FAITH

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Hebrews 11:1
  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things
  not seen.

"Substance" is stuff -- solid stuff, like concrete, not like fog.

"Evidence" is reason to believe a certain thing -- like evidence in a
criminal trial can convict a defendent.

So if we have hope of a certain thing, situation, occurance, etc. then
faith gives it substance -- makes it REAL to those who have that
faith.  Faith gives us reason to believe it will ultimately
materialize, that it will happen, and we will know that it did because
of our fiath.

But of course, this only works if we have faith, wich requires first
that we have hope.  You do not hear to many preachers preach on the
subject of hope, at least not compared to the sermons on faith.

And of course hope is predicated upon a need.  We mujst first have a
need, and we must REALIZE we have that need.  "All have sinned and
fall short..."

Once we realize that we have a need, we can have hope that that need
will be satisfied.  Once we have hope, we can consult the Word of God
and determine if it is in his will.  If it is, then we can have faith.
That faith makes the satisfaction of our need a reality even before we
can see it physically: "the evidence of things not seen."

We have reason to believe that we will be in heaven with Jesus because
we know we were sinners -- we realized that we had a need.  We hope
that this situation of our being sinners will be rectified by the
salvation purchased on Calvary.  We consult God's word and see that it
is in his will: "He would not that any should perish..."  THEREFORE we
have faith, and our salvation is made real even before it occurs, and
we are justified by that faith!

-- 
--------  "And there came a writing to him from Elijah"  [2Ch 21:12]  --------
Robert Jay Brown III  rj@eli.wariat.org  http://eli.wariat.org  1 847 705-0424
Elijah Laboratories Inc.;  37 South Greenwood Avenue;  Palatine, IL 60067-6328
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