What Do We Mean by FAITH, Part 2

If you haven't read part 1 of this post, go back to yesterday and catch up with what I posted yesterday.  

Christianity teaches that Faith is Knowledge…reasoned knowledge… Hebrews 11:3 (ESV)
³  By faith we understand...

Think about that…

Christianity Makes Faith Knowledge Statements

Christianity says, there is a Personal God… A Personal, Supernatural, Immaterial God that created us…made us and all of the world - on purpose…

·      

          Our Christian Faith says WE were made in God’s Image – which means,

·        We’re Not accidents…Not beings that “happened” to be here…Not Identified by our looks, or careers, or material goods, and yet, Our  Christian Faith does not claim we’re perfect…in fact, it says we’re flawed… we fail… we blow it… 

    Yet, God works in that mess of who we are.

2 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV)
⁷  But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

Think about those, because every other premise for knowing, for considering, for reason, for understanding, is far more flawed..

What happens when a Person says there is no God?  We say “Well that person has no faith”…but that is NOT TRUE…  They have Faith, they just don’t put their faith in God and therefore they ignore the other things that go along with God…

·        Some don’t say, “There is no God”…instead, “If there is a God we cannot know him”, and therefore everything we see around us is all that exists…it’s just physical – here and now…In other words, they believe in an evolutionary theory of explaining life…a survival of the fittest…humans are merely animals.

But then how do we explain the innate sense of every culture having concepts of justice, love, right and wrong…life and death?

How do we explain why we feel?  Chemical reactions, Molecular activity?

How do we see intricacies of things like the human hand, or eyes, and understand them from the standpoint of something that is not intelligent in design?

You see, you can make the premise that we can “know” without the idea of God, but it’s a premise that’s not based on reason, on knowledge, but merely on a mental decision to eliminate GOD from reason.

Christians must realize that we don’t suspend thinking to Know.  We Consider, We Reason, We seek Understanding…because it is all based on knowing Who God is…someone who Knows, Considers, Reasons, Understands.

When a person says, “Faith is just believing… you cannot prove it…” and we say “well I guess you’re right”… that’s sad.

That is the basis for a society that says “Faith is impossible to know, to reason, and to live by…just do what it is you want to do because there’s nothing that can define what who you are and why you’re here.”

BUT, if that is what a person truly believes…and they don’t… why should they have any reason to complain about anything that any person does to them or to anyone else…since we’ve already embraced the notion that there is no reason or true understanding and we’re all free to do whatever we want to do…

If we’re all free to make it up as we go along, and there is no reasoned knowledge of faith - then how can we say the Nazi’s were wrong or that ISIL is wrong for what they do.

We say “well they are”...but on what basis?  Individual preferences?  The power of Military might?

NO, the Nazi’s were wrong, and Isis is wrong in killing because there is knowledge that has come to us from a Real Source…a Personal God who has revealed truth.

Let’s realize that Faith means We Understand things about the world, and life, and persons… and it’s not just because of culture, or wealth, or power…but because Faith THINKS…REASONS…CONSIDERS…Faith is NOT wishful thinking.

So…If that’s true…

What Then Is Faith?

The writer of Hebrews says in 11:1 (ESV)
¹  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Most people immediately are drawn to the two phrases, “Substance…” and “Conviction”… but that is not the beginning of understanding Faith.

Faith

The first word “Faith” is crucial.  It comes from a particular Greek word, “Pistis”.  That word when used in the first Century Roman Empire, was used in the sense of “a guarantee”.  Now why “guarantee”? 

If I go in and buy a car…it’s a big investment…so the dealer says “Our Company has such confidence in the trustworthiness of this car that we will guarantee everything to work for at least 100000 miles.  Forget about loopholes, there is none, we guarantee everything.  This is where we begin to trust because of a guarantee.  Faith implies absolute confidence…a sense of trust.  Do you remember this story from the Gospel?

Mark 2:1-5 (ESV)
¹  And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.
²  And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.
³  And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
⁴  And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.
⁵  And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Why did they do what they did?  Jesus said it was their faith.  Not the guy on the bed being lowered in…Jesus didn’t say He had faith, but rather, Jesus saw the faith of these friends carrying him.  

Faith always has practical consequences in our behavior and in our actions.

That’s the reason why James writes about Faith as Practice:

James 2:14 (ESV)
¹⁴  What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

Every person has Faith…It’s where they place their trust that shows what their Faith is in.  Faith is always demonstrated by what you have Trust in, Have Confidence in…In order to trust SOMEONE, you have to

    a)   Know that the person is a real person

    b)  Be convinced that the person is trustworthy…they can be believed.

This summer I saw my grandkids take swimming lessons.  At one point the instructor wanted them to jump off the side into the arms of their parent in the pool. 

The instructor didn’t say “jump and I’ll catch you”, because they didn’t know him…but he wisely said “jump in and your Mom/Dad will catch you.”

Faith is in a Real Person, and the knowledge that this Person is Trustworthy.

SO, That’s why in this passage, the writer of Hebrews says,

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)
⁶  And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Faith starts with KNOWING God is real, and then having absolute confidence in what he says he’ll do.

That’s CRUCIAL…FAITH is NOT in an Impersonal Force…even if we believe that Force is good.  God is not an impersonal force…he wants a relationship with you…People have described Faith as “a leap into the dark”; but that is not found anywhere in Scripture, it is always a Confident Trust in What is Truly Trustworthy… God.

Let’s Get This in our THINKING…more than anything Faith is in the Person…GOD 

Faith is not an intellectual belief system, it is confidence, trust in a Person.

When we say to a friend, “go ahead, I trust you.”  We are saying, I know you exist, and you are trustworthy.  That's where we begin in understanding what Faith means...NOW, next:

Faith “IS”

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)
¹  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

“Is”…not “Was”… because people often hang on to the notion of Faith as something we believe in based on what happened in the past.

1. ·        We believe God once, a long time ago, created the world.
2. ·        We believe that the world fell into Sin, so God began a process to redeem the world
3. ·        We believe that a long time ago, Jesus came into the world…born of a Virgin, and then
4. ·        At age 30 he began to public minister with sayings, teachings, miracles to prove he was the Messiah…
5. ·        And a long time ago he was arrested, tortured, hung on a cross, and died and was buried.
6. ·        And a long time ago he came out of the grave, alive, resurrected….
7. ·        And a long time ago he commissioned the idea of the Church through His disciples, and he told them to go make disciples…and then he left.

AND, all of that was a LONG TIME AGO…  FAITH WAS…But, Hebrews 11:1 says “Faith IS”.

Faith, to be real, to be a reasoned, knowing, seeking to understand, real thing… “IS”… it is present tense, active, right NOW reality.

Think about that… What IS means in your life.

I am married…43 years now… My Marriage still “IS” going on.  It’s not a I WAS married.  IF I said to you “I WAS MARRIED”… what would your surmise?

“Oh, So you’re not married now”. 

Here’s another example:  If I said to you, “Last Thursday WAS the beginning of the NFL season and the Packers lost.”

You’d think…”you’re right, it was the first game…it’s over, it’s done.” 

BUT…the NFL Season IS Now happening.  In other words, it HAS BEGUN and is Going to CONTINUE to Go On.

That’s what the writer means when he says, “Faith IS”. 

It is vibrant, active, ongoing, present tense.

It’s NOT something based on believing facts alone.  It might include facts, but it is more than just facts…it is trust in the facts and living that out every day in our lives.

IF I say, I believe in Gravity…  What I mean is there is a factual reasoned thing called gravity – I can’t see it, but I know that it IS -  and therefore I don’t drop eggs from 20 feet, or step off of roofs.

The belief in Gravity "IS"…  It’s knowledge, it’s reality, it’s ongoing and practical.  Now, NEXT....

Faith Is …substance…conviction

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)
¹  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

When those guys brought that paralytic man to Jesus…and then lowered him through the roof…Why would they do that?  Jesus said that “He saw their faith”.  What did he see?  He saw them acting on something real…they hoped…they were convinced…and yet they didn’t know it for certain, but what they did know was that JESUS was REAL and he was TRUSTWORTHY.

The word, substance = “hupostasis” Literally, “To Stand Upon”

Hupostasis…means we can "stand upon" Faith, it is completely real, and trustworthy.  This word was a crucial word in the Church's history.  After the death of the first generation of Apostles - the original 12 disciples - the church began to think more carefully about how to define who Jesus was in relation to God.  They spent the 2^nd – 4^th century church trying to understand who Jesus was?

·        was he god?  IF GOD, THEN NOT HUMAN

·        was he like god?

·        was he an illusion of god?  HE ONLY SEEMED TO BE HUMAN

·        was he Human?  THEN NOT GOD

Those first 300 yrs…they came to a conclusive statement that Christians, by and large, over the last 18 centuries have agreed upon.  The 4th century Church Fathers came together to agree on what to say of Jesus at a place called Nicea (in present day Turkey).  They met to agree upon a formula (creed) for how to define the nature of Jesus in relation to the Father.  They wrote what we know as The Nicene Creed…

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

You notice the words: “Being of one substance with the father…”  The word they chose for substance?  Hupostasis = substance.  The word means Jesus is really the same as the Father.  They were saying, Jesus is really God, the Real Deal.  This word, Substance = The Real Deal.  In other words, He’s everything the Scripture says he is…

So, what does it mean when the author says, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen"?

FAITH is not a Something, it’s a Someone.

    1.   Faith means Jesus is the Real Deal…  We put our Faith in Him by coming to Him.

We aren’t coming to religion, or doctrine, but to a Person.

    2.    Faith means that We can Live Our Lives With Confidence and Trust in God...all of the time.

Faith is the substance… The reality…the Really Real of what I’m putting my trust in.

Faith is the Substance of things hoped for… It’s the real deal of what we put our hope in.

Faith isn’t something we have to pretend exists, or imagine, or make believe, or fake it until you make it…It is Substance…Reality…the Really Real of what we’re trusting.

And that brings us to the end.

Everyone has faith…

• ·        We all make decisions, choices
• ·        We all relate to people, things
• ·        We all love things and hate things

I was in a Kwik Trip, the person in front of me plops down $20 bill and gets 20 lottery tickets.

I was talking to a young man about returning to school and being determined to get his degree.

I met  a couple who were engaged and going to get married.

All of these have faith.

It might be misguided at times, it might be rock solid…but we exercise Faith all of the time, every day.

The Crucial Question is:  Who Is the Object of Our Faith?

A person with beliefs is not as important as a person with confidence in God…

He exists…He is a Person…He wants me to Seek him…and Put my Trust in Him…believe.

So, I ask you as we end this for now:  Who is the Object of Your Faith?

Peace