Faith is a fundamental aspect of the Christian doctrine; by faith we are saved and held back by the power of God to salvation, by faith we should be guided in our own way, not relying on our own vision (Ephesians 2: 8). In his deeds, Daniel demonstrated courageous faith (Dan.6). In the Old Testament, faith plays such an important role that in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, you can find the account of Old Testament saints who teach that thanks to faith, they were able to accomplish so much.
But what types of faith do we have? Let’s talk about Christian faith; you will learn about the definition of faith, the description of faith in the bible and much more!
Faith meaning
Faith is trust in God, which leads us to believe in His word, the Bible. However, your faith can be misinterpreted. Some people know about the facts of salvation without believing in these facts. Other people have a belief in salvation without feelings. And the third group of people have a feeling without faith.
But the Bible deals with facts, faith and feelings. Faith is not a fact. If your faith is directed at something that is not a fact, then you are being deceived by Satan. Just believing in your feelings or ideas, or in hope also comes from Satan. Faith must be fact-oriented, and the fact is that Christ died for your sins, was buried and rose again on the third day according to the scriptures. This is a fact, regardless of whether you believe in it or not. If you believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior, you will be safe, whether you know about it or not.
Bible verses about faith
Intellectual conviction vs. belief in the heart
With regard to salvation, there are two kinds of faith mentioned in the Bible. The first is called ‘intellectual conviction’, which involves knowing the history of Christ and the general recognition of the Bible. This type of faith is the most common in the modern world, as can be seen from the sermons teaching the plan of salvation, based on Acts 2:38. This plan of salvation has nothing to do with New Testament salvation in the sense of the grace of God, the gospel and faith.
‘Intellectual conviction’ leads to the fact that a person takes a Bible and tries to find a plan for salvation, establish certain formulas of repentance, conviction, confession, faith and then goes to hell together with his congregation, because he has never believed from the heart. When Paul spoke of obedience to ‘the image of the doctrine that was betrayed,’ he spoke of obedience ‘from the heart’ (Rom. 6:17), and not ‘from the mind’.
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Therefore, we are talking about the existence of an ‘intellectual belief’, which is a defective faith, and a ‘belief in the heart’ that induces a person to recognize Jesus Christ. Acts 16:31 says, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and all thy house’. It says ‘believe in the Lord’, and not just ‘know the historical Christ’. A sick person can believe in the existence of medicine as a science, but if he does not believe in its healing power, he will not perceive it and use it.
For example, you have a surgery. You believe this doctor is an unsurpassed master of his craft, and you have the greatest faith in his honesty and in his ability to cure you successfully. You also know that he has a good reputation and you believe that he is a skilled surgeon and. The question is: will you let him carry out your surgery? That's the difference.
You can believe that you have to do something to make Christ come into your life, believing in all this modern absurdity, but never getting to know Jesus Christ and not letting Him inside you.
Christ is present in life on earth because he is the Author of this life. The unsaved person moves with God and He exists (Acts 17:28). But that does not mean that he is saved. So, we see the difference between modern deism, which comes to Christianity under the guise of widespread cheap sentiments about ‘love’ and ‘peace’, and by faith in Jesus Christ, which places the sinner in Christ and the Christ inside of a sinner.
You must enjoy your faith in Christ, and not by faith in faith. The fact is that there are people who rely on their faith and think that it will help them make heaven. And when you oppose their faith, they just happen to have a heart attack, because they rely not on redemption by the blood of Christ, but on their faith. That is why they get upset when you talk about someone's faith. They think that faith will save them. But your faith will not save you, you are saved by Jesus Christ or not saved at all.
The second type of faith, which is true faith in Jesus Christ, is a faith that involves receiving Him as your Lord and personal saviour, not just receiving baptism. In John 1:12 the bible says, “And to those who received Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave power to become the sons of God”. The condition for the birth from above is the acceptance of Jesus Christ.
Now you know the answer to the question ‘what is faith’. But what kind of faith in God do you have? Let us know in the comment section!
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Source: Naij.com