“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 KJV

How Important is Faith?

Faith toward God is the second principle of the Doctrine of Christ (Hebrews 6:1).

Faith and Repentance are inseparably linked together. They are mutually dependent upon each other (Acts 20:21; Mark 1:15).

Faith is the foundation for the entire Christian life. Nothing can be known or received from God unless man first believes in His existence and, secondly, that God has revealed Himself in His Word, the Bible (Hebrews 11:6).
a. “The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17

What is Faith?

The Bible defines faith as, “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not yet seen.” Hebrews 11:1 (CSB)

The dictionary defines faith as a “trust, firm persuasion, assurance, firm conviction, confidence in another and another’s word.

Charles Finney put it this way; Faith is “a receiving of Christ for just what He is represented to be in His Gospel, and an unqualified surrender of the will, and of the whole being to Him.”

R.A. Torrey states, “To believe God is to rely upon or have unhesitating assurance of the truth of God’s testimony, even though it is unsupported by any other evidence, and to rely upon or have unfaltering assurance of the fulfillment of His promises, even though everything seen seems against fulfillment.”

What is the source of True Faith?

The only source of true biblical faith is the Word of God (Romans 10:4-16).

Abraham serves as an example to us of how to receive and respond to the Word of God (Hebrews 11:8-12; Romans 4:6-22).

The manner in which Abraham manifests faith is the manner in which we must manifest faith:

He heard the word.

He placed his hope in the future according to that word.

He refused to accept natural evidences that contradicted that word.

He did not waiver in his commitment to that word.

He rejoiced when the fulfillment of the word was realized.

Scriptural faith is a condition of the heart, not the mind. It is in the present, not the future. It produces a positive change in the behavior and experience. It is based solely in God’s Word and accepts the testimony of the senses only when it agrees with the text of God’s Word.

How is True Faith expressed in the life of the believer?

There are two main ways in which faith is actively expressed in the life of the believer:

It is expressed by the confession of the mouth (Romans 10:9; Matthew 10:32).

“…For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.” Matthew 12:34 (CSB)

It is expressed by a life of obedience to the word received. Faith and works are inseparably linked (Romans 1:5; 15:18; 16:25; 26; James 2:14-26).

“In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works.” James 2:17-18 (CSB)

How do we appropriate Faith in specific situations?

Locate the promise in God’s Word that fits the need (Philippians 4:19).

“For every one of God’s promises is “Yes” in him. Therefore, through him we also say “Amen” to the glory of God” II Corinthians 1:20

Fulfill all the conditions attached to that need (Deuteronomy 28:1, 2, 15).
“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” Psalm 37:5

With patience accept the trying of your faith and God’s testing of your faith through time of delay (Hebrews 6:12-15; Psalm 105:19).

“..because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have it’s full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:3-4 (CSB)

What can one do to increase in Faith?

Settle in your hearts that God’s Word is true (James 1:6-7; II Peter 1:19; Psalm 18:30).

Put yourself in the place of hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17; Galatians 2, 5).

Be hearers and doers of the Word, not hearers only (Luke 8:15).

Exercise the faith that you have (Matthew 9:20, 22; 14:25-29).
Even in the physical body as we exercise our muscles, they increase.

Avoid natural reason and philosophies of man that speak contrary to the clearly revealed Word of God (I Timoth 1:4-7; 6:20, 21; II Timothy 2:16-18; Romans 14:1; Colossians 2:8).

Conclusion
Faith toward God is simply to trust God, to have confidence in Him and His Word, to believe what God has said, that His Word is true and what He has promised He will perform. GOD makes a promise, FAITH believes it, HOPE anticipates it and PATIENCE quietly awaits it. The life of every believer in Christ is to be lived completely in this context. Faith must be the motivating factor for all that we do.