Faith gives us eternal hope.
For
those who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we have the certainty that
there is coming a day when God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and
death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain
anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4).
When
life is hard and it seems like things will never change, there is always the
hope of eternity. Eternal life means that the trials of this life are temporary
and they will one day seem insignificant. “For this light momentary affliction
is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor.
4:17).
Faith gives us purpose.
Life
is about more than getting an education, earning a living, raising a family, or
saving for vacation and retirement. For the believer, every aspect of life is
infused with the purpose of loving and serving God by loving and serving those
around us. Joseph Hellerman wrote:
“Experiencing God and serving God are not unrelated. God offers a wonderful alternative to an otherwise aimless life that must rely on regular shots of experiential escape—secular or spiritual—to provide a sense of significance. That alternative is to give our lives to a community with a mission—a local church charged with the task of proclaiming the ‘excellencies’ of the God who has called us ‘out of darkness into his marvelous light’ (1 Pet 2:9)” (Why We Need the Church to Become More Like Jesus, ch. 6).
If we
expect this life to fulfill all our hopes and dreams, we will be sorely
disappointed. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You
are serving the Lord Christ” (Col. 3:23-24).
Faith joins us to a family.
Through
faith in Christ we are adopted into God’s family. We don’t just have a
relationship with the Father, but with all of His children. We have more in
common with those in our Christian family than we do with non-Christians in our
nuclear family. We may share history with our nuclear family, but we share an
eternal future with our Christian family.
Our
brother and sisters in Christ are meant to be those with whom we can share both
our joys and our struggles. “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo
one another in showing honor… Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those
who weep” (Rom. 12:10, 15). “So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were
ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves,
because you had become very dear to us” (1 Thess. 2:8).
Faith assures us that we are loved by
God.
“Hope
does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us… God shows His love for us in
that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:5, 8). By His
love and grace our sins are forgiven and we are reconciled to Him. “Your life
is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3), so we are just as beloved as Jesus
is. “For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you” (1 Thess.
1:4).
“So now faith, hope, and love
abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13).
