Faith

         Faith is a word we often use. It is used to mean different things depending on the context of the sentence. People are said to have faith in a person or a thing, they break faith with someone, and they show faith. So what is faith? The Oxford American Dictionary defines faith as:
1) Reliance or trust in a person or thing. 2) Belief in a religious doctrine. 3) A system of religious belief. 4) Loyalty, sincerity.
Faith is used in all four contexts described above. What is the meaning of the word when the bible talks of faith? As you look through your bible you will see that each of the four meanings of faith is used. So when the bible talks of faith it is not speaking of one meaning only. Depending on its use, it is speaking of one of the four meanings above.

         When a person speaks of having faith in Jesus Christ that person is talking of relying on Christ, trusting him. We are taught all through the scriptures that we are to trust Christ and to have faith in him.

2 Chr 20:20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful."

John 2:11 This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

These two passages are talking about trusting God. Second Chronicles 20:20 shows the Israelites moving towards the desert of Tekoa in order to fight the Ammonites and Moabites. Jehoshaphat told his followers to have faith in God. In essence, he is saying don’t worry. Jehoshaphat seems to be saying, do what God told you to do and he’ll take care of the rest. Jehoshaphat was not saying to sit back and let God do everything. He was saying that God guides everything but that he expects us to do what he has instructed us to do. Jehoshaphat is also referencing the idea that we should not just trust God as we trust that our car will take us safely from point A to point B. He is talking about a deep trust that holds God in awe, reverentially trusting God to provide that which is in our best interest, much the same way children trust their parents.

         John 2:11 is talking of the same thing, but with a deeper meaning. If you read the book up to that point, you will notice that it is early in Jesus’ ministry. He had been declared the Messiah by John the Baptist and had gathered all His disciples. Here he is attending a wedding and when the wine ran out he turned the water into wine. It is at this point that the disciples put their faith in him. They saw this miracle done and they knew they were following none other than God himself. The trust implied here is the type of trust described above but, is also the trust one has when one realizes that the person Jesus Christ is also the one who created them. Granted, their faith was an immature faith, but they had grown to realize that he is the Messiah. For a Jew, that is an important revelation. They realized that he was sent by God to redeem them. They had not yet realized Jesus is God. Their understanding grew to a deeper knowledge later on in Jesus’ ministry. At this time they decided to totally entrust Jesus with their lives. The disciples depend on him for food, shelter, and clothing and for all the necessities of life. As time with Jesus went on their trust grew deeper and their understanding of faith broadened. This is the type of faith we need to learn. Life is a continual lesson in this type of faith. It is said so frequently that we really do not hear it anymore. It is one of the most fundamental truths. We do not even draw breath but by the grace of God. Everything we need comes from him and through him. We need to realize, truly realize, that we are totally dependent on God for everything we need and desire. We can get nothing unless he allows it. It does not matter how much we work, the amount of money we make, where we go, the help we enlist or the temper tantrums we throw, if God chooses not to allow us to have a certain thing we will not get it. Of course, free will enters the picture but, that is a totally different subject.

         The third definition of faith is that of a belief system, such as the Christian Faith or the Jewish Faith. This usage of the word is employed less often than the other two. However, it is used, as in

Gal 1:23 They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy."

When Paul tells the Galatians about preaching to the Judeans and their lack of knowledge of him. He talks about them hearing a report of Paul no longer persecuting the Christian Faith, but preaching and spreading it. Paul wrote about faith quite a bit and spoke of it often in all of his letters. In both letters to Timothy he encourages his “son” and speaks of faith. Look at

1 Tim 3:9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.

Here Paul is instructing Timothy to encourage his congregation to adhere to what is taught in the faith so that their conscience will stay unencumbered. These are two examples of this use of the word faith. I will leave this definition, as it is fairly self-explanatory.

         The fourth and last use of faith is that of loyalty or sincerity. We often use this meaning when talking of a “faithful follower of Christ”. Faith is used in this way often in the bible. Look at

Deut 32:4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

Moses is singing the praises of God and singing about his loyalty to the Israelites. We often quote Matthew 25:21 where the master tells his servant “well done, good and faithful servant”. We apply this to our desire to hear God say this to us when our life on earth has ended. It is also used in

II Th 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

Paul is again telling us of God’s loyalty and sincerity, about his willingness and diligence in strengthening us and providing the protection we need. We can never say enough about God in this. Think of the most loyal person you know. God makes this person look untrustworthy in comparison. Paul writes all through the New Testament about God’s faithfulness as well as about those Christian brothers Paul sent in his stead to continue his work.

         These are the four uses for the word faith. Faith is used throughout God’s Word and is used in each of the four definitions. It is my prayer that you will read through the Bible and discover for yourself what God has to say about faith and many other subjects. He has something to tell you about every area of your life and it can all be found in his word.