What is Faith? Many of us as Christians claim to have it. But what IS it? What do we do with it, and how does it impact our lives, the way we live day to day? Or DOES it impact us?
Faith, according to the dictionary, is " believing without proof". In this sense, most of us have faith. We belive in God, a creator. We believe in heaven, Christ raised from the dead, the Holy Spirit. We believe these are possible, that they exist, even though we do not see them.
How does this kind of faith affect our lives? We may have hope, trust, expectation. We may find happiness in knowing there is something to look forward to. Nice and simple, neat and tidy.
Interestingly enough, this kind of faith is the least spoken of in Scripture. The faith of the bible, according to the Greek definition, PISTIS, is more than hope. It means, "assurance, reliance upon Christ for salvation, the truthfulness of God." It takes the word faith from the WHAT to the WHO. From a noun to a verb, from the predicate to the subject. (can you tell what we have been doing in Language Arts in our homeschool? :)
Faith is not simply a noun, but seems to switch into an ACTION- RELIANCE on Christ. James 2:14-26 has this heading: FAITH WITHOUT GOOD DEEDS IS DEAD. I encourage you to read the passage. Here are a few highlights:
verse 14 says, " What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?"
verse 17 says, " So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless."
verse 19: "You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. (dictionary!) Good for you! Even the demons believe this and they tremble in terror."
So then, how does faith, PISTIS faith, affect our lives, taking faith beyond a belief system and into action? The bible says in Romans 3:28 that, " ..we are made right with God through our faith.." but as we can see, faith by itself isn't enough. The bible calls it DEAD and USELESS, no better than what demons themselves believe!
How is faith evident in your life? Some great examples of faith are written in Hebrews chapter 11.
" It was BY FAITH that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying....BY FAITH Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood...BY FAITH that Abraham obeyed....BY FAITH that even Sarah was able to have a child...Isaac, ...Jacob,.... Joseph, ...Moses, ...Rahab... " the list goes on!
These people made for themselves a reputation of faith. I guess it was pretty noticeable to be put into the BIBLE!
What do people notice about YOUR life? What do you do to put your faith into action? Do you shut the mouths of demons and rise above their simple belief?
There is a choice: To live your life WITH faith, to have hope, expectation, even salvation! OR To live your life BY faith (Heb.11!) Day to day, stepping out, trusting the Lord, living, breathing, identifiable FAITH!!
I believe it is time to stand up. To read your bible, BELIEVE what is says, and to put your faith into ACTION. We are a called people, with a very real job to do. This will look different for each person, in each circumstance. But we must act. Let God say, " Well DONE my good and FAITHFUL servant" !
Working it out, one day at a time,
Darcie.
