I received a letter from a man who said he had been in the ministry for over 30 years. He was a Pastor of a church in a major denomination for most of those years and in his “retirement” had been placed over several small rural churches as the denomination’s “man in the field.”
In his letter this Pastor told me of all his vast biblical knowledge. He said he knew Greek and Hebrew and that he had been a Bible teacher for several years. After he finished his lengthy resume, he went on to make this statement. And I quote:”Last week I was given a copy of your book by one of the Pastors I oversee. He was excited and very much caught up by your faith teaching. I had to calm him down and bring him back to reality. I think people like you make faith seem more important than it really is. Maybe if we didn’t hear about faith for a while, the church could heal its wounds. God be with you, Signed Reverend —-” and I won’t mention his name, but this letter comes from Springfield, Illinois.Let me say this. I understand that false teachers do exist, but let’s look at the Word of God, the Holy Bible, and see what God has to say about faith.
First of all, Romans 14:23 says, “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.” Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” When the woman touched Jesus’ garment in Mark 5:34, Jesus turned to her and the first thing He said to her was, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” In James 5:15, the church is instructed how to pray for those who are sick. The Bible says, “The prayer of faith will save the sick.” In James Chapter 1 we are told that if we want wisdom, all we have to do is to ask. However, verse 6 tells us how to ask: “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.” In Ephesians 2:8, we are told that we are saved by grace and through faith. In other words, faith is required for salvation. In Galatians chapter 3 we are told,”Since faith has come we are no longer under the law.” As Christians, we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:7 to walk by faith and not by what we see. And in Hebrews 4:2, we are told that the gospel was preached to the Hebrews in the wilderness but was not profitable to them because it was not mixed with faith in their hearts. In 1 Corinthians 15:17 we are told that without faith we are still in our sins.
I think we should be seeing a pattern appearing here. According to the Bible, not me, we can see these truths. Without faith, we are still in our sins. We are saved through faith. Christians are required to walk in faith. Because of faith we are no longer under the law. Faith is required when we ask for wisdom. The prayer of faith will save the sick and without faith it is impossible to please God.
Do you want to please God? Of course, we all do. Then what we need is faith. Remember Hebrews 11:6 says we cannot please Him without faith. How do we get faith? Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing (and by implication doing) God’s Word.
We encourage you to get into God’s Word and grow in faith. If you are in a church that believes like the Pastor that wrote me this letter, we recommend you get out and find a church that believes in, preaches, and walks in faith.
For we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)
