"By Faith"

When I was telling someone about Jesus Christ, that someone questioned me about my religion. He asked why I believe in God. I said, why not?

First of all, God wants to have a relationship with us.
Second of all, God regard Himself as a father to us, His creations.
Third of all, I believe that He can salvage us from eternal doom.
Fourth of all, God sent part of Himself to earth to suffer as a mortal man for us. That part of Him, which was Jesus Christ, was a sacrifice to salvage us from our sins.
Fifth of all, being a Christian has made life so much easier with less worries as God’s word provides me a good deal of encouragement and consolation.

I was asked why I believe even though I can’t see Him. I said it’s all about faith. We don’t really know where we’ll go after this life anyway. Who knows if we really even have a soul? Since God offered salvation, why not trust in Him?

Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” In Hebrews chapter 11, it talks about many miracles that happened by faith. Are you ready for the list of miracles?

Verse 4: by faith Abel was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings.

Verse 5 and 6: by faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. Without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Verse 7: by faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

Verse 8: by faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

Verse 9: by faith Abraham made his home in the Promised Land like a stranger in a foreign
country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.

Verse 10: by faith Abraham, even though he was past age – and Sarah herself was barren - was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Verse 17: by faith Abraham, offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God tested him. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” And he received Isaac back from death.

Verse 20: by faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

Verse 21: by faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshipped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

Verse 22: by faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

Verse 23: by faith Moses’ parents hid him for 3 months after he was born because they saw he was no ordinary child and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

Verse 24: By faith when Moses grew up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasure of Egypt.

Verse 27: by faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.

Verse 28: by faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

Verse 29: by faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

Verse 30: by faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for 7 days.
Verse 31: by faith Rahab the prostitute, was not killed with those who were disobedient when she welcomed the spies.

There were others like David, Samson, Gideon, Barak, and Samuel who by faith, who weakness was turned to strength, conquered kingdoms administered justice, and gained what was promised. These were all commended for their faith.