www.insidethebible.ca /the-theology-of-faith/
Micah Hackett
The concept of faith is quite extensively dealt with in Scripture with various examples, exhortations, and
elaborations centering around a fuller understanding of its place in our lives. A book could easily be written on the
subject, and indeed many have been. For our purposes, however, we will have to be limited to a basic, yet
comprehensive overview of the material at hand.
The Senses of the Word Faith
Scripture actually contains three essential aspects of faith, all of which have the Greek word pistis or pistos as their
root. The basic sense of these words is simply conviction of the truth of anything, belief according to Thayer. The
key phrase is the testimony of God, because that is really the only true basis for faith.
1. Faith is a confidence in the testimony of God. Romans 4:20 gives the idea behind this: He staggered not at
the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. Notice that the key here is
the promise of God and Abrahams response to it. This really starts on the basis of entrusting ones self to
Gods Person. Thus we are presented with a balance between proof and mystery: faith that is neither blind
nor knowing all the implications of its future. On the one hand, we have Gods greatness seen through His
testimonies, which gives us substance to believe. On the other hand, Gods testimonies do not predict every
episode of our lives or every result of His will, in which case we are somewhat blind as to what will happen.
Nevertheless, we press on in our journey, because we know He has been faithful and thus will continue to be.
2. The Faith is the body of Gods testimony to which believers are called . This concept is actually a sort of twosided coin. In one way the faith is that in which we automatically take part through salvation: we are thus
part of or in the faith. But in another way the faith is that which we are called to guard in the sense that it is
the embodiment of true Christianity: it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should
earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
3. Faithfulness is the guarding and keeping of Gods testimonies with consistency and endurance, the
character of which is the basis of trustworthiness. 2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me
among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 1
Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. With these verses, we
need to understand that when one is faithful he must be full of faith. If a man is to be responsible with what
God has given him, it will be on this basis: Gods Word is true. A man will not uphold Scripture if he does not
believe it to be true. A man will not be faithful in service if he believes there is a chance that his reward is but
a lie. Faithfulness will always be on the basis of faith. It is really just the outward expression of inward
confidence in God. When we are confident in God, we will be confident in the rewards of obedience and the
consequences of rebellion. That will make us an obedient people. Thus people are able to have confidence in
us, because they know we will not take lightly what is put into our care.
Now the question is, what kind of faith is Galatians 5 speaking about? Is it faith, the faith, or faithfulness?
Actually, this is a non-question, because the answer is yes. Where there is confidence in Gods testimony, there are
all three. It is similar to the Trinity: just as we can distinguish Father, Son, and Holy Spirit while not separating their
essence, so we can distinguish the types of faith, but not the substance of them. Thus when we think of faith as a
spiritual fruit, we begin with confidence in Gods testimony and leave the various applications with the reader. It is
not unreasonable to say that the Spirit works all three aspects in our lives: He gives us confidence in God, He brings
us into the truth, and He makes us trustworthy in our character. There is no need to split hairs over which sense He
specifically works in us, because all are intertwined.
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Lamentations 3:23 [Thy mercies] are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 2 Timothy 2:13 If we
believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
Our conclusion to these truths must demand a response. In the words of Oswald Chambers Faith never knows
where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading. The question before us is one of focus and
satisfaction. Are we content with our God Who says I will never leave thee nor forsake thee? Or is it somehow that
the promises of the world are more appealing, despite the fact that they have always proven to be vain? It helps to
trust God the first time. A life of faith is never wasted. Let us then be trusting, steadfast in the faith, and faithful as
stewards in light of what God has given us whether it be His promises, His commands, or His blessings.
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