In the Bible, God shows us repeatedly what it means to have faith in the God of the Bible, who is perfectly good, versus placing our faith in unreliable objects, persons, or even ourselves. The Holy Bible is full of the choices of people throughout human history and the consequences of their choices. A person’s actions are usually a result — or evidence — of what a person truly believes about God’s Word and character.

Faith is the acknowledgement of God’s glory: His worthiness to be trusted. If we do not believe what God has written about His identity, purpose, or plan, then we will act as if what He has said and done is irrelevant to our daily lives. Faith is confidence that God is who He has said He is, and that He will do what He has said He will do. That faith in God’s word informs our thoughts, values, and resulting actions.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. — Hebrews 11:1

Biblical faith is not blind. It has both substance and evidence, even though the triune God, the object of our faith, is unseen. A person’s faith is only as good as the reliability of the object of that faith. The triune God who is revealed in the Holy Bible is the only completely reliable object of faith. He never fails. He never lies. He is always good.

How can we trust a God we cannot see with the struggles and challenges of life brought on by a world that we CAN see? We have to take Him at His Word. We must believe Him and take action based on what He said while walking through the difficulties.

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. — Hebrews 11:6

How Jesus built faith

Jesus challenged His disciples, again and again, to take the objects they could see and believe God’s written word about the context that gives them meaning and purpose. He was constantly working to build their confidence in God. Are you hungry? Do you need clothes? What are your concerns about tomorrow? See the lilies of the field; look at the sparrow! (Luke 12:22-34) Do you have a raging storm in a small boat in the dark hours before dawn? Come walk on the water with me. (Matthew 14:22-33) Jesus was teaching both them and us to look at life through the lens of trusting God now, with our eternal future in mind — “Take no thought for tomorrow,” “He who saves his life shall lose it,” “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 6:19-34)

Even after His resurrection, Jesus was exhorting His disciples to read and believe what He had already written through the Prophets in the Old Testament (Luke 24:25-27, 44-48), and He spent forty days teaching them to live life in the light of the coming kingdom. (Acts 1:3)

What Biblical faith leads us to believe

God is good in every way. God is love. God is faithful. God created everything. God owns everything. God is worthy of our devoted service even unto death. God has an eternal purpose for our earthly living. God has prepared good works in advance for believers to do. God is just, and His judgment is certain for every individual. Apart from faith in God’s provision through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, every person is destined for an eternity separated from God. God’s desire is that every person believe His Word: whosoever shall call upon the name of Jesus Christ shall be saved. God wants believers to see themselves as His ambassadors and ministers of reconciliation in the world, sharing God’s message of His grace in Christ. (John 5:24; Romans 6:23, 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 4, 5:6-20)

Faith comes by hearing

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, which is spoken by messengers who are sent. God’s design is that those who have heard and believed His message should carry it and send it to those who have not. (Romans 10) It is only natural that those who love God should love their neighbor enough to tell them all about Him. This is true both of the faith of those who have not yet heard the Gospel and of those who might tell them: we need to tell the potential messengers, and those who would send them, about the people who have never heard. We need to walk by faith so that others might believe God.

The purpose of this page is to encourage faith in God that results in global vision and action — which will, for obedient believers, lead to treasure, rewards, and rejoicing in heaven.

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