Praise be to the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us in the heavenly realms with every
spiritual blessing in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3
Our lesson today is taken from Ephesians 1:3 – 10, among other verses which will be given to you. It comes from a message that my pastor preached some months ago. We will be asking and answering questions that will answer the big question of "What is faith?".
1. What is the definition of faith? - Biblical faith is taking God at His word (comes from Romans 10:17 "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.")
We can only have biblical faith if we have a Bible. The Bible gives us revelation to God's characteristics, power, love, etc. The Bible is our evidence that there is a God. Miraculous unity is our evidence that the Bible is true. In other words, this is a book that is written by many different men from different many times, who did not know each other. They wrote about the same events that came to the same ends. For instance, Psalms 22 prophesied that they would gamble for the Christ's clothes in the future.
2. What is the process of faith in our hearts? - There are three aspects of faith that men have talked about for years:
1) Knowledge - We can't believe in something that we don't know is there.
2) Assent - We need to accept that it is true.
3) Trust - A personal commitment to and reliance on subject of faith.
3. How does faith fit us for heaven? - There is a "package" of salvation that we receive from God when we choose to make a personal commitment to Him. In this package are:
1) Regeneration - When the Holy Spirit goes to work in our lives.
2) Faith - Ephesians 2:8 and 9 says that, ..."it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so no one can boast."
3) Union with Christ - We have eternal bond with Christ.
4) Justification - We are declared fit for heaven because of the righteousness of Christ.
Saving faith follows with us throughout our lives, and leads to personal sanctification.
Thank you for joining me this morning. God bless.
Thank you for joining me this morning. God bless.
WHAT IS FAITH?
ReplyDeleteWhat is faith? Faith is believing in something you cannot prove.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (New International Version-1984)
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of thing hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (New American Standard Bible)
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (King James Version)
I have faith that Jesus is the Son of God. I have faith that He performed miracles. I have faith that Jesus was resurrected from the grave by God the Father. I believe this because I have faith that the historical record of the Bible is accurate, yet I cannot prove it. There are no living eyewitness to confirm that Jesus was who He said He was or that He was resurrected from the dead, I accept it by faith, I believe it, however, I cannot prove it.
Atheists do not believe the fact that Jesus was the Son of God or that there even is a God, they cannot prove their unbelief, they accept it by faith.
Romans 8:24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he already sees?(NASB)
We have hope we have been saved, but we hope because of faith. We cannot prove we have been saved. We believe that we have been save because we believe, by faith, that the Bible is accurate and trustworthy.
John 20:27-31 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with you finger, see My hands and put them into my side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!'29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." ...... (NASB)
Thomas had proof that Jesus was resurrected from the grave. Men today cannot prove the resurrection of Jesus from the grave, they accept it by faith.
There were more than five hundred brethren, including the apostles, who saw Jesus alive after He faced death on the cross. They were eyewitnesses, they had proof of the resurrection of Jesus. (1 Corinthians 15:3-7)
Those of us alive today have to have FAITH that the Biblical accounts of Jesus and His resurrection are true. We cannot prove they are true. NO ONE IS ALIVE TODAY WHO WAS AN EYEWITNESS TO THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS.
FAITH IS BELIEVING SOMETHING YOU CANNOT PROVE!
NOTE: Atheists believe, by faith, that God does not exists, but they cannot prove it.
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