Faith is concisely defined by the writer of the Letter to the Hebrew Christians.
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)
Faith is one of those things that can only be understood by those who have it. It is not something we can “gin up” on our own. It is not a blind leap in the dark which has no basis in reality or fact. Quite the opposite, faith is based on the truth about God and his promises.
Faith derives from a conviction about God’s character and integrity.
If God is trustworthy, loving, and powerful, he can be trusted fully to keep his word.
Faith is able to receive immediately because it knows that God will always follow through on his promises. Faith is confident that God will keep his word, even if it takes a while.
Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. Romans 4:20-21 (NLT)
Hope can be thought of as elongated faith. Faith receives immediately what hope waits for patiently.
Faith does not need to see what it knows is coming because it knows the one who promised.
for we walk by faith, not by sight— 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NASB)
Hope waits with assurance until it finally arrives.
Faith is a gift from God.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; Ephesians 2:8 (NASB)
It derives from God himself. In fact, the Holy Spirit is called the “Spirit of faith.” (2 Corinthians 4:13) In other words, it takes God’s help to believe in, trust, obey, and remain loyal to the invisible God. This is called “grace.”
Faith is a partnership between us and the Holy Spirit.
God never meant for us to be independent operators who are sufficient in ourselves. He desires to continually live Christ’s life in and through us.
Faith is demonstrated by what it does. (James 2:17)
We cannot claim to have faith but never act on it. Faith produces obedience to God. It is loyal to Christ. Faith is alive and active. People who are full of faith are called faithful. Today that word is translated as loyal or dependable. That is a good way to describe people of faith. As Jesus said, we can identify a tree by the fruit it bears. (Matthew 12:33)
In the following articles on this subject, I will examine various aspects of this most amazing thing called faith. I hope you will find them profitable.
My Personal Journey into Faith
I grew up in the Roman Catholic Church. I went through parochial school and was given a good education in every respect, including the doctrines of the church. However, when I reached high school, I began to doubt the truth of Christianity. I called myself an agnostic, which was popular at the time. I did not deny God, I simply did not know. But I wanted to know. When my girlfriend, now my beloved wife of 46 years, wrote me to share that she had become a true believer in Jesus, it shocked and provoked me to begin to earnestly seek God for myself. Eventually I prayed a simple and genuine prayer that I highly recommend. It went something like this…
Jesus, if you are real, come into my life. I want to know you, but I cannot pretend to believe in you when I do not. Please reveal yourself to me so that I can believe. Amen.
Within a week or two, he answered my prayer big time. In fact, looking back, I now realize that my life changed immediately. He did indeed come into my life. I was happier and spontaneously wanted to serve others. I did not, however, connect this new found condition with my prayer until one evening, after talking again to Martha, I was thinking about these things and suddenly remembered that prayer that I had prayed. All at once, the room seemed to be filled with God’s presence and I suddenly knew that Jesus is who the Bible says he is. He is real! I do not know how God revealed himself to me. It was as if he took the blinders off my spiritual eyes. I went from agnostic to believer in an instant. It transformed my life. Everything seemed new. I understood what the Bible means when it talks about being “born again.” (John 3:6-8)
No one told me that I needed to share this good news with others. I just did. How could anyone keep such a thing quiet? Immediately I walked to my dorm and began telling my friends what just happened to me, and I have been telling people about Jesus ever since. That was 48 years ago. My faith has never dimmed since that time. What God reveals supernaturally is ours forever.
God will help you become a believer, too, if you ask him.
