©2002 Pastor Tom Miles

What is faith?  Is it a learned response or is it something that comes just from God?  Or perhaps faith is a combination of learned responses and a gift from God?  Maybe it's a teaching of how to do things?  Or as a dear brother in Christ said, “Faith is like a muscle, some are big because you exercise them, some are small because they don't get exercise.  Exercise your measure of faith and it will grow!” Exercise is a learning process also.  You are teaching your body, muscles, lungs, heart, mind, etc., to do certain things at certain times in a certain manner.  This is the way we grew up!  You reach out at a very young age and what you reach for is there for you, and so you come back to it, because it was there when you reached for it.  That is faith!  Faith needs trust and trust needs faith and both of them need exercise.  God will remove the mountain instantly, if you have the faith for it.  But those that cannot even muster the faith to believe for a molehill being removed will have a pretty tough go at a mountain without having learned faith or trust.  And thus we come to two words that I call twins--faith and trust.

To take a look at what faith is we can go to the dictionaries where we are told that faith is the “confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.”  So if it's the “confident belief (trust) in the truth (reality), value (importance), or trustworthiness (constancy) of a person, idea, or thing” than it's this trust that you find to be real one time causing the action and consequence to take on an importance.  And this becomes constancy in your life.  But if you do not exercise, test, or try (in other words learn) that thing, person, or idea you will never have that faith.

Generally speaking faith is the “persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true.” Faith's most important characteristic is trust.  Trust's most important characteristic is faith.  Trust according to the dictionaries is: “a firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.  It is the condition and resulting obligation of having confidence placed in one: One in which confidence is placed. Reliance on something in the future or unseen a hope.” Faith and trust contain varying levels of realism based upon the evidence within each person!  Our bodies contain varying levels of muscle strength depending upon the evidence of exercise or teaching within our self.

Philippians 1:27-30 27 Only, in a manner worthy of the glad-message of the Christ, be using your citizenship; in order that whether coming and seeing you, or being absent, I may hear of the things which concern you that ye are standing fast in one spirit, with one soul, joining for the combat along with the faith of the glad-message; 28 And not being affrighted in anything by the opposers, the which, is, unto them, a token of destruction, although of your salvation, and this from God; 29 Because, unto you, hath it been given as a favour, in behalf of Christ, not only, on him, to believe, but also, in his behalf, to suffer: 30 Having, the same contest, which ye have seen in me, and now hear to be in me. (Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible, a literal, word-by-word translation to help explain the riches of the original languages)

2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 13 But, we, are bound to give thanks unto God continually concerning you, brethren beloved by the Lord, for that God chose you, from the beginning, unto salvation, in sanctification of spirit and belief of truth,  14 Unto which he called you, through means of our glad-message, unto an acquiring of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 Hence, then, brethren, stand firm, and hold fast the instructions which ye were taught whether through discourse, or through our letter. (Rotherham’s)

Faith is also the product of teaching as we see in Romans.  Hearing or heard used in these verses means to listen and learn from what we hear.  So faith can come also from a form of teaching or instruction, thus listening, learning, and understanding.  And we find that understanding is an indispensable ingredient in any type of faith or trust.

Romans 10:14-17 14 How, then, shall men call upon one in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in one of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear, without one to proclaim? 15 And how shall they proclaim, except they be sent? Even as it is written How beautiful the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But, not all, have become obedient unto the glad tidings; for, Isaiah, saith Lord! who believed what we have heard? 17 Hence, our faith, cometh by something heard, and, that which is heard, through a declaration of Christ. (Rotherham’s)

Many times folks will confuse faith with positive thinking but that is quite different.  Positive thinking believes that something good can come forth out of anything.  Faith believes in something that is unseen.  People often think that faith is hoping everything will turn out okay--wrong! Faith knows that everything will come out okay.  But faith must grow to reach that point of knowing.  There is common faith, that is the faith to believe the keys will fit the ignition, the bulb will light when the switch is flipped, and then there is faith in God which uses the same type of belief system as the key and light switch, only difference is it is in God and not man made items, but still FAITH!  And to trust in God the way you trust in man-made things exercises your measure of FAITH!

Hebrews 11 gives us a definition of faith.  This definition found in Hebrews 11 is by my finding the only definition for faith found in the Word.  The writer goes on after his definition to describe what happens through faith, because of faith, and without faith!  Hebrews 11:1-6  But faith is, of things hoped for, a confidence, of facts, a conviction, when they are not seen; For, thereby, well-attested were the ancients. (Rotherham’s)

Here in the first two verses we find the definition: faith is a confidence of things hoped for, of facts and is a conviction of things not seen.  In other words it is a belief that something not seen will be or will happen! The writer could have said in illustration, when you mix your dough to make bread and place it in the fire to bake, it goes in not as bread, but comes out as bread.  The writer could have said in illustration, when you arise in the morning you believe the sky will still be there.  This believes in something unseen before you see it.

3 By faith, we understand the ages to have been fitted together, by declaration of God, to the end that, not out of things appearing, should that which is seen, have come into existence.  4 By faith, a fuller sacrifice, did Abel, offer unto God, than Cain, through which, he received witness that he was righteous, there being a witnessing upon his gifts, by God; and, through it, though he died, he yet is speaking. 5 By faith, Enoch was translated, so as not to see death, and was not found, because that, God, had translated him; for, before the translation, he had received witness that he had become well-pleasing unto God; 6 But, apart from faith, it is impossible to be well-pleasing; for he that approacheth unto God must needs have faith, that he is, and that, to them who seek him out, a rewarder he becometh. (Rotherham’s)

The author of Hebrews goes on to say that all of time and everything within it has been put together by order of God.  Then he goes on to show the importance of the first blood sacrifice in verse 4 from Genesis implicating the later Blood Sacrifice that would be given for all of mankind by Jesus.  Verse 5 shows the faith of Enoch who so fully believed in God that he was taken up to be with God because he pleased God.  And verse 6 tells us that without faith we cannot please God.  If we cannot please God we cannot receive from God!  Faith that moves mountains is truly a faith in God.  It is knowing Him personally.  The only way you can know HIM is to meet Him and then we learn from Him.  How we begin to trust or have faith is much like how we learn during infancy and throughout our life.  God will and can move the mountain for us, but we must develop our faith/trust in Him.

Our prayers some times go unanswered not because we lack faith, but because God's plan for each and every one of us is different.  God does not hand out pain and hurt to us, but He will use that pain and hurt that comes to us for our good if we will let Him.  And this can also help our faith grow stronger.  God is always the same He does not change.  And His Word does not change. As said in James 1:2-7  2 All Joy, account it, my brethren, whensoever ye fall in with, manifold, temptations, 3 Taking note, that, the proving of your faith, worketh out endurance; 4 But let, your endurance, have, mature work, that ye may be mature and complete, in nothing, coming short. 5 But, if any of you is sinning short of wisdom, let him be asking of God, Who giveth unto all freely and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him; 6 But let him be asking in faith, nothing, doubting, for, he that doubteth, is like a wave of the sea, wind-driven and storm-tossed, 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord 8A two-souled man, unstable in all his ways. (Rotherham’s)

So if you believe with the faith of turning on a light switch that you can move a mountain, then with God's help you will move a mountain.  It is only if you have the endurance to patiently wait for it to happen when you act on it that it will happen.  In other words can we truly give our problems all over to Jesus and leave them there so our faith the size of a mustard seed can move the mountain out of our life?  Can we trust in God as positively as we can trust in the flipping on of a light switch?  If not then we need to learn how!

The measure of faith that God has given us, [Romans 12:3,  3 For I say, through the favour which hath been given me, unto every one who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but so to think as to think soberly as, unto each one, God hath dealt a measure of faith. (Rotherham’s)] is what all other things flow from!

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