Faith changes everything. I do not mean that faith in God always changes our circumstances. But faith changes our entire outlook on life so that everything looks different. With faith in God, we can face great difficulties knowing that God will give us the strength and provide a way. With faith in God, we can face great loss with courage, great sorrow with hope, great burdens with renewed strength, and impossible conflicts with confidence.
When we look at the world with faith in God, mountains are no longer heaps of rock and soil, but the sculpting of the hand of God; a tiny flower is no longer a mere plant, but one speck of the splendor of our God; a storm is no longer a chaotic fury, but a sliver of the infinite power of God; and the blackest night is no longer the habitation of manifold evils, but a place where we can still say, “Thou art with me” (Psalm 23:4).
Faith changes our relationship with God. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ and believe that He died for our sins and rose again from the grave, God forgives our sins and makes us His sons and daughters. Then we live in the light of His love and favor.
Faith changes our relationship with death. With faith in God, death is no longer a fearful unknown, but the exchange of time for eternity in the presence of Christ.
Faith changes everything. It changes our outlook on life, our relationship with God, and our life after death. Faith is a subject worthy of study. The new Bible Helps article entitled, “What is Faith?” begins a three-part series studying faith from Hebrews chapter 11.
Sometimes it is good to go back to the basics and review again the foundations of what is means to be a Christian. Faith is a word that can be used pretty loosely sometimes, with as much definite meaning as a rolling cloud of sea fog. Sometimes faith is used to mean “whatever transcendent spiritual ideas a person happens to believe on a certain day.” Sometimes the plural faiths is used to mean “all the religious ideas that people hold, all of which are valid and worthy of celebration (except when they really get under someone’s skin).”
But throughout the Bible we find clear teaching on what faith definitely is. Unlike sea fog, faith has definite contours. The Bible presents doctrines to be believed, practices to be obeyed, and the character of a God who can be trusted. Here are some quotes from the article by Brother Luther:
“Sometimes people use the word faith to mean that they hope something is true but are not certain that it is. This is not what faith means in the Bible.”
“Faith is not a feeling—rather, it is a conviction.”
“Our conception of God needs to be more than a vague idea of a ‘supreme being.’”
Faith is: “resting all of one’s weight on God.”
Faith is not: “trying to come to God in another way different from the way God requires.”
It is our prayer that this new series on faith will deepen our relationship with God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
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