In talking with many people, you will find a barrage of different ideas of what faith is. Many will say they have no faith. They sat they only believe in what they can see. I submit to you that they are a liar. It takes faith to plan the next day, the next vacation, or the next meal. I believe that everyone has faith, of some sort. The difference is what they put their faith in. The definition of faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Most relate faith to a religion, a strong belief in God, or in the doctrines of religion. If you are looking for a biblical definition of faith, Hebrews 11:1 is the place to start. Faith is the substance, the material, matter, or stuff that is hoped for, it is the evidence or proof that something is true, yet not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
I am firmly persuaded that God will do all that He has promised. Multitudes that have gone before me have had this same kind of faith. I can look at the “report,” as mentioned in verse 2, of others. How God has answered prayers. I can see the history of how he worked to save his people from destruction. How Jesus himself rose from the dead and was seen by over 500 people after the resurrection. How he ate, walked, and talked, with His followers after He came out of the grave, and how his followers saw Him ascend into the heavens after 40 days. These reports recorded in the Bible, and many in other historical books give validity to my faith in God. These past reports of the working of God give hope to the future things He will do. This hope brings a joy that is indescribable to my soul. Albert Barnes’s commentary says faith demonstrates to the eye of the mind the reality of those things that cannot be discerned by the eye of the body.” Why is it that many very intelligent people read history books and have no problem believing what they read, but when it comes to the Bible, they question everything? While it is true they were not there when God created everything or Jesus walked on water, they were also not there when Rome burned or Columbus came to America, but we believe the reports in history. We have a good report of who God is, how He acts, what He has done for us, and how we can know Him in the Bible.
Hebrews 11:2 “For by it the elders obtained a good report.”
Hebrews 11:3 “Through faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”
It is through our faith that we can believe all that God has revealed to us in His word. When we believe and act upon what He has said, it will become more than head knowledge. The difference between the belief we have in the Bible and any other history books comes when we place our faith in the one who wrote the book. When we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and repent of our sins, He sends us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us. We not only have the written word and head knowledge, but we also have the Spirit within us to guide us to all truth. The Spirit will help us to understand the written word.
John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come”
When we read other books, all we have is the head knowledge passed down through history. We accept it, believe it, and act upon what we have read. Why not do the same for the Bible? The Bible is a historical document, but it was also written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is living and powerful. It can change lives and bring peace in turmoil. It can give answers to questions that no one else can. Through reading it, you can know how to connect with the author of it. It is not just a historical document, but it gives us our past, present, and future.
Since we all have faith, where is your faith anchored? I challenge you to put your faith in the God of the Bible. To trust the one who gave His life, so that you could have eternal life. Read the Bible to anchor your faith and increase it. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. That applies to those who are unsaved, and to those who are already believers.
Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Put your faith where it will make a difference for you, those who know you, and those who learn about you after you are gone. Put your faith where it will count for all eternity.
