TCH MINI-STUDY 1
 
WHAT IS FAITH?
 
Our interactions with God require that we have faith. So, what is faith? The Lord explains in one example: And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel (Mat 8:5-10). The Roman centurion not only believed that Jesus was the Christ, but also believed that what God said was true and in God's own time would come to pass. The Lord, Himself, described this centurion's response as faith.
 
Another example of biblical faith can be seen in Abraham. Scriptures instruct us, By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went (Heb 11:8). Abraham displayed his faith by hearing God's words and instruction, and obeying. Abraham obeyed because he trusted God and His words, and had faith that Gods instructions were true, would come to pass, and would bring him life.
 
First, God instructed Abraham,Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing (Gen 12:1-2). Second, the angel of the Lord then also instructed Abraham, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies (Gen 22:16-17).Yet, after this, God instructed Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22:1-17), and Abraham began to be obedient to God's instructions. As new testament scriptures then tell us, By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he [Abraham] that had received the promises [made to Abraham by God] offered up his only begotten son (Heb 11:17). God promised Abraham that he would make of Abraham a great nation and that Abraham's children and offspring would be as many as the stars of heaven or the sand of the sea, yet God later instructed Abraham to sacrifice his own son. Abraham displayed total faith in God's words to him because Abraham knew that even after obediently sacrificing his own son, the words and promises of God the Father would somehow in God's will and timing eventually come to pass; that is, that God was able to fulfill His promises to Abraham that Abraham would have many children; and so the promises God made to Abraham came to pass.
 
In the New Testament, we also read about faith: Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him [God the Father] faithful who had promised (Heb 11:11). God had promised Sara that she would have a child, and Sara's faith was reflected in the fact that she believed what God had promised would come to pass; and the promise of God did come to pass.
 
Abraham was also a man of faith because he believed that God the Father could and would fulfill all of His promises: He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; butwas strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he [God] was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness (Romans 4:20-22).
 
Abraham was also a man of faith who also believed that God the Father could and would fulfill all of His promises: He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; butwas strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he [God] was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness (Romans 4:20-22).
 
Holy Scriptures define faith as believing that the words of God are true and will come to pass. Holy Scriptures also specifically define faith with these words: Now faith [agree, confidence, trust, persuaded] is the substance [assurance, confidence] of things hoped for [anticipated, expected], the evidence [proof, conviction] of things not seen [perceived, beheld]. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 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. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise (Heb 11:1-9).
 
To the church in Corinth, Paul also referred to faith when he wrote, my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men [and their words], but in the [words] power [miraculous actions] of God (1 Cor 2:4-5).
 
Faith and belief are often substituted to represent the same concept in the scriptures, and rightly so. However, there appears to be, possibly, a slight difference in the two terms. In Hebrews 11:6, we see that without faith it is impossible to please him [God]; for he that cometh to God must [first] believe that he [God] is [real], and that [secondly] he [God] is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Heb 11:6). Scriptures seem to be teaching here a two-step process: first, we must first come to God and have the idea and conviction that God exists and is real [we must believe]; then secondly, we must have the conviction that God rewards those who believe in Him by accepting the idea that the words and promises God makes to us are true, accurate, and will, in God's timing, come to pass [we must have faith]. To be specific, it appears that the scriptures are teaching us that our faith that God's words will come to pass must follow our belief that He even exists.  AMEN.


















 
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THE CHRISTIAN  HERALD
                    A Judeo-Christian Bible Study
 
FEAR THOU NOT; FOR I AM WITH THEE
 
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy
God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will
uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all
they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and
confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with
thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find
them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against
thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. For I the
LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not;
I will help thee”
(Isaiah 41:10-13).
NO CONDEMNATION TO THEM WHICH ARE
IN CHRIST JESUS
 
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be"
(Romans 8:1-7).
 
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we
should walk in them"
 (Ephesians 2:8-10).
 
LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU
 
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name”
(Philippians 2:5-9).
 
"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth"
(1 John 3:16-18).