HEBREWS 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Our faith is the title deed to eternal life. Just as a paper title gives evidence of car and real estate ownership – so our faith is evidence of our eternal estate in God.
2 CORINTHIANS 4:18
WHILE WE LOOK NOT AT THE THINGS WHICH ARE SEEN, BUT AT THE THINGS WHICH ARE NOT SEEN: FOR THE THINGS WHICH ARE SEEN ARE TEMPORAL; BUT THE THINGS WHICH ARE NOT SEEN ARE ETERNAL.
1. Faith is taking God at His Word without question.
HEBREWS 11:6
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.
2. Faith is knowing that “all things work together for good to them that love God.” Faith does not believe that all things are good – or that all things work out well. Faith believes that all things – both good and bad – work together for good to them that love God.
ROMANS 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
3. Faith is two-sided. The first side deals with our intellects, wherein we have intellectual conviction that Jesus Christ is God. The second side deals with our wills. It is a conscious choice to surrender our wills to the will of Jesus Christ as Lord and Master.
This is displayed in Thomas’ declaration – “My Lord and my God.” John 20:28
JOHN 20:28-31
28 And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord {volitional or conscious surrender} and my God. {intellectual conviction}
29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book:
31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name. {saving faith!}
Saving faith is an intellectual conviction that Jesus is God, and a volitional surrender to Him as Lord (Master) of our lives. By faith, the mind trusts in God; the heart responds to the love of God; the will submits to the commands of God; and the life obeys in the service of God.
4. Genuine faith is paradoxical. It surpasses all human reasoning and logic. The truly faithful believes without understanding why.
It sings in prison.
ACTS 16:25
And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
It glories in tribulations.
ROMANS 5:3
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
It chooses to suffer.
HEBREWS 11:25
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season
It accepts all things as a part of God’s will.
PHILIPPIANS 1:12
But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel
WE ARE NOT BORN WITH THIS FAITH. IT COMES BY THE HEARING OF GOD’S WORD –
ROMANS 10:17
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
This is why we are commanded to preach the Gospel to every creature, that by hearing, they may believe.
ROMANS 10:13-14
The Vine Vigil 