Do You Please God? – Hebrews 11:5

By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. Heb 11:5

Enoch was a man who never died. Unbelievers may write off the biblical account of his life as fairy tale, but ironically, we live in a world that desperately strives to attain immortality through science and technology. Man seeks to live forever, because regardless of whether he is a Christian or a non-Christian, the reality of death is utterly devastating. How did Enoch avoid death? Just like us, he was a man born in sin, destined to die under its curse. (Rom 5:12; 6:23) But God took him up so that he would not see death. Enoch had saving faith in Jesus Christ, and his deathless life was the proof of the power of saving faith that overcomes the power of death.

If saving faith delivers you from the power of death, it is crucial to be assured that your faith is genuine. The world is filled with easy believism– many people believe Jesus to be their Savior, but they are unwilling to embrace Him as Lord. They are deceived, and Jesus has declared that they will be shut out from the kingdom of God. What is true saving faith? Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Heb 11:1) It possesses the promises of God, and beholds the proof of what natural man can not see. True faith is in Jesus Christ- it depends on nothing but Jesus, and completely surrenders the heart, will, emotions, and intellect to Him. Those who have faith love Christ distinctively, and turn away from sin and trust only in the redeeming work of Jesus for their salvation. (Rom 10:9-10)

After trusting in Christ for salvation, many stumble because they then try to earn the kingdom of God by their own works. Jesus described the kingdom of heaven to be like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and sold all he had to buy the field. (Matt 13:44) This man joyfully gave everything up to Christ, because nothing could compare to Him. This is the mark of saving faith- it sees everything as dung in comparison to the worth of Jesus Christ. To deny self and to deny the world is a joyful way of life for those who follow Christ. They trust in their eternal union with Christ, and they know that apart from Him, they are nothing. (Jn 15:4-5)

Pleasing God begins with saving faith- faith in Christ alone as Savior and Lord. Examine your faith, for not all faiths in this world can save. Like Enoch, only those who receive Jesus as the object of their saving faith pass out of death into life. (Jn 5:24, 11:25-26)