Second Requirement from God

In Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 6, we are reminded that there is one basic, unvarying requirement for all who would approach to God. This is what the verse says:

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Notice that, “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Faith is essential if we are to be accepted by God. Anyone who comes to God must believe. That’s an unvarying requirement of God.

Furthermore, we are required to believe two things: that God exists, and that He “rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Now, most of us do not have a serious problem about believing that God exists. If that were all we were required to believe, we would meet the conditions, but it’s not all.

We are required to believe not merely that God exists, but that He “rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Do you believe that? That’s really the vital question.

You may say, “Well, I don’t know much about doctrine or theology or creeds. I’m not too clever in any of those things.” Well, I have good news for you. Faith of this kind is not primarily concerned with doctrine or theology. It’s a confidence or a trust in God as a person. It’s a trust in God’s character, His reliability. You come to God believing that if you earnestly seek Him, He will reward you.

That’s really not much of theology. That’s your own personal picture of God. That’s why at the beginning of this series of talks, I said it’s so important that we start with the right picture of God. That’s what generates faith. We believe in God’s goodness. We believe in His faithfulness. We believe in His reliability.

And that’s why, on the other side, unbelief is sinful, which the Bible clearly states it is. Some people don’t see why unbelief is a sin. But one basic reason is that unbelief casts aspersions on God’s character. It makes a picture of God which is false and unattractive.

Now, this requirement that we approach God in faith is universal for any way of approaching God, but it is applied particularly to prayer. For instance, in Matthew 21, verse 22, Jesus says,

“Everything you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.”

That’s the key word there in the middle: believing. “Everything you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.”

And then again, in 1 John 5:14, we read this:

“This is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.”

That’s what I’m talking about just now. It’s confidence in God. It’s not essentially believing right doctrine or being able to repeat a creed or a statement of fundamentals, but it’s confidence in God Himself as a person, confidence in His goodness, confidence in His character. If we come to God with that confidence, then whatever we ask, we know He hears us.

So start with that approach of complete trust and confidence in God. Try to be like a little child coming to its parent, being convinced that its parent loves it and whatever it asks, the parent will do for it. That’s the basis of approaching God in faith. Get away from the thought of theology. It’s not theology. It’s a personal relationship to God that we’re speaking about just now.

How then can we acquire this kind of faith that I’m talking about, the faith that approaches God with confidence? Thank God that the New Testament not merely tells us that we have to approach God with faith, but it also tells us in a very practical way how faith comes.

We find this in Romans chapter 10, verse 17. Make a note of that verse. It’s one of the key verses. That’s the verse that got me out of hospital when doctors couldn’t heal me. I really owe my health and my long life and my strength to Romans 10:17.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

I was lying there in the hospital, realizing that if I had faith, God would heal me. And then every time I was thinking that way, the next thing I said to myself was, “I don’t have faith.”

And then one day, the Holy Spirit directed me to Romans 10:17. “So faith comes from hearing.” And the words that I laid hold of were two: “Faith comes.” If you don’t have it, you can get it. How does faith come? “Faith comes from hearing,” comes from listening to God.

You see, prayer is not just talking to God. Prayer is two-way communication with God. It’s holding a very intimate, personal conversation with God.