Christians walk in faith. We are ‘faith-full’. We live with active, vital faith in God. But what does that mean?
There are many misunderstandings of faith. Some feel, and I use that word deliberately, that faith is a strong belief in the impossible, or what is against the odds, or not strictly speaking logical. Faith is wishful thinking, a guess that gullible people make. A false crutch to lean upon. Like, I believe my March Madness bracket will be perfect; or this lottery ticket will pay off my debts; or Braves will win the pennant; or Gramma will survive even though she is in hospice. Faith here is a subjective commitment to the irrational; a leap into the dark.
Others think of faith as strong encouragement intended to prop up the wavering strength or will of someone else. “I know it is the bottom of the ninth and we are down 3 runs, but I have faith in this team.” Faith is hoping against hope. By this understanding, the more intense your faith the better it works.
Still others think that faith is what we believe without facts and contrary to knowledge or science. The secular mind exclusively sees faith in this way, faith is contrary to truth that can be known.
If those are misunderstandings, what is true faith? Faith is taking God at his Word. Believing God; his Word, his Character, his promises. It is walking in the knowledge of God and loving the truth about God and his character and will.
Reformation theologians dissected three elements to true faith; knowledge, assent, and trust. In their thinking, faith involves the whole man – his mind, his heart and his will – knowledge (notitia), assent (assensus), and trust (fiducia). True faith says, “I have heard about God, I believe that it is true, and I will commit myself to acting on it.” “I know what God says, I trust what God says, and I act on what God says.”
The Christian faith does not repudiate knowledge, it is based on knowledge. John Calvin defined faith as “a firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolence toward us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed to our minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” Louis Berkof, a follower of Calvin, defines saving faith as “a certain conviction, wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, as to the truth of the gospel, and a hearty reliance (trust) on the promises of God in Christ.”
So, faith starts with the knowledge of God, His Word or His promise. Then faith embraces, or trusts that knowledge, Word, or promise. Finally, knowing and believing that promise to be true, you act on it, commit to it, stand upon it.
What does this look like in my everyday life? You take a Biblical promise from God, you labor to rightly understand that promise, you believe that promise to be true and then, bringing faith to completion, you act on that promise. For example; God says lying is a sin, I believe it, so I tell the truth. God promises he will forgive those who confess their sin, I believe it, so I seek His cleansing through confession. God says that children are a blessing from the Lord, I consent to it, and I receive children as a blessing. God promises eternal life to believers, I believe it, and I don’t fear death. I could go on and on and on. In fact, we all should. This is living in faith. God says that I am made in his image and that I should go forth and multiply that image, subdue the earth and have dominion over it for the glory of God. So I honor God, I image God, I have a family, and I unearth creation’s potential at work, and even in my garden!
I would like to challenge you to live, self-consciously, by faith. Find the promises of the Word of God, understand them, embrace them, and act upon them. Mine the Word of God for promises and commands, write them down, and act upon them. That is the life of faith.