July 1, 2001, Vol.1, No.1.
Two new articles every two weeks.
Bible Question? E-mail
us.
THIS ISSUE: "What
is Faith?" (see below)
and "Is One Church
As Good As Another?"
Question and Answer:
WHAT IS FAITH?
by Keith Sharp
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen"(Heb.11:1).
How many times have you heard a speaker delivering a motivational
speech exhort, "You just gotta believe!"? Usually such
a one means we need self-confidence. While this is indeed helpful
in life, it is not the "faith" we read about in the
Bible.
According to the Scriptures, faith is essential to salvation
(Heb. 11:6). Thus, we inquire, what is faith?
The term translated "faith" in Hebrews 11:1 is variously
defined as "trust," "firm persuasion," "belief,"
"confidence," or "conviction." But the writer
of Hebrews informs us it is "the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen."
The word "substance" is rendered "assurance"
by the American Standard Version. The word literally means
"a standing under, support" (W.E. Vine, An Expository
Dictionary of New Testament Words, vol. 1, p. 85). "Faith,"
in relation to hope, is assurance. It stands under and supports
our hope. Thus, one's hope is only as secure as his faith is
strong.
The term "evidence" is rendered "conviction"
by the American Standard Version. It is defined as a "proof,
proving" (W.F. Arndt & F.W. Gingrich, A Greek-English
Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 248). Saving faith is not
a blind acceptance of unprovable opinions. It is not based on
feeling, emotion, or a "blind leap." It is conviction
supported by evidence.
The author of Hebrews informs us the faith we must have includes
two elements (Heb. 11:6). It is conviction of truth. We "must
believe that he is." It is also trust. We "must believe
... that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
Conviction causes us to accept His word without question. Trust
leads us to obey Him without quibble.
Faith, by its very nature, begins and ends in the realm of
the unseen. It is conviction supported by evidence concerning
things we do not know by experience. By faith we accept that
the invisible things of God are behind the visible universe (Heb.
11:3). By faith we hope for a home in heaven, though we have
never seen that paradise (2 Cor. 4:18).
Does this mean faith is unreasonable? I believe Christopher
Columbus discovered America in 1492. This belief cannot be put
into a test tube or measured by scientific methods. It is nonetheless
true. Things one cannot now experience, e.g., facts of history,
are demonstrated by methods other than observation and experimentation.
I cannot put God into a test tube or measure His chemical components,
but I can produce a different kind of evidence that He is.
The evidence that supports the Christian's faith is divine
in origin. Inasmuch as the God about Whom we read in the Bible
is infinitely more trustworthy than man (Rom. 3:3-4), we should
expect this evidence to be of superior value to mere human testimony.
I believe an honest, unprejudiced study of the evidence for God,
His Son, and His Word will confirm this.
 The first
body of evidence to support our faith is the world, the first
and general revelation of God to man. The very existence of the
universe, its power, order, and complexity demand that a Being
sufficient to produce it, i.e., God, must be behind it (Rom.
1:20).
But from nature we can only know that there is a God, that
He has unlimited power and intelligence, and that He possesses
will. But what is He like? Is He good or bad? loving or hating?
kind or cruel? What does He want from me? How can I enjoy His
fellowship? To know these things, I must turn to the second and
special revelation of God to man, the word (Rom. 10:17).
The word (i.e., the Bible) not only tells me about God, it
gives evidence to demonstrate that there is a God, that the Bible
is the word of God, and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Some of these powerful proofs are the harmony of the Scriptures,
fulfilled prophecies both about ancient nations and about Christ,
and the evidence Christ has been raised from, the dead.
These two realms of evidence, the world and the word, give
ample reason for a firm, reasonable conviction that there is
a God in heaven, that the Bible is His word, and that Jesus Christ
is His Son.
Faith is the means whereby we are saved. In fact, we cannot
be saved without it (Heb. 11:2,6).
Faith is also the principle by which Christians live. From
the time a young person first considers the evidence for his
faith, then renders the obedience of faith that makes him a Christian,
then grows daily in his knowledge, wisdom, and understanding
of the Lord's will, lives a holy life, becomes spiritually mature,
and develops a character more and more like Jesus, until finally
he, as an aged, faithful saint departs this world to enter paradise
-- every step he takes on life's journey that is pleasing to
God is a step taken in faith. Every step taken without faith
is sin. "For we walk by faith, not by sight"
(2 Cor. 5:7).
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