Faith

If you were asked to define what true faith is—a faith that God honors—what would you say?

Some might say sincerity is paramount: “The reliability of the source of our faith is not as important as the strength of our faith. Sincerity is essential, not what god(s) you serve. If a Muslim, Hindu, or Jew sincerely trusts in their god(s), then that is a faith that God will honor. After all, who are we to judge those in the jungles that have never heard of Jesus and yet genuinely worship their god?”

Others would center on one’s confession of Christ: “It is confessing with your mouth that Jesus is ‘Lord,’ and believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead” (Romans 10:9). Verbal assent is needed. One must affirm the great truths of the Gospel, not simply hear them.

Certain folks will claim only a transforming faith in Christ is a true faith: “It is important to acknowledge, yes, but one needs to mean it. After all, even the demons affirm that Jesus is ‘Lord,’ and that God raised him from the dead (James 2:19). To affirm without conviction is empty and void. Above all, a transformation of the heart is needed to see the truths and really mean it.”

By looking at two certain passages in Scripture, I am convinced that true saving faith is not mere sincerity or mental acquiescence, but it is ground in the reliability of the object of faith and thus giving it glory.

Revelation 14 unpacks the nature of faith. Three angels give messages to the unbelieving world. The first angel, we are told, comes bringing an eternal gospel to proclaim to every nation and tribe and language and people. He then speaks, explaining what the content of this gospel is. Surprisingly, he says, “Fear God and give him glory…and worship him! (vs. 6)” I take the first two phrases, “Fear God and give him glory,” as complementary. By fearing God, revering his name, one will give him glory. The command to worship him is the overflow of fearing God. The good news proclaim in Revelation 14 is to look away from ourselves and look to God alone.

But is this an adequate definition of faith? Giving him glory is nice, but isn’t that more for mature Christians? After all, isn’t the verbal acknowledgment of faith all that God really requires?

Not necessarily. A look at the nature of Abraham’s faith will give some light. Paul writes, “No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God” (Romans 4:20). As he (Abraham) continued to look to God to fulfill his promises (this is faith), he gave glory to God. Why? Because faith is always looking away from yourself to someone else. It is acknowledging one is helpless and needs someone else to step in. Because God is capable and able and worthy of being trusted, he is therefore glorified whenever someone believes in his name. Faith always brings glory to God.

Therefore, I am not convinced that faith is only verbal acquiescence or “really meaning it.” It is looking to a sufficient and worthy object—God—and trusting him to do for you what you are incapable of doing yourself. The sincerity of our faith will waver—Abraham’s certainly did!—but it must be rooted in someone that is able to save.

Our God is mighty to save! Give him glory as you look to him today.

Irony of "Immediate--Application Amy"

Immediate-Application Amy: She immediately looks at a text asking what it is saying to her today.

Jacob teaches us that we should never have more than one wife; Ruth shows us that we should be aggressive in our pursuit of a husband; and Isaiah gives justification for walking around naked years at a time.

She justifies this approach because she wants to make the Bible real and alive. Slowly she see that this application is devasting, for she is unable to meet level of morality the Bible demands.

Whole-Picture Perry: Rather than asking how this text immediately applies, Perry seeks to understand the whole storyline of the Bible, asking what it is revealing about God, his nature, and his plan for humanity.

Jacob reveals God's sovereign election in the beginning stages of his forming a nation for himself. Ruth anticipates God's grace that he shows to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ. Isaiah's prophecies loudly proclaim that God is a holy and just God, bringing judgment upon Israel, yet he also gives hope a future "servant" that will draw all nations to himself.

He justifies this approach because he wants to be faithful to the text and understand God. Slowly he finds the nature of God and his plan to be more breath-taking than first imagined. The Bible becomes alive and beautiful as he discovers how he fits into God's plan.

Immediate-Application Amy sought quick insights that would inspire her and was left with few transforming truths.

Whole-Picture Perry put off immediate applicaiton and instead looked to what was God's sovereign plan. He found that the delay in application brougth more application than could ever have been desired.