How to have faith
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1).
In an age of atheism, how can we have faith? Every day we are bombarded with the artifices of the great deceiver. How can the training of the adversary, so deeply ingrained in us, ever be removed? Faith is what we need to be saved from this evil world. But how can I get this faith? What are the steps required to be taken for getting faith?
What we need to understand is the science of salvation. We need to know the building blocks for faith. As a human embryo means an amazing life will come into the world one day, and that prenatal life requires an equally amazing work of many miracles in order to begin the process of creating an embryo, even so, before we can possess the abounding life in God through faith, much behind-the-scenes work and growth is required before faith can finally manifest itself. As the above scripture definition shows us, faith begins with hope. The precursor to faith, the prototype of faith, is hope. Faith is the substance of hope. So, before faith happens, hope already happened. But how does hope happen? Are we born with it?
“Remember the word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope.” (Ps. 119:49). Hope is based squarely upon someone’s word. “But Thou art He that took me out of the womb: Thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.” (Ps. 22:9). The prayer of David, repeated by Christ on the cross, that our survival at birth depends on the bond and nurture of our mother. God gave us the power of life through the trust we had with our mothers as infants. Yet this hope is limited when it comes to adult issues. Soon, we grow up and leave father and mother; and then we need something more, something bigger, with which to face the huge challenges of life.
That lesson learned at the bosom of our mothers is only a sample, albeit a beautiful one, of the parent God wants to be to us through His Holy Spirit. The greater hope comes when we are born again, this time “not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Pet. 1:23). “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17).
So then, faith comes through the hope we receive in hearing the word of God, “the word unto Thy servant.” When the soul hears God speaking directly to it, the Bible promise gets very real and applicable to everyone, including to the person hearing it, and the God of the Bible becomes up-close and very personal.
The intellect comprehends the promise, hope rises up, within us a longing cries out to a Person, the One who made the promise or the command, and finally faith grasps hold of Him and His promise or Him and His command. Wholly a gift of God is faith, for without His living word our faith never would have come into being.
There is no such thing as blind faith. True faith always requires evidence, because the intellect is involved in faith. Faith is reasonable, faith is wise. True faith is the child of much thought and the parent of much wisdom. And God gives it all.
We know we must add to our faith virtue and knowledge and temperance, etc. (2Pet. 1:5-7). These are necessities that come after faith is born. But we can also see the components that make up the prenatal ladder of events that result in the birth of faith—that is, the word of God in the soul and our hope in His word, which liveth and abideth forever.
The sequence of salvation: the living word of God in the mind→ hope in His words→ faith in God (the new birth leading to the new life)→ virtue→ knowledge→ temperance→ patience→ godliness→ brotherly→ kindness→ charity. The ladder of true success in this life and throughout the eternal life to come.
So, go to the Bible and read and study it until it speaks to you. Anyone can have faith and the resulting life of blessing to everyone around.
In an age of atheism, how can we have faith? Every day we are bombarded with the artifices of the great deceiver. How can the training of the adversary, so deeply ingrained in us, ever be removed? Faith is what we need to be saved from this evil world. But how can I get this faith? What are the steps required to be taken for getting faith?
What we need to understand is the science of salvation. We need to know the building blocks for faith. As a human embryo means an amazing life will come into the world one day, and that prenatal life requires an equally amazing work of many miracles in order to begin the process of creating an embryo, even so, before we can possess the abounding life in God through faith, much behind-the-scenes work and growth is required before faith can finally manifest itself. As the above scripture definition shows us, faith begins with hope. The precursor to faith, the prototype of faith, is hope. Faith is the substance of hope. So, before faith happens, hope already happened. But how does hope happen? Are we born with it?
“Remember the word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope.” (Ps. 119:49). Hope is based squarely upon someone’s word. “But Thou art He that took me out of the womb: Thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.” (Ps. 22:9). The prayer of David, repeated by Christ on the cross, that our survival at birth depends on the bond and nurture of our mother. God gave us the power of life through the trust we had with our mothers as infants. Yet this hope is limited when it comes to adult issues. Soon, we grow up and leave father and mother; and then we need something more, something bigger, with which to face the huge challenges of life.
That lesson learned at the bosom of our mothers is only a sample, albeit a beautiful one, of the parent God wants to be to us through His Holy Spirit. The greater hope comes when we are born again, this time “not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Pet. 1:23). “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17).
So then, faith comes through the hope we receive in hearing the word of God, “the word unto Thy servant.” When the soul hears God speaking directly to it, the Bible promise gets very real and applicable to everyone, including to the person hearing it, and the God of the Bible becomes up-close and very personal.
The intellect comprehends the promise, hope rises up, within us a longing cries out to a Person, the One who made the promise or the command, and finally faith grasps hold of Him and His promise or Him and His command. Wholly a gift of God is faith, for without His living word our faith never would have come into being.
There is no such thing as blind faith. True faith always requires evidence, because the intellect is involved in faith. Faith is reasonable, faith is wise. True faith is the child of much thought and the parent of much wisdom. And God gives it all.
We know we must add to our faith virtue and knowledge and temperance, etc. (2Pet. 1:5-7). These are necessities that come after faith is born. But we can also see the components that make up the prenatal ladder of events that result in the birth of faith—that is, the word of God in the soul and our hope in His word, which liveth and abideth forever.
The sequence of salvation: the living word of God in the mind→ hope in His words→ faith in God (the new birth leading to the new life)→ virtue→ knowledge→ temperance→ patience→ godliness→ brotherly→ kindness→ charity. The ladder of true success in this life and throughout the eternal life to come.
So, go to the Bible and read and study it until it speaks to you. Anyone can have faith and the resulting life of blessing to everyone around.
posted by David | 4:14 AM
1 Comments:
I have had to read it again and I have liked it all, like you have said one must have hope and then comes the faith. Surely we hope for a new earth very soon and because of that hope then comes faith that oneday soon we shall. David, this is good especially if one reads it the first second and third time. Its a blessing to me and I have cliped it on a page on my next sermon in church. Daniel in Africa
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