Faith in the Finished Work of Christ
ICS Daily Devotions

Hebrews 11: 4, 6 (NKJV) By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks…. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

The Bible tells us that faith is necessary to please God. Strong faith comes from a firm conviction of who God is—knowing Him through the Word of God. One of the exercises of faith is to rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ. It helps us to have faith in God rather than ourselves. The devil hinders us in our faith walks by attacking our worthiness before God because if we feel unworthy before God due to the weaknesses in our lives, we won’t have the confidence to do great exploits for Him.

Abel sacrificed an animal with the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of his sins, as compared to Cain who offered up the fruit of his labour. Abel did it according to God’s instruction. Likewise, we need to believe God’s Word regarding how to approach Him by faith based on Jesus’ work of atonement.
Cain was angry because God didn’t accept him through his labour of love. He wanted to approach God based on his terms, but it doesn’t work that way. In contrast, Abel understood and accepted the only way to approach God and to appease His wrath towards sin was through the sacrifice of an animal and its fat, which is what he did by faith. God accepted his offering because blood was shed for the atonement of Abel’s sin. Abel obtained his righteousness before God based on his faith in God’s way.

Many people are like Cain, trying to approach God by attempting to be good people through their self-righteousness, religion, philosophy, and good works. Sadly, nobody is good because of men’s sinful nature. Therefore, they will still be evil in their thoughts and actions.

Throughout Jewish history, God has taught us that He required them to approach Him through the sacrifice of an unblemished lamb. The High Priest could only enter the Holy of Holies once a year after he had cleansed himself, but it was an endless sacrifice.

As Christians in the New Testament, we are entitled to a superior life in Christ because Jesus is our High Priest. After He had entered the heavenly tabernacle to minister on our behalf, He sat beside the Father. Therefore, the Bible asks us to enter the throne with boldness and to find help and mercy in times of need because it is a new and living way paved for us with Jesus’ blood.

Hebrews 4:16 (NJKV) Let us therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Sermon Series: Growing Your Faith in God