What IsThe Basis of Your Faith?

What Is Your Faith Built Upon?

Faith is essential in the life of a Christian. We sing songs that speak of our faith. In “Faith is the Victory” we sing:

Encamped along the hills of light, Ye Christian soldiers, rise,

And press the battle ere the night Shall veil the glowing skies.

Against the foe in vales below Let all our strength be hurled;

Faith is the victory, we know, That over comes the world.

Faith is the victory! Faith is the victory!

O glorious victory, That over comes the world.

David wrote, Ps 18:1 “I will love You, O LORD, my strength. 2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.”

There are times when our faith will be tested. We all face trials, temptations, difficult decisions, and other things that may try our faith. It is at those times in particular we understand what faith is and whether our faith is built upon the right things.

Faith is defined for us in Hebrews 11.1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is that we hold to be true and committed to. When we read of “the faith” in the Bible we are reading of God’s revealed word. “Contend earnestly for the faith which was and for all delivered to the saints” Jude 3. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would come and reveal all truth, John 16.13. The apostles on the Day of Pentecost proceeded to preach “the faith” to the Jews at Jerusalem . In their obedience they were obeying the word of God and therefore the faith. It is this faith that Paul speaks of in Romans 1.16-17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.” Here we see the Gospel of Christ used for that which the Holy Spirit had revealed. We also see how hearing the word of God produced faith in us.

Genuine faith is a product of God’s word. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10.17). We are told to be diligent in our study and to rightly divide the word of God, 2 Timothy 2.15. Our knowledge and faith is directly related to each other. The more knowledge I have the stronger my faith.

However, faith is more than simply knowing the word of God; it is a firm dedication, belief in, and trust in God. There were times when God told the children of Israel to do things that made no sense at all. God told them to walk around the city of Jericho for 7 days in Joshua 6. The first 6 days they were to march around the city 1 time. “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord” (Joshua 6.6). The priest was to blow the rams’ horns as the ark followed them, and the people were to remain silent. On the seventh day they marched around the city 7 times, the priest blew the rams’ horns, and the people shouted. Jericho ’s walls came tumbling down. This made no earthly sense at all, but God said He would give them the city and He did. We must believe in and trust God’s word.

If we are not careful, our faith may be built on the wrong things. The problem is we may not realize that our faith is in the wrong things or people. But a faith built on something other than God’s word will eventually be made evident. The foolish man built his house on the sand and his house came tumbling down in Matthew 7.26-27.

It is wrong to build your faith on convenience instead of God’s word. A convenient faith is one that does what God says as long as it is easy. You may be coming to the right church and doing the right things because your spouse, or friends, or family comes here. But if that is the reason you are here then you are here for the wrong reason. Would you drive an hour to go and worship God if such was required? Would you come if this meant you would be cast out of your family? Think about this for a moment. Would I be faithful if I found it hard to do what God says? If the answer is no then there is something really wrong with your faith.

It is wrong to build your faith on popular opinion. Atheism is on the rise in America . It used to be said that despite all the efforts to promote evolution and take the Bible out of schools that more than 90% believe in God. However, just this morning it was reported that about 15% of our population now claim to be atheist. It was suggested that in a few years that number may grow to 25%. Would we still believe in God and His word if we became the minority?

It is wrong to build your faith on a person other than Jesus Christ. It is easy to admire a person and follow him instead of God’s Son. “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11.1). Paul’s words of encouragement were restricted. They were to follow Paul’s example only as long as he was imitating Christ. People can be a source of encouragement, but they can also disappoint us. Everyone is subject to temptation and sin. Everyone has feet of clay. It is wrong to place your trust and faith in a person instead of Christ. I have known brethren to place their trust in the preacher that baptized them. One such situation a couple was converted and then the preacher became unfaithful. The couple was devastated and they likewise became unfaithful. We should never mistake a Bible centered faith with a man made faith.

Let us make sure our faith can withstand the storms of life. “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock” (Matthew 7.24-25). What say you? – Dennis Tucker

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