“So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.” (NLT)

Why was the Centurion’s faith so bold? A Centurion was an officer in the Roman military, and they commanded an entire legion of soldiers. This Centurion demonstrated to Jesus that he understood a basic concept of authority. “I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come.” The Centurion was not trying to boast about his authority, but rather submit to Jesus’ authority. It is clear the Centurion believed that, like himself issuing orders to his men, God only had to issue the order and it would be done. I wonder how often we believe God has the authority to act in our life. I might also wonder how often we submit to God’s authority to act in our own life.

The lesson we can learn from the Centurion is this: Faith is taking God at His Word. Really. It is that simple. Faith is believing the promises God made to us in scripture. The scriptures are filled with promises God made to us – both as a people and as an individual. Faith is knowing that the God who made those promises is the same God who has the authority to fulfill those promises in your life. Faith is not just believing in the promises of God, it is holding God to them. Holding God to His promises, however, is an act of humble submission.

What struck me about this passage was just how humble the Centurion was. He commanded legions; he could have come to Jesus demanding that Jesus respect his authority and come at once. Rather, he displayed humility. “…for I am not worthy of such an honor. I am not even worthy to come and meet you…” Yes, the Centurion showed great faith, but he also showed great humility. Why is humility important in and for faith?

There seems to be a delicate dance in scripture between humility and faith. When we act in faith, what we are doing is submitting our control or will over to God and choosing to completely trust in His authority. This act of submission is where humility comes in. We cannot let go of control and trust, until we humble ourselves before God. Humility denies pride. Pride is going to tell us that we don’t need God, that our authority is good enough, or worse, more powerful than God’s. Pride is going to tell faith it has no place in your life. Imagine if the Centurion had come to Jesus with pride instead of humility. How might Jesus have perceived his faith? Pride robs us of faith. Humility empowers faith.

Humility allows us to understand it is God who ultimately is in control. Humility allows us to lower ourselves and submit to an authority that is higher and more powerful than ours. For scripture says, “humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and he will lift you up” (1 Peter 5:6). It is in the submission to God’s authority that the seeds of true faith take root. When we place ourselves completely under God’s authority, we are freed to believe God can and will fulfill every promise He has ever made!