Our Foundations in Jesus – Faith Toward God
Jesus opened His ministry with this stunning statement:
“Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.”
Whoa, whoa! Wait a minute! This lesson is about FAITH. So why is the first word “REPENT”?
That is because without true repentance, we cannot have faith in God. And without faith, we cannot come to full repentance.
The two go together, each strengthening the other. Without faith, we cannot repent in the true sense. Faith gives us a reason to repent. Conversely, faith cannot reach full strength unless we repent — to let go of ourselves and our own shortcomings.
When you stop focusing on yourself and look to God (Jesus) alone, faith can rise.
So, what is faith?
Synonyms would be: assurance, believe, or belief. Science might say: Faith is accepting as real something which can be neither proven nor disproven.
The Bible has this definition: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
… substance of things hoped for… “Hoped for” is a thought; “substance” has mass & body. Faith brings things from thought or the spiritual realm into reality. It goes from wishing to being able to see and handle something.
- Faith is not a part of our natural sense, but is found in the Spirit realm. (Capital S, as in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)
- Faith starts in the Spirit and manifests (appears) in the natural realm (where we live).
- i.e., the evidence of things not seen: that in which we have faith shows up physically.
- Faith is real. It affects people, events, and even the future.
What faith looks like
Read the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8. She petitions a judge to give her satisfaction against someone who has wronged her, but the judge ignores her. She refuses to give up and the judge finally rules for her just to get rid of her. At the very end of the passage (v 8b) we see “… when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
When we analyze this parable, we see a stark comparison of the spirit realm vs. the natural realm.
In the physical world, this widow never had a chance. But her great faith gave her victory first in the Spirit realm, and then victory in the natural realm when the judge ruled in her favor. “The substance of things hoped for…” The widow’s hope in getting justice became real.
1 John 4:4 says it: “… you have already won a victory over those people because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.”
Faith on the Eternal Scale
True faith in Jesus comes not from mere intellectual assent. It means that we trust with all our hearts that Jesus alone is responsible for our salvation. That starts with a conscious decision to accept Jesus as Savior. Just let Jesus in and let Him work.
For Biblical proof, read the following passages. I’m not quoting them here; you’ll remember them better if you look them up.
2 Corinthians 5:7, Romans 12:3, Matthew 17:20, Romans 1:17
How do we grow in faith?
Romans 10:17
- “Faith comes from hearing the good news about Christ”. (NLT) The words of Jesus spoken into our hearts through reading and meditating cause us to grow in faith.
- We can get the word of God from…
- Reading scripture
- Bible studies, or reading in a group with discussion
- The message in a solid, Bible-based church
Three steps to grow in faith
- Heart a truth from God’s Word
- Receive that Word
- Apply it to your life
Here’s a great example: read John 4:4-30. It is the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. She had faith in Jesus based solely upon the words He said to her. It changed her life, and we may safely assume the lives of everyone in her village as well.
The principle still works for us today. How about you? Have you let Jesus into your life?