What is Faith?

The word faith in the New Testament has two aspects. 

1.The objective (impartial, independent) aspect (1Ti 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: 

 Jud 1:3  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. ) 

refers to the things we believe in—the entire New Testament revelation concerning the person of Christ and His redemptive work. 

2. The subjective (personal, individual) aspect (1 Tim. 1:19a Holding faith, and a good conscience; 

Heb 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ) refers to our act of believing. This subjective aspect of faith is the focus of this Teaching today.

Many think faith is something we must summon up in ourselves in the face of any environment or condition to believe in God and please God. It is true that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6), but we ourselves are not the source of that God-pleasing faith. Hebrews 11:8 says, “By faith Abraham being called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive as an inheritance.” Abraham obeyed by faith, but his faith issued from God’s calling and appearing to him. Acts 7:2 tells us that the God of glory appeared to Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, an idol-worshipping country. This appearing of God was an infusion of God into Abraham, attracting and strengthening him to obey God’s calling to leave his idolatrous homeland. Through God’s repeated appearing to him (Gen. 11-24), Abraham believed not only God’s promise concerning the land he would inherit but also the son that would be born to him through Sarah (Rom. 4:20-22).

Rom 4:20  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 

Rom 4:21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 

Rom 4:22  And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 

Abraham’s experience shows us that the source of our faith is God; faith is not something initiated by us. 

It is not our endeavoring or striving to believe, for we do not have any believing ability in ourselves. Faith is something allotted to us by God (2 Pet. 1:1

2Pe 1:1  Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: ) and is actually “the faith of Jesus Christ” (Gal 2:20

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me; 

Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: ), which becomes ours through our hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:14,

Rom 10:14  How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?   

Rom 10:17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  

Act 4:4  Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand. ; 

Gal 3:2  This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 

To explain how this faith comes into us, a picture is worth a thousand words. Our heart is like a camera. When we hear the word of the truth of the gospel (Col. 1:5), we are presented with the lovely scenery of the New Testament (the objective faith). As the scenery of Christ is presented to us, the Spirit works with the word as power and light. When the light shines on the scenery, our heart “clicks”—opens a little—and there is an exposure “inscribed not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone but in tablets of hearts of flesh” (2 Cor. 3:3b). That exposure brings in a reaction, which is our faith. As we hear of Christ and appreciate Him, faith is born in us (Gal. 3:1-2). Our subjective faith is our spontaneous response to the truth of the objective faith, the scenery of the New Testament.

Faith is the unique way for God to carry out His New Testament economy with man (1 Tim 1:4). When we continually look unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2), He as the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b) transfuses us with Himself as the believing element—faith. The more we see Him in all His beauty with all His riches, the more we appreciate Him and the more faith we have. This faith enables us to receive all His “precious and exceedingly great promises” (2 Pet. 1:4) and to take His way (Heb. 12:1).