Last week’s post (On Faith: Part 1) drew a broad outline of what faith means. This week we are going to begin looking at biblical faith. What does the Bible say about faith? In our discussions in this and other posts, we want to be careful not to go beyond what is written. Defining true faith is sometimes like trying to catch the wind. Sometimes we think we have a handle on what faith is, and then something happens to turn those thoughts upside-down.
Nevertheless, the Bible does teach us what faith is like. Sometimes our ‘misunderstandings’ of it are simply due to the fact that we want faith to work the way we think it should!
The Realm of Faith
Not only is faith something that we have (an intangible concept that we hold onto), but faith is also a realm. What do I mean by this? We often speak of “the realm of politics,” “the realm of science,” “the realm of religion,” etc. Faith in itself is a realm in which we are called to walk. Every area of life has rules or principles that govern that realm. Faith is no different. There are principles and boundaries that we adhere to in order to walk in this realm. What are they?
Biblical faith always has the God of the Bible as its object.
As we mentioned last time, many people just want to “have faith,” without expressing an object of faith. Faith, however requires an object. The realm of biblical faith, then, has the God of the Bible (Yahweh) as the object. The one walking in this realm fixes his or her eyes on God, believing His Word to them. It’s possible for faith to be misplaced. What I mean by that is that we can place faith in a person or thing and then find that our belief or trust was wrong—the chair we sat in breaks, a friend we trusted with a confidence betrays us.
God, however, is the one constant. Our faith in Him will never be misplaced. One of the many words that the Bible uses to describe His character is faithfulness. He keeps His Word. He does what He says. Even when everything or every other person fails us, He will never let us down.
Biblical faith is rooted in the character of God.
When God told Abraham to offer Isaac as a burn offering (Gen. 22), why did Abraham choose to believe and obey? Simply because God is God? While it is generally a good idea to obey the Person who holds your life in His hands, there is more to it in this case. God had previously given Abraham a promise: “You’ll have a son, and your son’s descendants will inherit all this land I give to you. They will be more numerous than the sand on the shore and the stars in the sky.”
Abraham judged God to be faithful. God keeps His promises. Thus, Abraham’s faith was rooted not just in the promises of God, but in His character. Biblical faith is grounded in God’s character. That brings up a very important point. In order to have real biblical faith in God, we must know His character. We must know Him. Faith that is not properly grounded in God’s nature and character is little more than wishful thinking.
Biblical faith is submitted to the will of God.
When Jesus taught the disciples to pray, the first thing He taught them to do before making requests was to submit. He said, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). Modern teaching on this prayer misinterprets these statements. While they are statements of worship, they are also statements of submission. “Not my kingdom come, but Your kingdom come. Not my will, but Your will be done.” We place ourselves under His authority—and thus our faith under His authority as well.
What does this mean for praying in faith? Are we to pray, “Lord please do this if it’s Your will?” I don’t think that is the intent. When James and others tell us to pray, we are not told to qualify it like that. We are told to pray in faith. We are to pray in faith according to our standing as redeemed sons and daughters of God. But—and this is an important ‘but’—our attitude must always remain in submission. If we pray in faith and our request is not granted, there is a reason. His ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts. I believe we are to keep asking, seeking, and knocking until we receive an answer. But again, our faith (and thus ourselves) must remain submitted to His will. We are to desire that His will be accomplished, not ours.
Biblical faith cannot be increased, but it can be strengthened.
Biblical faith should not be thought of a huge container of liquid to be filled up, drained, and then filled again. Rather, faith is more like a muscle that needs exercise. That’s why we see passages regarding strengthening your faith (Acts 16:5; 2 Cor. 10:15; Jude 1:20), but we see Jesus correcting the disciples’ when they asked Him to increase their faith (Luke 17:5-6). Faith even as small as a mustard seed is counted as true faith.
How does one exercise and build up his faith? It’s similar to weight training. You start with a little weight at first, then begin to slowly push yourself to lift more and more. It causes pain at first, but as your muscles strengthen, the pain goes away, and your strength increases. So it is with faith. We exercise our faith in small things, and then as it grows we exercise it more toward bigger things (mountains). What is the resistance to faith that causes it to grow? Doubt. When we have doubt, we are to push through it, and hold onto God and His promises. Without doubt, faith would become just another easy thing, and would not have the opportunity to grow.
Walking in the Realm and Having Faith
It’s possible to exercise our faith from time to time and not truly be walking in the realm of faith. When we walk in the realm of faith, our eyes are constantly fixed on God, our lives submitted to His will, and we view everything we do and say as an act of faith. While we may start out in single acts of faith, we are called to grow and begin consistently walking in the realm of faith.
As we exercise our faith, let’s remember that faith is not arrogant, but is humble in confidence toward God and His love for us. He calls us to exercise great faith for the sake of His Kingdom. We are to trust Him, no matter the outcome, for He is good, and His love endures forever.
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