Faith is one of the vital tenets out of Christianity. It is a powerful element that connects and welds us to God in such a manner that goes far beyond our own human comprehension. Our faith in God is the very thing that holds us steady and keeps us safe from the terrifying storms of life. It’s the intrinsic base of our reliance and confidence in God.
Moreover, faith is such an element by which we get access to the many mind-blowing blessings that God has promised us in His Word. What we’re doing when placing our faith in God is us reaching back to Him with a sense of gratitude and humility. Faith must be expressed on the ground of what God has already done for us by grace through Christ in order for us to receive His many blessings that are in store for us.
With regard to the Christian walk, God has never asked us to do anything that’s easy humanly speaking. God by nature is more interested in something which is done or offered to Him sacrificially. The same holds true to trusting God, particularly when things aren’t going well. Nonetheless, faith when applied the right manner just as the Bible prescribes it can deliver powerful results since it activates and unleashes the power of God.
What Faith is All About?
Faith is defined as the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1).
There are two critical aspects in the definition of faith that should really draw our attention:
- Things that are promised for the future,
- Things that are present that are invisible.
Based on the account of this verse, it’s evident that if something can be seen with the naked eyes, then it can longer be classified as faith. The fundamental of faith itself has to do with things that cannot be seen but that are present in the supernatural realm. The truth is that the supernatural realm is way more real than the natural one.
As we’re dealing with that issue, we should realize that the Word of God is an integral part of our faith because it’s what teaches us how to properly exercise faith in God (Romans 10:17, James 1:6). Our faith is laid upon what the Word says.
If you don’t have the Word; therefore, you cannot have faith in God. The Word is the very fuel that propels our faith in God. It’s the very thing that we turn to whenever we feel like our faith is down due to life’s bad circumstances, which clearly underlines how we should rely on the Word on a constant basis.
The Word of God is a mere portrayal of whom God is along with how He operates. By reading it, we learn about Him, His ways, His will, as well as how we can inherit His promises through the means of trusting Him alone. One of the key aspects that stands out the most regarding our faith is that it cannot fail due to the fact that the person in Whom our faith is placed can never fail.
Faith is able to transform people’s lives from the inside out in a marvelous fashion. And we as believers are a clear example of what faith can bring about. Having said that, when it comes down to peace, joy, strength, confidence, and so on we have, there is a strong bond that exists between these things with the kind of faith that we’re exercising in God. Our level of faith will determine our level of peace, joy, confidence, strength, and security.
God’s Grace And Faith
There is also another powerful bond that lies between both faith and grace. The reason is that God’s grace is the starting point of faith. It’s the substance that makes faith necessary. Without grace, there cannot be faith. What do I mean by that? First, God’s is the object of our faith. He does things for us by His grace.
You see since grace implies receiving unmerited favor from God; therefore, there was a much greater reason that far exceeded our own unworthiness and sinfulness to God that compelled Him to do marvelous things on our behalf, which is His unfailing love for us through Christ.
God’s willingness to make Himself available to us is predicated upon His grace since we didn’t deserve it. And His grace is the channel through which His blessings flow. However, we can only respond to Him through the means of our faith. We can conclude that the foundation of our faith in God is laid upon His grace bestowed to us through Christ. That’s the key reason there has to always be a tangible balance between both grace and faith.
God Is The Cause of Faith.
The awesome news is that God has already taken the first step for the purpose of bringing humanity back to Him by sending Christ do die on the cross. Through His death, we get the privilege to inherit salvation and become heirs of God. Grace is the crucial component through which everything that God wants us to have has already been made available.
This statement falls right into the other aspect of the definition of faith which implies assurance about what we don’t see. His grace is what provides us everything needed to live the type of abundant and victorious life that He desires for us to live in Christ. But everything seems to stop there after God’s initial move because the sole thing that has the potential to both activate and release these blessings in our lives is our willingness to place our faith in God.
Evidently, as far as the mechanism of faith is concerned, both sides have their own responsibilities. To explain that further, God has already made the first move by providing us an all-sufficient atonement through Christ that creates a pathway to which all of our needs can be met. But the other vital aspect of that issue is left up to us to decide whether we want to do what God has required of us.
God is expecting us to make the next move by placing our faith in Him on the ground of Christ’s atonement, otherwise nothing will ever happen. Make no mistake, it’s an area in which God has placed a strict restraint upon Himself because He’ll never do something that finds itself within our own responsibilities. Thus, it’s a very critical decision that we have to make ourselves.
Lastly, the bottom line is faith is the core foundation of the Christian life. Having said that, obedience is another indispensable substance that we need to serve God acceptably. However, faith is the starting point of obedience. Faith in God by willing to apply the precepts found in His Word into our lives is what gives birth to obedience.
We’re saved by grace through faith alone according to (Ephesians 2:8). Through Christ, salvation which is the door to other countless blessings is readily available to anyone who is willing to receive it by faith. Our whole life starts from salvation to the extent of the final stage called glorification is rested upon our faith in God. Lastly, without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Let’s exercise the kind of unwavering faith required of us by God by standing firmly on His promises.
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