This is the second essay in our look at “Basics of Christian Understanding”. The first being “Repentance From Dead Works”. As we learned in repentance from dead works, we have to turn around and go the other way. “Faith Towards God” shows us which direction to go. If we are turning around there must be an object for us to turn around to, and that object is none other than God Himself. What is faith towards God?
We live in a fallen world, where people that do not believe in God have tried to replace Him. They have come up with a few different ways to try to describe how mankind came to be. I guess the biggest one is The Big Bang Theory. Another is, we come out of a slime pit. The weirdest one, is aliens came and planted people on this earth. All these and others simply because they refuse to admit there is a God that they are accountable to. These are the things that the Bible calls, “the wisdom of this world”. Rather they want to admit it or not one day they will give account to Him. On that day, they will know there is a God, but it will be too late.
In the book of Romans, chapter 1, the Bible says, that creation it self reveals that God is real. So everyone is without excuse for not believing. Read these verses carefully and see what they say.
Romans 1:16
16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” 18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21.For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22.Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23.and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24.Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25. because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
John 1:3 (ESV) also says God created everything.
“All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made”.
The complexities of the universe are staggering. For a person to try and explain them away to a slime pit or aliens is sad.
Having faith in God is our only alternative, He created the entire universe. Everything in it points to Him.If He is real, and I believe He is, then we are accountable to Him. If we are accountable to Him, we have to repent of everything of this world and have our faith in Him and Him alone.
In its simplest terms faith is believing. You’ve probably heard this before, but faith is kind of like walking up to a chair to sit down. When you walk up to it, you don’t inspect it to see if it will hold you. You just sit down because you know that’s what it’s for.
Faith is the same way, you believe in God because you know He’s real. You know that you can trust Him, and that what He says in the Bible is true.
The life of living by faith is easy, trusting God is the best thing that you can do for yourself. He loves you and wants you to be His. So love him back and trust Him using your faith.
The Bible says you have faith in Romans 12:3
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned”.
God has dealt to every man a measure of faith and John 1:9 says that Jesus lightens everyone that comes into the world, which means you have faith.
John 1:9 (KJV) “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world”.
Now if you think you have no faith read those verses again, God says you do, because EVERY MAN has received the light that God is real.
That’s FAITH, just place it in God and not the wisdom of this world. The wisdom of this world deceives us. Look how many times scientists have had to change their way of thinking, because the old way was found to be false. But God’s word never changes, it has stood the test of time.
This is what the Bible says about the wisdom of a man.
1 Corinthians 1:18-21(KJV)
18. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19.For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21. For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
And again the Bible says;
1 Corinthians 3:18-20 (KJV)
18. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
So put your “Faith Towards God” trust Him alone for your salvation, and live for Him the rest of your life.
MARANATHA