We’ve written a lot about the topic of faith here at Worldview Warriors. I’ve written about how a person has faith, living out our faith in the public square, who our faith is in, and many of my posts on the book of Romans from 2015 dealt with faith. Logan Ames has been doing a series for months now on the heroes of the faith from Hebrews 11.
Faith is a pretty important aspect of being a follower of Jesus, so naturally the Bible has a lot to say about it. To start, let’s see how the Bible defines faith: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). A few verses later in Hebrews 11:6, we see that, “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.” We cannot be a believer in God without faith, because we have to believe that He exists before we can follow Him.
Faith is essential for salvation. In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul writes that, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” 1 Peter 1:8-9 says, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Where does faith come from? It comes from hearing the message of God. “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. … Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” (Romans 10:9-10, 17).
Jesus tells us that our faith has mighty power. “‘Have faith in God, Jesus answered. ‘Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours’” (Mark 11:22-24). In Luke 7:1-10, we see that the centurion’s faith is what caused Jesus to heal his servant. In Matthew 21:18-22, Jesus instructs His disciples that they can do amazing things when they truly have faith.
How are we to live out our faith? James 2:14-26 tells us that our faith is shown through our works. “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26). We should live by our faith in God, who is unseen, rather than living by the things we see (2 Corinthians 5:7). While not using the actual word for faith, Proverbs 3:5-6 still demonstrates living out our faith: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
These passages I’ve referenced are just some of the ones that explicitly deal with faith, but the entire Bible is filled with examples of people living out their faith, or not having faith in God and facing the consequences. I encourage you to strengthen your faith by learning about those in the Bible who have lived out their faith well.
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