Without Faith - Part One
“…without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
Biblical FAITH is an interesting topic to study. The Greek word for faith is “pistis” and a short definition is simply “belief” or “trust”. As related to God in the Scripture it has to do with whether you believe and trust what God says. Of course it is important to actually KNOW what God has said. Simply believing or trusting what another person says about God is NOT the faith that will please God according to the Bible.
I have made the choice to have FAITH (believe and trust) that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. I cannot prove it and do not spend any time trying to do so. I have also chosen NOT to believe that there are any other writings or teachings which are the inerrant Word of God. What that does for me is to give me a solid foundation upon which to test other people’s opinions about God and life in general. I do not condemn their opinions, I just do not believe them when I find that those teachings do not line up with what the Bible says. I apply this to the teachings of Christianity and well as all other Religions of the world.
"Therefore say to the Israelites, This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.” (Ezekiel 36:22)
In the Bible God sometimes promises to do certain things if the object of the promise is obedient. Other times God tells us things that He is going to do without conditions of obedience attached. The above refers to one of those unconditional promises to Israel as follows…
“For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God. Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness…” (Ezekiel 36:24-28)
This has NOT happened yet, but God has promised to SAVE Israel and change them without any conditions, and in spite of the fact that they have “profaned His name among the nations”. FAITH simply believes and trusts God to do what He says. Here God says He will one day SAVE Israel and make them CLEAN. If you do not believe God is going to do this for Israel, then you do not have the biblical FAITH that pleases God. Paul believed God and wrote to the Romans…
“…and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins…from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved…for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:26-29)
Biblical FAITH is an interesting topic to study. The Greek word for faith is “pistis” and a short definition is simply “belief” or “trust”. As related to God in the Scripture it has to do with whether you believe and trust what God says. Of course it is important to actually KNOW what God has said. Simply believing or trusting what another person says about God is NOT the faith that will please God according to the Bible.
I have made the choice to have FAITH (believe and trust) that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. I cannot prove it and do not spend any time trying to do so. I have also chosen NOT to believe that there are any other writings or teachings which are the inerrant Word of God. What that does for me is to give me a solid foundation upon which to test other people’s opinions about God and life in general. I do not condemn their opinions, I just do not believe them when I find that those teachings do not line up with what the Bible says. I apply this to the teachings of Christianity and well as all other Religions of the world.
"Therefore say to the Israelites, This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.” (Ezekiel 36:22)
In the Bible God sometimes promises to do certain things if the object of the promise is obedient. Other times God tells us things that He is going to do without conditions of obedience attached. The above refers to one of those unconditional promises to Israel as follows…
“For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God. Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness…” (Ezekiel 36:24-28)
This has NOT happened yet, but God has promised to SAVE Israel and change them without any conditions, and in spite of the fact that they have “profaned His name among the nations”. FAITH simply believes and trusts God to do what He says. Here God says He will one day SAVE Israel and make them CLEAN. If you do not believe God is going to do this for Israel, then you do not have the biblical FAITH that pleases God. Paul believed God and wrote to the Romans…
“…and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins…from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved…for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:26-29)