by Zach Roll

Loving what you can’t see.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
1 Peter 1:8-9 English Standard Version

Photo Credit: Laura Roll

Chances are you’ve heard the sayings, “seeing is believing,” and “I’ll believe it when I see it.” We are often wary of not being fooled, and something has to be proven before we can put our trust in it. That’s not exactly how faith in Christ works.

There are plenty of pictures, paintings, and ideas about what Jesus looked like, but since he lived so long ago we don’t have any remains to put together an idea of what he looked like (Christ is risen, Alleluia!). We can’t know with certainty what he looked like, so we haven’t seen Jesus.

That doesn’t mean our faith in Jesus is unreasonable. Jesus taught that the whole of Old Testament Scripture found its fulfillment in him. The New Testament is filled with eyewitness accounts of those who walked with Jesus, and were taught by him, along with testimonies of those who were healed by him. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that over 500 people saw the risen Christ at the same time!

So while we haven’t seen Christ in the flesh, we have powerful eyewitness accounts about his resurrection. We also have the inerrant, divinely inspired, Word of God testifying to the truth of who Jesus is. If that weren’t enough we have the Holy Spirit, whom Christ promised to believers, that would make it possible for us to have faith in him, and to live as his witnesses!

We haven’t seen him, we don’t now see him, but we certainly rejoice in the hope, and promises, he’s given to us in his death and resurrection.

This past Sunday we celebrated All Saints Day, remembering those faithful witnesses in our loved ones. They have obtained the outcome of their faith and the salvation of their souls. May we continue in the grace of God as well. Amen.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO