The topic of faith in the Bible is not as simple as meets the eye. I am beginning to learn and appreciate how pervasive faith is in the Christian life. Here are some of the things the Bible teaches about faith:
Born by faith (John 3:16): The Christian life begins by being born again. We are born again when we put our faith in Jesus as a personal saviour. Faith in Christ is central to being born again.
Live by faith (2 Cor 5:7): Life begins at birth but doesn’t stop there. 2 Cor 5:7 says, “We live by faith, not by sight.” The work of our faith doesn’t stop after we are born again. Day in day out, we live by faith. Faith, if you will, is the eye your new person sees with.
Live the faith (James 2:17): This is different from living by faith in that it is about practicing what you believe. According to the book of James faith is not just a feeling or a theory. James makes the point that faith not expressed in action is dead. Faith in Christ is not just to be claimed but to be expressed in action.
Walk by faith (Rom 4:12): Not every living person walks. Infants, the elderly and some handicapped people do not walk, though they might be alive and well. Faith is a vehicle with no reverse gear. You only move forward. You keep walking, taking leaps of faith. If and when you move backward, put on the gear of faith and get back on track moving foreword.
Contend for the faith (Jude 3): We are not to stand and watch when the name of the Lord is blasphemed. As Peter teaches us in 1 Peter 3:15, we are to be prepared to answer any question about what we believe. But, he also cautioned us to do it with gentleness and respect because most people are won by your gentleness and respect than your arguments.
Now, in the interest of time, I am sharing with you only five of the 17 things I have on my list. God willing, will share the rest another time.
We live by faith and not by sight.
The Cyber Evangelist
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