GREAT BIBLE WORDS
FAITH AND THE FAITH
Hebrews 11:1
Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Introduction:
“Faith” is the noun of which “Believe” is the verb. Also there is a difference between the word “Faith” and “the Faith.” In this study we will discuss what faith is as well what “the faith” is.
Also the object of our faith makes a great difference. I have heard people say that they have faith, but they rarely state what they have faith in. The object of our faith makes all the difference in the world.
I. THE DEFINITION OF FAITH
A. Webster says that faith is: “Unquestioning belief; complete trust, confidence or reliance.”
B. What the Scripture says in Hebrews 11:1 as translated by A. T. Robertson, Baptist Greek scholar of the early 20th century, “Now faith is the title-deed of things hoped for, the proving of things not seen.” “A Title-deed is a document that establishes title to property.” —Webster’s Dictionary
1. Faith is believing that God will fulfill His every promise, Isaiah 55:11, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
2. We can believe God’s Word because it is eternal, Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”
3. Just as God’s Word is established, His promises to us are established as well, 2 Peter 3:13, “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
II. FAITH AND THE FAITH
A. Many Bible readers do not know the difference between “faith” and “the faith.”
1. “Faith” is believing or trusting in Christ.
2. “The Faith” is what we believe, that is, our doctrine, Colossians 2:7, “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”
3. The faith is “one faith,” Ephesians 4:4-6, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, ONE FAITH, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
a. We must CONTINUE in THE FAITH, Colossians 1:23, “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
1) In a SETTLED faith, 1 Corinthians 7:37, “Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.”
2) In a faith that is STEADFAST and unmovable, 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
b. We must hold fast THE DEEP TRUTHS of the faith, 1 Timothy 3:9, “Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.”
B. There must be FACTS behind the faith.
1. Historical facts:
a. Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
b. This took place according to the Scriptures, Acts 3:18, “But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.”
2. The modern day liberals who deny these facts make God a liar.
C. Purely intellectual or historical faith is not saving faith because even the devils have intellectual knowledge of Jesus, James 2:19, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”
1. This is verified when Jesus met the two men possessed by devils in the country of the Gergesenes, Matthew 8:29, “And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?”
2. This type of faith, historical or intellectual faith, does not save, but true faith comes from the heart, Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
CONCLUSION