What Is Faith?

Faith Examined  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  14:05
0 ratings
· 201 views

We know that we should choose Faith rather than Fear. But what is Faith, and why does it matter. Let's take a look.

Files
Notes
Transcript

What Is Faith?

We all have a tendency to fear
You are not alone in that
Fear can, and should be, driven out by Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ
But what is Faith?
How can we get Faith?
Important questions since the Bible tells us four times that “the Just Shall Live by Faith”
Let’s take a look at what God says about this very important truth
Habakkuk 2:4 NKJV
“Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.
This marvelous truth that the “Just shall live by faith,” is not just a New Testament thing
It is first revealed in the Old Testament
To be righteous, we first must be humble
The soul of the proud is not upright in him
That’s not who we want to be
Humility allows us to look to God with Trust and Faith
Romans 1:17 NKJV
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
For in the Gospel of Christ, the Good News that Jesus died and rose again
The righteousness of or from God, which is pure and perfect is revealed
From faith to faith - literally “out of faith, into faith”
Think about that for a minute
We receive the righteousness of God by faith and faith alone
Out of our faith at the beginning, and into our faith from then until forever
as it is written, Just as God had already written in the Old Testament - “The just shall live by faith”
Righteousness that is never, of works or worth
Rather a righteous standing that is received by faith and will forever be ours by faith
This is why we can have confidence in our standing before God
We didn’t deserve His righteousness, we don’t deserve it now, and we will never deserve it
And yet, Jesus died and rose again that we might be the Righteousness of God in Him
Galatians 3:11 NKJV
But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”
How is someone justified by God
Not by keeping the law
Never by keeping the law
No one is ever justified by keeping the law
The Old Testament and the New Testament tell us that “the just shall live by faith”
Hebrews 10:38 NKJV
Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”
The writer of Hebrews was inspired to convey this glorious truth one more time
He does it just before Chapter 11, which is the Hall of Faith, which reveals that all the Old Testament Saints were justified by faith, and that they invite us to follow in their footsteps
No turning back, clear to the end
Saving faith is a persevering faith
Notice that “the just shall live by faith,” is always stated in the future tense
The Just SHALL live (in the future) by Faith
Those who believe and are justified by Faith - Keep on Believing
Faith is Important!! SUPER Important!!!
So what is faith?

Blindfolds and Reality

Imagine that you were taken and blindfolded
You are led into a room and sat in a chair
That the room is some type of Sauna quickly becomes evident as the temperature and humidity rise to an uncomfortable level
You sit for hours and sweat
You sit so long that suddenly your sweating stops
You feel light headed, and your heart starts to miss some beats
You know you are in trouble, your body is failing
Suddenly someone speaks
They tell you that there are two tables within reach, arranged in such a way that you can only reach one of them
The table to the right of you contains a gallon of fresh cold water
The table on the left has the keys to “A Brand New Car” A brand new super go go sports car can be yours if only you will reach to the left
Whatever will you do?
What you do depends on what you believe
You have not seen, heard, or felt, any of the items
Do you believe they are there?
If you don’t believe they are really there, you will do nothing - moving would surely aggravate your condition
If you believe they are there, and think the water is what you desperately need, you will reach to the right, confident that it is there, and that it will help you
If you believe they are there, and a brand new zoom zoom sports car is what you have always known will make your life complete, you may very well reach to the left, spitting in the face of your desperate need for water
What you believe, and what the desire of your heart is, will determine which way you go in life

Substance and Evidence

So what is faith?
Hebrews 11:1 NKJV
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
God doesn't leave us to wonder
Faith is so important that God defines it for us
It is defined in two parts, so let’s break it down
Faith is the substance of things hoped for
If something has substance, it is something that is tangible or real
It is something you can touch, and lift, and observe, like a jug of water, or the keys to a car
And yet “Hope” is something that is a concept, a desire of the heart and mind
You can have hope, but you can’t touch it, or lift it
--- And yet -- you can — by Faith
Faith is what takes something without substance, and gives it substance
It makes hope as real as a Corvette
Without faith, hope remains untouchable
But with faith, hope is as real as the ground upon which you stand
Do you hope for eternal life in God’s Kingdom?
Faith is what will make that hope become a reality
2. Faith is the evidence of things unseen
Evidence is something that proves something is true
In a courtroom, you set something on the table and declare that this proves that the defendant couldn’t have done it, he was 300 miles away
This evidence proves it
Faith declares that the Blessing of Living for Jesus is true and indisputable
It may not be that way to someone who has no faith in the Word of God
But it is fundamental truth, to those who believe God
Faith is the Evidence that proves the existence of the things of God, and indeed of God Himself
To review:
1. Faith is the substance of things hoped for - Faith takes the things of the heart and spirit and makes them tangible, makes them real, makes them concrete
2. Faith is the evidence of things not seen - Faith is the proof, that the truth of God is indisputable
That it is sure thing to stake your life, and future on what God has said

Pistis and Pisteuo

You may have noticed that I have used, and the Bible also uses Faith and Believe interchangeably
That is because they are
The Greek word Pistis is a noun often translated “Faith”
The Greek word Pisteuo is a verb and is usually translated “Believe”
They are basically the same word, one in noun form, and the other a verb
We could look at it as the English equivalent of belief and believe
This is very important
Faith is not something we get
Faith is something we have
We all have faith in something, though it may only be in ourself, or our own understanding
It is the object of your faith that makes a difference
Romans 4:5 makes clear that faith and belief are interchangeable
Romans 4:5 NKJV
But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
In this verse both Pisteuo and Pistis are used
“But to him who does not work but believes - Pisteuo
his faith, “his belief” - Pistis - is accounted for righteousenss
what he believes, is the faith that justifies him
It is the object of the Faith or Belief that makes the difference
There was once a day when I believed all kinds of things
I had faith in this, that, and the other
But there also came a day when I came to believe in the God who justifies the ungodly
He can righteously do that, because He sent His Only Begotten Son, to die in my place, on the cross
God, the Creator of the Universe, died for me, that I might live with Him
When I started to believe that, with a belief that is ongoing, and still future,
God saw that belief, that faith, and accounted it for righteousness
This ungodly sinner, is justified before God, because I believe what He says about Jesus
You also may be forgiven, justified, and cleansed of sin, by believing in Jesus, who died for you as well

Saving Faith is Believing that Jesus Died For You

This is a faith that you can rest upon
This is a faith that drives out fear
Finally, A Last Question

If Jesus Holds Your Future, What Does It Matter What the Future Holds?

If we should die tomorrow, it would be to go into His Glorious Presence
Romans 5:1–2 NKJV
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more