To understand what it means to live by faith, we first need to learn what faith is. The Bible tells us:
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
– Hebrews 11:1
When we build a house, where do we start? Is it with the roof? The windows? Or the doors? None of these, right? The construction of a house starts with the foundation. The foundation needs to be firm because it supports the entire house.
Once, Jesus told a parable (Matthew 7:24-27). Parables are stories that teach us a great lesson. He spoke of two houses built on two different foundations. The first house was built on sand, a weak and insecure foundation. The second house was built on rock, a very firm and secure foundation. It seemed that the two were identical until the rain came, the rivers flowed, and the winds blew and beat upon those two houses. What happened to the house built on sand? It fell because the foundation was not firm. And what happened to the house built on rock? It remained firm because it was founded, built on rock.
Jesus is the Eternal Rock! In Him, there is security and protection.
“And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”
– Matthew 7:25
Faith is like the foundation of a house built on rock! No one sees it, but it is this foundation that supports everything because it is firm and unshakeable. Faith is a firm foundation, the certainty of achieving the things we hope for, desire, but cannot yet see—the eternity with God. And when we live by the faith that comes from God, from eternity, we are like the man who built his house on the rock. Who is the Rock? Jesus! If we walk by faith, believing in Jesus and His Word, we will always be firm in the presence of the Lord. We will not be discouraged or shaken when struggles come to weaken us because Jesus is the one who strengthens us and keeps us firm day by day in our journey. This is true faith!
But there is also a faith that is not true! This faith is based on things man invents, things that come from man’s heart, things man thinks are right. It does not have a firm foundation because everything that does not come from God is like that. Those who walk in this kind of faith are like those who build their house on sand. When people have this faith that comes from man, they think they do not even need to accept Jesus into their hearts. They believe that to be saved, it is enough to do good deeds and be kind. But the Bible says:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
– Ephesians 2:8-9
But true faith does not come from our hearts or from things we invent; it comes from eternity. When someone builds their house on this false faith, will it remain firm when difficulties and struggles come? Of course not! But when we build our house (heart) on true faith (a firm foundation), the winds, storms, bad teachings, things that try to make us stray from the path of the Lord, and struggles may come, but our house will remain firm because it is founded on the rock. So, we learn that living by faith means walking in the direction of the Lord, listening to His voice, obeying His will, and believing that He will bless us.
Faith leads us to hear the voice of the Lord, the Word of God, and obey it. When we exercise (practice) faith in our lives, we please our God. The servant of God lives by faith:
“The just shall live by faith.”
– Galatians 3:11b