by Helena Reimer

Created on: December 17, 2010   Last Updated: December 22, 2010

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6.

Faith is an important factor in salvation according to Ephesians 2:8, but Hebrews 11:6 takes it up a notch and says that it is impossible to even please God if we do not have faith. This means that we can do great works, even in the name of God. But without faith, those works are not worthy in God’s eyes.

What is Faith

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is: “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

We go to sleep at night with good faith that we will wake up in the morning, and that our cars will start so that we can go to work. We have faith that our children will grow up to be good citizens and servants of God. However, none of these things are truly known to us, for our health could fail in a matter of minutes, and likewise our children might end up in the wrong crowd. But still, we have faith that everything will turn out right, even though we have not seen the end.

In the same way, no man has ever seen God; but yet we know that he exists because we have faith in him. And without this faith, we cannot please him or be saved.

In Hebrew 12:2 we are told that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, and in Romans 10:17 we are told that “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Thus ultimately, faith comes from God, but we must willing to seek him and hear the message that he has for us.

Why Faith is Important for Pleasing God

Even if we were to spend all our time trying to please God, we would not be able to do so if we did not have faith. We could study the Bible every day, preach the gospel and give to the poor, but all that would not please God, unless we did it in faith.

But how can God not be pleased when all these good deeds are being done in his name? The answer is quite simple, and that is that God has a different purpose for each and every one of us. And without faith, we cannot know what that purpose is. So even if we spend all our time focusing on doing good things in the name of God, we miss the purpose that God has for us.

Faith is important, as it helps us to understand (see Hebrew 11:3). And we need to understand who God is, and what he requires of us in order to obey and please him.

We see in Hebrews 11 that God first spoke to the Old Testament saints in order for them to obtain faith

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