faith [feyth] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability. |
| 2. | belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact. |
| 3. | belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the Pilgrims. |
According to Dictionary.com this word "Faith" a noun.
The first three definitions (out of nine) describe action occurring or about to occur for some reason. To have confidence or trust in a person or thing is an action taken out of knowledge of the character of the individual or based on knowledge of a system. Knowledge prompts faith which results in action.
The example for "belief that is not based on proof" is one that says there is a logical basis for believing something and that logic will now be tested to verify that the faith has a basis. Faith requires action.
The third definition listed above, "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion", also indicates that faith is a result of knowledge. To believe in doctrines or teachings means that one must have learned at least some part of said teachings in order to have a basis for belief. Likewise, teaching or some experience must prompt someone to believe in God. And believing, or faith, in such things should result in leading a person to live out that which he says hey believes.
The author of the Biblical book of Hebrews talks about (chapter 10) how Jesus Christ came to be the sacrifice that covers all of our sin, the hope that we have in knowing this, and the result of faith (or lack there of) based on this knowledge. [If you have questions regarding Christ becoming our sacrifice or the hope, I would be happy to talk with you about those questions.]
So the writer goes on to say the following to those who have faith:
Hebrews 10:39-11:3 (NASB) - "But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible."
Notice that according to the writer, faith has a foundation: it is based on things already known to demonstrate a knowledge of assurance regarding things hoped for and to demonstrate conviction of the individual regarding this learned but unseen. The rest of this passage (beyond what is listed) is a lengthy list of individuals who are to be examples to the rest of us. These people took their knowledge and used it as a basis for faith that resulted in action.
Again, the writer of Romans talks about how faith comes about. In Romans 10 the writer first discusses the importance of knowledge. Then he explains what is the knowledge that one needs to have (the righteousness of God and that with Christ, life under the law has ended for those who believe). He discusses the result of this knowledge; the action. Verses 8-10: "But what does it say? 'THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART'--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." The action: believe in your heart and then say that you believe it.
Notice that in all of these examples, faith has an object. Faith is always directed at some concrete thing.
The author of Romans continues by explaining one of the ways we gain the knowledge in order to have a basis for faith (verse 14), "How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?" and verse 17, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ."
Faith, by definition, is not an ethereal thing but rather the evidence of convictions that are based on knowledge.
I encourage you to learn and be certain of those things in which you have faith. Learn about them. Gather the knowledge. Study it. Study it some more. Ask a lot of questions. If an answer doesn't make sense, ask more questions. Test it out. Form your hypotheses and follow through to verify that the hope you have is grounded in truth and will not waver in the end. Then, take action. Live your life as if you know the things in which you have believed are true. If you are truly living by faith, you will be living out your faith - because faith results in action.
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