Faith is fundamental in Christian creed and conduct. It was the one thing which above all others Christ recognized as the paramount virtue.

1. Its General Meaning

a. KNOWLEDGE

Faith is not believing a thing without evidence; on the contrary faith rest upon the best of evidence; namely, the word of God (Romans 10:17). Psalm 9:10 says “And they that know thy name will put their trust in you.” An act of faith indicates a working of intelligence: “How shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? (Romans 10:14) “Faith is no blind act of the soul; it is not a leap in the dark. Such a thing as believing with the heart without the head is out of the question. A man may believe with his head without believing with his heart; but he cannot believe with his heart without believing with his head too. The heart, in the Scriptures, means the whole man; intellect, sensibilities, and will. “As a man thinks, it’s in his heart (Proverbs 23:7).” Why reason ye these things in your hearts? (Mark 2:8)”

b. ASSENT

To ‘assent’ is an act of agreeing to something especially after thoughtful consideration: It is an act to acquiesce in agreement. In Mark 12:32 says, ‘and the scribe said unto him,’ “Well Master, thou had said the truth.” So it was with this faith which Christ demanded in his miracles: in Matthew 9:28, Jesus asked: “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” And they said unto him, “Yes Lord.” There must not only be the knowledge that Jesus is able to save, and that he is the Savior of the world; there must be also an assent of the heart to all these claims. Those who, receiving Christ to be all that he claimed to be, believing in him, became thereby sons of God (John 1:12).

c. APPROPRIATION

The meaning of appropriation is to take (or apply something) for one’s own use. John 1:12; 2:24. There must be an appropriation of all things which know and assent to concerning the Christ and his work. Intelligent perception is not faith. A man may know Christ as divine, and yet aside from that reject him as Savior. Knowledge affirms the reality of these things but neither accepts nor rejects them. Nor is assent faith. There is an assent of the mind which does not convey a surrender of the heart and affections.

Faith is the consent of the will to the assent of the understanding. Faith always has in it the idea of action or movement toward its object. It is the soul leaping forth to embrace and appropriate the Christ in whom it believes. It first says: “My Lord and my God,” and then falls down and worships.

A distinction between believing about Christ and on Christ is made in John 8:30, 31 (ASB), “many believed on him………. Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him: “If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed.”

2. The Meaning of Faith in Particular

a. WHEN USED IN CONNECTION WITH THE NAME OF GOD

Hebrews 11:6 says: “…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.” Also, Acts 27:22-25; Romans 4;19-21 & Genesis 15:4-6. There can be no dealings with the invisible God unless there is absolute faith in his existence. We must believe in His reality, even though He is unseen. We also must believe fact that he will assuredly honor those who approach him in prayer. Being persistent in our prayer request is also very important (Luke 11:5-10). There must also be confidence in the ‘Word of God’ (the Bible) also. Faith believes all that God says as being absolutely true, even though circumstances seem to be against its fulfillment.

b. WHEN USED IN CONNECTION WITH THE PERSON & WORK OF CHRIST

Recall the three elements in faith, and apply them here. First, there must be a knowledge of the claims of Christ as to His person and mission in the world: (1) As to his person,that he is Deity (John 9:35-38; 10:30; Philippians 2:6-11). (2) As to His work, (Matthew 20:28; 26:26- 28; Luke 24:27, 44).

Second, there must be an assent to all these claims (John 16:30; 20:28; Matthew 16:16; John 6:68, 69).

Third, there must be a personal appropriation of Christ as being all that he claims to be (John 1:12; 8:21, 24; 5:24). There must be surrender to a person, Faith in a doctrine must lead to faith in a person, and that person to Jesus Christ, if salvation is to be the result of such belief.

It is such faith – consisting of knowledge, assent, and appropriation, that saves. This is believing with the heart (Roman 10:9, 10).

c. WHEN USED IN CONNECTION WITH PRAYER

Three passages may be used to set forth this relationship:1 John 5:14-15; James 1:5-7, Mark 11:24. There must be no hesitation with balances between belief and unbelief, and inclines toward the latter-tossed one moment upon the shore of faith and hope, the next tossed back again into the abyss of unbelief. To “doubt” means to reason whether or not the thing concerning which you are making a requests can be done (Acts 10:20; Romans 4:20). Such a man only has an opinion without proof or sufficient evidence; he does not really believe. Real faith thanks God for the thing asked for if that thing is in accord with the will of God, even before he receives it (Mark 11:24).

We must recognize the fact that knowledge, assent, and appropriation exist here also. We must understand the promise on which we base our prayer; we must believe that they are worth their full face value; and then step out upon them, thereby giving substance to that which, at the moment may be unseen, and, perchance, nonexistent, so far as our knowledge and vision are concern, but which faith is a splendid reality.

d. WHEN USED IN CONNECTION WITH THE WORD AND PROMISE OF GOD

First, we should know whether the particular promise in question is intended for us in particular. There is a difference in a promise being written for us and to us. There are dispensational aspects to many of the promises in the Bible, therefore we might rightly divide, apportion, and appropriate the word of God. (1 Cor 10:32)

Second, when once we are persuaded that a promise is for us, we must believe that God means all He says in that promise; we must assent to all its truth; we must not diminish nor discount it. God will not and cannot lie (Titus 1:2).

Third, we must appropriate and act upon the promises. Herein lies the difference between belief and faith. Belief is mental; faith adds the volition (the power of using one’s will). We may believe without the will, but not faith. Belief is a ‘realm of thought‘; faith is a sphere of action‘. Belief lives in the study; faith comes out into the market-places in the streets. Faith substantiates belief. It gives substance, life, reality & activity to it (Hebrews 11:1). Faith puts belief into active service, and connects possibilities with actualities. Faith is acting upon what you believe; it is to apply what you believe. Faith counts every promise valid, (Hebrews 11:11); no trial can shake it (11:35); it is so absolute that it survives the loss of anything (11:17). For illustration, see 1 Kings 18:41-43.

The Relation of Faith to Works

There is no merit in faith alone. It is not a mere faith that saves, but faith in Christ. Faith in any other Savior but Christ will not save. Faith in any other gospel other than the New Testament will not save (Galatians 1:8-9).

III. THE SOURCE OF FAITH

There are two sides to this phase of the subject, a divine and a human side.

1. It Is the Work of the Triune God.

God the Father: Romans 12:3; 1 Corinthians 12. this is true of faith both in its beginning (Philippians 1:29) and its development (1 Corinthians 12). Faith, then, is a gift of his grace.

God the Son: Hebrews 12:2 – Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” (Illustration, Matthew 14:30-31 – Peter taking his eyes off Christ.) 1 Corinthians 12; Luke 17:5.

God the Holy Spirit: Galatians 5:22; 1 Corinthians 12:9. The Holy Spirit is the executive of the Godhead.

If faith is the work of the Godhead, why are we responsible for not having it? God wills to work faith in all his creatures, and will do so if they do not resist his Holy Spirit. We are responsible, therefore, not so much for the lack faith, but for resisting the spirit who will create faith in our hearts if we will permit him to do so.

2. There Is Also a Human Side to faith.

Romans 10:17 says “so then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (See F. The context, VV. Nine through 21.) Acts 4: 4 says “howbeit many of them which heard the word believed.” In this instance the spoken word, the gospel, is referred to; in other cases the written word, the Scriptures, is referred to as being instrumental in producing faith. See also Galatians 3:2-5. It was a looking into the promise of God that brought such faith into the heart of Abraham (Romans 4:19).

Prayer also is an instrument in the development of faith. Luke is called the human gospel because it makes so much of prayer, especially in connection with faith: Luke 22:32 says “but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not.” Luke 17:5 says “in the apostle said unto the Lord, increase our faith.” See also Mark 9:24; Matthew 17:19-21. Our faith grows by the use of the faith we already have. Luke 17:5-6; Matthew 25:29

IV. SOME RESULTS OF FAITH

1. We are saved by Faith

We recall the saving power of faith resides not in itself, but in the almighty Savior of whom it rest; so that, properly speaking, it is not so much faith, as it is faith in Christ that saves.

The whole of our salvation: past, present, and future, is dependent upon our faith. Our acceptance of Christ (John 1:12); our justification (Romans 5:1); our adoption (Galatians 3:26), our sanctification (Acts 26:18); our keeping (1 Peter 1:5), indeed our whole salvation from start to finish is dependent upon faith.

2. Rest, Peace, Assurance, Joy

Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:6; Romans 5:1; Hebrews 4:1-3; John 14:1; 1 Peter 1:8.

Fact, faith, feeling – this is God’s order. Satan would reverse this order and put feeling before faith, and thus confuse the child of God. We should march in accord with God’s order: Fact leads, Faith with its eye on Fact, following, and Feeling with the eye on Faith bringing up the rear. All goes well as long as this order is observed. But the moment Faith turns his back on Fact, and looks at Feeling, the process wabbles. Steam is of main importance, not for sounding the whistle, but for moving the wheels. And if there is a lack of steam, we will not remedy it by attempting by our own effort to move the piston or blow the whistle, but by more water in the boiler, and more fire under it. Feed faith with facts not with feeling. – A.T. Pierson.

3. Do Exploits Through Faith

Hebrew 11:32-34; Matthew 21:21; John 14:12.

Note the wonderful things done by the men of faith as recorded in the 11th chapter of Hebrews. Read verses 32-40. Jesus attributes a kind of omnipotence to faith. The disciple, by faith, will be able to do greater things than his master. Here is a mighty Niagara power for the believer. The great question for the Christian to answer is not “what can I do?” But “how much can I believe?” For “all things are possible to him that believe.”

by William Evans, Published by the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, IL