Stand Firm . . . and Step Out!
Dave Faust
Here's a riddle for you: How can you stand still and move forward at the same time? The answer: live by faith!
Faith in the Lord anchors us, secures us, and holds us steady in the storms of life. Jesus said, "He who stands firm to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:22). Paul said to "stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter" (2 Thessalonians 2:15). According to Peter, "standing firm in the faith" is the key to resisting the devil (1 Peter 5:9).
However, faith not only gives us a firm place to stand. It also prods us to move forward. Faith is a way of life. That's why the Bible frequently uses phrases like "living by faith," "walking by faith," and "the obedience of faith." Jesus told his disciples "Follow me," not "Stay where you are." Hebrews chapter 11 lists one believer after another whose faith moved them forward. Abel offered a sacrifice, Noah built an ark, Abraham moved to a new land, and Moses marched through the Red Sea. Faith means assenting to the truth, trusting the Truth-Giver, and acting on the truth we affirm.
Paul wrote, "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you." But in the same verse he went on to say, "Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58).
That's the paradox of faith. It gives us a firm place to stand, but it also shows the road we must walk.
By faith, we worship a God who is difficult to comprehend. The concept of eternity boggles my mind. And how can I fathom God's holiness, his almighty power, and the vastness of his love and grace? When I ponder his plan of salvation and the cost of his sacrifice, I can only fall down before the Lord exclaiming, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" (Romans 11:33).
By faith, we trust in realities that are difficult to see. I can't show you a videotaped documentary of the life of Christ filmed 2,000 years ago. But in the reliable historical records of the New Testament we can read what the eyewitnesses heard, saw, and touched (1 John 1:1, 2). I can't show you a picture of Heaven, but the inspired portrait John painted in the book of Revelation moves us to believe.
By faith, we attempt things that are difficult to do. Why did first-century believers cross centuries-old cultural lines by planting churches where Jews and Gentiles mingled as one body (Acts 11:20, 21)? Why did Paul "preach the gospel where Christ was not known" (Romans 15:20) despite incredible inconvenience and suffering? Why did Priscilla and Aquila risk their lives for the sake of the gospel (Romans 16:4)? Why did the Macedonian churches give "beyond their ability" (2 Corinthians 8:3)? They were moved by faith!
By faith, we persevere when hardships are difficult to endure. "We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next" (Romans 5:3, 4, The Message).
God wants faithful men and women who will boldly say, "I believe in the Lord; therefore I will stand firm. I believe in the Lord; therefore I will move forward."
This column first appeared in The Lookout on Nov 2, 2003.
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