January 18, 2016 (Monday)
Last Friday we took a look at the Bible book of Hebrews, chapter 11, which is sometimes called “The roll call of faith.” We discussed the faith of Abel, the first on the chronological list. The next name on the list is Enoch, who is immediately recognized by students of the Bible as the man who did not die. The Bible says, “He was not, for God took him.” He had this reputation: “He pleased God.”
Later on Elijah was taken to Heaven directly without death. These are the only two people who have had this experience. All of us die. But when Jesus returns, raising the dead, those who are alive at the time will not die, but will receive new bodies and will meet the Lord in the sky. Those people shall join the ranks of those who did not die as humans. If I understand the teaching of the Bible on this, you and I may be among those, for Jesus said He might come at any time, possibly when least expected.
Getting back to Enoch, what was it about him that pleased God so much? It was his faith. Abel’s gift to God was acceptable because it was offered in faith. Enoch’s life pleased God because he believed God completely, without reservation. “..anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6 MSG).
Define faith? Hebrews 11:1 does that. The Amplified Version defines terms as it goes. Here is verse 1: “Now Faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses] (Hebrews 11:1 Amp).
When we say, “Only believe,” we are saying a lot.