12. Faith

The gospels record an occasion when Jesus got into a boat with His disciples and fell asleep. A storm came down on the lake and the boat began to fill with water.

The disciples woke Jesus and said, “Master, we are perishing!” (Luke 8:24). Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves, and there was a great calm. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Where is your faith?” (v. 25). Jesus was not questioning the reality of their faith. He was questioning why they had not applied their faith to the situation they were in.

Faith must be applied. It does not work automatically. The heating system in your house works on a thermostat. You set the thermostat at the temperature you want to maintain, and when the temperature drops below that setting, your furnace comes on automatically.

But faith is not automatic. It involves an intentional engagement in which you trust Jesus in what you are facing right now.

Faith is like a muscle in the body that grows in strength as it is used. If you break your leg, your muscles will weaken because they are not being exercised. Muscles grow strong as they are stretched, and faith grows as it is applied in particular situations where you need to believe God’s revealed promises and trust His hidden plans.

What faith is

Faith involves two elements. The first is believing in Jesus, the second is trusting Jesus, and these are two sides of the same coin.

Sometimes the word believe means knowing that something is true. James says that “even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19). The demons know that Jesus rose from the dead, and they tremble because of it, but faith is more than believing that certain things are true. Faith involves trusting the One we have come to believe.

We exercise faith by believing God in what He has revealed, and by trusting Him in what He has kept secret (Deuteronomy 29:29). God has revealed His Son and He has revealed His promises. But there are many things that God has kept secret. We do not know what tomorrow holds. But we trust God with what He has kept hidden, because we believe what He has revealed. God has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Faith says I can trust God for tomorrow because I believe the promise He has given today.

What faith does

Faith is like a living tree bursting with fruit.

1. Faith will open your understanding.
   By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God. (Hebrews 11:3)
2. Faith will lead you to work for the good of others.
   By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. (Hebrews 11:7)
3. Faith will lead you to obedience.
   By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. (Hebrews 11:8)
4. Faith will give you hope.
   They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. (Hebrews 11:16)
5. Faith will bring blessing to others.
   By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. (Hebrews 11:20)
6. Faith will lead you to worship.
   By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. (Hebrews 11:21)

Why does faith do all these things? Where does its life and energy come from?

Faith unites us to Jesus

Faith unites us to Jesus Christ, so that we become His and He becomes ours. Jesus said,

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

The Bible describes a believer as a person who is in Christ.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old
has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

It also tells us that Christ lives in us.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Faith is the means by which we are joined to Jesus Christ so that His life flows in us.

The Bible uses the analogy of a marriage to describe this union.

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:31–32)

Marriage will change your life, and how it changes your life will depend on who you marry. Faith joins us to Jesus and makes us one with Him. For Jesus, this union meant being born in a stable, enduring temptation, and bearing our sins. For us, this union means receiving His unfailing love, His perfect righteousness, and His resurrection life.

If you are to enjoy this union, there must be a direct relation- ship between you and Jesus Christ, and this relationship has two conditions: One is that Jesus must receive you; the other is that you must receive Jesus.

In a wedding service, the groom is asked: “Will you take this woman to be your wife?” Then the bride is asked: “Will you take this man to be your husband?”

Two thousand years ago the question was asked of Jesus: “Are you willing to take on all that is involved in being united with sinners?”

And from the cross, with outstretched arms, Jesus answered: “I will.”

Now, the Holy Spirit, who forges this union, asks you, Will you take Jesus as your Savior and your Lord? Will you forsake all that displeases Him, and keep only to Him, as long as you shall live?

And faith answers: I will.

As in the marriage service, the response “I will” could not be simpler. But these words of commitment are life-changing in their significance.