And Now Faith Is ...
The Biblical Demand: Only Faith Will Do!
It is one thing to know the truth but it is quite another to
put the truth into practice. The desire to be a successful
Christian is not enough. Nor is it sufficient to give an
intellectual assent to the Scripture. The Biblical demand is
quite clear - only faith will do! ... "Without faith it is
impossible to please Him ... " (Hebrews 11:6).
Therefore, the issue is not this or that sin; it is not our
money, nor our talent, nor our time, nor our work, nor is it
even the various doctrines we accept. The issue is not our
prayer life and its length; it is not our service for Christ
and its amount; it is not our Bible study and its depth; it
is not our sincerity and its transparency - the issue is
faith.
What is this necessary ingredient which acts as a catalyst
between knowledge and practice? What is it that God demands
of me?
Faith will never be understood as long as it is considered
to be, and investigated as, an abstract idea or an isolated
virtue. Faith is inseparably related to genuine
Christianity. While the term may be used in a great variety
of ways, such as putting one's faith in a person, an
instrument, or a medicine, in the Biblical sense faith is
much more strictly defined. It is not enough to say that the
person who believes in a false religion has faith. Of course
he has faith, but it is condemned by the Bible as false. The
Biblical Christian and the Buddhist both have faith, but the
faith of the former is true and faith of the latter is
spurious, even though his sincerity may be beyond reproach.
Biblical Christianity revolves around the Person of Jesus
Christ. Therefore, Biblical faith is inseparably related to
correct belief and action regarding Jesus Christ.
Biblical Christianity is rooted in the redemptive work of
Jesus Christ in history. Therefore, Biblical faith is
inseparably related to correct belief and action reqarding
the atonement.
Biblical Christianity is based upon the revelation of God in
the Scriptures. Therefore, Biblical faith is inseparably
related to correct belief and action regarding the Bible.
Perhaps at this point it would be helpful to ask about a
definition of Biblical faith. While there are many facets to
faith, a definition would include at least the following
points: "Faith is the response of the total person to God as
a Person in loving submission, trust, and obedience; in and
through the Person of Jesus Christ as the Revelation of God
and Redeemer of mankind, who as the Sovereign Lord offers
Himself to the believer, through the ministry of the Holy
Spirit and the Scriptures, as his daily sufficiency".
The Biblical Explanation (1): Faith Is A Decision To Respond
Correctly To God.
Faith is not a feeling - but a decision. This is what is
meant by the word "response" in the above definition. Faith
is, therefore, a correct response to God. Unbelief and doubt
are the opposite of faith. They are incorrect responses to
God.
God has revealed Himself. What we choose to do with Him and
His Word is very important. When we make a choice to obey
the commandments of God and to claim His promises, we have
made a decision. It is a correct response to the God of the
Word. It is faith. When we choose to disobey God through His
commandments and to reject His promises, we have also made a
decision, but it is an incorrect response to the God of the
Word. It is doubt and unbelief.
In Hebrews 11 we are given a series of illustrations of
faith. A number of individuals are described in many
circumstances of life, all making a decision to respond
harmoniously to God and His Word. Moses is a good example of
such decision-making. In verses 24-28 there are five words
which illustrate his response to God. These words are
"refused, " "choosing," "esteeming," "forsook," and "kept."
Each indicates a decision on the part of Moses. God had
revealed His will to Moses: he was not to stay in Egypt; he
was to lead the Israelites into Canaan. These five words
indicate how he responded to God by making the right
decisions to obey God's Word. This is what the Bible means
by "faith."
How the Christian feels about his faith and ability to live
by faith has nothing to do with it. The all-important factor
is his choice and decision.
Faith has three very clear characteristics. The first is
that of submission to God and His Word. Without this
necessary ingredient it is ridiculous for us to think we can
make a correct decision of faith. Any lack of concern for
the will of God and all decisions to disobey the Word of God
not only bring a disruption of fellowship in the life of the
Christian but make a decision of faith, in the area of his
insubordination, impossible.
The second characteristic of faith is the practice of
obedience. Genuine faith is a correct response to God and
this is always inseparable from obedience in daily life.
This is one reason why it is so difficult for us to live by
faith when we do not wish to obey God. It is absurd for us
to try to exercise faith about a matter when we are
apathetic about obeying God or when we have made the
decision not to obey! This is part of the theme of Hebrews
11. Each illustration of faith in that chapter is also an
illustration of obedience. Faith is not primarily a sense of
dependency on God. It is a decision to submit to God through
His Word and to put the Word of God into daily practice.
The third characteristic of faith is that of trust. This is
also a necessary ingredient for Biblical faith. It is the
inseparable companion to submission and the practice of
obedience. When Moses made the decision to submit to the
directive of God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, and
sought to obey God, he did so in trust. He trusted God to
give him wisdom and strength to obey and also trusted God to
make the journey possible. At the very least, this trust
involved making the Israelites willing to go, dealing with
Pharaoh and his armies, opening the Red Sea, and supplying
food and water.
God expects us to trust Him. When we choose to obey His
Word, and put that choice into daily obedience, God pledges
Himself to make His will possible. Abraham expressed this
trust in the words, "And being fully persuaded that, what He
had promised, He was able also to perform" (Romans 4:21).
This third characteristic of faith was also expressed by
Paul. During the storm at sea he said, "Wherefore, sirs, be
of good cheer, for I believe God, that it shall be even as
it was told me" (Acts 27:25).
God is worthy of our trust. He is the Truth. What He has
promised He will fulfill and what He has commanded He will
make possible.
The Biblical Explanation (2): Faith Has A Person As Its
Object - God.
Biblical faith is not to be confused with personal
self-confidence, nor is it a trust in the goodness of man.
We have not been told to put faith in the Church, nor in a
group of religious ideas. We are to trust God.
Only God is the object of Biblical faith. In the hour of the
disciples' greatest need, the Lord Jesus simply asked them
to trust Him (John 14:1). The message of the Bible is
unmistakable on this point. "Abraham believed God ... "
(Romans 4:3). "Have faith in God" (Mark 11:22). It was the
Lord Jesus Who said, "And if I say the truth, why do ye not
believe Me?" (John 8:46).
This simple truth can be an immeasurable help in the
Christian life. Faith is not blind. It is not an ambiguous
trust in some abstract entity. It is not a leap in the dark.
God is the object of faith. Because of His revelation, God
and His will can be known and acted upon (John 17:3). There
may be times when God will ask us to trust Him without the
benefit of inner assurance or compatible circumstances.
This, undoubtedly, was true of Job (13:15) and Abraham
(Romans 4:16-21). But even this is not "blind faith." These
men believed God and His Word, in spite of the adverse
circumstances. They are presented to us as examples.
This truth of having God as the object of faith includes one
of the most encouraging facets of the Christian life. It is
a cure for that nagging question which constantly plagues
the serious Christian regarding the amount and the strength
of his faith. When we face a difficult situation we often
ask, "I wonder if I have enough faith to cope with this?"
or, "Is my faith strong enough to endure?" The comforting
factor in all of this is that such questions are irrelevant.
The amount of faith is not the issue. When the Lord Jesus
called the faith of the woman of Canaan "great," He was
referring to the clear-cut decisions she had made and the
persistence with which she maintained them (Matthew
15:21-28). The issue is not how we feel about the amount of
our faith; it is whether we will exercise faith! It is
whether we will make the right decisions.
This is also true concerning the strength of faith. Since
God is the object of faith, He is the source of faith's
strength. The exhortation is, "be strong in the Lord, and in
the power of His might" (Ephesians 6:10). When Paul said, "I
can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me"
(Philippians 4:13), he was including his ability to believe
God. Abraham was commended by God for having a "strong"
faith (Romans 4:19, 20). What is meant by this passage is
that Abraham made the right decisions in regard to the
revealed will of God and persisted in those decisions. The
term "strong" is in contrast to the term "weak in faith" in
verse 19. There Abraham is commended for not allowing
adverse circumstances to hinder his response to the known
will of God.
The strength of faith does not reside in the Christian. We
may not use the excuse of weakness. When we state or imply,
"I didn't have enough faith," or "My faith wasn't strong
enough," we are simply blaming God for our failure or we are
confessing our ignorance in understanding Biblical faith.
When we want to make the right decision of faith and desire
to practice the accompanying will of God, we will receive
all the strength we need from God!
The Biblical Explanation (3): Faith Has A Context - Love.
In Galatians 5:6, the Apostle Paul stated, "For in Jesus
Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor
uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love." What does
"avail" to bring the grace and power of God into our lives?
By use of the term "circumcision" the Apostle Paul indicated
that all the legalism and ceremonialism of the Jewish
Christians availed nothing. And by use of the word "uncircumcision"
he specified the ecstatic emotional religious experiences of
the Gentiles as also unavailing.
We must accept this frank evaluation. No amount of mere
rule-keeping, Bible study, church attendance, Christian
service, or emotional experience will "avail" in our lives -
unless it is a genuine expression of faith and love.
The issue is again shown to be faith. And here we are told
that the context of faith, that which makes faith "work," is
love. Without love, according to the Apostle Paul, faith
does not "work; it is "inactive."
Now we understand that the correct response to God has two
clearly discernible aspects. The two sides to this response
are faith and love. Both are necessary. One does not exist
without the other. These two are often united in the Bible
(1 Corinthians 13:13; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Timothy 1:5).
What is this love which provides the necessary context for
faith? It is love for God! To love God means to give Him His
rightful place in our daily life. It is to recognize Him for
Who He is and to live consistently in harmony with Him. This
is the reason why love and obedience are always inseparably
related in the Bible (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3).
The failure to love God genuinely is the most serious
hindrance to faith in the life of all Christians. We cannot
be unconcerned about the will of God and then expect to be
able to claim the promises of God. Any and all failures to
give God His rightful place strip us of the discernment and
ability to make a decision of faith. Because of this truth,
the terms "repent" and "confess" are often coupled with the
word "believe" in the Bible. Before we can believe, sin -
the result of lack of love - must be dealt with.
Faith cannot exist as a daily experience without the reality
of love as a daily experience. Faith and love are mutually
dependent. This is the answer to the question of why faith
is necessary to please God (Hebrews 11:6) and yet love for
God is the first commandment (Matthew 22:37).
When we choose to disobey God, by the sin of either
commission or omission, we manifest our failure to love Him
adequately. Such a choice will leave us without the ability
to fellowship with God and to respond to Him by faith. The
degree of loss is determined by the seriousness of the
choice to disobey.
The Biblical Explanation (4): Faith Has A Basis - The
Scripture.
Faith is a decision to respond correctly to God. The content
of that decision and response is determined by the
Scripture. This is clearly seen in the eleventh chapter of
Hebrews. The sacrifice which Abel offered had been specified
by God as the only one acceptable. Abel's offering was a
correct response to God's revelation. Noah built the ark in
response to divine directives. Abraham left his homeland and
traveled toward Palestine as a response to God's command.
The Word of God was the basis of their faith.
In this way faith is rooted in the Scripture. We have been
commanded to mix the Word of God with faith (Hebrews 4:1-3).
We fulfill the commandment by the persistent effort to put
the Word of God into practice in all areas of life as an
expression of our love for God. Our failure to read, to
study, and to understand the Scriptures will result in a
serious handicap in the expression of our faith and the
obedience which should follow. How can we obey God when we
do not know His commandments? How can we claim His promises
when we do not know their content? How can we believe when
we do not know what to believe? (Romans 10:14). "So then,
faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God"
(Romans 10:17).
The first step, therefore, toward pleasing God in the
expression of faith and love, is an inquiry into the Word of
God. Since the Scripture is the basis of our faith, it is
necessarily the basis of all of the other facets of our
Christian life. Without an understanding of the Word and
will of God, grace, peace, power and progress become an
impossibility.
The importance of this truth is paramount. No amount of
pious effort can be substituted for a simple understanding
of the Bible. All efforts to make progress in the Christian
life will be thwarted until serious steps are consistently
and persistently taken, in becoming familiar with the basic
message and themes of the Bible.
The Biblical Exhortation: The Steps In A Decision Of Faith.
Progress in the Christian life is usually a step by step
process. This is particularly true in the area of
sanctification. When we are led by the Holy Spirit to the
recognition of some sin in our life, then it is important
that we know what to do with that sin. One of the clearest
statements in this regard is found in 1 John 1:9, "If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." In order
to mix this Word of God with faith (Hebrews 4:1-3), we must
obey God - in a very personal and practical manner - and put
the verse into practice. The first step is to confess the
sin - as a sin! If we are not willing to do this, there is
no need to start praying. No amount of weeping, lamenting,
and making of resolutions can take the place of a simple
honest confession. When we have disobeyed God and acted out
of harmony with His Word, we must in a very specific,
pointed, sincere, thorough, and honest way confess our sin
for what it really is. We must bluntly name ourselves and
our sin. If we have sinned through gossip or doubt or
laziness or immorality, we must confess it as such. "Lord, I
confess to You that I am a gossip and I have used my tongue
to hurt my friend," would be a good way to begin. This
confession is a decision, an enactment of faith.
The second step is to forsake the sin. This is also a
decision. It is the only correct decision which we can make
following an acknowledgment of sin. There is no other
alternative. This also must be a sincere and honest choice
in the presence of God. Any pretense here will destroy all
hope of divine help. We must take a stand against our sin
and then deliberately and consistently carry our decision.
When Augustine was 32 years old, he suddenly realized the
reason he was not a Christian was due to his reluctance to
forsake his sin. He confessed that from his early youth he
had been praying, "Give me chastity and continency, only not
yet." (Confessions of St. Augustine, Book VIII, Paragraph
17).
The third step is to believe God's promise of forgiveness
and cleansing. We must face ourselves with the reality of
God's Word and what this verse (1 John 1:9) means today in a
very personal and practical way. In the light of our sin, we
must come to a clear understanding of what divine
forgiveness and cleansing will mean in our lives. And then
we must believe God and fully take Him at His Word.
The fourth step is to receive Jesus Christ into our lives as
the specific cleansing and enablement which our sin demands.
Jesus Christ is not only our Savior He is our Sanctification
and Power (1 Corinthians 1:24, 30). In our salvation we made
a decision of faith in receiving Him into our lives as our
Savior. He came and performed the work of salvation. This
initial step in the Christian life is spoken of in the Bible
as the blueprint for how we are to progress in daily life
(Colossians 2:6). Therefore, when we are in need of a
specific cleansing and enablement, it is well to be exact in
our decision of faith. If we need help in the area of
gossip, it would be well to say, "Heavenly Father, having
confessed my sin to You of being a gossip and having
promised to forsake my sin entirely, I do now deliberately
and in faith receive Jesus Christ into my life as my
cleansing from gossip and as my enablement to live above
this sin."
The fifth step is to take God at His Word and live
accordingly. He has promised to forgive us and to cleanse us
from our sin when we genuinely confess. Having confessed our
sin as an act of faith, we must now rely upon the
faithfulness and justice of God. If we have confessed, we
are forgiven and we have been cleansed. When temptation
comes, as it surely will, we must simply maintain our
decision of faith, believing that the sin has already been
dealt with, and refuse the temptation. As long as we
continue this dependence on God and genuinely desire to be
free from that sin, we will have the continuing grace and
power of God to be free (John 8:32, 36). The promise of God
is clear. He has said that if we respond to Him obediently
in faith and love, He will come and work in us by His grace
and power (Romans 6:16-18; Philippians 2:12, 13; 1 Peter
1:22).
This definition of faith as has been described in this
chapter is summarized in Diagram 15.
The Key To Success: Accept The Truth - Faith Is
Not A Feeling But A Decision! Deliberately Choose To Respond
To God. Honestly Surrender To God And His Word, Sincerely
Face Your Need, And Make The Correct Decision Of Obedience
In Complete Trust