**Read the article and/or go to bottom and watch the video
Many of us believe we know what Faith is, but let’s learn how faith is acquired and demonstrated in the life of a Christian. It is not tangible, but it is real and life changing. Of course, there are those who believe good works are best. The dictionary defines faith as “complete trust or confidence in someone or something”. One definition of faith from the Bible is “strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.” Both of these definitions, while offering some good thoughts, do not really give us what we as Christians find complete. Remember the man in the Bible who cried out “Help my unbelief”. Many times, we also may want to cry out those words. The question may be- “How do we know we have believed enough?” When eternity is at stake or in a crisis where do we go to believe & also how best to pursue it.
There is a story of a man trying to fix his TV antenna on a slanted slate roof who needed to turn his antenna in the day when this needed to be done to watch a football game, or something, either later in the day or to get a station that is in a different direction than normal. In a hurry he lost his grip and began to slide down the roof. As he was slipping, he grabbed the edge of the roof. Slipping down the roof, the man caught himself by his fingers. He found himself hanging on three stories up. In desperation he looked down and cried- “Can any one down there help me?” No answer was heard! Finally, in desperation he looked up and yelled- “Is there anyone up there who can help?” Then out of the heavens came a deep resonate voice- “Believe and Let Go”. After a minute of thought the man cried out- “Is there anyone else up there who can help me?” This story illustrates that most people are willing to try most anything – but Faith!
It is evident that in our world the word faith has fallen on hard times. Faith has become something that seems ignored. Hebrews 11:1 says- “Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Also in Hebrews 3:2 it tells us how faithful Jesus is– “He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.” By faith. on earth operates by faith every day and in everything we do. Trust and faith aren’t simply Christian affairs. Faith and trust are a part of our lives from the moment we’re born. Everyone leads a faith-based life, and if someone ever ridicules you for a being a “person of faith”, when they point a finger at you there are three fingers points back at them. We all live our lives by faith. So, the question is, What is Faith, and are the objects of our faith trustworthy?
I have found four slogan-filled philosophies about this that I want to share:
- When your faith is stronger than your fears, you can make your dreams happen.
- Faith is taking the first step even when you cannot see the whole staircase.
- Faith is the bridge between where I am and where I am going.
- Faith is the bird that still sings when the night is dark.
Of course, there are many more of these types of slogans. There is no lack of motivational motto-makers or poetic positive thinkers. There is a much better slogan, and it is not as sentimental, but its more scriptural. I shared the first verse of it previously – Hebrews 11:1. So, here is Hebrews 11:1-3 & 6: “11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” This scripture is from Hebrews 11, known as the Bible’s “Faith Hall of Fame”. The book of Hebrews was written to a group of people facing discouraging times, and chapter 10 calls on these people to persevere and to press on without giving up. The writer says in 10:38- “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” This requires one to persevere and walk by faith. Hebrews wants to remind the readers of the heroes of the Old Testament who also faced great adversity but who trusted God, nevertheless. From their examples we learn what it means to live by faith and to walk by faith. Hebrews 11 is known by its recurring phrase, “By Faith…” This phrase occurs 24 times in Hebrews 11. What, then, is faith?
THE DESCRIPTION OF FAITH
Verse 1 of Hebrews 11, which we have already read, is the classic definition of Faith: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. This is a very accurate definition of faith. It begins by telling us faith is the realization of things hoped for. The word “substance” means “assurance” or “realization’. We can substance the word “confidence”. Faith is the confidence or assurance that what we hope for- the promises and realities of God- are true and available.
John MacArthur, Christian pastor and writer, explained it like this: “Faith transports God’s promises into the present tense. In other words, real faith implicitly takes God at His word. Faith is a supernatural confidence in- and therefore reliance on- the One who has made the promises. It is not an uncertain hope for something that may come to pass in a vague, indefinite hereafter. It is a trust that brings absolute here-and-now certainty to -things hope for”. In other words, faith says that what God has promised will happen, and it’s certain that it’s almost as if it has already happened. Faith treats things that are hoped for as a reality. The future is made real for men and women of faith. Faith is a concrete conviction. Faith is the solid, unshakeable confidence in God that is built upon the assurance that He is faithful to His promises.
People can sometimes take one look at us and tell if we’re living with confidence or if we’re falling apart. As Christians we have certain expectations from what our Bibles say. We expect all of God’s things to work together for those who love the Lord. We expect Christ to come against any moment, like a thief in the night. We expect to live forever, for God has promised us everlasting life. We expect the Lord to take care of us, and when we go through life with confidence in these things- that is faith. So, someone with faith lives in the absolute confidence that things are factual, they are accurate, they are reliable, they are unfailingly true.
The next part of this classic verse says that faith is “the evidence of things not seen”. The question is- what do we NOT see right now? We don’t see God; He is invisible to us. We don’t see don’t Jesus Christ; He is removed from us. We don’t see the angels- as a general rule. We don’t see the spiritual realm or the Golden City of New Jerusalem. We also don’t presently see all the solutions to all our problems, nor everything as everything should be. We do not yet see these things, but we have total assurance these realities and resolutions are just as the chair in which we are sitting or the building in which we live. This is the way the writer of Hebrews defines faith. Faith gives substance to the unseen realities. Faith is a kind of spiritual “sixth sense” that enables the believer to take a firm hold upon the unseen world and bring it into the realm of experience.
Many people believe faith is vague and unreal, like trying to believe that fairy stories are actually true. Nothing can be more mistaken. Faith is a reality, and it reaches out to facts that are solid; The apostle Peter touched on this when he wrote: “whom having not seen you love. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9) Faith is more real than your seeing and your hearing and your smelling and your tasting and your touching. Faith is far more real than any of the senses God has given you. “Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose way you may not understand at the time.”-Oswald Chambers.
Biblical faith is growing confidence in the unseen reality of God and His involvement in our lives, even in times of stress. In fact, were it not for times of trouble, we wouldn’t have as much reason to grow in our faith. In Hebrews 11, every single one of the twenty-seven or so people whose names are written there had one thing in common: By faith they surmounted unbelievable obstacles. God allows us to hear truth, and that truth comes in our mind, and that truth begins to interact with what you already know, and what we think. Faith involves intellect. It involves thinking. The word of God gets into the mind of a person and begins to intermingle with what’s already there. But perception itself cannot be faith. Just knowing something isn’t faith. We have to add the element of persuasion. What we are thinking must penetrate into our emotions. We become emotionally attached to that truth. As we think about the truth it begins to play upon our heart. Then it becomes part of our emotional makeup. Then it requires performance. We must act on our faith. We have to put it into action. It requires our whole being- mind, emotion, and will. Real faith grabs hold of the truth and hangs on. Real faith says, “I believe it. I receive it. I base my actions on it.”
THE DEMONSTRATION OF FAITH
Hebrews 11 (verses 1-3) goes on to say that the object of our faith- Almighty God- is the Creator of the universe, and that our faith begins when we recognize His handiwork in what He has made: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” In other words, faith sees the invisible; and faith realizes the visible world has come from the mind of the invisible God. This is incredible! Our culture is at war over this very topic, and one of the most provocative questions in our public discourse is: “Where did we come from?” We know that faith in God gives us an understanding of the universe. God created the worlds by His word. God, an unseen power, created what we see. The cosmos was made by God.
Where did all of the substance and the processes come from to begin with? We have no explanation, and all of the atheistic evolutionists can reason all they want to until they get to the beginning of it all. They have no way of knowing. They say evolution is a scientific theory, but it really is unscientific. They have no way of testing their theory, and it cannot be proven. IT takes more “faith” to be an evolutionist than it does to be a Christian and believe it was God who created it all. “The heaven declare the glory of God”- this is the saying of the TBN series Creation in the 21st Century- which week-in-and-week-out proves God created the total universe. By faith we understand the worlds were formed by God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
THE DEMANDS OF FAITH
That brings us full circle to the demands of faith, for verse 6 of Hebrews 11 says: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is- and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Faith is essential. The Lord demands it as part of a healthy relationship with Him. We cannot please God without faith. We might say it is part of a Christians’ DNA. It’s important to God that we believe that He is -and that we seriously seek Him.
The Bible says that if we seek God, He will be found.
Isaiah 55:6 says. “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near”.
Jeremiah 29:13- “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Amos 5:4- “This is what the Lord says to Israel: “Seek me and live;”
Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all
these things will be given to you as well.”
If you tell me, you are not sure you really believe in God, my question is, “Yes, but are you really searching for Him? Are you really seeking after Him? How much do you care? How serious is your quest? What have you read that has helped you understand who God is and what God does? How seriously have you investigated the truth about God in the Bible?” According to Hebrews 11, God will reward those who seek Him, and those who seek Him will be found by Him. Another learning from Hebrews 11 is that God is telling to not get discouraged and don’t give up. There are so many things that this chapter is telling about faith. One of these key thoughts is that faith comforts those who are not delivered from suffering and death on this earth. The Bible, given to us by God, is filled with one story after another to teach us the importance of living and walking by faith.
So, don’t let anybody tell you. “Oh, faith is just a feeling.” No, faith is something that happens. Faith acts. Faith empowers us. Faith pleases the heart of God. When we face difficulties, we are to trust the Lord and press on as joyfully as we can. When the devil knocks the wind out of you, regain your spiritual breathing and let the Lord lift you up. When you are overwhelmed in the flood, regain your emotional bearings and look up. God responded to the faith of the ancients, and He responds to us. Faith responds to the promise of the Father. And His most foundational promise is this: If we will place our faith in His Son alone for eternal life, He will save us from our sins and give us the gift of eternal life. We will spend eternity with Him in a place that is even now being prepared (or already finished) for those who will put their trust in Jesus Christ. That is the best place to begin the life of faith.
To summarize: Walking in faith requires: 1. Learning to listen to God, 2. Learning to obey God, 3. Learning to depend on God, and 4. Learning to wait on God. Thus, faith is truly getting and staying as close to God as you can.
(Thanks to David Jeremiah, Charles Stanley and the Holy Spirit)