Thought for Today
Genesis 15:6 And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.
Psalm 78:21 Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of rage; a fire was kindled against Jacob, his anger mounted against Israel, 22 because they had no faith in God, and did not trust his saving power.
Galatians 2:19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; 20 and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
As I was reading this morning, I encountered a phrase that seemed to leap off the page, “the life of faith.” (These Days, September 23, 2026) For me, any discussion of faith must begin with Hebrews 11:1. The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms defines faith a bit differently, “In Christianity, belief, trust, and obedience to God as revealed in Jesus Christ. It is the means of salvation (Eph. 2:8-9) or eternal life (John 6:40). Faith affects all dimensions of one’s existence: intellect, emotions, and will.” (pg. 100)
Interestingly, the New American Bible version of Genesis 15:6 reads, “Abram put his faith in the LORD, who attributed it to him as an act of righteousness.” Is there a substantive difference between putting one’s faith in something or in believing in that same thing? For Abram there was no difference. Our ancestors-in-the-faith believed Abram’s belief in God and his faith were one in the same thing. That same dictionary defines righteousness as, “Biblically the term embraces a number of dimensions relating to God’s actions in establishing and maintaining right relationships. Ethically it is a state of moral purity or doing that which is right.” (ibid, pg. 242)
As I think about “the life of faith” this morning, several things come to mind. First, is the author in These Days correct? Is it true that “The life of faith is different?” The implied assertion in today’s devotional is that our society is not based on faith and belief. Specifically, that author references disparities in the remuneration of workers at various levels within our material economy. Should the life of faith be mirrored in the broader world of everyday life? Should God’s children be any different when we are not in church, not going about worship within a sanctuary? Should God’s children everywhere, irrespective of belief in God or faith in God, mirror the laws of God in their everyday lives?
I must admit that, as an engineer, one of my first thoughts this morning was to question how one measures ‘the life of faith.’ First, how is faith quantified? Is faith measured in feet, in pounds, in ohms? What sort of measuring device would or could quantify faith, a ruler, a scale, calipers? Maybe most important, how much faith is enough to qualify as good? What is the minimum required faith to qualify for being considered righteous?
The mathematics of faith are certainly different from the mathematics of economics. I’m not sure what sort of math would be used to deal with faith, but I suspect calculus might be best. I first learned about calculus in terms of measuring the change in distance over time, δx/δt. What qualities and/or quantities would we examine in the calculus of faith?
I believe the Christian faith results in lives that have been changed. Changed by God. Faith in other things may also change lives. In the HBO series Pacific, during one episode a veteran Marine and a newly arrived Marine are discussing faith and belief. The newly arrived Marine offers his own Christian views on life and its meaning. He then asks the veteran, “What do you believe in?” The veteran answers, “I believe in ammunition.” What do you believe in? In what do you find your assurance of things hoped for, your conviction of things not seen?
Maybe most importantly, does that in which you believe, that in which you find your assurance and conviction, make a real and true difference in the life you live? I’m not sure exactly how to qualify and quantify faith. What units of measurement would we use? Pounds, yards, volts or amps? What level of faith, what amount of belief is requisite for accomplishing making your life of faith different?
If you measure the rate of change in your life over time, the δx/δt of your faith, would you find the ‘speed’ of your faith? Would you find any change at all? Ammunition or Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, where do you find your faith?
Believe in God, have faith in Jesus, trust God,
Pastor Ray