Faith
- 1. DEFINITION: Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.
2. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. See Synonyms at belief. See Synonyms at trust.
3. Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance: keeping faith with one’s supporters.
4. often Faith Christianity. The theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God’s will.
5. The body of dogma of a religion: the Muslim faith.
6. A set of principles or beliefs.
Why is faith so important? Some leaders of the Christian life say that faith is the foundation of our beliefs and life.
Faith has the power to heal us when we ask Jesus and trust Him.
Matthew 9:2 Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Take heart, son! Your sins are forgiven.”
Faith doesn’t only heal but it can raise the dead as well.
Matthew 9:18 (Jesus Heals in Response to Faith)
As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt down before him. “My daughter has just died,” he said, “but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand upon her.”
To have faith we need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus at all times in all situations.
Matthew 14:31 Instantly Jesus reached out his hand and grabbed him. “You don’t have much faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
Jesus told his disciples that if they had faith even the size of the smallest seed which is the mustard seed, that they would see miracles performed and that they could move mountains.
Matthew 17:20 “You didn’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”
Jesus’ faith was perfect. He performed many miracles and signs for the people of His time. But He said we will do even greater things if we only have faith.
Matthew 21:21 Then Jesus told them, “I assure you, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, `May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,’ and it will happen.
Faith is even more important than other physical acts of worship. The physical acts of worship are important, but without faith, they mean nothing.
Matthew 23:23 “How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, [ Greek to tithe the mint, the dill, and the cumin.] but you ignore the important things of the law–justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things.
When you have faith in Jesus, you will find that Jesus will forgive your sins.
Mark 2:5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My son, your sins are forgiven.”
It takes faith to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. We need to believe like little children in what Jesus tells us. If we do not, we have no place in Heaven.
Mark 10:15 I assure you, anyone who doesn’t have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God.”
Jesus instructed his followers to have faith.
Mark 11:22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God.
Jesus is concerned about when He returns as to how many will actually have faith in Him. Will you?
Luke 18:8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when I, the Son of Man, return, how many will I find who have faith?”
Having faith will see us through the many trials and tribulations we will go through not only as humans but as children of God.
Acts 14:22 …where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that they must enter into the Kingdom of God through many tribulations.
It is necessary for ALL who live to have faith. For it is through faith in Jesus that we are saved from the fires of Hell and eternal damnation.
Acts 20:21 I have had one message for Jews and Gentiles alike–the necessity of turning from sin and turning to God, and of faith in our Lord Jesus.
Having faith not only encourages us in our walk, but when other believers see our faith, they will be encouraged by our faith as well.
Romans 1:12 I’m eager to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. In this way, each of us will be a blessing to the other.
We are made right in God’s eyes, only through faith from start to finish.
Romans 1:17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” (Hab 2:4)
It is not by our good works that we receive any glory or grow in God, but it is by faith in God. We have nothing to boast about except God’s love for us.
Romans 3:27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds. It is based on our faith.
Romans 4:5 But people are declared righteous because of their faith, not because of their work.
Faith in Jesus brings peace into our lives.
Romans 5:1 (Faith Brings Joy) Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
It is through faith that we are able to stand confidently before the Lord with our petitions and our thanksgiving.
Romans 5:2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
It is essential to have faith and we get our faith by reading God’s word and listening to others tell us about God’s word.
Romans 10:17 Yet faith comes from listening to this message of good news–the Good News about Christ.
Faith is one of the Gifts of God mentioned in the Bible.
1 Corinthians 12:9 The Spirit gives special faith to another, and to someone else he gives the power to heal the sick.
Faith is listed among the three greatest gifts that will always endure.
1 Corinthians 13:13 There are three things that will endure–faith, hope, and love–and the greatest of these is love.
Our faith is useless if we do not believe that Jesus rose from the dead and sits beside the Father in Heaven.
1 Corinthians 15:17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still under condemnation for your sins.
Is your faith the true faith or is it just something you imagine you have. You are told to test your faith to see if it is the true faith needed for the Christian to walk the walk.
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine. Test yourselves. If you cannot tell that Jesus Christ is among you,(Or in you.) It means you have failed the test.
Faith is for everybody, not just the Jewish people whom God loves.
Galatians 3:14 Through the work of Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, and we Christians receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.
When we have faith, we can go boldly into God’s presence knowing full well we will be welcomed there.
Ephesians 3:12 Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly into God’s presence, assured of his glad welcome.
All Christians need faith to fight off the attacks of the enemy. Faith is our shield, one of the pieces of the armor of God listed that we need to put on daily to ward off the darts of the enemy.
Ephesians 6:16 In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.
Faith protects us.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 But let us who live in the light think clearly, protected by the body armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.
Christian leaders must have faith in their lives that can be clearly seen by others. Anyone in a leadership position must have faith and a clear conscience.
1 Timothy 3:9 They must be committed to the revealed truths of the Christian faith and must live with a clear conscience.
It takes a great deal of faith to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
1 Timothy 3:16 Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: (Jesus) appeared in the flesh and was shown to be righteous by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and was announced to the nations. He was believed on in the world and was taken up into heaven.
Even young children or the youth of our day can have and demonstrate faith and it should not deter them if someone laughs at them or persecutes them, or adults for that matter, for their faith.
1 Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.
We are to continue to pursue and go after faith and all that is good if we ant to remain pure in our hearts to the Lord..
2 Timothy 2:22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do right. Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.
Sometimes it is necessary to be disciplined in order to return to our faith if we are found to be doing something we ought not to be doing.
Titus 1:13 This is true. So rebuke them as sternly as necessary to make them strong in the faith.
If we are to be righteous, as God calls us to be, we are to live by faith.
Hebrews 10:38 And a righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” (Hab 2:3-4)
Faith assures our salvation.
Hebrews 10:39 But we are not like those who turn their backs on God and seal their fate. We have faith that assures our salvation.
It is by faith that we believe everything God has done, shown us or asks us to believe in.
Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
When our faith is tested, it gives us a chance to grow in the Lord.
James 1:3 For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
You do not have faith in Jesus if you love some and hold prejudices against others. God is no respecter of persons, so we should not be either.
James 2:1 My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim that you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people more than others? Faith without good deeds means nothing. Anyone can have faith, but is your faith an action or a feeling?
James 2:14-17 Dear brothers and sisters, what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone. 15Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, and you say, “Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well” — but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all — it is dead and useless.
James 2:20 Fool! When will you ever learn that faith that does not result in good deeds is useless?
God admires those whose faith has been tested and remains true.
1 Peter 1:7 These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold–and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
So why is faith so important? It is the foundation of our Christian walk. Without faith we cannot be healed, we cannot persevere through trying times, we cannot share the goodness of God, we cannot walk in God’s way, we cannot be saved, we cannot have our prayers answered, we cannot be protected, we cannot follow Jesus, and quite simply, we cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
Hebrews 11 is considered the Hall of Faith because it lists many who lived by faith and saw God’s promises come true. We as Christians in today’s world are no less responsible to have this kind of faith. In fact, we need it moreso now than ever because of all the new religions that are coming out against Christianity. Everywhere we turn, the Christian way of life is being attacked and that is what the Bible said would happen in the end times. We need faith to stand up for what we truly believe in or we will be swayed like a leaf in the wind. Jesus is our Rock and if we stand on Him, we will have the kind of faith that can move mountains. But if we lack faith, we will falter and may even be lead astray from the Lord.
So my question is, where is your faith at these days? And how strong is your faith?