What is faith really?

            Faith is a keystone truth that the Reformation once again brought to the forefront of our Christian lives and experience.   The clarion call of Luther and the other reformers was that it was  “…by grace you have been saved through faith.”  But faith is not just an important part of our salvation.  As Paul reminds us in Romans 1:16 we are told that “…the gospel,… is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, … For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."”  Faith is more than just part of the entry point into the Christian life.  It is also a significant part of the on going continuing life of the believer.  But what is faith?

            As mentioned in my previous blog, I had been seeking to find the answer to victory over the problems that I was facing in Ireland and had been praying for more faith so that I could overcome my problems.  I had been looking at faith as though it were something that I could top up with when I didn’t have enough, like filling up a car with more fuel.  I thought, the more faith I have the more power I will have with God.  However, this was a mistaken understanding of what faith is.  Firstly, faith is not something that can be measured on a faith meter.  If I feel my faith is weak then I need to do something to increase its power as though it were possible do something about it.  Secondly, I was praying for faith and so overcome the problem by myself, as though faith was the key that enabled me to do what I was unable to do myself.  If I had enough faith I could overcome the world!  However, Jesus’ comment was that if you have faith as small as a grain of mustard seed you could move mountains (Matthew 17:20).  Further, Jesus added that a mustard seed was the smallest of seeds (Matthew 13:32).  The point is not the amount of faith that we have or don’t have but where that faith is being place – God or me!

            In Ephesians 2:8-9 we are told that our salvation is because of grace and faith. It is not based on what we do but rather is a gift of God.  If it is a gift, then the glory goes to the giver and not to the recipient of that gift because of anything in the recipient.

            In Ireland my understanding of faith increased significantly as a result of a testimony by one of the team. He described the experience of his search for God like climbing a mountain.  He was feeling discouraged because he didn’t seem to be making any progress in his search for God.  It was at this point that he describes his experience like falling over the edge of a precipice.  His fall was broken by a branch that was sticking out of the side of the mountain.  As he assessed his situation he realized that he couldn’t do anything to save himself.  He was relying on the branch as he hung on but realized that he couldn’t trust it indefinitely.  In desperation he cried out to God, “God! If you are there, save me!”   God in his mercy and grace answered him.  “Let go and trust me to save you.”  Faith in God will let go.  But why?

            What is going on in this exchange?  The team member was in a desperate situation.  He was relying of the branch but realized that he could not trust the branch for ever.  Furthermore, there was nothing he could do to save himself.  So he cries out to God.  This is something that God is pleased to respond to.  When we are at our wits ends and there is nothing that we can do but acknowledge our weakness to God, God responds to that humble request. 

            Secondly, what are we to make of God’s response to ‘let go’ and trust him to save us?  Of course, the team member is using this story to illustrate what happened to him spiritually.  However, as we consider faith’s response to God what is clear is that it is a response to a promise of God.  If God had, even in this physical situation actually spoken those words, and we were sure that it was God, then faith in God’s word would obey and let go.  Why?  Joshua reminded the people of Israel in Joshua 23:14 that God keeps his promises.  “…you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.”  Joshua could say at the end of his life that God was faithful.  Every one of his promises he has kept.  We are reminded in Numbers 23:19, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.  Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfil it?”  In fact “it is impossible for God to lie” (Heb 6:18).  God would not be a god to be trusted if he could not be relied upon to keep his word.  That God does keep his promises is reassuring and the basis upon which we can commit our lives to Him.  As we experience this promise keeping God in the circumstances of life our faith is strengthened to trust him with even bigger situations as time goes along.  We might find that what we are being asked to do is something that is outside of our comfort zone or beyond our ability to carry out.  God will not change but will continue faithful, even in situations that seem impossible.  When the disciples were surprised by Jesus’ comments about how hard it was for the rich to be saved he told them "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God" (Mark 10:27).  If he makes a promise he is also able to keep it fully.  This was the message to Mary when the angel came and told her about the child she would conceive.  “Nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).  What a promise!

            Faith, therefore, is not something that we obtain when we need to do something but rather it is what the Holy Spirit does in our lives that causes us to trust God and believe what he has said.  It is the Holy Spirit’s enabling that helps us to commit ourselves to God for what he has promised he will do for us.  My brother quoted Hudson Taylor in a letter to us recently.  It captures the essence of what we have been talking about here.  ‘I have learned not to trust in my faith but in God’s faithfulness’.

There is a further aspect of faith I recently came across while reading the book, Esther: An Honor-Shame Paraphrase. This helps to give a complete and rounded understanding of faith. In this book, Jayson Georges has divided the book into two parts.  In the first part he elaborates on some of the cultural aspects of the story that have a bearing on how we should understand the cultural significance of the story.  In introducing his subject he touches upon our English word ‘faith’.  He points out that in our western culture we understand the word to be someone’s personal belief about something which reflects our individualistic values in our culture.  However in the Old Testament “an Israelite’s ‘faith’ is a commitment to their covenant obligations to honour Yahweh.”  Similarly in the New Testament the word translated ‘faith’ (Greek: pistis) suggests loyalty and fidelity to a relationship.  Biblical faith is not merely ‘belief about God,’ but ‘allegiance to God’ (Kindle Locations 72-78).  We in the West miss the relational aspect of ‘faith’.  This covenant relationship, this allegiance to God aspect of faith involves more that just belief.  It includes action or more precisely obedience to God’s word.  This is not to gain credit by what we do but rather because our response to our new relationship with God causes us to want to do what will please him because we love Him.  Jesus said to his disciples in the Upper Room, ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).  It is because we love him that WE WANT to keep his commandments.  This aspect of faith as seen in both the Old and New Testament carries with it a responsibility towards the new relationship that we have with God.  This is seen in our obedience to our loving heavenly Father.  I like the way the New Living Translation (NLT) puts Isaiah 26:8. “Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart's desire is to glorify your name.”  This summarizes perfectly the cultural meaning of the word ‘faith’.

So faith is that Holy Spirit induced attitude by which we trust God, believing His word as true and dependable and as a consequence acting upon that belief in God by our response of love to Him as seen in our obedience to His word.

All scripture quotations are taken from the ESV unless indicated.  English Standard Version Copyright © 2000, 2001 by Crossway Bibles, A Division of Good News Publishers, 1300 Crescent Street, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, USA. All rights reserved.

The Bible text designated (NLT) is from HOLY BIBLE, NEW LIVING TRANSLATION ®  Copyright © 1996, 2004, by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.