faith

FAITH

From time to time I find myself asking, "What is faith?" The Holy Scriptures say, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Injil, Hebrews 11:1) "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." (Injil, Hebrews 11:6) So it is not just hoping against hope, but is a sure confidence.

Is true faith "showing faith in God" or "having faith in God"? What I mean is this, I have known people who attempt to show their faith in God but don’t have faith in God in the process. They are actually having faith in their own faith instead of having faith in God. This brings up a few questions. Does faith require me to act or does it wait for God to act? Do both occur, each in their proper time? How is faith shown in a person’s life?

The Holy Bible says that faith is believing a promise. Promises are given because what is promised, is not available yet. A promise is as sure as the character of the one who gives the promise. Has God given us promises to trust in? He certainly has! True faith is based on God’s promises. Sometimes he promises to act on our behalf. Sometimes he asks us to act. It is only through carefully listening to his promises, trusting in them and acting upon them through the power of God’s Holy Spirit living within us that we can please God.

Abraham pleased God by having faith. Listen to what God tells us in the Injil,

It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise in worthless, because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. (Injil, Romans 4:13-15)

This confirms what is written in the Taurat, "Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness." (Taurat, Genesis 15:6) This faith that Abraham had, caused him to act on what he knew God had promised him.

This is the faith that God requires of us and gives to us today that causes us to speak of salvation in the past tense—something that has begun, is continuing and is sure as done because it is an act of God, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and that not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—" (Injil, Ephesians 2:8) As in the case of Abraham, it is a faith that changes our lives because, "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds [action] is dead." (Injil, James 2:26)

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NIV®

To e-mail me click here: tandoor101@aol.com

To return to the homepage click here: index.html