| Christian Life and Doctrine | December 1974 |
Have Faith in God
“FOR we walk by faith, not by sight.”—II Cor. 5:7
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”—Prov. 3:5
“That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”—I Cor. 2:5
“As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.”—II Sam. 22:31
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”—Heb. 11:1-3, 6
“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”—Ps. 34:8
Jesus said to his disciples, “Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:22) Faith is not superstition, faith is not credulity. What then is faith? True faith is a reasonable conclusion based upon a logical premise. For example, we see in the whole realm of nature, the movement of the planets, and on our earth the succession of the seasons, the cycle of evaporation, and rain to water the earth that it should bring forth vegetation for the sustenance of the family of man. All give evidence of intelligent planning, so irresistible that we must accept the truth that there is behind all things that exist an intelligent, wise, and powerful Creator. This conclusion causes us to have faith in God.
There is nothing more common among men than the exercise of faith, and to constantly act upon such faith. We till the soil, we sow seeds, in full faith that there will be a harvest. After the seed is sown, we have faith that the sun will give its heat and the rain will give the moisture, so that in time the mature fruit of the earth may be reaped and gathered. We have faith in these laws of nature; let us look beyond the laws of nature and recognize them as the laws of an intelligent God, and thus have faith in him.
The farmer who would not plant his field because of lack of faith in the sun or the rain would be rightly classified a fool. The fool says in his heart, “There is no intelligence behind the laws of God”; and such doubt and unbelief is just as unreasonable as saying that there is no God. The farmer knows that faith is the only reasonable thing to exercise where the ground of faith is so well established. And just so, when we become acquainted with God through a study of his plan as expressed in his Word, to walk in unbelief would be foolish; rather, we have our faith established in truth and proceed in the affairs of life in perfect confidence. “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” But faith, “the conviction of things not seen,” becomes the basis for our confidence in the overruling providences of God in the lives of his children.
The farmer has confidence in his harvest even before there is any evidence which he can see. And just so, also, we have faith in the assurances of blessings which God has promised in his Word. We know that they will come in due season, and that the harvest will be great.
Faith is an active principle. It is based on understanding and it is an act of the will to believe. Faith is confidence in the promises of God. The heroes of the Bible acted in faith and reliance upon God, and so should we. Salvation requires faith in the Redeemer. The disciples of Jesus, realizing their need for a stronger faith than they then possessed, “said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.”—Luke 17:5
Faith is associated with hope and love, as the three cardinal requirements of discipleship. We enter into a more abundant life as our faith develops. So let us draw near to God “in full assurance of faith,” knowing that “he is faithful that promised.”—Heb. 10:22,23