(Pastor Chen)
We have been looking at the subject of faith and its relationship to grace. We pointed out last time that what God does by grace, we have to receive it by faith. Grace is God reaching down to us with all His provisions. There is nothing that we need in this life that He has not already provided. God who knows the end from the beginning knew exactly what we needed and made the provision. Faith is us reaching up and laying hold of what He has provided for us through Christ. Therefore, it is imperative for us to know faith and its operation. Without faith, we are at the mercy of the circumstances of life.
To fully understand what faith is, it will help to know what faith is not. First of all, faith is not a magical wand. The mistake that people have is the notion that faith eliminates all problems. Most of us probably have heard of a well-known evangelist's proclamation in his radio program, "You don't have any problem, all you need is faith in God!" While it is true that we do need faith in God, but we will continue to have problems as long as we are in this unregenerate body and in a world full of demonic spirits working in unregenerate people. Jesus promised us in John 16:33 that in this world we will have trials, testing, and tribulation. There are things in life that we cannot change no matter how much faith that we may have, yet faith is required for us to go through them. It is only through the Word of God and through the Spirit that we know what things we can change and what things we have to go through. Therefore, faith is hinged on our knowledge of the Word and our walk with the Lord. True operation of faith is one who walks in the Word and is led by the Spirit.
Faith very often is being confused with hope. Hope is a desire, a target, or a goal. Hope is needed because it gives us motivation and moves us forward. Therefore, hope is a vision that keeps us focused. Where there is no hope, there is no incentive. Proverbs 29:18 tells us, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." But as important as hope is, there is no guarantee what we hope for will materialize. Hope looks to the future with longings and desires, but with no assurance. Faith is more than a desire or a goal. Faith grabs hold of the things hoped for and expects it to be manifested. Faith has the assurance that what is hoped for will be a reality. Faith is definite and has no regard for time because faith sees, faith knows, and faith expects. Faith refuses to be denied. It does not waver and sees victory in whatever may come. Hope in and of itself has no substance, but faith gives hope a substance. Hebrews 11:1 tells us, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Faith is not a feeling and does not rely on physical senses. Faith looks beyond the confine of our feelings and emotions. Faith does not deny the realities of what the senses perceive, but it looks to the promises of God as having the final authority. Faith can change the realities of what we see or feel because all things are subjected to the Word of God. If we are subjected to our emotions, we will never be successful Christians. Feelings come and feelings go, up one minute and down another. If our faith is based on feelings, James 1:6-8 tells us that we will be "like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." Like Peter, whom upon Jesus' command walked on water. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and began to sink. Instead of focusing on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, he was moved by his senses. II Corinthians 5:7 tells us, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." More to come in the next lesson.