Faith Without Trust Is Nothing

"We find faith by not only believing what Jesus says, but, even more, by trusting Jesus Himself."  - Oswald Chambers

How many times have you heard, "Keep up the faith," or "You gotta have faith?" Maybe you're familiar with someone who is a "faithful" Christian, or who "faithfully" attends church services. We tend to toss the term "faith" and its other variations around as easily as a Frisbee, but are we understanding it like we should?

Sadly, the world is full of those who have simply given up on faith. We can only speculate as to why this is so. Maybe their faith was weak, or they had none to begin with. Was their faith was snuffed out by some terrible incident in their life? Perhaps they grew less reliant on faith, and figured they just didn't need it anymore.

Like many things, what once had power, significance, and authority becomes weak, and ineffective over time. Complacency and loss of interest takes root, then unbelief sets in. This can happen to governments, business, personal relationships, and "faith."

Faith is defined beautifully for us in Hebrews  11:1, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” We put our trust in something that we can't fully confirm. As they say, this is what separates the men from the boys; the wheat from the chaff, the real players from the wanabees.

Also, faith in God does not come in different flavors like ice cream. However, there are two crucial parts to faith that are worth mentioning: intellectual assent and truth. The former is the belief that something is true. The latter is our confident reliance that something is true.

Information about Jesus Christ is familiar to many. And, some agree intellectually with the biblical facts as they relate to Jesus. But, being merely informed about Him is not the same "faith" described in the Bible. This type of faith requires that we are not only knowledgeable about Christ, but that we trust in Him, too.

Take a large passenger jet, for example. Our intellect tells us that it is built for flight. It's aerodynamic shape, wings, and powerful jet engines affirm this in our minds. Trust comes in when we actually step inside of it, strap ourself in our seat, and prepare for takeoff.

To know all about Christ and rattle off every verse in the Bible at will is impressive. But, do you trust, indisputably, that He died to absolve us of our sins? Bear in mind, this "saving faith"does not apply exclusively to "salvation." It's just as relevant to the Christian life. This is exactly the kind of "faith" we are to have in Jesus. This is "biblical faith."

Scripture: Hebrews 11:6; John 3:16; John 10:10; Acts 16:31; Romans 12:2

Prayer: Holy Father, form my life in Your Truth, and my heart in Your Love; free me from darkness and may You always keep me in the Light of Your Truth. Amen

Have a blessed day!

Susan