LESSON 1.5 WHAT IS FAITH AND HOW DO WE GET IT?

Lesson 1 - FAITH

1.5 WHAT IS FAITH AND HOW DO WE GET IT?

A true faith in God is a belief and trust in all that the Bible teaches about God and everything He promises to man. We are told how we get faith in Romans 10:17: so then faith comes by hearing the word of God. Getting this kind of faith will involve work from us. God doesn't put it into us; we must work to get it. Jesus tells us this in John 6:29. "Jesus answered and said unto them: This is the work of God, that you believe on Him (Christ) whom He (God) hath sent." To apply the teaching as Christ directs will mean that you must learn the truth and put it into action. If you learn the truth but don't do it, your faith is not real. Many have defined the word faith incorrectly as a mental acceptance of a superior being. In the Scriptures quoted here, you have learned that faith involves much more.

I commend you for the efforts you are making to learn more about the Bible by taking this course. Your faith in God will grow as you learn more facts from the Bible. But remember, learning facts alone will not save you. What you learn must be acted on, or it is considered to be a dead faith, James 2:17. As an example of what I mean, 1 Peter 3:21 makes the statement that baptism saves. This verse gives vital instructions for your salvation. It means that you must be baptized to be saved. If you say you believe and trust God's Word, you will do it. But if you learn the facts about baptism and don't obey them, you have a dead faith. It is called a dead faith because you didn't trust what you learned by doing it. Refusal to obey shows that you don't really believe or trust God . Hebrews 11:6. Without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing to Him; for he that comes to God must believe that He is the rewarder of them that seek after Him.

God will not give you faith. He will provide the evidence and basis for belief and then expects you to build a working faith. You will either trust Him and do what the Bible says, or reject it. God will not do our homework for us. Getting faith and keeping it is our part in getting salvation. The kind of faith that God requires of us is one that goes to work on what we have learned.