Assurance and Evidence (2)

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.Hebrews 12.22-24

Eyes in our hearts
A. W. Tozer explained that the beginning of full faith is in looking beyond the things we can see to that realm of unseen things, where Jesus rules at the right hand of God. Our faith will never realize the fullness God intends as long as our interests and focus are primarily in the here-and-now. Unless we learn to live with a view to the then-and-there, we’ll never experience the power and joy of full faith.

The writer of Hebrews says that this, after all, is where we have come to, if indeed, we have come to true saving faith. Because of our faith in Jesus, we are able to see beyond the veil that separates the material from the spiritual world (2 Cor. 3.12-18). We have an “eye” in our heart, Paul insisted (Eph. 1.18), by which, through faith, we may see realities beyond the material world which we know to exist because we know the Lord Jesus Christ, and He dwells there.

So real is this spiritual realm, and so vital to full faith, that the Apostle Paul instructs us to “set our minds” on unseen things and to let these be the defining landmarks and guideposts of our faith (Col. 3.1-3). In Hebrews 12.2 the writer uses a participle – “fixing your eyes” – to describe what should be the characteristic orientation of our every waking moment.

The unseen world
We will not know full faith in Christ, or the full and abundant life to which He has called us by grace through faith, as long as our spiritual life consists of merely inward understandings and assurances, apart from the outward evidence of true saving faith. And that will be impossible to realize to any extent until we fix the eye of our heart on Jesus Christ exalted in glory.

The unseen world of Jesus Christ exalted at the Father’s right hand, angels celebrating and serving His every command, saints assembled before the throne of Christ, precious and magnificent promises, and a glorious City to Come is the world to which all have come who truly believe in Jesus Christ. This is our homeland and our destination. Our citizenship inheres in this realm. Our lives are formed and shaped by the standards of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit which emanate from the glory of God and Christ.

If we are living full faith, having the eye of our heart fixed on the world of unseen things, the reality of that world and all its beauty, goodness, and truth will begin to be evident in our daily lives, filling our lives with the overflowing presence of Jesus Christ (Jn. 7.37-39).

Seeing the unseen
So what does this entail? How do we set our minds on this unseen realm and keep the eye of our heart focused there throughout the day? Let me suggest three critical components to a life fixed on unseen things.

First, we have to understand the landscape of unseen things – the true nature and composition of that realm to which we’ve come, especially the vision of Jesus exalted and reigning in glory. The writer of Hebrews sketches this in outline form in our text. Many other passages of Scripture – especially in the Psalms and Revelation – flesh out this landscape of unseen things. It is our duty to study and meditate and set these images, in particular the glory of God in the face of Jesus, as the backdrop for all our thinking and living (2 Cor. 4.6).

Second, in order to carry this vista with us throughout the day, we should schedule brief retreats for prayer and learn the songs of saints past and present which celebrate this glorious realm and our place in it.

Ancient chants, great hymns of the past, spirituals, and even many contemporary praise songs can help, when coupled with intermittent prayer throughout the day, to keep us focused on our true provenance and citizenship. Learning to pray the psalms can be an especially helpful means of fixing our eyes on the unseen world to which we have come in Jesus Christ.

We must take more seriously than we do at present the disciplines of praying without ceasing and singing to the Lord and one another as ways of experiencing and expressing the fact that our lives are hidden in an unseen realm with Christ in God (Col. 3.3).

Finally, seek opportunities to talk with other believers about the glories of this unseen realm – how it appears to you, how you experience and seek it, how thinking on the landscape of unseen things lends strength to your daily walk with the Lord.

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. We will not make progress in attaining full faith unless we first begin to set our minds on the things that are above.

For reflection
1.  What do you understand by “unseen” things?

2.  Why should we expect looking on such “unseen” things to bring forth “evidence” in our lives?

3.  Meditate on 2 Kings 6.8-19. What’s the difference between those who can “see” the unseen world and those who cannot? Which are you?

Next steps: Prepare a list of the “unseen things” that we should be “looking to” in order to develop full faith. Talk with some Christian friends: To what extent, and in what ways, do these unseen things factor in their own lives?

T. M. Moore

This week’s study, Assurance and Evidence, is Part 1 of a 10-part series, Full Faith. You can download Assurance and Evidence by clicking here. Your gifts to The Fellowship of Ailbe make this ministry possible. It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Dr., Essex Junction, VT 05452.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.