The Bible Answers: “What Does It Mean To Have Faith?”

What Really Is Faith?

Preserved at Hebrews chapter 11 are extraordinary examples of men and women who lived their daily life in faith.

Which of us do not know about Noah, a preacher of righteousness who worked for many years fabricating an ark even as he alerted the ruthless people of his day that their world would be be destroyed?

And how about Abraham and Sarah who abandoned a comfortable, secure as well as prosperous way of life to roam as nomads in tents, unsure of just where they were traveling to yet having absolute trust in Jehovah?

Do you recall when Joseph fled with Mary together with their little boy to Egypt? They were poor people. Exactly how could they be certain of an existence, of safety and security as outsiders in a strange land?

Enduring By Faith

Each were undoubtedly tested day by day both by those surrounding them as well as by their very selves. Day after day they might have wondered, “Well, what exactly am I doing here? What is actually going to happen to me? Just what will the future bring?”

However, they were happy to see their faith right through to the end. And along the way acquired a tested faith which is certainly a priceless possession. (1 Peter 1:6, 7)

Why is it that? Well, turn to Second Peter chapter one. In verse one, Peter makes use of an intriguing expression. He says —

“to those who have acquired a faith as precious as ours.”

Why did he say it was acquired? Simply because he was not born with it; it was something which needed to be forged.

But just how do we cultivate or develop that kind of faith, one of such exquisite quality? In versus five through seven Peter provides us with a fascinating group of attributes which we must add to forge this faith —

“Put forth all earnest effort to supply to your faith virtue, to your virtue knowledge, to your knowledge self-control, to your self-control endurance, to your endurance godly devotion, to your godly devotion brotherly affection, to your brotherly affection love.”

Now, why did he begin with faith? Because faith is a lifestyle. And so these traits are necessary to be authentic men and women of faith and enjoy a truly rewarding life for all eternity.

Virtue

Let’s take a finer look, now, into each one of these characteristics. We start with virtue. Precisely what is virtue? It is Jehovah’s standard of what is good. (cf. Nahum 1:7; Psalms 136:1; 25:8; 145:9; Luke 18:19; James 1:17)Therefore, when we live up to Jehovah’s norm of what is good it reveals that we certainly have trust as well as confidence in his values.

Knowledge

Following virtue is knowledge. We, no doubt, require knowledge to handle all the countless challenges of daily life. But knowledge of what? Well, knowledge of God’s Laws and Principles together with exactly how they apply in our life. Needless to say, though, we need to trust that all of God’s Laws and Principles are absolutely good as well as beneficial. (cf. Isaiah 48: 17, 18)

Self-Control

After that is self control. This means we get a grip on ourselves, our feelings, our mindset in addition to our conduct. (cf. Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23–32) No matter what stresses and strains we confront we need not panic. We can rein ourselves in, so to speak, because we know Jehovah. Time and time and time again, our loving Almighty God, has demonstrated that he simply will never abandon the ones who love him.

Endurance

Next we have endurance. This would mean seeing our faith through to the conclusion. We keep at it to the end without ever giving up for, in due time, we will be rewarded with perfect faith.

Godly Devotion

Further on is godly devotion. We are dedicated to God and godliness. We worship and serve Jehovah himself, personally. It signifies that, while we do not see God in physical terms, we discern that He exists and we certainly do all that is necessary to enjoy a close, personal relationship with him. (James 4:8)

Brotherly Affection

Afterwards we find brotherly affection. Christians are united in love. We love those who love God. We love those which God loves. Why? Because God hand picked these to be a part of his people, to be his people. And we do not question God’s ability.

Love

And finally we come to love. This is not just the love we certainly have for our brothers and our sisters of faith. It’s the love we have for everyone in general. We yearn to do good to all people, to extend to these the possibility of building their own faith and come close to the very person of Jehovah himself. We are not so immersed in our own small lives that we are not able to give thought to others.

A Vital Lesson For Us All

Returning for a moment to the quality of endurance, Peter could certainly appreciate the significance of seeing faith right through to the end. As we know, he was on the same ship with his fellow apostles when they were shocked with the sight of Jesus, in the middle of a tempest, mind you, walking on water.

The rest of the apostles remained on the boat but Peter got out and he walked on water. Admittedly, he did not walk through to the end however this experience impressed upon him an invaluable lesson.

That lesson being, it is crucial to see our faith right through to the very end. Which means that, just like Peter, we too are prepared to put our life on the line for Jehovah. But we do so in faith.

Hence our faith simply cannot be frail like that of the ancient Israelites who would not even step onto the boat with Jesus much less walk on water.

So Just What Exactly Is Faith?

As we’ve examined with the examples of these wonderful men and women of faith, there is certainly far more involved than simply believing Jehovah is going to do his part. Abraham & Sarah, Noah, Joseph & Mary and Peter went out and did precisely what Jehovah God told them to do.

As such, more than simply credulity or a belief system, faith is the taking of prompt, decisive action without questioning God.

Faith is a way of life.