What is Faith?

  What is Faith?

There are some words in English that are used so much and in so many different contexts that their deep and pointed meaning often becomes vague and elusive. The mere mention of the word faith conveys many plausible definitions. Faith is a religion. Faith is a belief. Faith is an action. Faith is a philosophy. Faith is a word that could use some examination as to what it is and what it means to us. It is a very common word, and the mention of it does not always bring a concrete definition to mind. Faith however is more of a silent invisible action. Something that happens behind the castle walls of our minds so to speak. In a world where the word is used so much, is there an experience that can describe faith in a practical way that agrees with scripture? Is there an action that can describe faith? What can we say about faith?

• Faith often involves that which we cannot see. More often promises.
• You cannot please God without faith, just as you cannot make friends if you do not render some trust.
• God has given every man and women a measure of faith. God has given every person alive the ability to choose to believe.

Hebrews 11:1-3

1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2. For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3. Through faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Webster's dictionary has this to say about faith...

“Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting solely and implicitly on his authority and veracity; reliance on testimony.”

What does it mean to have faith? When God makes a promise in the Bible, do we believe it? What does it take to believe something? When your mother or father says, “I love you, do you believe them?” The vast majority would reply without hesitation, “Of course I believe them!” What did you have to do to come to that conclusion? Most of use would nobly reply without actually thinking about it, because to many of us, it would be an indisputable fact. It would have to depend on the person in question. What has been their track record? For many of us, despite their failings, our parents would receive a hasty vote of confidence in this area. What about someone who you may not know very well?

If the person promises something, you may be not be as quick to believe them as someone you know well. They have not established as yet as a track record that you can use as a basis for trusting them.

What is the process for believing something? What is the process for having faith in something? You are presented with information, and you have a choice to make. Sooner or later you will decide if you will trust the information based on what you are told about it or what you have researched. “Am I going to take this seriously?”

There are going to reasons you decide to take it seriously, and assimilate it. There will be reasons for your rejecting whatever it is. Your decision to have faith in whatever it is will be based on the reasons for it. People usually use reason to make up their minds unless they are doing it because it feels good which does not imply that there is active reasoning going on.

It is likely that in having faith in something, that your mind will have reasons for it or against it. The conclusion in our minds may be very lopsided as to being for or against the idea, or it may be a tie as to which idea makes the most sense. And in the end, your conclusion may have a lot to do with feeling since making the choice you deem as right will make you feel good in that you made the right choice based on what you knew, although feelings should not be a determining factor. The determining factor should be, what is right? Often what we know is right does not sit well with us. Even though we know what is right, we might not make that choice because we know that we will be denied some pleasure or do without some desired activity or object. It is at this pivotal point that we need to ask God, in faith, for a moral backbone.

This is not easy because we are taking a path in this request which will deny us what we want for sure! The question is, “can God give that moral backbone?” Does God give a blueprint for good behavior without the power to back up doing what is right? The question is not about if God is able. The question is if we are actively willing, and if we choose to believe despite what our senses tell us. God has the power, and God is able to give a moral backbone to those who ask in faith. If they believe His promises, it will happen despite appearances to the contrary.

“And the Lord said, If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say unto this sycamine tree, Be plucked up by the root, and be planted in the sea; and it would obey you.” Luke 17:6

Jesus here is using the tree as a symbol of what is possible to people who have faith. What goes on in our minds when we struggle to believe? What goes on in our minds when we want to have faith, and the challenge seems insurmountable?

Our minds can come up with all sorts of objections, rationalizations, distractions and detours. “It is too much effort to believe! God is asking too much of me! It is not really going to happen!” This can go on and on and on and on! How much worry, stress and fatigue to go through! But what happens if faith is a silent determined choice behind the Castle walls of our mind... such as the following?

“It is too much effort... I choose to believe God. “ God is asking too much...God is able to help me, and He will see me through this!“ “It is not really going to...”God has promised. And what He promises happens!” It is at this point that there is a war going on inside. Faith is fighting unbelief. It takes 23 times of doing something until your brain forms a habit...till the electrochemical trail has an established path from your frontal lobe to the automated area in your brain. If faith fights the good fight enough times in its trust in God, you will have the advantage of a habit on your side!

Faith in the face of God's promises is an action of refusing to listen to the doubts, the what if's, the maybes, and the objections our minds come up with, and instead actively choosing to dwell on the promises of God, and all the times He has come thought in the past. Saying to the doubts and objections, “you have no place in my mind, and no place in my heart. I have chosen to trust the Savior and His sure promises. You are part of the old life, and there is no further need of you.” We will still be rational people, and faith in God will be our security. People who have faith are less likely to worry.o or stress out. Since they implicitly trust God, they know that He is in control.

“Behold! If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Behold! All things become new!” 2^nd Corinthians 5:17

When people have faith, they will leave their worries and problems to Him knowing that He will deal with it, and they will have time to contemplate and think about better things. So faith is a noun. It conveys an idea. The idea is that we should trust God.

Faith is also a verb. It is the action of refusing to entertain doubt, and claiming with all confidence, God has me covered! My actions are to ignore the doubts, the what if's, the maybes, the detours and the objections so to have complete trust...complete faith in God. Our faith will be tested at times, but God will always reward our faith, and as our gaze is on Him, it will steadily become mightier and mightier.

The question might be asked, how does God give us a moral backbone? How does God make us a new person? In the coming articles, I will show how this is both a spiritual and a physiological issue. Yes, the body itself is involved. How and why is yet to come.