“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek Him.” Heb.11:6, ESV

 

Unbalanced

A three-legged stool is built to support weight in a balanced fashion. Take away any one of the legs and you’ll find yourself on the floor. A partial support is not enough. In that regard, it resembles the faith you and I live by. It struck me this month that after 65 years of faith in Jesus, I had not given enough regard to one of its three essentials. I was unbalanced.

Hebrews 11 is known for being a discourse on faith. It defines and describes faith through a theological and practical lens; what it is and does. But it doesn’t stop there. It also speaks of faith’s aspirations; what it longs for. That’s the “leg” that I had not given enough attention to. It was always present, but in the background like white noise; heard but not named. I needed to give it voice. Let me explain.

 

Convictions

When people speak of faith, they are usually talking about convictions. Faith is a belief, a confidence. It embraces the teaching of Scripture as true. God exists. He is the Creator. We are accountable to Him. God is pleased by faith and rewards those who seek Him (Heb.11:1-6). There are core beliefs essential to Biblical faith. Faith has a theological framework reflected within the Apostle’s Creed. Faith without belief or convictions is mere sentiment. It may make someone feel good, but has no standing before God, who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ.

When we think of faith as convictions, it places us on a continuum between belief and doubt. Most of us adjust on that continuum throughout our lives or even throughout a day. There are convictions that we hold with granite confidence. Some of our beliefs are plagued by uncertainty. Questions or ambiguity do not destroy the framework of faith. We live in between knowing and not knowing, looking through a glass dimly (1 Cor.13:12).

 

Trust

Of course, faith goes beyond belief. It manifests itself in trust and obedience. Believing the truth, we begin to live by the truth. Faith caused Noah to build an ark and Abraham to leave his home (Heb.11:7-8). Action is essential to faith. Without works rooted in faith, we conclude that faith is dead (James 2:17). Belief in the benefit of diet and exercise does nothing for us without adjusting our calories and taking the stairs when we can. Building our lives on the truths we profess is the pattern of faith.

Here too, we find ourselves on a continuum. Since faith is more than belief, but also a response to our convictions, now we feel the tension between trust and fear. How we slide back and forth between these! We may live trusting God with our income but then fear for our health. We don’t doubt that God is loving and faithful, but struggle to lean into those truths. Returning to our beliefs as a pattern for living is a repeated pattern of our spiritual journey.

 

Longing

Faith is what we believe and the weight of trust we put onto those convictions. But a stool has three legs to carry the load. Faith is also a hunger of the heart—a reaching for what is not yet realized. This aspect of faith doesn’t get the limelight it deserves, but the Bible is clear. Many have died in faith, not having the things they were promised. Some might examine their faith as deficient, since “faith gets what it looks for!” But that is not God’s perspective. Faith is evident in those who, despite not receiving the promises, continue to reach for them, not dissuaded by the denial (Heb.11:13). Their conviction and trust melded into a longing that would not dwindle nor be distracted by the offerings of this earth. And God is not ashamed to be called their God (Heb.11:16).

When we consider faith as yearning, we sense another tension, this time between passion and apathy. At times, our hearts burn for God; at other times, we struggle to pray or engage with the Church. Our hearts can be fickle, but they are core to faith. Convictions and even obedience are void without love. We keep returning to God’s central command – to love Him (Matt.22:37).

The author of Cloud of Unknowing speaks of God’s grace to bind us to Himself with a “leash of longing.”  In my own experience, my doubts and fears have been quelled by this “leash of longing.”  What I want is louder than what I doubt or fear. Desire, despite partial or periodic fulfillment, has been the pull on my soul. I used to consider this “unfulfillment” as a fault, something to fix. I have come to see it as part of faith, as essential to faith as conviction and trust. Faith is the perseverance of love through the space between what is and what will be. So, we see that faith is a triad, touching our minds, actions and affections. We please God by what we believe, what we do and what we desire.

“The whole life of the good Christian is a holy longing. That is our life, to be trained by longing.”

     St. Augustine