Grace - The Strongest Substance on Earth

Hi Everyone,

The diamond has classically been the hardest substance on earth, and for those who want to be technical, there are two other materials have been recently discovered which are harder than the diamond, but you can search the web for those if you so choose.  For the sake of my discussion in this post, let's just stay with the idea that the diamond has been thought to be the hardest substance on earth.

However, I've found something far harder and far greater.  It's seen in the Bible, and I reckon this trumps any naturally occurring or man-made materials:  That substance is faith!

Hebrews 11:1 -- "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (NKJV)

Now that's good stuff right there, but I want to connect faith with two more verses:

Hebrews 11:3 -- "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible." (NKJV)

and

John 16:10 --"Concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see me." (NASB)

Here's the point:  we don't see in the natural with faith; faith calls on us to believe that the reality of the unseen is greater than what we see. This faith we have begins with believing that we are righteous in Christ.  And then this faith in the unseen convinces us of our authority to create into the seen from the unseen.  This is the power of Christ in us and it is all the work of Holy Spirit.  This is His ministry as revealed in John 16:13-15.

Since the main point of Hebrews 11 is faith, we must continue this thought into Hebrews 12 when the writer says that we should "lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us" (Hebrews 12:1).  This passage has traditionally been read to believers and heard by believers in this way:  "lay aside every encumbrance and the sins which so easily entangle(s) us".  That's a problem, because the writer is not talking about sins (stealing, cheating, adultery, etc), he's talking about "the sin".  What is that sin?  We see it in John 16:8 -- In the context of the New Covenant--Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection--Sin is unbelief.  And unbelief manifests itself as works.

Here's how to apply what I am showing you:  Hebrews calls on us to not give in to the sin of unbelief, but rather to believe in what is unseen.  As a Christian, you are now to stop working for something that you already have:  righteousness.  As a Christian, you walk your daily life in the same way you believed for salvation:  by faith.  Every attitude, every undertaking is to be under the unswerving belief that you are righteous and He is your provision and will not put you to shame.  Your righteousness is unseen (because Christ is unseen), but that reality is greater than anything seen.

Don't be entangled by unbelief.  When you believe all the above, then you will also acknowledge that sinful habits have no hold on you.  You have been set free to experience freedom!  You will see that you are complete in Christ Jesus:  completely forgiven, completely righteous, completely holy and sanctified forever.  It's called the Gospel for a reason, folks.

Grace=Peace,

Jeremy