Faith, the Bridge between
the Material and the Spiritual. Without it, we are stuck in the material world. Learn the ways to cross over to the Spiritual.
Bringing opposites together as in a bridge is always a challenge. But, understanding faith, which in itself is a miracle, is able to do that. It can also save us from damnation. That is why it is so valuable to know, develop and grow it in our lives.
Some time ago, I was browsing the videos on YouTube and chanced upon this video of a debate between an Atheist and his assistant and a Christian Apologist and his partner on the topic, the existence of God.
I became interested since I am familiar with the arguments of an atheist but moreover, I wanted to see how the Christians will argue their points. A few short minutes into it, it became apparent that the debate is not going to go anywhere. I saw the futility of reasoning with the atheists under the influence of strong emotion, in this case, anger.
A negative emotion or animosity against God will always triumph over reason. That is because, for a reason to work, there needs to be an open mind. Certainly bias and more so anger close the mind, but, even if the mind is open to receive reasoning, it is still hard to convince someone to believe in God because belief in God requires faith.
God is spirit. You know the saying – “To see is to believe”. So, to believe in an unseen God requires more than seeing with the eyes. It requires seeing by (with) the spirit and that requires faith. It is no wonder, the writer of the Book of Hebrews wrote:
“But without faith, it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6
Like most abstract concepts or ideas, faith is one of those concepts that is hard to explain and therefore often misunderstood. So, bear with me as we attempt to answer the question what is faith? What is saving faith and why must I have it?
Faith Defined?
Faith is believing or belief, with a firm conviction, in a set of beliefs. What is to be believed is the substance or the object of faith and the firmness of the conviction describes the attitude toward that substance or content. To believe in something lightly or casually is not faith, it is just an opinion or a position. If you feel strongly about something, you are likely to reorder your priorities and place that which you strongly believe as first on the list. That is what I refer to as firmness of conviction.
The set of beliefs or substance is what is to be believed. Naturally, it is counterproductive to believe a lie. We have to have faith in the truth, in what is true. Let me make this truth statement here that I believe firmly:
“I am a sinner and have offended God. I know the punishment of sin is death and if I died in my sin, I would have been in hell. But, the scriptures say that a broken and contrite heart the Lord does not despise or turn away. It is also written that if I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus (and that His death paid for my sin) and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, I will be saved.
The Lord Jesus himself said “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” It is also written that if I confess my sin to Him (agree with Him that I am a sinner), He is faithful and just to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me of my unrighteousness.
Believing these promises, I repented from my old ways and believed. I now no longer live in the guilt of my sin; I know I am forgiven. I am not perfect and still sin but I live life in obedience to His teachings.
The promises, given by a God who cannot lie and who, in time past, fulfilled everything that He said He will do, are given to me and to those who also believe like me. When I die, His promises to me will be fulfilled and I will wake up on the other side in His presence in heaven with Him and forever dwell with Him, Jesus, and the Father.”
We said that faith is believing in a set of beliefs. Do you see now how faith needs to be a set and not a single truth statement? Do you see how faith is going along, living out the theories and concepts and fulfilling them because you believe?
Defining and understanding faith even more
Faith as Little as a Mustard Seed
You might be overwhelmed by all that was said there but did you know that the Lord Jesus said, “…if you have faith as a mustard seed (that means tiny), you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” This means that the Lord will honor even a small faith. But, as you dwell in His word and learn and understand His ways, that small faith will grow. In the beloved hymn “Open my eyes that I may see”, there is a verse that says:
“Open my ears that I may hear, voices of truth thou sendest clear; And while the wave notes fall on my ear, everything false will disappear.”
You see, if one listens to His words with open ears, God will speak and replace the lies we have taken in over time and replace them with truth, the false displaced by the truth.
How the Beliefs are Formed
The substance of faith, (the set of beliefs) is formed not through visual observation but by incremental taking in of truth as in listening to the preaching of the word, personal study, and meditation, listening and observing, and learning from the experience of other believers.
For faith to blossom, we must let the word of God, the truth, take root in our hearts and minds by the power of the Holy Spirit.
If you remember the parable of the soils where the Master sowed seeds on different kinds of soil, the good soil was the one where the seeds were properly supported and they sprang up into a bountiful harvest.
In this parable, it is the Master who sowed the seed. Faith is similar, God sows the seed and good soil (a person who is open and willing) accepts and nurtures it. Shortly, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, as faith works will manifest in that person. That is the faith that the Lord wanted us to have.
We often read scriptures and listen to them preached but it does not come through. We become sleepy and could not keep focus and could not understand. This is when the Spirit of God is not in it. It is when the Spirit of God empowers the written or spoken word that these truth statements become clear, understandable, and perceived to fit perfectly into our particular situation or need.
On these occasions, the truth statements are heard and bring conviction to the hearer, prompting him to belief and action. So then, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). That is why we say, saving faith comes from the testimony of the Holy Spirit. It is when the testimony is empowered by the Spirit that it brings conviction and spiritual awakening.
At this point, believing is no longer bringing about ordinary faith but becomes the beginning of the seed of saving faith.
Faith is unique and personal. It is personal because it is formed in the mind of a person. Each one of us has formed certain beliefs that we consider as true but are considered untrue and unbelievable by another. We choose what we want to believe and we discard it as untrue or unbelievable that we do not want to believe.
We act, live life, relate to others, and behave based on what we believe is true, important, and proper. If we consider something important, we value it and do not do anything contrary to it. So, the relative importance of truth to you has a considerable influence on how you will act out your faith. It is not wrong to state then that one acts or behaves according to his set of beliefs.
Understanding the Type of Faith
There are a few types of faith that can be spoken of. One is common faith, which is simply a set of beliefs on anything. An example of this is our belief about the safety of the Covid 19 vaccine. As of this writing, only 30% of Americans have agreed to be vaccinated. Many are skeptical about the safety of the vaccine and decided to defer getting it. If it was not mandated by the government to health workers, that number will be lower.
You see, we make choices based on our beliefs. The same is true for many other things in life. We choose and put our trust in things like vehicles, appliances, computers, anti-virus software, home security, and many other innumerable things.
We also put our faith in people. We trust that the bankers will take care of our money, that the doctors will treat our sickness well, that the police will protect us, that the store clerk will charge us honestly for our purchase. Faith is involved in all aspects of life and in our relationships.
But, the type of faith that we are interested in is called saving faith. It is the faith that can please God. It is the faith that can bring spiritual salvation and a life-giving relationship with God. This kind of faith has a few elements that we can observe.
- Saving faith must have an object. We said earlier that truth is the object of faith. That is certainly true. But, since Jesus is referred to as the “Word of God” or the Truth and He claimed to be the “the Way, the Truth, the Life”, it is not wrong to say, the object of saving faith is the Lord Jesus Christ. We hear people say, “I am leaning or resting on Jesus Christ during this time of difficulty.” or “Jesus is my hiding place when I am afraid.” What they imply is that while they are not personally comforted and physically touched by Jesus, they are strengthened by their strong faith in the promises of God and fully trusting in His words. By making Jesus the object of our faith, we affirm our belief in God. The effect is we are infused with courage and strength as we trust in Him.
- Saving faith is hopeful and forward-looking. The Lord is so wise and kind to help man overcome life’s challenges. He teaches us to focus on Him in the light of our trials and difficulties. When Adam fell into sin, death and sickness entered the world. The Lord respected Adam’s choice to sin and He normally, will not prevent sickness and death, which are the result of sin from coming. But, in His grace, He provided comfort and healing to those who call on Him. Saving faith brings hope and a joyful attitude because we know and believe how this will all end. We will triumph in the end! There will be a great celebration because the difficulty is momentary. So, we are taught to persevere and not lose hope.
- Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen. Indeed, faith is abstract. It is not visible. It has no form or body. But, it is real and we can sense and perceive it. Faith operates in the realm of the spirit and enables the connection with the God who is spirit. The bible says, “the just shall live by faith.” That means believers must live as they believe or live consistently with their set of beliefs and not contradicting it. So, live without guilt if you are forgiven and be joyful in spite of the difficulties of the present times knowing the end will be glorious. In that, God is glorified!
Why is Faith in God so Important?
The importance of faith in life cannot be over-emphasized. It is foundational to starting a relationship with God, somewhat like a bridge. Without that relationship, no one can be saved. Faith is vital for one’s salvation and eternal future. Consider the following verses:
– “Without faith it is impossible to please God” Hebrews 11:6
– “For by grace you have been saved through faith…it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8
– “He who believes (by faith) and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will
be condemned.” Mark 16:16
We all need to answer for our own sins. As we said elsewhere, the penalty for our sin is death. If we die in our sin, we will go to eternal condemnation. In His love and grace, God provided a gift, a way out from that penalty by providing His Son as the payment for our sin. To avail of that gift, all that is needed is for us to believe in Him.
However, let me clarify what is meant by the word “believe”. The English word believe, is a bit inadequate to translate the Greek (The original language of the New Testament.) word which was used in this verse. The word means more than an intellectual assent or agreement to a certain fact. It means to trust or lean on something (in this case lean on someone) or accept Him as Savior and Lord or embrace Him and everything He represents so that a dire consequence can be avoided.
So, when scriptures say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31), it means to take God’s offer of salvation to apply to you, believing by faith that the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross paid for your sin. So, faith is the vehicle by which salvation can take place. Without it, no one will be saved. That is the reason why you and I must have it.
