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by Charlie Wolcott

Faith is a topic that is often grossly misunderstood. Christians are often accused of depending on faith because we have no evidence. But what is this accusation actually saying? According to Dictionary.com, faith has a number of definitions. The one cited in this claim is #2. Other dictionaries I’ve seen have it down to #5. The idea is that faith is belief without evidence, and if you have evidence, you don’t need faith. Let me clear this up and set the record straight.

The definition being referenced is talking about blind faith: trust without reason for the trust. But is this really what faith is? Take a look at who defines faith this way. It’s the secularists. The Evolutionists. The one that rejects the notion of a supernatural being that oversees everything. They claim to be without need for faith because they have science. But is this really so? The truth is, these people have far more faith than they ever wish to think they could have. Let’s find out what it really is.

Hebrews 11 is the famous chapter on the “Heroes of Faith,” the great heroes of the Old Testament that acted in faith. First this chapter defines faith in the first verse. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” This doesn’t sound like “blind faith” at all, does it? But go around and look at the different religions out there. They all define faith somewhat along these lines. The only ones that define faith as “blind” are the ones that mock the idea. Yet they are the ones that exercise the most faith of all.

Let’s dig deeper into this. Last spring, I wrote about the Armor of God. One of the pieces of the Armor of God is a shield. There is nothing that gives a better picture of faith than a shield. Why? Because every soldier that takes cover behind his shield is putting every bit of trust into that shield to protect him. His very life depends on that shield doing its job. This is critical to understand. Faith is an action that puts your dependence on that object holding up to what it is supposed to do. What other examples of faith do we see?

There are very minor examples, such as sitting down in your chair. You put your trust in that chair to hold you up. Some may say: “I’ve sat in this chair over and over again. I KNOW it will hold.” That may be so, but you did NOT know it would hold that time. You assumed it. Based on prior experience, you assumed it. You had assurance that it would hold. You had evidence that it would hold. You trusted that it would hold. If you did not have faith, you would not have sat down in that chair.

Faith requires an object. You cannot just say “I believe” and that’s faith. Believe what? This is what James talks about in James 2:14-18. Some will argue that this passage is promoting a works-based salvation, but that is not so at all. It is addressing a misunderstanding and abuse of what faith really is. Faith requires an object, something you trust to do its job. It also requires action. It requires that you act on that object doing its job. If you believe that a chair is going to hold you, but you never sit on it, is that faith? No.

Eric Ludy uses an analogy that has really stuck with me in his book The Bravehearted Gospel. He is addressing the spirit of the open mind and uses the flat earth/round earth debate to illustrate. According to Ludy, the open-minded person will be open to the idea that the earth is flat and that the earth is round and will gladly have discussions with both sides. However, in action, such a person can only be a flat-earther because such a person will never join the round-earthers to build a ship and go sailing. Now, his point is on the dangers of being open minded, but I want to emphasize on the issue of faith. The open-minded person in this scenario is a practicing flat-earther because he trusts the position of the flat earth more than he trusts the position of the round earth. His faith is in the flat earth because he acts as though it is true, by refusing to go sailing.

Am I getting my point across yet? For some, I may not be. I mentioned earlier how the secularist, the Evolutionist, exercises faith when they vehemently deny they do. How do they exercise faith? They all talk about how science had done this or science has proven that. Has it? Have they personally done the experiments that unquestionably demonstrate Evolution being true? The answer is most have not. I will go as far as saying the Evolutionists themselves have not seen a single thing that is distinctly in support of Evolution and not ALSO in support of the Biblical claims. If you dig deeper, all the actual evidence cited (peppered-moths, e-coli, fruit flies, finch beaks, etc) actually fit the Biblical account, not the Evolutionary one. Because Evolution requires something much more than what is observed. And when examined, the Evolutionist, while denying it, will prove that evidence actually has nothing to do with it. How do I know? They all say “one piece of evidence would change their mind” and when presented with it, they don’t change their minds. It’s not about evidence. It never was. And they will also prove that it all boils down to who do you trust? The word of God or the words of their peers and of the self-proclaimed experts? In other words: It’s all about faith. Whose testimony, whose word, are you believing and trusting to be true?

So what about the 98% of all scientists that believe in Evolution? Ask them and 98% of that 98% will say something like, “I believe Evolution because 98% of all scientists believe Evolution.” It’s trust. It’s faith. And this one is blind. Their faith is not placed on the evidence but on the opinions of these experts, completely ignoring what God says. And these people DO act in faith that Evolution is true. Their rebellion against God depends on Evolution being true.

Faith also acts as trust in a person. The Evolutionist puts their faith in man, that the scientists are the top in all knowledge, and they depend on those claims being true. The Christian, however, depends on what the Bible says is true. Our faith, our dependence, is not in another human; it is not in a process, it is in God himself. Go back and read my posts about God being immutable and faithful. God is the only thing or person we can truly put our faith in because he will not fail to follow through and deliver on his promises. He is no magic genie that will bow to our wishes, but what he promises, he will pull through.

My faith is in God, in Jesus Christ, on what he did on that cross. And my actions prove it because what I do depends on HIM being true. Where is your faith? What do you trust? Who do you trust? What is it that your actions and your way of thinking depends on being true? That is where your faith lies. Everyone has faith. It is not always well placed, but everyone has it. And everyone exercises it. The question is not, “Do you have faith?” The question is, “What do you have faith in?”

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