What Is Faith According To The Bible

What Is Faith

We have learned from the previous lesson that Faith and the Gospel is essential for salvation. If a man wants to be saved from the wrath of God on the day of Judgment and receive the "Crown of Life", he must acquire the perfect faith and do the will of God in accordance with the Gospel of Christ. 02A.1   What is faith according to the Bible? In Hebrews 11:1 this is clearly explained: What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. (NLT) The same verse in the other versions of the bible: Now faith is a well-grounded assurance of that for which we hope, and a conviction of the reality of things which we do not see. (Weymouth's New Testament) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (NKJV) Faith is a confident assurance, a well-grounded assurance that something we want and hope for is going to happen. It is a conviction (strong belief) of the reality of things we hope for, which we cannot yet see. 02A.2   What does having faith mean? In Romans 4:18-21, Apostle Paul wrote about Abraham's faith: 18. Hoping in spite of hopeless circumstances, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," just as he had been told: "This is how many descendants you will have." 19. He did not weaken in faith when he thought about his own body (which was already as good as dead now that he was about a hundred years old) or about Sarah's inability to have children, 20. nor did he doubt God's promise out of a lack of faith. Instead, he became strong in faith and gave glory to God, 21. being absolutely convinced that God would do what he had promised. (ISV) Having faith is hoping in spite of hopeless circumstances. Having faith is never doubting the promises of God. Having faith is being absolutely convinced that God would do what he had promised to do. ________________ Faith must have a basis of which it must be firmly rooted and grounded. In the olden days God talked directly to people as in the case of Abraham but in these last days we have only the Holy Scriptures to rely upon. In the Christian era, the promises of God is in the Gospel of Christ which are written in the Holy Bible. In order to ground our faith in the Gospel, we must believe that the Gospel being preached to us is true and that the Bible on which the Gospel was written must also be true. 02A.3   Can we ground our faith in the Holy Bible?  What kind of book is the Holy Bible on which we are going to base our faith?  In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, this is written: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do. (NLT) The Holy Bible was given by inspiration of God and it is useful to teach us what is true.  The scripture is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do. Everyone is encourage to verify the truthfulness of the Holy Bible,  so one may gain confidence that the Holy Bible can become the basis of his faith. 02A.4   What should be the ultimate goal of our faith, the things we should hope for which we will receive in the future? In the following verses, these are written: and you are sure of the goal of your faith, that is, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:9, NJB)  Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12, RSV) The ultimate goal of our faith should be the salvation of our soul and the receipt of the "Crown of Life"—the eternal life in heaven—which God has promised that He will give as a reward for those who love Him.