讀經：希伯來書10章38-11章6節
「因為上帝的義正在這福音上顯明出來；這義是本於信，以至於信。」
(羅馬書 1章17節)
關於上帝我們普遍相信的是，如果我們能「做足夠多的好事」，就能贏得祂的青睞。自然而然地，我們接下來就要問：多少才能算足夠呢？什麼時候我們才能確定已經做了足夠多的好事呢？好吧，我們不能確定！但值得慶幸的是，以上的概念並沒有出現在聖經中。我們得救是本乎恩，也因著相信耶穌基督 (見以弗所書2章8-9節)。
我們可能會誤解這裡所說的恩典，或者對信心的理解也不完全。所以我們要麼認為反正有了上帝的恩典，我們做什麼都行；要麼相信，一旦我們開始相信上帝，就必須過著謹慎小心的生活，以免再次陷入罪裡。然而這兩種態度都毫無聖經依據。
馬丁路德在修道院尋求靈裡的安寧。然而，直到他理解了保羅對上帝救恩的描述，他才找到了真正的平安。「因為上帝的義正在這福音上顯明出來；這義是本於信，以至於信。」
(羅馬書1章17節)。為了強調這一點，保羅引用了《舊約》先知的話:「義人因信得生」(羅馬書1章17節;哈巴谷書2章4節)。相信上帝的存在很容易。很多人都信。但真正地信靠上帝——信靠祂所說的每一句話——卻很難做到。
《希伯來書》重申了這一點:「信就是所望之事的實底，是未見之事的確據。」。經文繼續說:「古人在這信上得了美好的證據」(希伯來書11章1-2節)。他們的果效是通過信心得到的！
這是個安慰人心的結論。上帝因我們的信心而喜悅我們。祂單單召我們「相信有上帝，且信祂賞賜那尋求祂的人」(希伯來書11章6節)。
願我們相信祂，又因著祂的恩典信靠祂。
延伸閱讀：讀《希伯來書》10章26-38節，看這些經文中有哪些安慰，又有哪些挑戰。
思考應用：你信靠上帝嗎？還是你僅僅相信祂存在？這兩者有何區別？
Believing God
By Tim Gustafson
Read: Hebrews 10:38–11:6
This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith (Romans 1:17).
A common belief about God is that if we can 「do enough good things,」 we earn His favor. Naturally, the next question becomes: How much is enough? When can we be sure we』ve done enough good things? Well, we can’t! But thankfully, such a concept isn’t found in the Bible. Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (see Ephesians 2:8-9).
We might misunderstand this grace or have an incomplete grasp of what faith means, thinking that because of God’s grace, it doesn’t matter what we do. Or we may believe that once we put our faith in God, we must then live painstakingly cautious lives so that we never sin. Neither of these concepts has biblical support either.
Martin Luther looked for spiritual peace in a monastery. He didn’t find it until he understood Paul’s description of God’s offer of salvation. 「This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith」 (Romans 1:17). To emphasize the point, Paul quoted the Old Testament prophet: 「It is through faith that a righteous person has life」 (Romans 1:17; Habakkuk 2:4).
It’s easy to believe in God. Most people do. We stumble over believingGod—simply taking Him at His Word.
The book of Hebrews reiterates this: 「Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.」 The text continues, 「Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation」 (Hebrews 11:1-2). Through their faith!
Here’s the comforting conclusion. God is pleased by our faith in Him. We’re simply called to 「believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him」 (Hebrews 11:6).
May we believe in Him and also believe Him by His grace.
More: Read Hebrews 10:26-38 and see both the comfort and challenge found in those verses.
Next: Do you believe God? Or do you merely believe in Him? How would you define the difference?