What is Faith?

Faith???

If you have been a Christ follower or around Christ followers then you are probably at least familiar with the term, “faith”.  As a Christ follower for most of my life, well, let me rephrase that statement.  I’ve attended church since I was 3 years old that I can remember, and  I’m 59 now, so for the better part of 56 years.  I’ve seen a lot, I’ve heard a lot and I’ve experienced a lot in the church.  Some good, some not so good. I could expound and take this discussion to talk about attending a church doesn’t make you a Christ follower, but I’ll save that discussion for a later article because it too is very relevant.  What I want to concentrate on in the article is FAITH.  Why?  Because faith is a cornerstone in the day and life of a person who wants to be a Christ follower and the way the handle day-to-day interaction with the world.  Oops, wait a minute, let me define, “world” for you because after 56 years I speak very fluent Christianese.  

World in a Biblical Sense Concerning this Article:  Basically, The Fallen Human System Opposed to God

This is the meaning many Christians focus on when Scripture warns believers not to “love the world.”

In this sense, “world” refers to the sinful values, desires, pride, corruption, and rebellion against God that dominate human society apart from Him.

Example:

“Do not love the world or anything in the world…”John 2:15

This does not mean Christians must hate people or nature. It means not embracing the sinful system characterized by:

• lust, pride, greed, rebellion, self-worship, and moral corruption to name a few.

Back on track.

Review John 14:6

Faith simply put, is a huge part of being a Christ follower.  So big, that asa person becomes more and more fluent in Christianese they learn that if ever asked if you have faith the answer is an resounding, “Yes, I have faith!”  And of course to be a Christ follower requires faith. Please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying, there are definitely levels of faith from low to high. But, the automatic answer about having faith can be and in many cases is a false answer and ends up being a people pleaser.  Why a “people pleaser?  Because God knows where your heart is.  Now, if you have ever found yourself in this position, and chances are, you have, this is not to demean you.  But is intended to make you think because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how many men you have fooled because God knows your heart.  

Before I continue, I fell into this same trap.  It’s very easy to fall into because it’s not obvious and you start to feel like you’re a fitting in.  But don’t let yourself be deceived.  We are here to glorify God, not man.  I can tell you stories about using the gifts God gave me to glorify myself and then thank him for giving me the ability.  I had tremendous faith in myself and I justified to myself by giving thanks to my Father (God).  Is that faith?  Yes, of course it is but it was misdirected.  All glory goes to God.  Without Him, we would not even exist.

Our Father tells about faith and how important is to day-to-day life.  Here are some  examples, King James Version:

What Faith Is

Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  

Faith in God During Difficult Times

Proverbs 3:5–6

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Isaiah 41:10

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God…”

Psalm 46:10

“Be still, and know that I am God…”

Faith and Salvation

Ephesians 2:8–9

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God…”

Romans 10:17

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten So that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”

Living by Faith

2 Corinthians 5:7

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Galatians 2:20

“…the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God…”

Habakkuk 2:4

“…the just shall live by his faith.

Faith That Endures Trials

James 1:2–3

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”

1 Peter 1:6–7

“…the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth…”

Romans 8:28

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…

Jesus Speaking About Faith

Matthew 17:20

“…if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed… nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

Mark 9:23

“If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

Luke 17:5

“And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.”

Faith and Peace

Philippians 4:6–7 “

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

There a few examples of faith takes about in the Bible and there few verses, among other that are not mentioned, talk about faith, what it is  and even how we strengthen our faith.  A word of warning, just knowing what the Bible says is not enough, we need to believe what is says and then let our actions speak for themselves.

However, there are many warnings in the Bible that we must be aware of.  For example:

Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

Wow!  There is a lot to unpack here and how does faith tie in to this verse?

First, Hosea 4:6

God’s people were suffering spiritually and morally because they no longer truly knew Him or followed His ways. Earlier in the chapter, Hosea says there was:

• no truth, 

• no mercy, 

• no knowledge of God in the land.

The “knowledge” here means:

• knowing God personally,

• understanding His commands,

• living according to His truth.

It was not ignorance alone that was and is the problem — it was and is willful neglect and rejection.

“Because you have rejected knowledge”

• This is important. God says they rejected knowledge.

• The priests and leaders had access to God’s law but turned away from it. They stopped teaching truth and allowed corruption and idolatry to spread.

So the issue was not:

• “Nobody told us.”

The issue was:

• “We did not want to hear or obey.”

“I also reject you as My priests”

• The priests were supposed to represent God to the people, teach the law, and lead spiritually. Because they abandoned that responsibility, God said they would lose their position and blessing.

This is a strong warning about spiritual responsibility.

Broader meaning 

This verse is often applied today to show that:

• societies decline when they abandon truth,

• people suffer spiritually when separated from God’s Word,

• rejecting truth has consequences.

So how does this verse tie into faith?  Actually, let’s reference Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Are you following me?  For you to take this verse and apply it to your life you first have to know the verse, and second you have to believe or have faith the verse is true.  It’s a two part equation.  If you don’t know the Bible and the promises we have been given, the covenant’s made, the warnings given to protect us, and the commandments how can you have faith?  Blind faith is dangerous and generally means:  believing without evidence, refusing questions, or following something irrationally.  And the Bible warns against that kind of deception.  For example:  “Test all things; hold fast to what is good” and as in Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”.  Faith is not supposed to be ignorant or careless.  However, faith still requires trust beyond human certainty.   Mature faith us a combination of the following:  knowledge, experience, discernment, and trust in God beyond human certainty.

I’m a math guy so the faith equations would probably look like this if it was taught in Algebra class:

F = (K+E+D+T)^G

F=Faith

K=Knowledge

E=Experience 

D=Discernment

G=God

In word form:  Faith = (Knowledge + Experience + Discernment) to the power of God.

Meaning faith grows exponentially as your knowledge, experience, discernment and your relationship with God grows.

In short, you must read the Bible to know what it says, You must live life and learn what is right and wrong and you must be baptized by Holy Spirit who helps you put it all together.  At the same time, you must build a relationship with God by spending time with Him and learning His voice.  You might find it hard to believe, but when God talks to you, many things happen, but for this article I’ll limit it to two.  Your knowledge increases and your faith increases.

As a Christ follower, we say it’s a personal relationship with Jesus, also known as God and Holy Sprit.  If you want a personal relationship with God, you have to set time aside for him.  After all, Jesus died for you, so you could have life again.  How much time do you set aside to just be with Him. Lastly, and be honest with yourself, what is your faith built on?   Your life, your answer, your consequences.