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Among the precious promises of Scripture are found the wonderful words, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” (1John 5:4) Key to our overcoming the world, and ultimately being saved from sin and death, is the concept of faith – and it is hardly a surprise that Satan has been busy at work in Christendom concerning this matter. Often, professed Christians will read the same passages of the Bible and come away with different ideas. The reason for this is a simple one: the enemy of souls has so complicated the terminology and simplicity of the Gospel, that the same word can mean different things to different people.

Faith is one of those words that is often discussed but little understood, and Lucifer would have it be always so. The more discussions people have about faith, the better pleased he is – provided that his ideas and misconceptions are allowed to reside in and cloud the minds of those who both hear and “speak great, swelling words of vanity.” (2Pet 2:18) Following therefore the advice of Paul and refusing to depart from “the simplicity that is in Christ,” (2Cor 11:3) what follows is a simple, brief list of the characteristics of faith from the Scriptures. Faith is the means by which we grab hold of the Grace that offers us salvation, and so we had best know what it is!

Each of the following points could be expanded a great deal more, however it would become counterproductive if any particular aspect was drawn out too long. We can find clearly from the Word of Yah what faith is, and what it is not; and as it is always more pleasing to end on a high and encouraging note, I will begin with what faith is not.

1) Faith is not a feeling.

Many sects within Christianity thrive on “feeling close to God,” considering this to be an accurate indication of their spiritual well-being. In doing so, they invite upon themselves great sorrow, for the Scriptures tell us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer 17:9) While this Scripture speaks of the natural man, the previous and unconverted heart, even those who have accepted the faith of Christ cannot wholly rely on what we feel to tell us what is “true.”

Consider the words of John: “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.” (1John 3:20) Satan can, and will, tempt us to be discouraged, to feel unworthy, and to give up – thus ruining our ability to encourage others to accept the Salvation of Yah. He is able to do this with considerable ease, because to some degree his accusations are true. Man IS unworthy of the great gift Heaven offers him – of himself – and if we forget that it is Christ in us that is the hope of glory, the accuser will take us captive. The Scriptures tell us that the name given to the faithful will be, “YAHWEH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS,” (Jer 23:6) and it is in our acceptance of this that we overcome the temptation to be disheartened by the fact that our righteousness is as filthy rags. (Isa 64:6) We accept His righteousness as our own, despite how we may feel, and so we may “therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:16)

On the other side of the coin, just as “feeling” far from Yah is no indication of divine disfavor, feeling “good” about something is no indication that one’s path is righteous. The Word cautions us, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Pro 14:12 & 16:25) Those who feel led to do or say something may have the best of intentions, however IF such actions or words run contrary to the Scriptures, then our feelings are in error, and ought not be considered, except as a tool for self-examination. Paul writes, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.” (2Cor 13:5) A popular Scripture that emphasizes this point reads, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. “ (Isaiah 8:20) If we are having feelings that are not in harmony with the Scriptures, it might be of benefit to us to pray and ask why this is so.

2) Faith is not a result of works.

This claim is not often made. It does bear mentioning, however, because there are still some individuals out there who believe that we can earn our way into Heaven by our works. They believe that doing good deeds will increase our standing with the Redeemer, although this is covered more in the next point.

For this it is sufficient to quote: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” (Eph 2:8) Paul here equates faith with “the gift of God.” The means by which we lay hold of Grace must also be given, and will be to those who seek Him – not by works – but by an earnest and contrite heart. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Psa 51:17)

Now, some groups take this too far. They claim that since even faith is a gift, God has therefore chosen beforehand those who will be saved and those who will not. They take Paul’s statements about nations in Romans 9 (e.g. verse 13 about Jacob representing Israel and Esau representing Edom) and apply them to individuals. The Bible makes a clear distinction between individual salvation and national favor, however. For example, as individuals “all Israel” will be saved, all who are “Jews indeed,” that is spiritually – but the vineyard was taken from them as a nation. (Rom 11:26, Mark 12:9) The truth is, Christ died for us while we were yet sinners and unable to seek Him of ourselves, (Rom 5:8) giving to us the ability to turn toward Him. Whereas none would seek after Yah on their own, the Son said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” (John 12:32)

“Predestination” as used in the Bible, therefore, indicates foreknowledge – since “all men” have been called to Christ on the cross – and not an arbitrary choosing of individuals as “vessels for honor” and “vessels for dishonor” as He does with nations as a whole. Consider: Ruth was a member of the Moabite nation (a vessel for dishonor – Isa 25:10) yet she was saved as an individual. Romans 9 cannot be therefore used to support the idea that faith is available only to a few individuals and withheld from others simply because some nations are favored and others are destroyed for reasons beyond our understanding. Faith is not earned – not by nations or by individuals – and is a gift that is available to all, every man and woman and child, but accepted by few.

3) Faith is not a co-factor in salvation along with works.

Legalists will look at the statement made by James, “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (2:20) and claim that salvation requires both faith and works. Further, they will note that the author follows that with, “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. “ (James 2:24) What they do not understand, however, is that James is not speaking there of a Christian’s faith, but of a misunderstanding of faith held by some people.

Consider his words here: “the devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19) The word for “believe” is the same word in Greek (pisteo) for “have faith.” The devils also have the kind of faith that some people find security in! True faith will lead naturally to works, as it is written, “Yea, a man may say, ‘Thou hast faith, and I have works:’ shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” (James 2:18) The beginning is important there, because James is not concluding that this man HAS faith, only that he may “say” he has it. Faith that has no works is dead, not because that faith falls without works, but because the claims of a faith that does not produce works is a false claim.

Few are more eloquent on this point than James himself, who writes, “Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? Either a vine, figs? So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.” (James 3:12) Christ said the same when He taught, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” (Mark 12:35) The reason why James writes that “faith only” does not justify is simple – anyone can claim to have faith, but those who have the true faith will reveal it in their works. They are therefore justified (literally: “declared to be righteous”) by those who can see and appreciate their faith, as it is seen in their actions.

There is no contradiction therefore between James and Paul, the latter of whom writes, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” (Rom 3:28) Whatever works we do are merely the result of the belief we have, which is the true Christian’s faith, unlike the familiarity held toward the Father by the devils for whom there is no remedy.

4) Faith is not blind.

Often well-meaning Christians do great damage to the cause of the Master by saying things like, “I don’t care what the evidence is, this is what I believe.” In their desire to escape from a difficult situation, they will leave others with the impression that faith is disconnected from reality. Peter said “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” (1Pet 3:15) While it is perfectly okay to admit that we do not know something, it is another thing to assert that something we accept as real runs contrary to our faith.

It is important to separate the terms “facts” and “evidence” from each other. Facts can be described loosely as things that we accept as true. One such fact would be: Dinosaur bones are found in layers of rock under the earth. Not many people dispute that. Evidence on the other hand can be seen as information that is used in an attempt to reach a conclusion. Most branches of science use the fact that large, no-longer-seen animals once lived on the earth as evidence that the world has been here for millions of years. This is of course a simplification of their belief, but it demonstrates the difference between facts and evidence. Facts are objective, while evidence is subjective – an interpretation placed upon those facts in order to arrive at or debunk a particular conclusion. All evidence is based upon underlying assumptions, and the conclusions drawn from any given set of evidence are only as good as the assumptions on which they rest.

It is true that faith can only really exist in the absence of proof. Christians readily admit that we do not have something that can be tested in a laboratory and held up as “proof” for our position. By the same token, we will point out that there exists no “proof” that Christianity is mistaken in any of its beliefs. While keeping this in mind, we are told from the Scriptures that what is required of us is our “reasonable service,” (Rom 12:1) and we are not left without reasons to believe. Without going into the “case for Christianity” as such, involving the historical, literary and physical evidence, it is enough for the purposes of this essay to state that a Christian who wishes to give a good testimony to the world will be diligent to discover what are the roots of his/her faith. As it was with Stephen, so it may be said of each of us, “they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.” (Acts 6:10) The Bible is true. It is not merely true “spiritually,” but also historically, biologically, anthropologically, astronomically and physically (that is, as it relates to physics). The same Author who inspired the words, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee,” (Jer 31:3) also spoke the laws of the universe into existence thousands of years ago.

Having said that, showing some of the things that faith is not, we go therefore to discover from the Scriptures what faith IS.

1) Faith is a decision.

Inasmuch as faith is not a feeling, we understand from the Bible that it is – like true love – a decision. Joshua counseled the Israelites, “choose you this day whom ye will serve,” (Josh 24:15) and Joel speaks of those who have not yet decided whether they will or will not accept the true faith: “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of Yahweh is near in the valley of decision.” (Joel 3:14)

The word used for faith is closely related to that which is commonly translated “trust,” and indeed the term implies this and more. It is a confidence, and an assurance, a living and deliberate connection to Christ, and an acceptance of His presence as the very core of our new (converted) nature. As Paul writes, “the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” (Gal 2:20)

Those who judge their level of faith by their feelings have no assurance of favor from Heaven. It is those who choose to believe, regardless of their emotional condition; these are the ones who have their religious experience built on the Rock that is Christ, and not on the sands of opinion or human experience. Paul’s advice to Timothy was to “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart,” (1Tim 2:22) and we see that these qualities are not attributes that are far from us, but are decisions that a sanctified heart will make. We may, by the righteousness of Christ in us, follow after these things, and attain the victory these provide.

Feelings can be useful, when accompanied by earnest prayer, however feelings based on faith will never provide a message out of harmony with the Scriptures. Feelings may be considered as indicators, but they cannot to be used alone for decision-making in matters as serious as the Christian walk. Indeed, new converts often experience a rush of elation which rightfully accompanies their new experience in the Messiah, but Yah may give time for the feelings to die off, so they can be shown to be acting from principle, rather than mere emotion. This process is as beneficial to the converts themselves as to the onlookers; feelings of doubt are unreliable, as are feelings of security, and we should not accept the accusation of Satan that we are “sinning” because we are tempted to doubt. The process of learning to act from principle is an effective shield against these attacks.

We must let the truth be our standard, and be faithful regardless of feelings. Christ’s feelings betrayed Him in the garden of Gethsemane. “Then saith He unto them, ‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.’” (Mat 26:48) The physician Luke describes His condition in even more dramatic terms. “And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:44) Yet in spite of His feelings and His temptations (and He was tempted in all points – Heb 4:15) He chose to continue on His mission, “Saying, ‘Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.’” (Luke 22:42) As He was an example for us, so let us do likewise, “according as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” (2Pet 1:3)

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.” (2Pet 1:5-8,10)

2) Faith is an active force.

The Master told His disciples, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, ‘Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea;’ and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” (Mark 11:23) This is not a statement promising that Christ’s sacrifice gives us authority to command the physical world in accordance with our own desires, but rather that a sincere request, when it is in accord with the Father’s plan, cannot be withheld from the supplicant. Prayer affects the “real world,” not just the mind of the one who prays.

The Scriptures tell us, “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:15, 16b) The prayer of faith, a request motivated by not only desire, but also trust in its effectiveness, does things. It heals, it overcomes obstacles, it deepens our relationship with the Father, for we see His promises to us being fulfilled.

Many point to the repeated failings of Israel with contempt, saying “I would never do those things,” or “I would not have made such foolish mistakes.” But if you ask these individuals about their spiritual lives, their testimony regarding their Christian walk is often, “I sin every day,” or “I try, but we all fall short of the glory,” or “It is impossible to live without sin.” These statements all reflect a lack of faith in the One of whom it is written, “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy; to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” (Jude 1:24,25) Within this brief passage is the only place in the Bible where the words “keep” and “falling” appear in the same verse.

The consistent promise of Scripture is that, “According to your faith be it unto you.” (Mat 9:29) If one believes he will fall; if one has faith that he will fall... he will fall. If one has faith he will stand, he will surely stand. Faith is an active force, and can be used to act for, or against, the salvation of those who possess it.

3) Faith is based on evidence.

The Scripture tells us plainly what faith is, saying: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1) This section goes along with what was stated earlier that faith, and the prayer of faith, deepens our relationship with Yahweh. The people of Israel stumbled so many times because they forgot the evidence their Savior had given them of His power. Some people believe that the verse in Hebrews should read, “the evidence of things never seen.” This is not the case, however, for Paul tells us that “the invisible things of [God] from the creation of the world are clearly seen.” (Rom 1:20a) Israel did have much evidence that the Creator was with them (as do all who call themselves “Christians”) , for Moses reminded them, “And Yahweh shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes.” (Deu 6:22) The problem was that they forgot, letting the present moment, the present temptation, the present desire, distract them from the eternal and fix their eyes upon the world below.

“And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of Yahweh, and forgat Yahweh their God, and served Baalim and the groves.” (Judges 13:7)

“They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law; and forgat His works, and His wonders that He had shewed them.” (Psalms 78:10,11)

Faith is the substance of things hoped for. The word “substance” means “that which is real.” It is not an abstract, ethereal thing that seems to sustain our spirits while leaving our bodies and minds unaffected. It is the mighty gift of the Father, provided to human beings for a link between our everyday experiences and the omnipotent authority of the eternal Throne. It can only do this when it is real, when it is solid, when it is built on a strong foundation. The evidence of Yahweh’s love is the foundation upon which our trust in Him is built, and if we, like Israel, forget what He has done for us, our faith quickly bleeds to death.

Just as faith itself is a decision, so is the ability to maintain it. Yah gives us grace to choose, and if we have found ourselves in a position to begin forgetting what the Almighty has done for us, or if we are tempted to consider doing so, the Savior gives us the remedy. “[Thou] hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” (Rev 2:3-5) This church in Ephesus was in great danger, and that is why the Master’s words were so dire. However, if an individual finds himself claiming that he “cannot cease to sin,” or can but “has not yet gotten to that level,” despite all the majesty of Heaven arrayed to give him the power to do so and an infinite Sacrifice given to furnish the means by which even the weakest soul may receive it, is he not also in the greatest, most urgent danger?

The first step given is to Remember who our Father is, and what He has done for us in the past, for without the presence of this evidence, no true faith can exist.

4) Faith is equally given.

This is a key point – and often not understood even by the most apparently “powerful” of Christians. The Scriptures say that the Father is “no respector of persons,” (Acts 10:34) and He gives equally to all His children those things which we need for our daily experience with Him. It is written, “I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” (Rom 12:3)

This is an excellent verse reminding people to guard against spiritual pride, but the reason Paul gives for this principle is that “God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” It is not a measure or some measure. It is not even a little or a lot of faith, it is the measure, the word there indicating a standard or fitting amount. There are no levels to faith. People do not believe in parts, but they either decide to trust, or they may decide not to trust – while seeming to have faith in those areas wherein they can afford to suffer loss. Many who feel they have great faith (and have convinced others of the same) are leaning on a false hope. Their faith has never been tested by a genuine trial, and it is as easy in such a case to produce the illusion of strong faith as it is to donate a large sum of money to charity if one is very wealthy.

But faith is not like a tithe. It is not something that can be given in sections with a part reserved “just in case.” Those who have received the measure of faith have faith, and those who have not received the measure of faith do not. “Now when Jesus heard these things, He said unto him, ‘Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.’” (Luke 18:22) The sacrifice of all that we have is required. This is not to say we must sell all the physical goods over which we have been appointed as stewards, but like the early Church we are to consider the things we have as a responsibility, given for us to help others who have not. (Acts 4:32-35)

This is no less true spiritually than it is physically. If we are not wholly trusting, we are wholly untrusting. While it is true that the Savior used terms like “little faith” (Mat 8:10) and “great faith,” (Mat 8:26) we can see from the people at whom these statements were directed that this is not in conflict with the statement in Romans 12. Those who were described as having “great faith” were those who believed in Him. Those who were described as having “little faith” were those unto whom He said in a parallel account, “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” (Mark 4:40) As Paul writes, the words of inspiration are given to those who are willing to “speak as a man,” (Rom 3:5) that is to say, in human terms, in order to get the message across.

Great faith is that faith which is exercised in great ways. When that measure is applied to “real life” then “real life” is affected by it. It cannot fail to have an effect, for “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?” (Mat 7:11) Those who have “little faith” only exercise the measure in areas that are “safe,” and so they never grow in understanding of grace because they have no trust in their Master, and as in the parable of the talents, “he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.” (Mark 4:25)

The true faith of the Bible is that which springs forth from the Savior living within us. (Gal 2:20) True, internal faith is “the measure” that one either has or has not. The Savior may be leading (or attempting to lead) many, but He is dwelling in few. False faith is how much one may believe in an outside thing, and this can in fairness motivate acts of good, based upon Yahshua leading them, though He is not IN them. The apostles for a long time were led by Christ, but not until after His death could they understand what it meant to have Him dwell within them. On one occasion, “the apostles said unto the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’” (Luke 17:5)

“And the Lord said, ‘If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.’” (Luke 17:6) Even the “least” amount of true faith (if we speak as a man) is the full measure, and leads to that saving trust in Yah. True faith cannot be increased as the apostles requested, it can only be accepted. The greatest profession of faith that is not founded on the living presence of the Living God can do nothing but lead to a false sense of security and the occasional “good work.”

5) True faith endures all points of trial.

The measure of faith, which is true faith resulting from a decision based on evidence, is both active and invincible. All five points of what faith is fit together in this manner. The Bible gives us this promise: Christ, “According as His divine power, hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” (2Pet 1:3) We are not given some things pertaining to godliness, or even most. Just as we have “the” measure of faith, so we are given “all” things by that Spirit which is poured out upon us from above.

This was the experience the Son had, saying, “the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.” (John 8:29) This is the experience each least human may enjoy by His infinite gift, and which the Remnant of the faithful fully possess, for we have both the “faith of Jesus” and the “testimony of Jesus.” (Rev 14:12 and 12:17)

In terms of the freedom from sin which true faith provides (John 5:14, 8:11) this is easily understood in terms of the fact that true faith can only be possessed by those who are born again. These are they who “Likewise reckon [themselves] to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom 6:11)

Consider the following: A dead body can be subjected to great or little discomfort; it can be stuck with a pin, or it can have an arm severed. In either case, the reaction from the corpse is exactly the same – nothing. If the self is dead, truly dead, the level of temptation is without significance. Some who have not “the measure of faith” will say, “The temptation was too great, I had to give in.” In doing so, they admit only that “self” is still alive in them, and that they failed to grasp the “way to escape” provided. It is written, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1Cor 10:13) We may feel the power of the temptations (in our flesh), but we “Walk in the Spirit, and... shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Gal 5:16)

These are the promises of Scripture, that we who are truly converted to light and faith accept a Sacrifice without limit, that we “might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2Peter 1:4) Have we accepted Christ fully? Then we have already escaped the corruption of this world. If we have not fully escaped, we are not yet partakers of the divine nature, and “Marvel not that I said unto thee, ‘Ye must be born again.’” (John 3:7)

Faith, like love, “Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things,” (1Cor 13:7) for they are both aspects of the fruit (singular) of the Spirit. (Gal 5:22) When it is realized that if one has faith that is “weak,” faltering, occasional or anything less than perfect he does not have any, well might this person cry, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. “ (Mark 9:24) When those who have never experienced the full measure of faith ask for it in sincerity and humility, considering all that they had before “but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:8) then they will receive it. They will have become as little children, with perfect, innocent trust, and as the Savior said, “of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Mark 19:14)

David.

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