Faith

What do you know about faith? As we begin a new walk with Christ, faith is key.  According to the Bible, faith is an important ingredient for salvation: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Galatians 2:8).  Faith is key to a successful prayer life: “But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6). We are justified by faith: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).  On and on, verse after verse can show the all too important role that faith has, not just in salvation, but in your relationship with Christ. Renowned pastor and author David Jeremiah in a message posed to his listeners a question about faith.  He basically asked which is better, a whole lot of faith on a little ice or little faith on a whole lot of ice.  He was striking at a misconception that many have about faith. 

The implication of David Jeremiah’s question is that it is not the amount of faith in the object, but in reality the object in which we put our faith in.  No Biblical writer defines, describes, and demonstrates faith like the writer of Hebrews.  Hebrews 11 which is commonly called “The Faith Chapter” by Bible scholars and Christians alike provides a definition and explanation of faith within the first three verses:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  For by it the men of old gained approval.  By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3)

            The word that is translated “faith” within the original Greek text literally means “firm persuasion, conviction, belief in the truth”.  Faith is not something that is based on an imagination but an absolute conviction of truth based on facts.  An explanation of this is found in verse three.   How do we believe the world and the universe came into being?  Was it a product of a vivid imagination that provided a definite explanation or is it a realization that came to our attention based on an actual statement?  The writer of Hebrews teaches us that faith, true Biblical faith, is the absolute conviction that the worlds and the universe came into being as explained in Genesis 1.  One of the best and simplest explanation of the Big Bang Theory in the Genesis account of how the worlds and the universe came into being was: “God spoke.  BANG!  Everything appeared.”  For instance Genesis 1:3 says “Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.”  Faith is firmly persuaded, believes, and accept this as truth.  There is no other explanation or is there no other needed other than this simple fact: God spoke the world into existence.

            Faith is the “assurance of things hoped for”.  In defining faith, the Hebrew writer defines it as the confidence of the things we hope for.  The phrase “hoped for” is translated from the original Greek that means “to expect with desire.”  In essence, isn’t that what hope is?  As I type these words, we are just a week away from Christmas.  In the corner of our family room is a Christmas tree with its bright colorful lights and array of Christmas ornaments of different shades, shapes, and sizes.  Our young children are just reaching the age where they understand that Christmas is a time of getting gifts.  On a return from a recent grocery shopping trip, my wife gave each of them a retailer catalog.  I was amused as I watched them go carefully through each page and excitingly exclaimed as they pointed out each toy that it was what they wanted for Christmas.  As each day draws us closer to Christmas, there is an expectation within them of the toys that they will get on Christmas day.  In essence, that is hope.  As our relationship with Christ continues to be developed, our hope will be properly focused on the correct and assured “things” such as Heaven, proper answers to prayer, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the coming of Christ.

            Faith is also, the “conviction of things not seen”.  Do you believe in God?  Do you believe that He exists?  I have heard it best explained like this.  Do you believe that wind exists?  Do you see wind?  Often we hear such answers as yes, when I see the leaves blowing across the yard, or the branches of trees swaying back and forth.  While there is truth to those answers, in reality you are seeing the evidence of wind, but you are not seeing the wind itself.  You have seen and maybe even experience the power of wind.  I have experienced several hurricanes in my lifetime and have felt the wind and its power.  While one may not visibly see the wind, one can know the winds existence because of its effects.  To believe in the existence of God is the same way.  I have seen God when a sinner comes into the life changing relationship with Christ and comes into full contact with His grace and mercy.  I have experienced God when I felt His convicting and comforting work within me, via the Holy Spirit.  I have never seen God in a fully visible way, and I have never met Jesus Christ and I was not there to see His miracles or witnessed His death or resurrection but I believe.  I am firmly persuaded and absolutely convinced that they are true.  Why?  Because the Bible tells us and because I have seen the effect of His work 2000 years after his earthly ministry.

            But science has proven…  How often have we heard that?  The argument for the evolution of the universe is based on the ideas of man’s theory.  Do you realize, that to support the idea of scientific evolution requires faith?  One rests their belief on the theories of men who did not exist at the time of some cataclysmic explosion that over a period of millions of years through the process of natural selection brought us to this point?  There is no explanation how chaos was organized.  There is no explanation on how from the most intense heat of an explosion, something managed to survive to be where we are.  Through the course of human history men developed theories and purported them to be facts.  In Genesis 1:1, we read “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  There is no explanation needed.  There is no theory developed.  The existence of God in the very first book, the very first chapter, and in the very first verse is assumed as TRUTH.  Do I believe God exists?  Absolutely!  Have I ever seen Him?  Absolutely not!  That is faith.  Yet my faith is also based on the fact that not only does the Bible assume the existence of God, but in my own personal experience, I have experienced God.

            Now let’s return to the question at the beginning of the chapter posed by Dr. Jeremiah: Which is better, a whole lot of faith on a little ice or little faith on a whole lot of ice?   What is your answer?  Biblically speaking, can we save ourselves or does salvation come from God?  Can we move mountains or does God?  Who helped David defeat Goliath?  Who helped the Israelites cross the Red Sea?  Who protected Daniel in the lion’s den?  There are examples after examples that can be given that showed that it was God, the object of the character’s faith that enabled them, helped them, and protected them.  When David Jeremiah posed the question to the audience, he was illuminating this great truth: It does not matter how much faith we have, if our faith is not directed to the proper object, then it will simply lead to failure.  One of my favorite verse in the Bible is Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.  This verse serves as an explanation of faith.  While it is encouraging to know that we can accomplish much, the verse reminds us that we cannot accomplish much alone.  Too often, we make the mistake of doing all things alone, but Paul says that we can only accomplish them through Christ.  If our faith is believing we can do it, then it simply leads to failure.  But, if our faith is in the fact that Christ gives us the ability to perform, then we have properly direct our faith.  The Bible is filled with verse after verse that shows that it is not by our own might, but by the power of God.  It boils down to the words found in the Old Testament book of Zechariah:

Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)

            Let us look back at Romans 10:9, which was discussed in a previous chapter.  Paul writes that if we believe in our heart that God has raised Jesus and confess with our mouth Jesus as Lord of our life, then we will be saved.  The original Greek word that is translated to “believe” is actually derived from the same root word in the Greek which we translate into “faith”.  Faith and belief go hand in hand.  In the previous chapter, we discussed the reason why Paul only mentioned “God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  Think of it this way, everything we must believe and what the Bible tells us rest upon the resurrection of Christ.  When we receive salvation, we receive the gift of everlasting life.  Of course we have heard the stories of Heaven and probably are familiar with the many songs about them, but none of that matters if the resurrection of Christ is not true.  Paul says it well in his letter to the Corinthian church: But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. (I Corinthians 15:13-14).  Did you notice the last part of verse 14?  If Christ has not been raised, then our faith is vain.  Everything we believe in the Bible rests squarely upon the resurrection of Christ.  If that one is true, then it is only right to believe that everything in the Bible is true.