Faith Defined

FAITH DEFINED

The word ‘Faith’ is a noun. A noun defines a person, place or thing. It becomes the subject you are discussing. Webster’s Dictionary defines ‘Faith’ as:

Definition of faith 

Faith as a Noun

1.   Allegiance to duty or a person; loyalty

2.   Fidelity to one's promises

3.   Sincerity of intentions acted in good faith

4.   Belief and trust in and loyalty to God

a.    Belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion

b.    Firm belief in something for which there may not be any physical proof

c.    Complete trust

Something that is believed especially with strong conviction; A system of religious beliefs

Faith as a Verb –Signifies Action

1.   It is doing not just knowing

2.   It is a firm persuasion

3.   Conviction based on hearing

4.   A belief that equates into corresponding actions

5.   There is no time with God

            a.   2 Peter 3:8 (one day is as a thousand years)

            b.   Hebrews 13:8 (Jesus is the same and does not change)

Elements Of Faith

Belief

‘Belief’ is a verb which denotes action. If there is no action, then you do not believe; you are simply in a mental agreement. Mental assent will recognize a truth but does not act on it. It puts you in the natural arena of just wishing and hoping that something will happen, with no expectation of anything happening; so there is no action on what you mentally agree with.

Hope

1.   The biblical definition of ‘hope’ means an expectation of a truth of the Word being fulfilled. Biblical hope is confidence and favorable expectation. Not just wishing something would happen, but expecting it to happen.

2.   Hope is always in the future. We rejoice in hope as we have a confident expectation of receiving what we have believed for.

Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, having been justified by faith, [a]we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

And hope makes us not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

      a.   Romans 12:12 (Rejoicing in hope)

      b.   Hebrews 6:19-20 (Hope is an anchor of the soul)

3.   In the preceding we see that our hope is based upon the scriptures and the promises therein. In fact, we rejoice in (hope), the expectation of experiencing what God has promised.

1 Peter 1:3 NLT

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live this great expectation (hope).”

The Thermostat

Hope is like the thermostat on your heating/air conditioning unit. You set the temperature you desire and you know that the thermostat will cause the unit to produce either the heat or air conditioning to bring the room to that setting.

1.   Hope gives something for faith to give substance to.

2.   Our knowledge and trust in the Word of God gives us the confident expectation that what God has said will come to pass.

3.   So we joyfully live with that expectation.

Kenneth Hagen says:

Faith is proving God's word by acting on it.  Faith is giving substance to the things hoped for.

As you act on God's word Faith gives substance to what you hope for.  A lot of people just hope, and the stop there.  But that is not Faith, that's hope, and hope won't bring substance- only Faith will.  Faith is the substance of the thing hoped for.  Hope doesn't have any substance, but faith gives substance to hope. 

You have to fight the good fight of faith 1 Timothy 6:12

Fight the good fight of the faith; lay hold of the eternal life to which you were summoned and [for which] you confessed the good confession [of faith] before many witnesses.

Faith says

It's faith that moves God

Hope says: I will have the answer to my petition sometime 

Faith says;  I have the answer to my petition now

1 Timothy 6:12 AMPC

Faith Is Present Tense

1.   Hebrews 11:1

      a.   NOW faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped

      b.   It is the evidence of, (confidence of) things not seen.

      c.   It is always in the now (present)

2.   If it is not NOW it is not faith

      a.   Romans 10:9-10 NIV Many people think they are in faith when in reality they are just wishing and hoping for something. 

            They look to and rely on what they can see rather than what they cannot see.

      b.   2 Corinthians 4:18 HCSB

      c.   2 Corinthians 4:18 AMPC

THE DOG

We know the poison is inside we can pray and hope it doesn’t kill her, or we can act and induce vomiting and remove the poison.  Faith doesn’t just hope it acts.

Faith says, I have it now, regardless of what it looks like. The circumstances are temporary and subject to change; but the Word of God is eternal and unchanging. The circumstances will have to change and conform to what the Word declares and promises.

Where Faith Comes From

1.   We see from the scriptures that it is a gift from God.

      a.   Romans 12:3

      b.   God has given to every man the measure of faith

We increase our faith when we act, we decrease our faith when we are in unbelief/ doubt

If we just believed it’s over for the dog she ate the poison she is dead.  No we acted to remove it.

Ephesians 2:8-9 AMPC

“For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing. It came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;

Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]”

2.   Faith is an issue of the heart and not just of the mind. You must be convinced in your heart (spirit) that what God has said is true and you expect what He has said to come to pass.

      a.   Mark 11:23-24

3.   Hebrews 11:3

      a.   Through Faith we understand what is not evident to the physical senses.

      b.   It is based not on what we can see but upon what God has said.

      c.   We look not at what is seen but rather we look at the unseen.     

4.    Without it we cannot please God. We must believe that He is before we can approach Him with any expectation of receiving what we  desire.

                                                                                                  Hebrews 11:6 HCSB

Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws 

near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.

5.   Faith comes by hearing, is seen in Romans 10:17. The word for ‘hear’ has three elements involved with it. If these elements are not met    then you have not heard.

      a.   Repeat what was said

      b.   Retain what was said

      c.   Act on what was said

An Example

A typical husband, that has a way of listening to their wife, but not really hearing what she said.

Example - one day she asked me to go to the grocery store. After she told me what she needed she saw the look on my face and said, “You didn’t hear me.”

I told her I did and repeated the list of things she wanted me to get.  She said,

“I guess you heard me.”  I drove the short distance to the market and got the first item. I then had to get a piece of paper and a pen and call and ask her to repeat what it was she wanted so I could then act on it - get what she wanted.

I had not heard because even though I could initially repeat it, I had not retained it, so I could not act upon it. You can see that to ‘hear’ you not only have to repeat it, but you must retain it so that it becomes a part of you, and be able to act on it. ( Dr. Landsman)

Stanford University conducted a study and found that you had to hear a truth seven times before it became a reality to you. They further found that if you believed something that was untrue, you had to hear the truth eleven times to erase the negative you had believed. Most people do not want to hear something more than once, let alone seven times. If you repeat it they say, “I’ve already heard that.” But you look at their lives and they are not acting on it. You have not heard until you can repeat it; you have retained it; and are able to act on it.

Dr. Michael Landsman states it this way:

“Faith comes by hearing and stays by doing.”

If you hear but do not do them: “Faith cometh by hearing and decrease or does not remain by not doing.”

In the life of many believers, faith is coming and going on a regular basis because they are not doing what they have heard.

Matthew 21:28-31

The Parable of the Two Sons

28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Faith cannot go beyond your knowledge of the Word of God, as is seen in these scriptures:

1.   Hosea 4:6

     a.   My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:

     b.   Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you,

     c.   That you shalt be no priest to me:

     d.   Seeing you have forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget your children.

2.   Isaiah 5:13

     a.   Therefore my people are gone into captivity

     b.   Because they have no knowledge

3.   Romans 12:2

      a.   And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of

            your mind,

      b.   That you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of

             God.

4.   Therefore all things are possible to him that believes, because of your trust and confidence in God and His Word, which is true, eternal,          unchanging and sure.

      a. Mark 9:23  

      b.   Luke 18:27  

Faith Is Measurable

The Measure

1.   Everyone receives the same measure at salvation according to Romans 12:3. The term ‘measurable’ is a descriptive word. It means a stipulated amount, and as such, it can be added to or increased.  Everyone who is born again starts with the same measure of faith, but that measure can be increased as is seen in Romans 10:17 and II Peter 1:5.                              

Scriptural Examples

1.   No faith (Mark 4:40) How is it you have no faith?

2.   Little faith (Matthew 14:31) O ye of little faith.

3.   Great faith (Matthew 8:10) I have not found so great a faith in all Israel.

4.   Full of faith (Acts 6:8) Stephen was a man full of faith.

5.   Contrast between weak and strong in faith in the life of Abraham.

      a.   Romans 4:19-20

6.   You faith can grow exceedingly as seen in:    

  a.   II Thessalonians 1:3