Are Your Hopes Resting in the Unseen Things of God?

© 2016 by Tom Boynton (editing by Kathy Boynton)

There’s a common misconception that the unseen spiritual realm lacks reality, substance, and permanence.  This view distinguishes between the “literal” and the “spiritual.”  Even religious people fall into this trap when they insist that all “literal” interpretations of Scripture must be physical in nature.  Though many are, the Gospel of John records Christ frequently rebuking the Pharisees for doing this.  To such folks, physical realities are literal and enduring, whereas spiritual realities are not.

The Biblical view is exactly the opposite.  In a letter to Corinthian Christians, the Apostle Paul points out that only spiritual realities are enduring and permanent, whereas physical realities are temporary.

“…we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

Jesus said,

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

Thus the spiritual realm, which is, currently, the only permanent one, must be perceived by faith implanted in an otherwise spiritually dead heart by God’s Holy Spirit.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

Faith is the means by which God warned Noah of the coming judgment by flood.  Without faith, he would never have been able to save his family by building the ark which God told him to build.

“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (Hebrews 11:1).

This same God has warned us, in His Word, of another judgment, yet unseen.

“… the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:  But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:6-7).

God the Son, Jesus Christ, died and rose again to “…save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Has God’s Holy Spirit given you faith to fear the yet unseen judgment to come, and to call out to Him for forgiveness and eternal life?

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