Faith is where our walk with God starts. It is by believing in Jesus that we have our sins washed away. The Bible says in Romans that if we trust Christ we shall be saved. However, faith is way more than just the starting point. It should be a crucial ingredient in every Christian’s life. It is not just something that we have when we get saved. It should be a living, active characteristic in all of our lives. In fact, in the book of Galatians, this very thing was the problem. The Galatians had trusted in Christ but then they had turned aside and began to think that works was how they gained favor with God. I think most of us would say that we do not believe that. However, I think in most of our lives and thoughts we live like we do. The Bible says that faith is the evidence of things that we cannot see. (Heb. 11:1) It says that without faith it is impossible to please God. (Heb. 11:6) The Bible seems to think that faith is a big deal, and I think we oftentimes overlook that.
Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. This verse clearly lays the truth out. It says that it doesn’t matter how much of the law we have kept. It doesn’t matter how good we have been. The one determining factor of our righteousness is whether or not we have trusted in Christ. Faith is the first characteristic of a Christian. To become saved you must believe in Jesus Christ. Our relationship with God starts with faith. Our walk with God starts with faith but it definitely doesn’t end there. Faith is not only the starting point, but also a characteristic that all Christians should have. Galatians 5:22 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” This verse is saying that faith should be a fruit of the spirit. It is a characteristic that every Christian should have.
Ok, we should all have faith in our lives but what does that look like? Does it mean that we need to start an orphanage and ask God to supply everything? Does it mean that we are supposed to go to North Korea and get ourselves thrown in prison and then ask God miraculously save us? “No” I do not think that it means these things, but I do think if we believed God more it would radically change our lives. I have heard one man compare faith to electricity. You cannot see it but you can always see the effects of it. If we really believe God our lives would be radically changed. It means that we are not always going to do the safe thing. It means that we are going to attempt things that are impossible. It means that we are going to keep asking God to save that man’s soul. It means that we are always attempting things for God. You must read about Hudson Taylor to understand this. Hudson Taylor was a crazy man. In all seriousness, he did things that totally did not line up with sanity. He would not ask his boss to pay him. He would give away his last dollar to poor man. Yet, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. He wanted to see if he could trust God. He wanted to see if God would provide for him, and there was really only one way to find out. He did find out that we truly do have a good God who will provide all that is needed. His faith grew stronger and God allowed him to see amazing things done in China later in life because he realized that it was all about God.
Our challenge today is to ask God to do something in our lives and stop attempting to change things ourselves. I am challenged to take a risk and attempt to do something for God that I may fall flat on my face for doing. Faith is Christian characteristic that every believer should have.
Kason Bloom