What is Faith?

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Hebrews 11: 1

 

Faith is, in other words, trust. Faith is a term that refers to trust in God. For example, we look at timetables to know when buses or trains are coming, and we go to bus stops or stations by the time. That's because you trust the timetable. To trust the words of the Bible in the same way is faith. Also, if you are happy when you are told, "You are an important person," the person who is told trusts the word "You are an important person." In the same way, trusting God's Word and God, trusting God Jesus Christ, this is faith.

Faith is essential in Christianity. Just believe, this is what the Bible wants us to do. John 3:16 says: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’’

 

 

Why this verse says you just have to believe? That is because man's first sin was unbelief, disbelief in God.

Man was created for being loved by God. When man had not yet had sin and death, he had completely trust in God. At the beginning of creation, the Garden of Eden had everything a person needed. Man was said by God, "You can eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”. When you eat from the tree, you will surely die." But Satan, in the shape of a snake, lied to man and woman and tempted them, saying, "If you eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you will never die and you will be like a god." So, they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil with trusting Satan's word, not God.

At this time, sin and death entered into the person. Sin is the source of all hatred, jealousy, and bad feeling. When sin cannot be stopped, conflicts, crimes, and wars occur. The first sin of man was that he doubted God. It means that one did not believe in God and His Word, that is, unbelief.

 

Jesus Christ was sent to regain the relationship between God and man that was cut off by sin. He was the only child of God, born to carry the sins of others and die on the crucifixion instead of men and women. Christ is the way for us to become children of God again. Believing in this person is the way of salvation to overcome the first sin, unbelief.

 

The Bible tells us that Christ, who died on the cross, was resurrected three days after his death. Christ destroyed not only sin but also death. God never dies. Christ is still alive. Christianity is a person. The way, the truth, and the life are all in Jesus Christ, the living person.

The steps taken with this resurrected Christ are the steps of the believers. You just need to trust, not effort. The Bible, Hebrews chapter 11, says, " Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. " This passage also details the faith of man in the Bible. All the people written in there are praised for just believing in the word of God. They just believed in the word promised by God when they couldn't get any confirmation from what they could see yet and finally got what they are promised.

 

In the 19th century, there was a Christian named George Müller in England. Müller believed in the power of prayer and built several orphanages to prove that the god is still alive, as described in the Bible. In his book, “Answer to Prayer”, Müller describes his experience as follows:

"Every year, the activity of the orphanage has increased, so spending has increased, but the Lord has never betrayed us. You might say,' What would you do if the Lord stopped helping you? ”I replied that this would never happen as we believed in the Lord unless lived in sin. But if you abandon the Lord, the fountain of spring water and trust in our fleshly arms, dig for broken water that cannot be stored, or if you live in sin, it is vain to call on the Lord, as the Word says, "If there is any unrighteousness in my heart, the Lord will not listen" (Psalm 66:18). "

God says in the Bible, "I put life and death, blessings and curses before you. Choose life." God loves you, so God wants to give you the best . Whenever anxiety or fear strikes, we should  believe in God's love and choose life so that we can follow the best path God has prepared. God promises in the Word "you will be crowned with grace and mercy, and your life will be filled with good things."

 

The work of Muller's orphanage never went smoothly. Muller goes on to say from the same book:

"The Lord never betrayed us, even at great expense. In fact, we looked like a'burning bush', but never burned out. We filled with courage, despite the fact that our works was expected to spend more each year, mainly because we had full trust in the Lord. If you look only at God and know the blessings that you trust only in God, you will soon realize how encouraging this path is for your soul. Maybe friends on earth may change their views on this project, but if we work for God, God will never change his opinion. No matter how much the friends on earth want to help us, they may lose their financial power, but God is forever rich. If our friends want to help us, they cannot help in every way, so they may stop helping reluctantly. However, God will be able to supply everything you need. God lives forever. God never dies. "

 

The Bible says, " those who hope in me will not be disappointed."

This word is repeated four times in the Bible. It is written twice in Isaiah and Romans, and Peter's letter . The reason it is reiterated is that it is the most wanted truth of the Bible. When we go through our lives, we always have two options: "disappointment" or "hope." The Bible promises.

" those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”