Have Faith!

Everyone has faith in something. Atheists – even those on the portly side – sit in chairs every day without doubting that the chair will support their weight, even if they’ve never encountered that particular chair before. Every airplane passenger takes a giant leap of faith as they cross the threshold from solid ground into that relatively small, pressurized space soon to be hurtling through the skies at great speed, controlled by a pilot they have never met before.

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

Yet faith alone is not enough – the object of our faith is crucial. Why does faith in God elude so many people? The evidence of the Creator is all around us in the amazingly intricate way our bodies, and all of nature’s wonders, are designed (Hebrews 11:3). Our minds correctly tell us that something does not come from nothing and that beauty, function, order and intelligence do not arise by chance (Psalm 53:1).

If we come across a book of poetry, it would be nonsensical to assume that the ink molecules randomly aligned themselves on the page to form meaningful symbols, and that chance caused the letters to link together in vocabulary words, and that over time, those words happened to assemble into verses of great beauty, emotion and meaning.

Even those who come to the common-sense conclusion that there must be an Intelligent Designer may not accept saving faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, Lord, Son of God, and God Himself (Luke 4:34; John 1:1). But the Bible, God’s Word, plainly tells us that faith in Jesus as Savior is the only way to eternal life (John 3:16;14:6).

Why doubt the Bible? It is internally consistent despite authorship by about 40 men of diverse backgrounds over a span of about 1500 years. It is historically and scientifically accurate, and advances in these fields corroborate facts and principles recorded in God’s Word thousands of years ago. So many Bible prophecies have been already been accurately fulfilled that the odds are astronomically against this happening by chance.

God has made it easy to believe in Him because His creation testifies of His greatness (Psalm 19:1), and because His Word spells out for us His amazing creation and plan of salvation through faith in His Son (John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15). He even designed us with a conscience to warn us when we are doing wrong (John 8:9). Without God, the concepts of right and wrong make no sense, because value judgments would merely be a matter of personal preference rather than reflecting God’s absolute standard. Yet most sane individuals in all cultures inherently realize that stealing, murder and other sins are wrong.

The Bible says we are all sinners (Romans 3:23), which most of us will admit if we examine ourselves honestly (1 John 1:8). God is holy and just (Leviticus 19:2; Deuteronomy 32:4 Revelation 4:8), and therefore sinners are doomed to pay the punishment – eternity in hell – for breaking His laws (Psalm 9:17; Matthew 5:22; 10:28). Yet God loves us so much that He sent His only Son as a perfect, sinless sacrifice to die on the cross to pay the debt we owe. His Son rose from the dead that all who have faith in His death for our sins, His burial and His resurrection will have eternal life in His presence (John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15).

Even a child can understand that he is a sinner and that God’s Son, Who had no sin, took the punishment for us so we can go free. In fact, we need a simple, childlike faith, free of intellectual objections and pride, to accept God’s plan of salvation and to trust in Him alone (Matthew 18:3-4). Salvation is a free gift of God’s grace through our faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). There is nothing we can do to earn it, which is why pride and self-reliance keep so many from salvation (Matthew 19: 23-24).

Why should we have Bible-based faith in Jesus Christ as the only way to heaven? Because without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). We can have an intellectual knowledge of Bible verses, attend church and tithe regularly, and even take part in religious ceremonies such as baptism and communion, and yet never have a relationship with Jesus as our personal Savior (Matthew 15:8). Church members who call themselves Christians yet lack a childlike faith in Him will be doomed to eternity in hell rather than receiving eternal joy and peace in His presence (Matthew 7:21-23).

Once we are saved, faith will give us patience (James 1:3) as we wait for answers to prayer, trusting in His perfect timing (Isaiah 40:31). Faith allows us to work tirelessly for Him, even though we may not see the fruit of our labor until we hear Him say: Well done, though good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21).

Faith will bring us peace through trials (Philippians 4:7), as we trust that God is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). Faith will even bring us victory over death, as we know that we will be reunited with our loved ones in Christ who have gone home to Him (1 Corinthians 15:54-55).

If you haven't already done so, put your faith in Jesus Christ today!