Hebrews 11:1-6. Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Faith is not a delusion—it is real. It is the evidence of what we cannot see, the proof of a spiritual world. Faith is the assurance that what we hope for will come to pass. It is not grounded in what is visible, but in the unseen reality of the spiritual realm. As Jesus said, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). This does not mean we ignore the physical world. Rather, our ultimate pursuit in life must not be the things of this world, but the things of the invisible, eternal kingdom of God.
God has made the most important things in life invisible. Many people are familiar with religion, laws, and morality, yet remain unaware of the dark spiritual reality behind the fall of mankind—the existence of the devil, the fallen angel. Scripture reveals that the whole world is under the control of the evil one (1 John 5:19). This enemy rebelled against God (Ezekiel 28:14–19; Isaiah 14:12–15), took over the kingdom of the air (Ephesians 2:2), and holds the power of death (Hebrews 2:14). Since the beginning, he has led the world astray (Revelation 12:9).
He deceived Adam and Eve, leading them to sin against God and lose the very life God had breathed into them when He created humanity as spiritual beings (Genesis 2:7; 3:1–10). From that moment, mankind has been living under the power of Satan (Acts 10:38), unaware that the root of all sin—original sin—originates from the devil. Original sin is the universal problem that affects every person. All religions fail to recognize the one who initiated rebellion against God: the devil, who has been sinning from the beginning (1 John 3:8).
Sin and the devil are inseparable. “The one who does what is sinful is of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Sin is a separation from the glory of God (Romans 3:23). It is the spiritual condition of being cut off from the Creator—the place of death, curse, and hell. In this fallen state, all people follow “the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 2:2).
Religions teach good works as a path to salvation, but before anything else, we must be delivered from original sin, the power of Satan, and the background of hell. Without knowing the problem of original sin, people try to keep the law and do good, hoping to earn salvation. But Scripture says no one is righteous—not even one—and no one can fully keep the law (Romans 3:10–12). This is how Satan gained control over the world. Because of sin, death reigns over humanity (Romans 6:23).
This is why we must recognize, proclaim, and teach the only way of salvation: the gospel that Jesus is the Christ. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil that have been dragging humanity into destruction (1 John 3:8). Salvation means being brought out of darkness (Colossians 1:13), liberated from the bondage of sin and death (Ephesians 2:1), and set free from the ruler of the kingdom of the air (Ephesians 2:2). It means escaping the coming wrath (Ephesians 2:3). When we were powerless and hopeless, God poured out His great mercy and grace through His Son and gave us the gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:4–5).
God’s promise of salvation came immediately after mankind’s separation from Him: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15). That promise continued through Noah (Genesis 6:14), Moses (Exodus 3:18), and Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14). And in the fullness of time, the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us (John 1:1–2, 14). He is Jesus the Christ, our Lord.
Jesus is the only one who can save. No one else was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. Jesus is not a descendant of Adam. He is without sin. He is the Son of God. His name is the only name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). There is no other. No one else has broken the power of Satan. No one else has conquered death and risen again to give eternal life.
Through Christ, God completed the work of salvation. Jesus paid the price for our sin with His own blood: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). By His death and resurrection, God opened the way for us to become His children: “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).
God promised intimate fellowship and spiritual blessings to those who receive Christ: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). There is no greater joy than living with Jesus—full of peace, purpose, and assurance.
Since the moment you received and believed that Jesus is the Christ, you have been set free from the power of Satan. God now hears your prayers in Jesus’ name and secures your future. There is nothing to fear. God has called you to bless you with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3–14). He has restored to you the original blessings that were lost (Genesis 1:27–28).
And now, God sends you out to the ends of the earth as a witness to what He has done through Christ. Go with your spiritual identity and authority. Stand firm against the powers of darkness. Declare healing and freedom to those still trapped in the kingdom of Satan. Like those who were commended for their faith (Hebrews 11:1–40), choose faith—always—and you will overcome the world.
Prayer. Father, I thank You for the confidence in what I hope for and the assurance of what I do not see. Open my eyes to the spiritual world, that I may experience every spiritual blessing in Christ and stand firm against the unseen enemy, the devil. Use my life to bring Your healing to this dying world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.