Got Question on Faith and
Trust
Question: "What does
the Bible say about faith?"
Answer:
Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain
of what we do not see.” Perhaps no other component of the Christian life is
more important than faith. We cannot purchase it, sell it or give it to our
friends. So what is faith and what role does faith play in the Christian life? The
dictionary defines faith as “belief in, devotion to, or trust in somebody or
something, especially without logical proof.” It also defines faith as “belief
in and devotion to God.” The Bible has much more to say about faith and how
important it is. In fact, it is so important that, without faith, we have no
place with God, and it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). According to
the Bible, faith is belief in the one, true God without actually seeing Him.
Where
does faith come from? Faith is not something we conjure up on our own, nor is
it something we are born with, nor is faith a result of diligence in study or
pursuit of the spiritual. Ephesians 2:8-9 makes it clear that faith is a gift
from God, not because we deserve it, have earned it, or are worthy to have it.
It is not from ourselves; it is from God. It is not obtained by our power or
our free will. Faith is simply given to us by God, along with His grace and
mercy, according to His holy plan and purpose, and because of that, He gets all
the glory.
Why
have faith? God designed a way to distinguish between those who belong to Him
and those who don’t, and it is called faith. Very simply, we need faith to
please God. God tells us that it pleases Him that we believe in Him even though
we cannot see Him. A key part of Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “he rewards those
who earnestly seek him.” This is not to say that we have faith in God just to
get something from Him. However, God loves to bless those who are obedient and
faithful. We see a perfect example of this in Luke 7:50. Jesus is engaged in
dialog with a sinful woman when He gives us a glimpse of why faith is so
rewarding. “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” The woman believed in Jesus
Christ by faith, and He rewarded her for it. Finally, faith is what sustains us
to the end, knowing that by faith we will be in heaven with God for all
eternity. “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do
not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious
joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls”
(1 Peter 1:8-9).
Examples
of faith. Hebrews chapter 11 is known as the “faith chapter” because in it
great deeds of faith are described. By faith Abel offered a pleasing sacrifice
to the Lord (v. 4); by faith Noah prepared the ark in a time when rain was
unknown (v. 7); by faith Abraham left his home and obeyed God’s command to go
he knew not where, then willingly offered up his only son (vv. 8-10, 17); by
faith Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt (vv. 23-29); by faith Rahab
received the spies of Israel and saved her life (v. 31). Many more heroes of
the faith are mentioned “who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered
justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched
the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was
turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign
armies” (vv. 33-34). Clearly, the existence of faith is demonstrated by action.
According
to the Bible, faith is essential to Christianity. Without demonstrating faith
and trust in God, we have no place with Him. We believe in God’s existence by
faith. Most people have a vague, disjointed notion of who God is but lack the
reverence necessary for His exalted position in their lives. These people lack
the true faith needed to have an eternal relationship with the God who loves
them. Our faith can falter at times, but because it is the gift of God, given
to His children, He provides times of trial and testing in order to prove that
our faith is real and to sharpen and strengthen it. This is why James tells us
to consider it “pure joy” when we fall into trials, because the testing of our
faith produces perseverance and matures us, providing the evidence that our
faith is real (James 1:2-4).
Question: "What does
the Bible say about trust?"
Answer:
The words translated “trust” in the Bible literally mean “a bold, confident,
sure security or action based on that security.” Trust is not exactly the same
as faith, which is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Rather, trusting is what
we do because of the faith we have been given. Trusting is believing in the
promises of God in all circumstances, even in those where the evidence seems to
be to the contrary. Hebrews 11 talks about faith, which is accepting and
believing the truth that God reveals about Himself, supremely in the person of
His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, the practical consequence of
faith in God is trust, which we prove by living out our full acceptance of
God’s promises day by day. Furthermore, it is by this trust that we are
promised peace: “You will keep in peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he
trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3).
The
classic verse regarding trust is Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the LORD with all your
heart and lean not on your own understanding.” This verse sums up the Bible’s
teaching on trust. First, it is the Lord in whom we are to trust, not ourselves
or our plans, and certainly not the world’s wisdom and devices. We trust in the
Lord because He and He alone is truly trustworthy. His Word is trustworthy
(Psalm 93:5; 111:7; Titus 1:9), His nature is faithful and true (Deuteronomy
7:9; Psalm 25:10; 145:13; 146:6), and His plans for us are perfect and
purposeful (Isaiah 46:10; Jeremiah 29:11). Further, because of God’s nature, we
are to trust Him with all our hearts, committing every aspect of our lives to
Him in complete confidence. Finally, we are not in trust in ourselves because
our understanding is temporal, finite, and tainted by our sin natures. Trusting
in ourselves is like walking confidently across a rotten wooden bridge over a
yawning chasm thousands of feet deep. Disaster inevitably follows.
Trust
in God is a feature of many of the psalms of David. There are 39 references to
trust in the Psalms alone, whether referring to trusting in God and His Word,
or to not trusting in riches or the things of this world. It is on the basis of
this trust that David finds deliverance from all the evil he encounters. Many
of David’s psalms describe situations when he was pursued by Saul and his army,
as well as his other enemies, and always did the Lord come to his aid. One
thing that can be noted about biblical trust is that it always engenders
further trust in our God. The man of God never stops trusting in God
completely. His faith may be knocked, He may stumble, or He may fall into the foulest
of sins, but “though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him
with his hand” (Psalm 37:24). The man of God knows that, though trials will
beset in this life, his trust will not waiver because that trust is based on
faith in the promises of God: the promise of eternal joy with the Lord and the
promise of an inheritance that “can never perish, spoil and fade” (1 Peter
1:4).
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