In making that statement I assume a couple of things. First, I assume that there is such a thing as "truth" that it is somehow "out there." Second, I assume that it is accessible (or can be made accessible) to me to "believe" or "trust" in it.
The Bible defines faith like this in Hebrews 11:1 (from three different versions):
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Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (NIV) |
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Faith... makes us certain of realities we do not see. (NEB) |
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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. (Wey) |
Having faith "in Christ" adds Christ as the object of the faith. Christ is the "truth" that I trust or believe in. When I have faith in Christ there are some things which should be apparent about me:
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I am convinced that Christ is real |
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I am sure about what I hope for in my relationship with Christ |
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I accept and even embrace the evidence of unseen things about Christ |
Knowing the truth is only part of what faith is all about. I must believe, hope in and embrace the truth for myself. For real faith to exist I must be convinced that what I am embracing is the truth.
In spite of popular teaching, faith is not a psychological game to play or a "sincere" self-deception, but comes as a result of God's Spirit and his Word (Bible truth) working in one's life.
The Bible reveals the origin of faith like this in Romans 10:17 (again from three different versions):
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Faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (NIV) |
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Faith, you see, can only come from hearing the message, and the message is the word of Christ. (Phi) |
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And this proves that faith comes from a Message heard, and that the Message comes through having been spoken by Christ. (Wey) |
Hearing God's truth opens the way of faith. God's truth is embodied in what is called the Gospel:
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... that hope that first became yours when you heard the message of truth. This is the Gospel itself, which has reached you as it spreads out all over the world. Wherever that gospel goes, it produces Christian character, and develops it, as it has done in your own case from the time you first heard and realized the truth of God's grace. Colossians 1:5b-6 (Phi) |
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This reconciliation assumes that you maintain a firm position in the faith, and do not allow yourselves to be shifted away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard.... Colossians 1:23 (Phi) |
For me to have faith it does not mean that I must "throw my reason to the wind" and become gullible, credulous, naive or undiscerning. Faith as it is encouraged in the Bible is not a mere subjective state of the mind. It is not "the state of mind which desperate desire working on a strong imagination can manufacture" (C.S. Lewis). Biblical faith does not require me to believe in something in spite of evidence to the contrary. No, I think it is healthy for me to have sincere doubt where evidence is lacking or where the evidence is contrary to reason.
Believing some things can definitely be unhealthful or harmful to me. It is not a sin for me to doubt such things. In fact, it may prove fatal for me to believe everything. For my heart and mind to be healthy, it needs to operate like my blood system. It needs a healthy immune system. It needs the proper proportion of white and red blood cells. The red corpuscles are like faith: they carry the life giving oxygen to every part of the body. The white cells are like discernment: they seize the dead and toxic matter and take it to the disposal center. If my heart and mind are to be healthy there must be provision for keeping dead and poisonous matter out of my life stream. The credulous person never suspects he may be at risk of deception. He is all for "faith" but short on discernment and wisdom.
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For yourself, concentrate on winning God's approval, on being a workman with nothing to be ashamed of, and who knows how to use the word of truth to the best advantage. But steer clear of these unchristian babblings, which in practice lead further and further away from Christian living. For their teachings are as dangerous as blood-poisoning to the body, and spread like sepsis from a wound. Hymenaeus and Philetus are responsible for this sort of thing, and they are palpable traitors to the truth... 2 Timothy 2:15-17 (Phi) |
"Faith" is a popular word today. There is a spirit of the age that says that "if I believe hard enough I'll just make it somehow. What I believe is not important. Only believe." However, as indicated above, if my belief is or becomes detached from the truth it is not faith in the Biblical sense. If I believe in what is not from God, not true -- if I believe words of my own imagination, or even the "word of Satan", I am deceived pure and simple. Calling this deception "faith" does not make it so. Such "faith" leads to eternal death. Faith is good only when it grasps and holds on to truth; when it is made to rest upon falsehood it can and often does lead to eternal tragedy. For it is not enough that we believe; we must believe the right thing about the right One. The Bible has many things to say about faith, truth, reason and deception:
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There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. (Proverbs 16:25 NIV) |
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They perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie. 2 Thessalonians 2:10b-11 (NIV) |
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Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. Romans 14:5b (NIV) |
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Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many." Matthew 24:4-5 (NIV) |
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"Be very careful that no one deceives you. Many are going to come in my name and say, 'I am he', and will lead many astray. Mark 13:5-6 (Phi) |
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He said, "Take care that you are not misled. For many will come claiming my name and saying 'I am he'." Luke 21:8 (Jer) |
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When the other disciples told him [Thomas] that they had seen the Lord, he declared, "... I will not believe it." A week later... Jesus... said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:25-28 (NIV) |
Faith in the Christian sense focuses on the person of Christ. He is the object of my faith. While I can appreciate the knowledge and insights I get from my study of science or theology, Christ himself is the central object of my faith. He is my Way, my Truth, and my Life. My main goal in life is to know him more!
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I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord... Philippians 3:8 (NIV). |
Let's face it. Most people are looking for life -- abundant life. Jesus not only has it, he IS it! And those who have accepted Jesus by faith have it too!
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These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31 (NIV) |
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"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NIV) |
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The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have {it} abundantly. John 10:10 (NAS) |
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2 Tim 1:12b-14 (NIV) I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you, guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit that lives in us. |
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And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:11-13 (NIV) |
One of the most important parts of my faith is the settled knowledge that there is nothing that I can do to earn the love of God and eternal life. Both are a free gift, paid for in full by his Son, Jesus Christ. At the beginning of my relationship with Christ I wasn't aware of the all the implications of his claim on my life. In 1961 I believed in him and received eternal life as part of God's package of salvation. When I got to the point in my life when I realized that Christ would be Lord over everything in my life and wanted me to truly follow him, I committed everything to him. Since that time I have been getting to know Christ better by reading and studying about his life, talking to him in prayer, asking him for help and direction, sharing in his steps and sufferings, and getting together with other followers of his both in church, and out of church. My faith in Christ has been the steady foundation that I have been able to rely on when everything else in my life has been shaken.
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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) |
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Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." John 4:10 (NIV) |
The experience of Christians through the ages indicates that the life of faith in Christ is often fraught with challenges. We have experienced many such challenges ourselves. The rewards of knowing Christ in this life alone however, make it worth it all.
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Without faith it is impossible to please God.... Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) |
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By faith... Moses... refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He preferred sharing the burden of God's people to enjoying the temporary advantages of sin. He considered the "reproach of Christ" more precious than all the wealth of Egypt, for he looked steadily at the ultimate reward. By faith he left Egypt; he defied the king's anger with the strength that comes from obedience to the invisible king. Hebrews 11:24-27 (Phi) |
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... in the face of suffering... do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. Hebrews 10:32,35-39 (NIV) |
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We are hard-pressed on all sides, but never in despair. We are persecuted, but are never deserted; we may be knocked down but we are never knocked out! Everyday we experience something of the death of Jesus, so that we may also show the power of the life of Jesus in these bodies of ours. Yes, we who are living are always being exposed to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be plainly seen in our mortal lives. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (Phi) |
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This is the reason we never lose heart. The outward man does indeed suffer wear and tear, but every day the inward man receives fresh strength. These little troubles (which are really so transitory) are winning for us a permanent, glorious and solid reward out of all proportion to our pain. For we are looking all the time not at the visible things but at the invisible. The visible things are transitory: it is the invisible things that are really permanent. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (Phi) |
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This means tremendous joy to you, even though at present you may be temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials. This is no accident--it happens to prove your faith, which is infinitely more valuable than gold, and gold, as you know, even though it is ultimately perishable, must be purified by fire. 1 Peter 1:6-7 (Phi) |
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Above all be sure you take faith as your shield, for it can quench every burning missile the enemy hurls at you. Ephesians 6:16 (Phi) |
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I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes--I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! Job 19:25 (NAS) |
Bible version abbreviations used on this page:
Jer = Jerusalem Bible
NAS = New American Standard Version
Neb = New English Bible
NIV = New International Version
Phi = Phillips' Version
Wey = Weymouth Translation