GOD CALLS US TO STAND FIRM IN OUR FAITH IN CHRIST
GOD CALLS US TO STAND FIRM IN OUR FAITH IN CHRIST
Luke 18:1-8
INTRODUCTION
In the year 1521, a council was taking place in the city of Worms. It was a moment when the world and the Church were waiting for a great change. The power of the entire empire and the anger of the religious leaders were pressing heavily on one man. To many people, he looked like someone who would surely fail. But in God’s eyes, that moment became a place and a time to reform the faith people had in Christ and in the Church. Standing before those powerful political and religious leaders was not a soldier, nor a high official with wealth or authority. It was Martin Luther, a simple monk. Even though he was surrounded by danger, darkness, and the threat of death, he boldly said, “Here I stand.” No one could move him. His faith in Jesus Christ kept him strong. That is the secret and the power of true faith.
About a thousand years earlier, Jesus Christ told a parable to teach this same truth to future generations. Today’s Bible passage, Luke 18:1–8, is taken from that parable. There is one thing we must understand clearly. The “judge” in this parable is not God. He is a human being. Jesus makes this clear in verse 6. In the same way, Jesus clearly explains the purpose of the parable in verse 1. So even though the widow’s persistent request in the parable, Luther’s struggle, and the path we walk today may look different, all three are connected by one thing that is faith. Faith in Christ is the only strong foundation that can hold a person. That is why Jesus, through this parable, asks the question that still echoes in our hearts even after so many centuries: “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
This parable and all these histories are given to us for one purpose: to show us the path of faith in our life’s journey. The faith of this widow and the faith of Martin Luther did not come from human effort. Then where did their faith come from? This question leads us to the first subtitle: “Faith in Christ that grows by grace.”
1. FAITH IN CHRIST THAT GROWS BY GRACE
Dear friends, faith in Christ is a holy journey that shows us light even in the middle of darkness. In the parable in Luke 18, the widow asks for justice every day. She has no power in her hands. Even when the judge refuses to listen to her, even when she sees his hard face and his lack of care, even when he stays silent and delays his answer, she does not give up. There is no change in her request. She does not let go of her faith. The cry of her heart is only this: “I believe.” Because faith in Christ does not come from getting quick answers. It comes from a heart that continues to trust God.
In this parable, the judge is described as an unjust man. He does not fear God, and he does not care about giving justice to people. Even though he refused justice, the widow’s faith kept growing. That is why she continued to plead without stopping. So where did her belief that the judge would finally act come from? This is the secret of faith. God may delay, but He never forgets justice. He may seem silent, but he never stops caring. He may wait for His perfect time, but He never abandons us. Where does this kind of faith come from? Why does faith grow even when God seems silent? Because growing faith in Christ does not come from human plans or human strength. It is a divine work that God shapes in us through His grace. The widow kept asking not because she had power, but because God’s grace was working inside her.
This is precisely what Martin Luther strongly emphasized as “by grace alone.” The faith that is born in Christ and that grows in Him, along with the righteousness of Christ that comes through it (Romans 3:26), is not something that arises from human will or human works. It is a wonder accomplished solely by grace. It is a priceless gift that God gives to human beings. Hebrews 12:1 expresses this truth by saying, “Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith.” It is this faith, strengthened by grace, that encourages us to come before God in unceasing prayer every day the faith that, though Christ is hidden from our eyes, He is still with us; the faith that, though He may not speak until His appointed time, He hears our prayers; the faith that, even when He seems silent, is increased by His grace.
In this way, our faith in Christ, rooted deeply in the richness of grace, sustains us and carries us forward. Yet behind this rises an important question: How does this faith remain unwavering, without faltering or weakening? This question leads us to the next subheading.
2. THE SECRET OF ENDURING FAITH
In this parable, the widow’s persistent pleading illustrates how God’s children are called to remain steadfast in their faith in Christ, and it also explains how that steadfastness is sustained. Likewise, the question posed at the end of the parable “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” is a probing question that examines how deep and enduring our faith in Christ truly is. This is because, in chapter 17, Jesus describes the events that will take place at His second coming. In light of that, this question serves as a call to maintain faith amid the darkness and injustice that will fill the world until He returns.
Here the question arises precisely in response to the widow’s persistent pleading and the delayed answer. When the Son of Man comes, terrifying events will unfold. Yet we must remain steadfast in faith and we can remain steadfast because it is God who works to keep us firm in our faith. His coming may seem delayed, but that very delay becomes the true foundation of enduring faith. When every request is granted immediately, it does not lead us toward steadfast faith; rather, it tempts us to drift away from faith. Martin Luther calls this “experienced faith.” According to Luther’s theology, genuine faith does not weaken in delay but it deepens.
In many moments of life, when injustices seem overwhelming, we quickly become judges ourselves. We lose the patience to wait. This is the essence of unbelief. It is only when human effort reaches its limit that God’s grace begins to work. Enduring faith is nothing but the work of grace. Faith does not display human righteousness; it gives room for God’s righteousness to act. Only grace-filled faith can keep us steadfast. The secret of perseverance in faith is letting go of human striving and leaning wholly on Christ.
CONCLUSION
Beloved, the question Jesus asked continues even today to call our hearts into a sacred journey “a journey of steadfast faith that comes by grace”. Faith in Christ is not an emotional surge built on momentary feelings; it is a deep contemplation that Christ dwells within us and grants us faith. The petitions we make in prayer are not empty words they are the expression of a heart that trusts in Christ, whom we cannot see. Even when He is unseen, even when He delays, even when there is no answer, we remain in faith. For faith grows and stands firm precisely in waiting, in delay, and in silence.
The clearest example of this is Jesus Christ’s prayer in Gethsemane. In His two prayers, the plea “Let Your will be done” was heard. The request “Take this cup of suffering from me” was not granted. Yet Jesus, the man, did not waver in His trust in God. He remained steadfast until the end. Therefore, His final words to the world were: “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit.”
In 1940, during the second world war the city of London was trembling in fear under the thunder of relentless air raids. In a small church, people gathered every day to pray together. Their prayers stood firm against death itself. Their hope was not in their own strength but in the grace of God, believing that only His mercy could bring deliverance. As they trembled in fear yet waited in faith, God upheld them and strengthened them. History records of them: “It was not the stone walls of the church that protected them, but their faith in Christ.” Yes it is steadfast faith in Christ that protects and sustains us. For faith is not our own strength; it is all grace. Therefore, let weary hands rise again, let faint hearts be strengthened, and let dimmed faith become firm once more. For “God calls us to stand steadfast in our faith in Christ.” Amen!
©2025, I. Ananda Balakrishnan
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