What is Faith?
Faith is defined in Hebrews Chapter 11, verse 1 – “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, KJV).
Faith has substance; it gives evidence. It is something real that we can count on. However, our faith has to be in the Living God and in His Living Word. If we just “have faith,” in, say, the universe, or even in ourselves, doesn’t that amount to idolatry? Our faith has a foundation, and that foundation is Jesus Christ.
As Christians, when we put on the whole armor of God, faith is our shield, Ephesians 6:16.
How do we Receive Faith?
“So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) Reading God’s Word will increase our faith. Also, Romans 12:3 tells us that God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
We Please God by Faith
Hebrews 11:6 says “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”
We are Saved by Faith
Ephesians 2:8,9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” and Galatians 3:26-27 – “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” tell us this, as does Acts 16:31 -“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
Examples of Faith in the Bible
Hebrews chapter 11 gives us many, many examples of those who, by faith, obeyed God. Particularly in verses 1-12 and 17-40, we read of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and his parents, the Israelites, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, David and Samuel and the prophets, and scores of others who endured incredible persecution, all of whom, because of their faith, obeyed God. Every one of these men and women obeyed God by faith.
Let’s consider Abraham for a minute. We just read where by faith, Abraham obeyed, by going out to a place God led him to, and by offering up his son Isaac. But in Romans 4:3, we read “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” and again in Galatians 3:6, “Consider Abraham: ‘He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Is the Bible Contradicting Itself?
So is this a contradiction? No, for two reasons. First, there are no contradictions in the Bible. Often we have limited understanding, and also limited recall of the verses that we do know, but God is a God of order and He never changes. Numbers 23:19 says “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?”
Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever,” and John 1:14 tells us, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, and the Living Word of God, and He never changes. We never have to pit the Bible against itself; James, in the Book of James, against Paul, in Romans, for instance. “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16), so something that seems like a contradiction is a clue that we need to dig deeper and find the harmony in scripture.
The Law Cannot Save Us
There is another way we can know that this is not a contradiction. If we read before and after the verse in Romans and in Galatians, we learn that we are not saved by the law, but by faith; both of these sections address the Law versus Faith. In fact, further along in Galatians we encounter Abraham again. (Galatians 3:21-29) Verse 29 says “And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” People trying to be saved by the law, without faith, cannot be saved because no man but Jesus has ever kept the law flawlessly. Further verses explain that not all Jews will be saved, if they are trusting in the law to save them but don’t have faith, and likewise, Gentiles as well as Jews can be saved through faith. These two sections are contrasting the Law with faith, and faith is how we are saved. And if we have faith, we will be obedient. So the law without faith can’t save us, and we know that “Faith without works is dead (or useless),” (James 2:20) How, then, do we have a living, saving faith? Through obedience.
Faith is Always Paired with Obedience
Faith is always paired with obedience, a type of work. This is shown clearly in James, chapter 2:21-24 “Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.” So all the confusion is cleared up, since the verses saying that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness were fulfilled when he was obedient because of faith.
The Law, and Works, without faith, will not save us. We are saved through faith in Jesus Christ AND faith is paired with obedience.
The Obedience of Faith
Paul says in Romans 1:5, “through Whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,” (“His” is referring to Jesus); and again, in Romans 16:25-27, “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.”
Jesus is the Author and Perfecter of our Faith
We are told in chapter 12 of Hebrews, verses 1 and 2, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
So Jesus, Who was obedient even unto death on a cross, is our example, yes, but more than that. He is the Author of our faith, and He is the perfecter of our faith. In 2 Peter 1:4-9 He teaches us to obey his example, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.” It is significant that these attributes are very similar to the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22, 23.
Faith Leading to Obedience is Essential to a Christian
There are some verses about faith that make us pause and realize what a serious matter it is to put our faith in to practice in the form of obedience. One verse says simply, “Even the demons believe and tremble.” James 2:19.
Other examples are found in the book of Matthew, chapter 24:45-51, about a slave who was not prepared for his master’s return; also, in chapter 25:1-12 where we find ten virgins, five of whom were prepared for their Bridegroom and five of whom were not.
These both illustrate people who knew what to do and didn’t do it. The slave knew (believed; had faith) that his Master would return at some point, but he made no preparation for it, and didn’t obey the orders he’d been given. The virgins all believed the bridegroom was coming and all wanted to go to the wedding feast, but five of them did not obey and were not welcomed in after all. These were portrayed as virgins, essentially pure, not as worldly women, and yet they still had to obey or they could not enter in. True, living faith requires obedience; without obedience, faith is worthless.
Faith is essential and is a constant theme in the Bible. There are many more verses on faith. But if we remember what faith is and what it requires of us, and we are willing to enter in to the obedience of faith, we will be able to say with Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.”
Source: Holy Bible