But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
Romans 14:23
Faith is absolutely essential to pleasing God. In any situation, if we live by faith and trust God with our lives, then God is pleased. But if we lack faith and trust ourselves rather than trusting God, then we sin against God. Faith is the sine qua non, the indispensable and essential characteristic of everything we do.
But why is faith so all-important? Well, consider what faith is. Faith means we trust God. Faith means we believe in God. Faith means we depend upon God. We have confidence in God.
Conversely, if we don’t act from faith, then we declare by our actions that God cannot be trusted, that God is not worthy of our trust, that God is not good enough and powerful enough to take care of us, that God is not worthy of our love and obedience. If we don’t act from faith, we are declaring, by our lives, that we don’t need God. We declare our independence from God. We, in essence, act as if we were God, and we can take care of ourselves just fine, thank you.
All through the Bible we see how important faith is to God. Think of Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Gideon, and Samson. All were flawed men but God so loved it when they trusted him, just as God loves it when you trust him today.
When the Roman centurion in Matthew 8 showed his complete confidence in Jesus, Jesus loved it and commended him exuberantly. “Truly I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith” (Matthew 8:10). The main thing Jesus rebuked the disciples for was their lack of faith. Then in Hebrews 11, the great Hall of Faith chapter, we see example after example of men and women who delighted God because they lived by faith.
Indeed, Hebrews 11:6 makes the same point as Romans 14:23: “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” (11:6).
Yes, God loves it when you trust him. He loves it when you declare, not with your words but with your actions, that God is good, God is great, and God is worthy of our trust.
So, dear friend, decide to trust your God. In heaven you won’t need faith, for you will have sight. You will be right there with the Lord. That means that this is your only opportunity in all eternity to trust your God.
Don’t focus on your faith. Rather, focus on your God, the object of your faith. Rivet your gaze firmly on the Lord Jesus Christ and choose to live by faith.
Today God is still looking for people who will dare to live by faith. Be one of those people!