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What About Faith? It would be hard to find someone who will not admit to at least some faith in God. How that faith had come and in what measure it exists is a different matter. Let us consider how the subject of faith is treated and how God desires it be treated. Wanting To Please God And Actually Doing It Are Two Different Things People today generally WANT to please God. However, they choose some different avenues to do so. Some may do so by honoring man, nature, education, art, science, literature, etc. A minority of people will try to please God in the acceptable way God has chosen--by faith (Heb. 11:6). The old sea explorers used chart and compass to guide them to the new worlds they discovered. We need a chart and compass to guide us to heaven (Psa. 31:3; 48:14; 139:23-24; 143:10). What Is Faith And Where Is Its Place In Man's Salvation? Faith is defined in Heb. 11:1. It is the "substance of things hoped for." This calls for confidence and assurance in those promises delivered by God. Faith is also described as the "evidence of things not seen." Is this subjective? No, it is objective (see Jn. 20:29). This does not call for a "leap in the dark," but a conviction based upon the testimony of credible witnesses. The necessity of faith is explained in several places (Jn. 3:18, 36; 8:24; Mk. 16:16; Heb. 10:39). Faith is the first step in a process of salvation. Those on the day of Pentecost believed in Jesus, then were told to repent and be baptized (Acts 2:37-38). One cannot confess Christ unless he has faith in Christ (Matt. 10:32; Rom. 10:10). How does faith come? Only by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17). Yet, this will not happen by accident. True faith only comes when one has the right perspective toward the word of God! What Are Some Possible Perspectives Toward The Word Of God?
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are three possibilities: Let us examine these three: The Bible CONTAINS the word of God. (This is the Liberal view). This is a naturalistic presupposition and is anti-scriptural. "Inspiration" is viewed as rationalistic and man-centered. Man's wisdom is placed as equal. The mind of God can be found in OTHER sources. The Bible BECOMES the word of God. (This is the Neo-orthodox view). God has chosen an imperfect channel to confront mankind with His perfect word. This also has a naturalistic bias and refuses the supernatural. The range of revelation becomes subjective. The Church supposedly decided what the word of God is and a person has freedom to accept or reject any part of it. This view does not allow the Bible to speak for itself. The Bible IS the word of God. (This is the conservative view). This allows for the supernatural. It does not allow man or the church to decide. This is an admittedly absolute view. Therefore, everything in that conforms to the original manuscripts is genuine and without question. There are Scriptures to prove #3 while refuting #1 and #2 (2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Cor. 2:13; 2 Peter 1:3, 20-21). Perhaps the most overwhelming passage on this subject is 1 Thess. 2:13. The Thessalonian brethren could tell the difference and therefore, so can we. Conclusion The kind of faith that pleases God is a faith based in the Bible AS the word of God. "These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name" (Jn. 20:29). "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31). "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mk. 16:16). ~Terry Sanders
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