WHAT FAITH IS AND WHAT FAITH ISN'T

Date: Mon Apr 23 00:03:55 2007

There is much talk about faith these days. There is ìWord-Faithî, ìSuper-Abounding Faithî and many other designations. We know from Hebrews 11:6 that without faith it is impossible to please God. We also know from Ephesians 2 that it is by grace we have been saved through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is a gift of God. Further, we learn in James 2 that faith is not ethereal and elusive, but is proven by our works.

So let us start with the understanding that we must have faith to please God. God required faith of Noah, faith of Abraham, faith of Moses, and faith of everyone he called and used. FAITH IS BELIEVING GOD. It really is that simply. If God says it, regardless of whether it makes sense to us, we have to put our arms around God words and embrace them. Those who embrace what God says live. Those to not embrace what God says die.

Many seek to have faith, but be saved by their works. It is not by works, so no man can boast. Most religions, including nominal Christianity, stress works. Regardless of the statement of faith, you are accepted by what you do. I have long noted that Christian schools express approval by how well students keep long lists of rules, not by their inward relationship with Christ. Either we are saved by faith or by works. You cannot have it both ways.

It is all by Christ, and it is by him alone. Every aspect of salvation is a gift. Not even one aspect has anything to do with our works or what we do.

That said, James the brother of Jesus also wrote inspired words. Though Martin Luther and others did not want the book of James in the Bible, it is there and it is true. Godís initiative in our life requires response and change. It is impossible to have faith without works following. It is impossible to say you are following Christ without any fruit in evidence.

You see, God changes us when we come to him. He comes into our hearts and lives there. With Christ within us, we must change. All things have become new. Therefore, we do works of righteousness in keeping with repentance.

I believe that ìeasy believismî and ìcheap graceî have resulted in many people with no fruits in evidence thinking they are saved and justified. Repentance and faith are required for salvation. We accept Jesus Christ as our Savior AND our Lord. When we are truly regenerated by the Holy Spirit, we are changed. Some change drastically in a moment, others take a little longer, but ALL are changed. No one comes to Christ without a desire for change to come. When Christ comes in, he tells us what to do and we do it. If we do NOT do what he says, how could we have surrendered our hearts to him? Surrender is the act of giving control of our life to another. ìAll to Jesus I Surrenderî and ìI Surrender Allî are not simply words from a hymn. They are the heart attitude of those who have been convicted of sin and who have turned their lives over to Christ. Lives turned over to Christ will evidence fruit and will evidence works of righteousness. How can a person made righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ practice works of unrighteousness? The Apostle John makes it the acid test. He sees it very clearly. Those touched by Godís love will love others, those forgiven by God will not persist in their sin.

So believing what God says and acting upon it is faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is a bedrock knowledge that what God says is true and letting our whole life be affected by it.

That said, I need to comment on what faith ISNíT. Faith is not walking the plank. After all, faith has SUBSTANCE. It is REAL, it is PALPABLE, it is reliable. It is something that can passed along and something that can be increased. Lord, increase our faith!

Faith is not an emotional acceleration whereby if we can imagine it, God has to do it. Faith is birthed by God, not by us. So many teach today that if you combine what you say with faith, it will happen. You will be healed, you will be rich, you will be powerful. That is witchcraft no matter what positive terms are applied to the practice. Faith birthed by God results in the word of God being delivered to us. If we believe (have faith in) THAT word, it will happen. Let God be true and every man a liar. God will act in accordance with HIS word, not YOURS!

So often, we hear of parents denying medicine to their child and that child dies. They had ìfaithî that God would heal their child, and were determined not to seek help through the health care system. The fact is, ALL healing in the Bible is real, it is verifiable, and it glorifies God. If you are ill and do not receive a miracle healing, GET MEDICAL HELP! God uses all manner of means to heal. There are cases in the Bible where people were not miraculously healed. Though healing should be normal and common in the life of the spirit-filled believer, it is not guaranteed the same way as salvation is. When we come to God in faith for salvation, we are ALWAYS saved. When we come to God in faith for healing, we are often healed, but not ALWAYS. Paul was not healed, Timothy and Trophimus had health issues. Timothy had to use wine for medicinal purposes. Faith is not arrogance, it is not able to be discouraged, it is not able to die if we are in proper communion with the Lord. Let us maintain faith and believe God for EVERYTHING he has promised concerning us.