Are You a Faith Based Person?

The word "faith" generally means a strong belief in someone or something. Also implied is complete trust/confidence/reliance on said person or thing. For Christians, of course, our faith is all about our belief and trust in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. We affirm our faith every time we say the Apostle's Creed or other such affirmations. Our faith is a central part of our spiritual heritage, and it is foundational to our relationship with God.

We can thank the writers of scripture, Church Fathers, our ancestors, writers/composers of hymns and sacred music, our families, clergy, and others in our lives for the witness of faith they have passed along and shared with us, that we might also choose to believe. God wants us to be people of faith, and the Bible teaches us that it is God's will for us to pass along our faith to future generations (Deuteronomy 6:1-7, 11:18-19, Psalm 71:17-18, 145:4). Noah, Abraham, and Moses were men of great faith who totally trusted in God when he called them into action. Not knowing what the future held for them, they accomplished extraordinary things under difficult circumstances as a result of their faith in God (Hebrews 11:7-28).

The author of Hebrews defines faith as follows: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1). As with Noah, Abraham, and Moses, our faith gives us the uplifting hope of unseen good things that are yet to occur so that we can keep moving forward in our lives with confidence in God. Jesus stood in the flesh before the doubting Thomas, so that he might believe in the Resurrection. Jesus said, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). If we are people of faith who believe in God and His risen Son, we can live happily with the hope of our salvation and our triumph over death (Romans 10:9-11, John 5:24, 11:25-26, 1 John 5:11-13).  Strong faith can also help lead us through illness, bereavement, failure, and other difficult times in our lives when we are faced with trials and temptations that test our faith. Strong faith can help us to patiently endure by enabling us to look beyond the temporary troubles of our mortal lives and focus on the great joy of eternal things that we hope to see and experience some day (Romans 5:3-4, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, James 1:2-3, 12). 

Our faith is the source of our hope, and Jesus is the source of our faith (Hebrews 12:2, Romans 10:17).  Referring to Jesus, the Apostle Paul wrote, "Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:2). As Christians, our only path to God is Jesus, who gives us the hope of salvation and eternal life (Romans 5:10, 21, John 14:6). But only if we believe in Him (John 3:16). From another perspective, Paul also wrote about the important connection between our faith and how we live our lives: "For whatever does not originate from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23).

Our faith, then, is the very foundation of our relationship with God. By God's grace, our faith in Him can empower us to live righteously in accordance with His will and, through Jesus, to be saved from our sins.  Eternal life can also become our hope. Without faith, we are truly hopeless and like lost sheep without a shepherd to lead us. The Disciple Group encourages you to stop and think about the role faith plays in your life. Are you a believer or a doubter? Are your actions in daily life based on faith? Do you believe in the supreme authority of God's Word in the Bible? Do you desire eternal life? Ask God to help you grow in your faith, that you might live out your days on earth uprightly and be certain of unseen things. As always, the Bible says it best: "For we live by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).