What is faith? The world misunderstands faith. When asked, most will say that faith is believing something very unlikely, or that faith is battling through doubts regardless, so we need this passage to bring out the Saviour’s analysis of the man and his faith. Faith is an insight or readiness to believe that takes us to God. Maybe some do believe, but have never gone to Christ for salvation. Faith is a belief of a kind that goes to God. It has several identifiable ingredients which we learn here, more, probably, than could be used in a single message.
First, faith starts by having a great need: nobody comes without that. The centurion had need of Christ’s healing power, having exhausted all human help. For us it is the sudden realisation that we need acceptance with God and life in the soul. Christ says, here is the kind of faith that brings us to God. We cannot claim credit for faith – it is his gift to us – but we are still responsible to exercise it. Faith is the only proper response to the word of the God who cannot lie. Finding salvation becomes a matter of life and death to us. Do we understand that he only has to say the word in heaven and I shall be transformed?
The next part of faith is expressed by the centurion’s words: ‘Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.’ He felt unworthy to be in the presence of the Son of God. I am so proud, he thought. I may be kind to the Jews, but I think so much of myself. For all his kindness he had done some terrible things, lusts indulged, cruelties inflicted, lies told; these terrible things came right into his mind. This is how we approach Christ. We come as those who are unfit to approach him. The preacher must explain what happened on Calvary: that it was there that God dealt with the problem of sin. The moment I realise I am not fit to come to him, I will come to him via the cross. I see that Calvary is essential, and that there is no other way to approach God. If you have no sense of sin you will never accept this. Do we understand he is the Saviour; he can take our sin; he sees me in all my guilt before him; he provided for all who come to him? If you say, ‘There is nothing wrong with me’, you will never come as you need to come. ‘Say the word and my servant healed. You are God of heaven – a word from you and my servant will be healed.’
A third element is belief in the power of Christ’s word and in his authority. The centurion knew how to control the frontier remotely, and still not have things go wrong. He believed that the Lord had supreme authority and power in another realm, but without limit. Therefore by speaking of his own authority he is telling the Lord how much he believes in his power.
Faith takes to heart what it hears. The Lord had said ‘I will come and heal him.’ The centurion believed that the Lord would do what he said. Christ has promised to give eternal life to all who come to him and to turn none away, no matter what sins they have committed. Faith believes that Christ cannot lie, or do less than he has said he will do. It holds him to his word.
Hope is also an ingredient of faith. He expected to see his servant healed. He believed that the Lord could do this even though he knew it was completely beyond the power of mortal man to do such a thing. When we come to Christ for salvation, we believe that he can answer our prayer and pardon our sins, and give the salvation that he promises to give those who come to him. We do not come with so many doubts that we expect nothing. If there are doubts, we pray for faith to overcome them. Faith looks forward to the blessing that Christ promises. I ask believing I will receive, and recognising the spiritual nature of conversion. We say, ‘I know he will respond for no one is ever turned away so I’m sure he will listen to me.’
Did the centurion say, ‘Why should he respond to me? I am not a Jew.’ That is a problem many have in coming to Christ for the first time. How do I know it will happen to me? You know because he has promised and he never breaks his word.