What is Faith?

SHORT DEFINITION:
Faith is believing that something is true to what it claims to be. (John 8:24; John 3:36)

LONG DEFINITION:
Faith is believing that something is true to what it claims to be. (John 8:24; John 3:36) For example, a chair claims to be a piece of furniture for sitting and holding a person off the ground. To have faith in a chair means that I believe the chair will hold a person off the ground. If I need to sit and truly have faith in a chair, then I will sit in it. If I sit, and the chair collapses, then my faith is proven false. The chair wasn't true to what a chair should be. If I sit, and the chair holds me, then my faith is proven true. The chair was true to being a chair.

Faith in Christ means that we believe Christ is the one He claimed to be. Christ claimed to be Savior, Lord, God, and King. If we truly recognize our sin and need for God, then we will come to Christ so that we might know God. We will have confidence that since He is God, He will be able to help us in our time of need. In faith, we turn to Christ for salvation.

Faith submits—it is an intentional investment of oneself; a willful act of giving oneself toward the sovereignty of another. Faith is dependent—our faith is true when the object of our faith is true. Faith involves trust, subjection, loyalty, and belief. Faith is believing in Christ—in His Person, Sovereignty, Word, and Love—and being confident in Him while denying ourselves.

It is important to note that we are not saved by faith, but through faith. (Eph 2:8) "We have gained access by faith into this grace" (Rom 5:2). "The promise comes by faith" (Rom 4:16, Gal 3:14). Our righteousness comes by faith (Rom 1:17, 4:11, 9:30, 10:6; Gal 5:5; Heb 11:7) Justified by faith (Rom 3:28, Gal 2:16, 3:24; Phil 3:9; James 2:24) Stand by faith (Rom 11:20; 2 Cor. 1:24). God's work is by faith. (1 Tim 1:4)

Faith does not save us or make us holy. Rather, it acknowledges Christ's authority so that He can save us and make us holy. If we were saved by faith, then we could boast before God. We could say, "My great faith is what saved me." However, we cannot say this. Faith, by itself, is nothing. Jesus Christ is the one that saves us. We boast, "Jesus Christ saved me." Our faith simply gave Christ the authority to do so.

Faith, by itself, is nothing. Faith is the surrender of oneself toward an object. It is the object that produces results. Our faith simply allows us to depend or surrender onto that object. Faith is like a firehose. Alone, a firehose could not fight fire. If we were to through a firehose unto a hot fire, it would burn up. However, a firehose can be used to pump water toward a fire. The water will quench the fire. A firehose can also be used to pump gasoline. If we pumped gasoline unto a fire, it would burn hotter. Likewise, we can have faith in something that is true and it will preserve life. Or we can have faith in something that is false and it will destroy us.

There is a great misconception that God gives us faith as a spiritual gift based upon a misinterpretation of Romans 12:3. God cannot give us faith for it is an act of our own will (John 17:20). God commands that we believe (1 John 3:23). Why would God command it if He is the one who gives it? Rather, Jesus is the author and perfector of our faith (Heb 12:2) who influences the measure of our faith. We would not have faith without hearing the word of God concerning His Son (Romans 10:17). As such, Christ is the author of faith. By believing the gospel that tells about Christ and acting upon it by calling upon the Lord for salvation, we enter into the promise of God receiving the Holy Spirit. Believing Christ has been raised gives us confidence to approach the throne of God as this event proves that God was pleased with the sacrifice made on the cross and it demonstrates His power. In receiving the Holy Spirit, Christ is also the perfector of our faith as grace is given in proportion to our faith (Eph 4:7). In addition, our faith is grown by God through tests, trials, and tribulations. When faced with a test, our faith is challenged. When we overcome the test and see that God was faithful holding true to His Word, then our faith grows. Lastly, the one with greater sin will love more. (Luke 7:36-50) By allowing us to fall deep into sin, God builds a greater faith when we are saved for we see clearly the greatness of God in our lives.