But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. — Hebrews 11:6
THERE ARE THREE MAIN IDEAS that we see very clearly resulting from this larger statement about faith and pleasing God, which contextually falls after observations made about a very ancient man named Enoch. We are told that Enoch did not die as ordinary men, but bypassed death and was translated directly into heaven. The reason for this extraordinary departure from this world Paul beautifully and simply affirms to be that Enoch pleased God. It is reflection upon that remarkable side-stepping of death that the apostle is inspired to make these three observations about the particulars of coming to God inside of a larger argument about the role of faith.
I. Coming to God requires a positive affirmation in one’s heart regarding the existence of God. This is so basic, it is startling that the Apostle begins here with believers. However it calls us to consider that nothing can work against our attempts to approach God in prayer and whatever petitions we make more than an atheistic or agnostic spirit. It cuts us off at the knees. Therefore coming to God with anything other than a robust conviction of His existence is an absolute waste of time and energy. We learn then that the prayer that begins, “God, if you are up there…” is offensive to Him. We have no reason to believe God will accept it.
We see here too another example what a practical book the Bible is to us. If you pray to God but you do not believe He is really there, well it is obvious you are wasting your time speaking into the air. No one has to be convinced of that. But here Paul tells us that even though God does in fact exist, those that make some show of coming to Him while harbouring atheistic doubts will be no more heard than if God were truly nonexistent. Let us learn here then how offended God is by crass atheistic notions. We simply cannot please Him until we deal with those up-front.
II. Coming to God cannot be a half-hearted effort. Now suppose we believe God exists, but we come to Him half-heartedly without much effort or thought. Paul says that God is a rewarder of those that “diligently” seek Him. This is more complicated because the first point was a matter of the head being right while this is about the heart. God does not reward those that come to Him for simply being orthodox. They must be fervent and do so with vehemence. Fasting may be helpful here, but it is the presence of the Holy Spirit that is ultimately called for.
III. Coming to God requires us to believe that the act is not only worthwhile, but that God unfailingly does real good for those that engage Him in prayer. So we must believe God exists, but the Bible insists that we are not free to believe whatever we like about that God. Imagine that! The Bible demands theology! Theology is important, and what that theology will require at its heart is spelled out for us if one wants to approach God with success. We should also again clarify that this statement is within a larger argument about faith, so while a theology grounded in faith must contain this belief, it is by no means an exhaustive list of everything God calls upon us to believe. For example, we cannot expect to approach God without the only Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, (I Tim. 2:5).
Looking at our world, many people easily believe God rewards people (expect for outright atheists, who have already been dealt with here). People believe God rewards people for their economic status or for being born to rich parents. People believe God rewards people because of their race (i.e., white privilege). They may reason that if they were born male instead of female, they would be rewarded more of God. Perhaps God would reward them if they had a college education or if they already have that, maybe if it had been a better choice of school. The list really goes on. But our point here is that these notions, however occasionally true, do not require the faith Paul is speaking of here in our approach to God. We believe these things quite naturally without assistance.
Yet to believe God is a rewarder of those that seek Him is another matter entirely. All the effort in the world will not bring us to this. It requires faith, which “is a gift of God,” Eph. 2:8. It is another way to view the world which the natural eye cannot catch a glimpse. It requires another, different eye, which only God’s people possess (II Cor. 5:7).
This would be a simpler matter if God always answered us right away and in the way we expect. But those of us who have put these things into practice may attest that God does not always do so. One can seek God concerning some thing for days, months, and even years without apparent success. Our Lord speaks directly to this point in Luke 18:1 before proceeding to illustrate the full reality in such situations. But truly imitating the importunate widow means one cannot simply go through the motions of prayer while permitting the confidence that God does truly reward those that diligently seek Him to wane, perhaps even imperceptibly.
Coming to God then requires certain things of our heart and mind that sometimes must be guarded to sustain. It is not enough to be fervent for a moment: we must continue to believe in God’s existence at all times and that our continual coming is rewarded when accompanied by persistant fervency. It is not enough to believe God exists and rewards us, but to do so in cold, half measures lacking spiritual warmth. If we allow unbelief to fester in our hearts unchecked, all the diligence and right thinking about God in the world will terminate in invoking God’s displeasure.
