The Substance of Faith

I've had quite a lot on my mind these days. And I find myself pondering life more than usual (which is considerable, considering the fact that, over the years, I have honed the craft of inward navel-gazing to a fine art - I am a self-taught master).

One of the subjects I've been thinking about is faith. The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1, ESV). I actually prefer the King James rendering of this verse better: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The reason is this: I really like that word substance.

Why do I like substance so much? Because it is a weightier word than assurance. Don't misunderstand me, I need the assurance that faith brings. But the meaning is much deeper, much more real, when we consider faith to be substance.

When I consider faith as substance, that tells me faith is real, tangible... not just a hope or a pipe dream, but reality. The substance of faith gives the ability to rise from the grave, to heal the sick, to walk on water. The substance of faith puts pay to the promises of God. The substance of faith means my life goes far beyond what I can comprehend with my cognitive abilities (limited as they are).

The substance of faith means, simply, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13, ESV), for "with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26, NIV). And I don't know about you, but I really need that substantial assurance.