How To Have Faith Like The Centurion
Faith is concrete, not abstract.
Faith is trust, not blind belief.
Faith is hopeful, not hopeless.
Faith is confident, not hesitant.
Faith convicts, not acquits.
This is how Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) defines faith. It is confidence in God’s sovereignty and ability to make things work for His glory. In Matthew 8:5-13 (NIV), it’s about understanding our need for a Savior. We typically think of faith as just trusting in God. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it can be problematic if we end up thinking that trust means God giving us what we want. Faith is not a wishlist nor is it transactional. It is a gift from God, one that we use to understand who He is and recognize our need for a Savior.
I like that the NIV uses the word “confidence.” The Centurion in Luke 7 and Matthew 8 is a great example. He was confident in Jesus’ ability to heal his sick servant.
What surprised Jesus about the Centurion was that he recognized his sinfulness. He told Jesus that he was not worthy enough for Jesus to enter his house. (Matthew 8:8 NIV) Peter similarly recognized his sinfulness when Jesus filled his net with fish. (Luke 5:5-8 NIV) The Centurion also recognized that Jesus could just say the word and his servant would be healed. (Matthew 8:9 NIV) Jesus said he’d “not seen such great faith in all of Israel.” (Matthew 8:10 NIV)
Unfortunately, not everyone had such faith like the centurion. Some of the Jews believed that as long as they had faith they could force God to do a miracle. In 1 Samuel 4 when the Israelites were attacked by the Philistines, they believed the Ark of the Covenant, which symbolized God’s presence (Exodus 22:10-22 NIV) would help them win the battle. Of course they lost and the Philistines took the Ark. (1 Samuel 4:11 NIV)
To have faith like the centurion we need to remember these things:
True faith is humble, and doesn’t boast.
True faith recognizes God’s holiness and our sinfulness.
True faith is not a wishlist or a good luck charm.
True faith is trust that God keeps His promises.
To have faith like the Centurion we need to check our hearts. Everything is looking for our attention. Yet we only pay attention to the things we think will fulfill us. We don’t confess because we think we’ve got it all figured out. We need to be humble like the Centurion and recognize our need for a Savior. We should also recognize that God isn’t obligated to give us what we want. The Israelites believed this and lost their battle. We need to pray and ask God to help us put our faith in Him.
To make sure your faith is in the right place, you need to check your heart, pray and ask God for help.
Questions for reflection:
How has your understanding of faith changed over the years?
Did you used to think of faith as a wishlist or good luck charm?
Is there anything in the Centurion’s story that surprised you? Why or why not?
What are some things you can do to grow in your understanding of faith?
About the Author:
Esther is a preschool teacher and storyteller about to pursue an M.Ed in Curriculum & Instruction. Her passion for education, history, and writing ties down to two things: love of learning and desire to share the Gospel. She draws inspiration from childhood curiosities about the world. Outside the classroom you can find her piecing together jigsaw puzzles, painting, writing songs and poetry, reading and listening to audiobooks. Her favorites puzzles are book puzzles (two of the hardest ones she’s done). Feel free to follow her bookish adventures on her blog: pagesundergrace1.wixsite.com/home. You can also follow her on Instagram @estherreports.