The Power of Faith – Hebrews 11:11-12

The greatest illustration of the power of faith is in the believer’s salvation. We, who were once dead in our trespasses and sins, were raised with Christ, having been saved by grace through faith. As astounding and joyful as it would be to see a deceased loved one rise up from the dead, it is even more miraculous to see one who is spiritually dead and alienated from God made alive together with Christ. Yet this is what happened to us by the power of faith. (Eph 2:1, 8)

Having previously looked at the accounts of men of great faith, we come to the testimony of Sarah. Contrary to the opinion of many contemporary Bible critics, the Bible does not discriminate against women. Rather, it upholds God’s special design and high calling for women, which both fallen men and women have rejected. Scripture is filled with accounts that highlight the strength and faith of women- women who defeated evil men, women who supported Jesus’ ministry, and the women who were the first to witness Jesus’ resurrection. As we look into the power of faith in the life of Abraham’s wife, Sarah, we will see that women can have just as strong- if not stronger- faith as men.

How did Sarah’s faith begin?

Powerful faith begins with understanding what is genuine faith. Saving faith and living faith are one and the same- the faith that is at work in your conversion is the same faith you practice as a follower of Christ. Before our conversion, our nature was to love what was evil. But by the grace of God, we heard the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ, and we received the gift of faith to believe and turn away from sin and be converted to Christ. (Jn 5:24) As a child simply trusts and depends on his father, so we have trusted in Christ Jesus as our Savior and Lord. This trust that we have in Christ for the salvation of our souls is the same trust we practice in our daily lives. (Lk 18:17)

True faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. By faith, though we do not see, we believe, because we trust in the One who gives us the promise. If you are not yet converted, you have no saving faith, and without saving faith, you can not have living faith. Therefore, believe in the gospel- God has loved the world by sending His only Son to die on the cross for our sins, and He was raised from the dead to be the Lord and Savior of all who trust in Him for salvation. Come to Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and by the power of faith in Him, you will be freed from the power of sin. (1Cor 15:1-4)

Powerful faith is individual. Faith is never credited by inheritance or association- you can never be saved by your parents’ or spouse’s faith. Sarah had her own faith apart from her husband Abraham’s faith. When we read that Abraham by faith sojourned as a foreigner to obey God’s heavenly call, we can infer that Sarah followed her husband because of her own obedient faith in God. (Heb 11:8-10)

How did Sarah own her faith?

Sarah a had a biblical marriage. Wives must submit to their husbands, but only as is fitting in the Lord. Sarah and Abraham were both humble, and as Sarah submitted to Abraham and Abraham loved Sarah, they grew in sanctification and faith together, individually. (1Pet 3:6; Phil 2:3-4) Biblical marriage is the best grounds for growing in holiness, because sins are constantly exposed, forgiven, and repented of. Husbands and wives must mutually teach and support one another- when one falls, the other must support, encourage, and teach their spouse.

By God’s grace. God’s grace is always with those who have faith. Sarah was by no means a perfect woman, but she was upheld by God’s grace. When Sarah laughed at and doubted God’s promise of a sin, God still fulfilled His promise and allowed Sarah to conceive. (Gen 18:10-13; 21:1-2) We always stumble in faith, but God is faithful, and His grace is abundant towards those who trust in Him.

Faith is to obediently trust in the Lord. As we continue to look at the power of faith, we must examine ourselves and look for the reasons why we fail to trust God.

Have you repented biblically? True repentance always bears the fruit of obedient faith. God can not be fooled- He looks into our hearts for sincerity in repentance. Without it, you will always fall into the same sins. (Matt 7:16–17)

Do you still live under bad influences? Anger, disappointment, ignorance, and fear of man are all of our old nature. If we continue in these sins, we can not trust in God. (Col 3:5-8)

Is your conscience hardened? We are trusting in ourselves and hardening our consciences when we shift blame or rationalize our sins before God and man. We must confess our sins, and trust in Christ alone for forgiveness and righteousness.

Do you have idols? We trust in what we desire most. We must always look out for what is competing with Christ in our love and loyalty.