… because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus …
Summary: Trying to define faith can challenge our sensibilities.
When was the last time you heard about someone’s faith in Christ Jesus? Is that something you talk about with people? Do the folks in your circle know people of faith? If they do, what does that faith look like?
What do you suppose Paul had heard about the Colossians?
Each of us is known for something. Sometimes, as in my case, it is for horrible puns or painful “dad jokes.” Other people are known for the things they have, like their cars or boats. Some people are known because they like to fish or hunt. But what does it take to be known for your faith in Jesus?
One thing it doesn’t take is a big audience.
Not everyone will feed five thousand people at a sitting, but every day, someone provides a meal for another person. The Colossians may have shared everything they had with each other (See Acts 4:32-37)? Perhaps they openly proclaimed Jesus Christ wherever they went?
We don’t know.
Paul doesn’t tell us in his letter, and honestly, it is not that important. What is significant is our understanding of faith.
The author of Hebrews defines faith as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). He doesn’t define faith as what we do but rather as confidence and assurance in things we cannot see.
I’ve often thought of faith this way:
Imagine you are in a large room. The floor of the room is divided by a wide crevasse that spans the width of the room. The crevasse is so deep that the bottom is not visible. The only way to get from one side of the room to the other is by crossing the crevasse using a bridge made from glass.
The bridge looks frail. The glass is nearly invisible. It is hard to imagine trusting your life to something so unsubstantial. Yet you know the designer of the bridge personally. You know the work that went into its design and construction. You have faith that it will support your weight.
Faith is stepping out onto the bridge and walking across.
Faith in Christ shows up when we live in gratitude for what Jesus has done for us. Faith in Christ is trusting what Jesus teaches us in the Bible. To have faith in Jesus is to act as if Jesus were standing right by your side … because he is.
Application: Trust God’s Word.
Food for Thought: What do you look for in a person who demonstrates faith in God?
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