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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
Our relationship with God is similar to our relationship with others in that all relationships require faith. We can never fully know any other person. We cannot experience all they experience nor ...
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Shantkumar S. Kunjam
I agree with S. Michael Houdmann's answer, but I would like to add a few things. Christian faith in God is never a blind faith or a leap in the dark. Christian faith is always based on previously known facts. "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good" (Ps. 34:8) is like "Come and see" (Jn. 1:39), an invitation first to check and then to make decision. It is like trusting the key that has so far opened the door for us. We trust that it will keep on opening the door in the future also. When we see and experience the nature we know that they are very much trust worthy. We believe that sun will not fail tomorrow, hence we plan all our works accordingly. Now we Christians are invited to have faith in the word of God. Let us take for example Jn. 3:16. All humans are invited to believe the genuineness of this statement. But before accepting this blindly in v. 14 we are given one historical fact. We are invited to check whether that record is historically true or not. The Bible is full of prophetical statements. And Bible claims that many are fulfilled. On the basis of those fulfilled prophetical promises we are invited to believe in other promises also. The O.T. gives many criteria for the coming Messiah. The N.T. claims that Jesus our Lord is that promised Messiah. The truth seekers are invited to check whether or not Jesus Christ fulfilled those criteria. If yes, then believe in Jesus Christ. God has promised that Jewish people will never cease to be a people group (Jer. 31:31-40; read specially vs. 35-37). Just check in history if God is keeping this promise or not. If yes then have faith in the God of the Bible. I was born and brought up in a Christian family. But at the age of 28 years I was convicted of my past sins and unchristian life style. I committed my life to the Lord. That has changed my life. The Lord gave me a deep urge to study the Bible in a deeper way. So I left my lucrative job and joined a seminary to do Bible study. Before going to seminary I had told God that I will never ask anyone for monetary help and I had told God that I would totally depend on Him for all my physical needs Dear friends, the Lord has never failed me. At the age of 70 I still depend on the Lord for my daily needs. My faith in God is not a blind faith. I know that this God of the Bible is true and faithful. He has been faithful to me in the past and I have faith in Him that He will be faithful to me in future and in eternity also. Praise the Lord!
Paul Bayne
We use faith on a daily basis and think nothing of it. We use faith taking an elevator, taking advil, or even driving down the road. We use faith when we get our income and deposit it in the bank. Faith is one of life's most common reactions--it's funny though, when we talk about having faith in God all of the sudden, people get their backs up. God is invisible and He is a spirit. We need faith to believe in His existence, to serve Him and to trust in His eternal assurance. Faith is believing in that which we can't see, but because we have faith (that comes from the Holy Spirit), we can rest in the assurance that God is real, and His love over us is real as well. To those who don't want to swallow this, I just ask them if they believe in gravity. They of course say yes. I ask them why. They say that without gravity, we would all float off into space. To me, I would answer, we see gravity's effects all around us. This is how I know God exists, I see His influence all around me. It takes no more faith to believe in God than it takes to believe in gravity. Simple.
Bartley Verner
God requires faith because faith in Him comes from Him. Our faith in God does not come from with us. It comes from faith placed in our heart by God. (Eph 2:8)
Tony Medley
Simply: Faith is given by God as a gift. Therefore; if you have not faith you have not been converted, it is only by the grace of God we receive the gift of faith. However; if you truly exercise Godly sorrow, repent of your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ wholly upon His Person, for His cleansing Blood and righteousness you will be saved, and thus will now be able to exercise that faith given by the free grace of God.
Thomas K M
Faith Of Abraham was Based upon Revelation(Gen 15:7),An obedient faith (Heb 11:8)A trusting The (Gen.15:6).. Abraham’s faith was a growing faith. Faith is not an on/off switch. But something that can grow and even become “great.” We all have busy lives and many demands on our time. We must seek to have a growing Faith in Jesus Christ. Carnally minded man begins his thinking with something other than God. And then believes in God merely as a probability or a possibility. Belief is an opinion or judgment in which a person is fully persuaded, A confidence is a trust that is based on knowledge or past experience. Let us evolve a formula Faith= (Belief + Action + Confidence) Faith originates with God. Righteous lives by faith. Faith comes from hearing (Rhema) God. Hear the message from God externally and listen to it internally (Rom.10:17). Rom 3:22. A belief is a matter of the mind. John3:16. Faith is an orienting of the whole person in trust. Belief is conceptual. Faith is a matter of character. Faith in God was only real when we believed God and trusting in his promises as God directed. Believing is the response of Faith which comes with God. Trust the Word (Logos)of God
Nils Jansma
Why does God require faith? A more pragmatic reason God may require faith is for our protection from the Devil. We are told that the Devil stands before the throne of God accusing us constantly. (Revelation 12:10) His accusation may be similar to that of Job where the Devil challenged Job’s motives because God was being too good to him. (Job 1:9-11) Additionally, we know that the Devil requested to test the faith of the Apostles because they apparently saw and heard too much which made them open to an accusation of unfair favoritism by the Devil. (Luke 22:31-32) Likewise, if we are given special revelations that do not require true faith, we may become targets of the Devil before we are mature enough to handle the “sifting.” (Luke 22:31) Apparently, God carefully gives us only what we need at the time with faith making up the remainder. That is why we see reality poorly now with the hope of eventually seeing things as they really are. (1 Corinthians 13:12) As we grow in faith, we become better equipped to deal with the Devil’s temptations. God has promised that He will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bare. (1 Corinthians 10:13) So, He is careful not to make us a target of temptation prematurely. Therefore, I thank God for my faith and trust in Him to continue to protect me by not leading me into temptation by giving me more than I need now. (Matthew 6:13)
Rev. Calvin Banks
Perhaps another way to view the question and to understand the will of God is to ask; why is faith necessary? And the easy answer would be that faith is necessary in order for us to know God. 7 hours ago • Delete
David Sutton
Without faith it's impossible to please God. It's very hard to get people to act on things they can see feel and touch. God new that we would want more than just his sayings in scriptures. He new that it would be difficult to for us to believe and obey the gospel unless our faith was there and strong. I believe that's why there are so many stories about what was accomplished when our faith was strong enough to act on what God instructed us to do. Hebrews chapter 11 is full of faith driven examples The story of Naaman in the Old Testament when he was told how to cure leprosy dipping in the river Jordan seven times. Weak faith would have kept him from dipping that many times. The walls of Jericho would they have fallen if instructions had not been followed exactly as they we told to do. Faith is one thing that's has not changed. Strong faith will cause you after you've heard the word of God to act upon it. Romans 10:17 says that faith come by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Faith is to have hope upon things unseen. We must know there is someone with more knowledge than ourselves
Al Mark
I think that the answer to this question is spelled out in Heb 11:6: "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." This verse points to the two aspects that God is looking for in people - belief that God exists (and all that it entails), and that God is good (and all that it entails). If you truly believe that God exists, you will be aware of Him in everything that you do. You will live in the knowledge that God has designed us and created moral laws for us to operate by. You will know that there are consequences for violating those laws and that you are ultimately accountable to God. You will look for His influence in creation and make decisions based on your belief. You can't know God by sight - no man has seen God at any time (John 1:18). We may observe the operation of nature, but we still fail to fully understand it; how much less we understand the creator of nature. We can have strong evidence of the existence of God, but we still have go the last mile by faith. The second part that is desired (in order to please God) is to believe that He is moral and just, that He will reward faith in Him. It is not good enough to believe in a God; it is belief in a personal, relational God that is desired, one that you can trust. God wants to be found, and this is the way He has made to do so - by trust in a personal, good God. There will be times when life will stretch you to the breaking point, and only faith in God that He will see you through to the end will be enough.
BITRUS DANIEL
Faith helps and enables us to understand everything, what is and what could be. The very nature of humans existence is faith based, every human being has faith, though differently. "As faith is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) What God strongly requires is not Faith but Faith in Him. What He offers becomes the substance we hope for, instead of things that are worthless.
Andy Mangus
My short answer take on this question is: God tells us each "to take up our cross and follow Him". Only God is deserving of our worship and praise! Only He is Holy, Just and deserving for only He is our redeemer unto salvation! Well, what is the requirement from us that has to be exhibited or "put forth from us" in order for us to take up our cross? First, we each have to "have faith--which is trust, belief and steadfast conviction that only He is Holy, Just and Pure and that "He will not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the power and the Glory forever and ever! Amen! **This is my description of faith in action and exhibited towards God and being obedient unto the Lord! You can't really have any faith unless you first have deep, abiding belief and total trust. God tells us to "trust in Him, for only He is just and Holy". ~~Andy~~
James Kraft
Faith is not trying to figure out what it means. Faith is believing something is true because of the evidence. The bible says all men are sinners, and there is none righteous. We know that to be true just watching other people, and knowing we do not always do what the bible says. The bible says when we do wrong things, we sin against a Holy God. The punishment for sin is death in hell forever. God is righteous God, and has to punish sin. He would not be a righteous judge if He did not. But, God made a way of salvation to everyone in the world, by faith alone in His Son for the free gift of eternal life. Jesus paid our sin debt in full so we can no longer be condemned. John 3:18 The instant we believe on Jesus as the only way of salvation apart from any works, He gives us the free gift of eternal life. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, we already established that we are all sinners, but the GIFT of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. So, now we know we are saved because we have believed and received His free gift of eternal life because we believed it. John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me HATH EVERLASTING LIFE. How long does everlasting life last? Forever. Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him who justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. The second we believe on Jesus alone apart from any works we are given His perfect righteuosness apart from works. Romans 4:6-8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth righteousness apart from works. Blessed is the man whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.. Our sin debt is paid in full by Jesus one blood sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. First John 2:2. So it is by faith believing he paid our sin debt in full that He can give us eternal life. And we know it is a free gift, because no one else could pay our sin debt but Jesus. Once we believe it we have everlasting life. Romans 11:29 says, that the free gift of eternal life by a one time faith alone can not be repented of. Irrevocable, Can not be changed back for any reason. God can not go back on His word. John 6:47. Even if we never believe it again. Second Timothy 2:13. We only have to believe it once to be saved forever. Ephesians 1:13-14.The second we believe we are sealed by the Holy Spirit who is our guarantee of eternal life. So, the second God sees our faith in His Son for the free gift of eternal life, He seals us by His Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption, the rapture of the church.
Jack Gutknecht
Three reasons (3) why God requires faith are: (1) God requires faith so that we can obtain His blessing (Heb. 11:6; Jer. 17:7-8; John 5:24 where Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life."). (2) It is also needed to evade His judgment. Jesus says in John 3:18, 36: “18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. “36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." (3) Faith in God is also the only basis for true peace. Here are some examples: Isaiah 26:3 where Isaiah says, "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you."; Psalm 42:11 where the psalmists say, "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God."
Mark Vestal
Having faith is what God requires of us to show that we believe and trust Him. The great debate is HOW DO WE OBTAIN FAITH? Is it a gift from God, or do we have the ability to possess it on our own? It is both! How? Here is what God says: Rom 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." We obtain faith by first hearing the Word of God and then believing what we have heard. God's Word is indeed a gift, and believing what He says to us in His written Word is of our own free-will choice. Salvation is then gifted to us when we believe (have faith in) the gift of His Word! Eph 1:12-14 "That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." Eph 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast" Some are weaker in faith than others (Rom 14:1), but any "proportion of faith" (Rom 12:6) that we are gifted comes from how much of His complete and perfect Word that we choose to receive. The more of His Word that we receive, the more our faith will grow (or is gifted). 2 Tim 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
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