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Faith is a fidelity which makes one true to his promise and faithful to his task.
It is a gift of God, imparted through His Word. The fruit of faith is produced by the Holy Spirit. The gift of faith can move mountains, but it is the fruit of faith that is required for daily living and enables us to walk and live by faith. It is this faith that gives us our peace 'with' God.
What is Faith?
God tells us in His Word exactly what faith is.
Hebrews 11:1
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen."
Your faith is your title deed to eternal life.
Just as a title deed is evidence of real estate, so your faith is evidence of your eternal estate in God.
Faith is taking God at His Word and asking no questions.
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."
Faith is KNOWING everything works together for your good.
Romans 8:28
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose."
Faith does not believe that all things are good, or that all things work well. It does believe that all things (good or bad) work together for good to them that love the Lord.
Faith has two sides. One has to do with the intellect ... it is an intellectual conviction that Jesus Christ IS God. The other side has to do with the will ... it is a volitional surrender of the will to Jesus Christ as Master. This is seen when Thomas believed and confessed ...
John 20:28
"And Thomas answered and said unto him,
My Lord and my God."
"My Lord" ... this was volitional surrender
"My God" ... this was intellectual conviction
Together you have saving faith. Saving faith is the intellectual conviction that Jesus is God, and a volitional surrender to Him as Lord (Master) of your life.
By faith ...
- The mind trusts in God
- The heart responds to the love of God
- The will submits to the commands of God
- The life obeys in the service of God.
Faith goes beyond reason.
It believes without understanding why.
Faith sings in prison ...
Acts 16:25
"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God."
Faith glories in tribulations ...
Romans 5:3
"... we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;"
Faith chooses to suffer ...
Hebrews 11:25
"Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God,
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season."
It accepts all things as part of God's will as Paul did ...
Philippians 1:12
"But I would ye should understand, brethren,
that the things which happened unto me have
fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;"
The Importance of Faith
- You cannot be saved without faith
John 3:36
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life:
and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life;
but the wrath of God abideth on him."
- You cannot live victoriously without faith
1 John 5:4
"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world;
and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."
- You extinguish Satan's attacks by faith
Ephesians 6:16
"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye
shall be able to quench all the fiery dats of the wicked."
- You cannot please God without faith
Hebrews 11:6
"But without faith it is impossible to please him ..."
- You cannot have peace with God without faith
Romans 5:1
"Therefore being justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ."
- You cannot pray without faith
James 1:6
"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.
For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea
driven with the wind and tossed."
- You cannot have joy without faith
1 Peter 1:8
"Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom,
though now ye see him not, yet believing,
ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory."
- You are justified by faith not works
Galatians 2:16
"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law,
but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in the
faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by
the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."
- You are to live by faith
Galatians 2:20
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live: yet not I,
but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the
flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me
and gave himself for me."
- You are made righteous by faith
Romans 10:1-4
- "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
- "For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
- "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
- "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to ever one that believeth."
- Christ dwells in your heart by faith
Ephesians 3:17
"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith ..."
- The Holy Spirit is received by faith
Galatians 3:2
"This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit
by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?"
- You encourage others by faith
Romans 1:12
"That is, that I may be comforted together
with you, by the mutual faith both of you and me."
- What is not of faith is sin
Romans 14:23
"... for whatsoever is not of faith is sin."
Everything in the Christian life is accomplished through or by faith. Faith is important because it honors God, and God always honors faith.
The Hall of Faith
- Abel worshiped by faith
- Enoch walked by faith
- Noah worked by faith
- Abraham lifed by faith
- Moses governed by faith
- Joshua fought by faith
- Gideon conquered by faith
- David subdued kingdoms by faith
- Daniel closed the mouths of lions by faith
- The three Hebrew children walked through the fire by faith
- Paul suffered by faith
- Stephen died by faith
The faith of the saints inspires us, but we are to look to Jesus as an example of faith.
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the
throne of God."
It is only by faith in the all-powerful Christ that you can be superior to circumstances, and victorious over all the evil forces that would destroy you.
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