MARK 5:25-34 – And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ”And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

THEME OF THE DAY. TRUE FAITH IN CHRIST DEFINED BY HIM. Imagine us sitting together over coffee. Yes, the pandemic is over and some resemblance of normal has returned. As we enjoy each other’s company and fellowship around the Lord, I asked this question, “If an unbeliever quizzed you on the definition of what faith in Jesus Christ means”, how would you answer? It is a good question because I often wonder if how we define faith in Him measures up to the biblical definition. And the way to see if our definition of what true faith in Christ will pass the biblical test, it must radically change our lives. This is the ultimate affirmation we got faith in Christ right. A professed faith in Christ that leaves us unchanged, not hungering for the Lord, not longing for His presence and likeness, and ignores regular time in the Word and prayer needs to be evaluated. We are in serious spiritual trouble. If this describes us, one of two things is occurring. Either we are not true believers despite what we profess, or we are so backslidden, our lives look no different than that of an unbeliever.

In today’s scripture, we see true faith in the woman healed by Christ. We know it is true because of how the Lord speaks to her – And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” What did she do affirming she had true faith in Christ? Three things.

First, she knew her desperate condition was beyond human help. The scriptures read, “She suffered much and spent all she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.” It is the same with us spiritually. True saving faith in Christ begins with knowing our desperate spiritual condition is beyond human help. We see that we are lost, in sin and with no hope in ourselves, religion, or any other human being. True faith starts with knowing our true spiritual condition.

Next, the woman goes to the only place for help – the Lord Jesus. She is confident He can meet her need – For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And that is what must be true of us as well. Knowing our helpless spiritual condition takes us to Jesus as the only means to heal our sin-sick heart, to take us from a condemned condition before God to an adopted child of God. Like the woman, we are to be confident Jesus is the only answer to our sin problem.

But the last act we see in the woman illustrating truth faith is she went to Jesus and touched His garment. If all she did was know her helpless condition, believe Jesus could heal her, but didn’t go to Him, she remains diseased. It applies to us spiritually. If we just stay with the knowledge of our sinful condition before God, acknowledge Jesus can change that, but don’t call upon the Lord, “Have mercy upon me, a sinner”, we remain lost and separated from God.

So, take time in this account of Jesus healing a diseased woman. In doing so, allow the Lord to show us how she illustrates true saving faith in Christ. Then rejoice that as He healed her of a physical disease, He will do so for us in our spiritual disease – sin.

PRAYER: “Father, thank You that faith, true faith, is a gift from You that always points me to Your Son.”

QUOTE: “Don’t define faith as just facts about the Gospel. It is that and more. It is abandonment to Jesus.”