Faith
Faith
INTRODUCTION
Faith is fundamental to Christian creed and conduct for we are saved by faith, Ephesians 2:8. As Christ conversed with people and healed them He looked for the characteristic of faith in each one.
The Syrophoenician woman showed persevering faith, Mark 7:26.
The centurion manifested a humble faith, Matthew 8:8-10.
The blind man showed an earnest faith, Mark 10:51.
Daniel manifested a daring faith in the Book of Daniel, Daniel 6:10-23.
Faith is confidence in God that leads us to believe His Word, the Holy Bible. By faith we receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour and confess Him to the world.
DEFINITION OF FAITH
Dictionary: Faith is belief, trust, fidelity, or loyalty to a creed or religion.
Bible: Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." We relax and, without looking, place our whole weight on a chair; faith says we will not fall.
Faith is simple enough for the child to fulfill but too sublime for the sage to comprehend fully or explain satisfactorily.
Faith is not the blind act of the soul; faith in God rests upon the best of evidence, the infallible Word of God. infallible Word of God.
Faith is trust in the God of the Scriptures and in Jesus Christ whom He hath sent, which receives Him as Saviour and Lord and impels loving obedience and good works. The faith that saves is a personal trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
NECESSITY OF FAITH
Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. "
There can be no dealings with the invisible God without faith in His existence.
We must believe that He exists; that He rewards men; this confidence is called faith.
Faith is necessary to salvation. Acts 16:31, "Believe... and be saved." Exercise faith.
NATURE OF FAITH
There are two kinds of faith in regard to salvation:
Head belief-a knowledge of the historical Christ and a general acceptance of the Bible.
Heart belief-faith from the heart that causes the person to act on his faith.
Acts 16:31, "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. . ."; "on" not "in"; for example, a sick man has a bottle of medicine. He believes IN the medicine, that if taken he would recover. But if he believes ON the medicine, he will act on his belief and actually swallow the medicine.
Caution: We must base our faith on Christ and not faith in our own faith.
True faith in Christ is believing to the extent of receiving Christ, John 1:12; Colossians 2:6.
Neither knowledge nor assent is true faith; true faith involves appropriation.
Faith is the soul leaping forth to embrace the Christ in whom it believes.
SOURCE OF FAITH
The Divine side: Faith is the work of the Triune God
God the Father. Romans 12:3, "... according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith;" Every man, therefore, has the inward potential of faith.
1 Corinthians 12:9, "To another faith by the same Spirit. . ." Some have more faith than others for faith is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
God the Son. Hebrews 12:2, "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. . ." Luke 17:5, "And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith."
We all have faith but as we exercise it and pray our faith grows and increases.
God the Spirit. Galatians 5:22, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love,joy... faith.. ."
The human side.
Romans 10:17, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God " As we read stories of the Bible our faith grows greater and greater. As we listen to God’s Word preached our faith grows stronger and stronger.
Acts 4:4, the people heard the Word of God (spoken Word) and believed-had faith.
Mark 9:24, "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief." Let this be our constant confession and prayer; Luke 17:5, disciples prayed, "Increase our faith."
Matthew 17:19-21, Jesus tells His disciples that certain demons can only be cast out by prayer and fasting accompanied by a living, vital faith in the Lord.
OBJECTOF FAITH
The Word of God. Faith must never be faith in a nebulous thing called "faith". It must be faith in the Word of God; faith accepts the statements of the Bible as the revealed Word of God, as the very Word of God, true and genuine.
The Person of Christ; Faith in itself is not a Saviour; it is faith in a Person -the Divine Person called the Lord Jesus Christ.
Faith is not a meritorious thing in itself, but the medium by which I receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour and Lord
PRINCIPLE OF FAITH
The principle of faith is the same as that which we act on in everyday life; we ask the grocer for milk and accept the tin without looking into the tin to see whether or not there is milk inside; we believe the label and act accordingly.
All business is carried on by the principle of faith and confidence in others by relying on the testimony of others. The taxi driver doesn’t ask to see your money first; by faith he believes that you have money and will pay him at the end of the route.
Faith in God is putting confidence in Him and in His Word; it is resting on the testimony of the individual involved, be he merchant, salesman, or the Lord Himself.
RESULTS OF FAITH
We are saved by faith. Genesis 15:6, "And he (Abraham) believed in the Lord; and lie counted it to him for righteousness." Compare Romans 4:3.
We receive Christ by faith. John 1:12, "... even to them that believe on His name. "
We are justified by faith. Romans 5:1, "Therefore being justified by faith. . ."
We become children of God by faith. Galatians 3:26, "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. "
We are sanctified by faith. Acts 26:18, "... which are sanctified by faith. . ."
We are kept by faith. 1 Peter 1:5, "We are kept by the power of God through faith. . ."
Faith brings rest. Hebrews 4:3, "For we which have believed do enter into rest."
All the exploits recorded in Hebrews 11 are possible to those who have faith.
Our eternal destiny is determined by our faith or the lack of it (unbelief).
By faith we can be saved and spend eternity in heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ. By unbelief we will be found yet in our sins and finally cast into hell forever.
CONCLUSION
Matthew 17:20, "I (Jesus) say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. " Jesus attributes a kind of omnipotence to faith; the disciple by faith will do greater things than his Master; here is a Niagara of power fOl’ you and me.
Hebrews 4:2, "For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto .them: but the Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." Pray that the word we give in sermons, Sunday School lessons and in conversation will be mixed with faith on the part of them that hear; ask God to give them faith. The great question for the Christian to answer is not, "What can I do?" but "How much can I believe (how big is my faith) ? " Mark 9:23, "Jesus said unto him, IF thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." Lord, I want to believe, help mine unbelief and increase my faith.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
Give examples of four kinds of faith. (one example for each kind)
Define faith in 2 ways:
(1) Dictionary and
(2) Biblical.
How essential is faith?
Distinguish between head and heart be lief.
Give three verses to show the divine side of faith.
Give two verses that emphasize the human side of faith.
Explain: "Saving faith is not faith in a nebulous thing called ’faith’ n.
What is the principle of faith?
Give 5 major results of faith.
What lesson do we learn about faith from Matthew 17:20 ?