September 29, 2024

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Despite his best efforts during the planting season, a farmer doesn’t have much assurance that what he plants in his fields will yield a harvest able to sustain his family and make a profit. Unforeseen circumstances – an untimely frost, a plague of insects, a virus – can suddenly turn his costly investment into a well of despair and hopelessness. Yet, as the writer to the Hebrews reminds us, those in Christ have an eternal assurance based not upon the whims of nature but upon the undeniable, historical fact of our Lord’s bodily resurrection from the dead. Because God the Father accepted Jesus' perfect sacrifice for the sins of the entire world – including our own sin and rebellion – He has raised Him up for our justification, granting us the special status of adoption “as sons” (Rom. 4:25, 8:15). This is both a “now, and not yet” reality! By God’s grace, we partake in His gifts as part of His family now – in Baptism, fed by His body and blood at the altar, and through His Spirit-filled Word – as we await the ultimate fulfillment of His resurrection promises, "For the redemption of our bodies," (Romans 8:23).