Like a beggar, extend your hands to God – the provider of all good and perfect things and that is faith.

“But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6.

Hebrews 11 is a chapter in the Bible that portrays the ‘hall of faith’. The chapter talks about the giants of faith who accomplished mighty and wonderful things in their life because of their faith in the living God.

You have to have faith.

It is clear from the above passages that if you want to please God in your life, you have to have faith. Why? Without faith, it is impossible to please Him. Faith in what? It says one must believe that God exists and secondly you must also believe that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Are you a seeker of God? Do you want to know God? In order to know God, first of all, Bible says you must have faith. Secondly, what is the object of our faith? Number one – faith inside you that says God exists and second the faith that God will reward you if you want to know Him or seek him with all your heart. This is the faith that pleases God. If you have these two things ready in your heart (you believe God exists and you believe God will reward you if you seek Him diligently), then God is pleased with you.

Faith defined

Now, what is faith? Verse 1 and 2 gives us the definition of faith. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. For by this faith the men of old gained approval.”
What is faith? The second above-cited passage gives the definition of faith. Faith is (a) the assurance things you hoped. You hoped in your heart that there is God and you are assured of this fact of the existence of God. (b) Faith is the evidence of things not seen.

Faith in an unseen God ultimately results in the salvation of your soul.

This means you never saw God face to face but all evidence confirms you that there is God. Bible says in 1 Peter 1:8-9, “Though you have not seen him (God), you love him; and even though you do not see him (God) now, you believe in him (God) and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,  for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” By believing in God though you are unable to see Him now, the end result is the salvation of your souls. Keep on reading, I will show how?
You look around and see the beautiful sky, stars, sun, and moon. You think about the billions of galaxies. You think about the animals, flowers, plants, and trees. You think about the beauty of the things around you and how organized and systematically arranged all the workings of the universe. For example, the sun rises every morning in the east and set every evening in the west. Then the moon comes up. You imagine the wonderful paths of the stars and galaxies. How wonderfully all these works together in a unified and organized way. You nothing around you happens without a creator by chance. Cars, houses, ships, airplanes, office buildings and you can list all. You are convinced in your heart that God exists and if not the universe or things around you won’t work the way it works. This is faith.

Faith is saying “yes” to the existence of God with an expectation of His reward.

In other words, faith is saying to the living God, “yes”, I understand you exist and I understand you will reward me if I seek you from my heart. This is faith in God.
Faith is not a work. It is a conviction and assurance in your heart. Bible affirms God saves not based on any work from your side. But a person is saved based on their faith in the living God.

Faith is instrumental to your ultimate salvation. Not any of your good works- Bible loudly proclaims

Read what Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works so that no one can boast.” A person is saved from the wrath and judgment of a holy God by grace through faith. You are not saved by any of your works done so that you won’t boast about your work. If you are saved by God not based on your works, who gets the glory? God gets the glory. This is exactly what the Bible teaches. Bible teaches not a work based salvation like other religions teach.
“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law, we become conscious of our sin.” Romans 3:20. In other words, no one will be declared with a right standing with the holy God by the works of the law. The law and work only bring more of our unworthiness and consciousness of our sins. We cannot please God by our works because all our best works look like only filthy rags in the sight of the Holy, righteous and perfect God.

Do you know our best and super achievements of works looks like filthy rags to Holy God?

Bible comments about our best planned and intended work in Isaiah 64:6 like this, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.”
Bible clearly and loudly proclaims the truth no well planned and well-intended work will save a person and qualify them for eternal life in heaven with Holy God after their death.
Titus 3:4-6 says God saves us not because of the right things we have done but because of God’s mercy by the rebirth into God’s family (once born in this world but by rebirth into God’s household and family) as God’s children through Jesus Christ our savior.
Read what it says, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,  he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

Why are we saved by God’s mercy through Jesus Christ?

The reason is this – all of us are in the same condition because all of us have sinned and we can never save ourselves from our sinful condition. We all fall short of the glory of God. Therefore what we are unable to do, God did it for us in His mercy. The law and the works systems say to us, “do it” and we say “not able to do it”. God said ok I will do it for you. God justifies us freely (not by our good works) by His grace and mercy through the blood of Christ that is shed for you and me on the cross of Calvery. Nothing but the blood of Christ can save you and cleanse you from your sinful condition.
Read what Bible says in Romans 3:22-25.
“There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.”

You see without faith you have no access to God. No chance with God without faith. The object of faith for your salvation is the shed blood of Christ on your behalf. You see, Christ paid for your sin. When you and I were utterly helpless, God did it for you. He sent His only Son and put on His shoulder your sins, my sins and all people’s sins. He humbled Himself like a lamb, He didn’t say anything back to those people who beat and crucified Him.
Now, today you can be saved and reserve your seat in heaven with God by accepting Christ as your savior.

A beggar extending his or her hands for help in the faith of receiving a gift is a true portrait of faith leading to salvation and eternal life.

Think about a beggar who extends his hands for your help. You extend your hand and receive the gift of God in your hand freely by placing your faith in Him – the gift of salvation and eternal life in heaven with God at the moment of your death. There is nothing you can do to gain your salvation or reserve a seat in heaven for you. No other religious deities, gurus or leaders can or will take you to heaven. But Christ can and will take you to heaven upon extending the hand of your faith and receiving your salvation and eternal life.

Please pray with me:

“God, I believe you exist and I look to you today in faith. I believe you sent your only Son Jesus Christ to pay for my sins. I believe He died, buried and risen again to save me from all my sins. I repent abut my sins and turn away from it to live for you.  I accept Christ as my savior and Lord. Please save me. Amen.”
If you prayed this prayer, please visit www.teachbible.org and click contact/prayer tab and send me a note. I will be thrilled to hear from you.