THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
“The One Faith”
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, James Gravelle.
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph. 4:4-6). Welcome to THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. In this lesson, we will be dealing with “the one faith.” We will establish the biblical meaning of the word “faith.” We will show how the word “faith” is used in the Bible. And, we will make application of the faith that we today are supposed to have.
First, let’s talk about the meaning of biblical faith. What is the biblical meaning of faith? Does faith imply doubt or uncertainly? Does it mean the acceptance of a position in the absence of evidence? Does it rule out knowing? Turn with me to Hebrews 11:1, and let’s allow the Hebrews writer to explain what faith truly is. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This passage refers to “things hoped for.” The word “things” refers to that which is within the veil, as we learn from Hebrews 6:19—“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.” The phrase “the veil” refers to that which, in the temple, separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. As we look back from our point of view, we understand the symbolism concerning how God had instructed the temple to be designed. The Holy Place (which the priest entered on a daily basis) was representative of the church. That which was beyond the veil (the Most Holy Place) was representative of Heaven. So, we see that the word “things” in Hebrews 11:1 refers to Heaven and all that Heaven holds. That which ties us securely to that which lies “behind the veil” (that is, that which is in Heaven) is our hope.
Many times today we use the word “hope” in a way which we ought not. In the middle of a drought, we say, “I certainly hope it will rain,” even when the weather forecaster says that no rain is coming. We ought to use the word “wish,” as in, “I certainly wish it would rain.” Hope is defined as “a desired expectation.” We not only desire something, but we also expect it to happen. When we say something like, “I hope I will go to Heaven,” we are using the word “hope” in its proper sense. We desire to go to Heaven, and if we live our lives according to God’s Word, we also have the understanding that such a thing will happen. Our hope is the product of, and is undergirded by, our faith. Our faith is the product of the Word of God. Remember Romans 10:17—“So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Obviously, then, where there is no word from God, there can be no faith. Let me repeat that. Where this is no word from God, there can be no faith. Our faith comes from hearing the Word of God, and rests solidly upon the sufficient, conclusive, and compelling evidences which prove that the Bible is exactly what it claims to be—the inspired, infallible, inerrant, and all-sufficient Word of the living God. When this is established, then it, in many ways, becomes the evidence for our faith, and we accept a variety of teachings on no ground other than the fact that the Bible teaches them to be true. The Word of God becomes our shield. Paul said to Ephesians, “Above all, take the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” (Eph. 6:16). The shield, of course, is the Word of God. And it will help defend us as we, in turn, defend The Faith. We defend The Faith, and The Faith defends us.
Our faith is not a blind faith. Rather, it rests solidly upon conclusive and compelling evidence. Notice the chain: things, hope, faith, Word, evidence. Those things that are within the veil (Heaven, and all that Heaven holds) help us build our faith. We understand that those things are there—because the Bible tells us about them. That develops in us a hope that we will go there one day. This hope is based upon our faith, which is a product of the Word of God, which is based on evidence.
The word “faith” is frequently used in a sense out of harmony with, and contrary to, the biblical usage of this word. One Christian author wrote, in fact, “There is no way to prove that God exists. We are compelled to accept the existence of God ‘by faith.’” This man was trying to stress the idea that evidence will “take us just so far,” but from there on we must proceed to accept things for which there is no evidence. To use the word “faith” in this sense—to proceed where there is no evidence—is to use the word out of harmony with the way it is used in the Bible. It is like the denominational usage of the word faith—which suggests that a person must “take a leap into the dark.” It is likened unto walking to the precipice of a high cliff, knowing that there is a high ravine in front of you, jumping off, and hoping that God is “out there somewhere,” and is willing and able to catch you. But faith does not mean the absence of evidence. In fact, faith requires evidence. There can be no faith where there is no evidence. God expects us to be concerned about evidence. The very existence of the Bible presupposes the need for evidence. Notice John 20:30-31, where John wrote, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” In some ways, we should have great respect and admiration for the attitude of Thomas. In John 20:24-25 we read,
“Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with
them when Jesus came.
The other disciples therefore said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord.‘ So he said
to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the print
of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my
hand into His side, I will not believe.’”
Thomas’ attitude was: “Without evidence, I will not believe. Give me the evidence, and I will believe.” Also, remember that when Thomas saw the evidence, he declared, “My Lord and my God!” Luke, the only trained scientist among the New Testament writers, made a thorough diagnosis of the whole matter when he wrote:
“Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed” (Luke 1:1-4).
Faith does not in all cases mean the absence of literal sight. Yes, sometimes, faith is clearly contrasted with sight, as it is in Corinthians 5:7—“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” But there can be faith where there is sight. In John 20:29, Jesus said, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed.” But He also said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Nor does faith mean the absence of knowledge. The text of 2 Corinthians 5:6 says, “So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.” Notice how Paul uses the word “confident.” How did Paul know? He had said in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” He had knowledge that was the product of faith. Many of the people of Samaria who believed on the Lord said to the woman whom Jesus had met at the well, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world” (Jn. 4:42). Faith does not preclude knowledge, and knowledge does not preclude faith. In John 6:69, we read, “Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” In 2 Timothy 1:12, Paul wrote, “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” Therefore, “availing faith” (faith that brings God’s favor and blessing upon an individual) simply means taking God at His word, making a proper response to divine instruction, doing what God said to do because God said to do it, and refusing to act in the absence of divine instruction. Faith does not imply doubt or uncertainly. It does not men the acceptance of a position in the absence of evidence. And it does not rule out knowing.
Now let’s take a look at how the word “faith” is used in the Bible. In Hebrews 11:4 we read, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.” This verse talks to us of a sacrifice that Abel made. It was the sacrifice that God had commanded. Thus, Abel acted by faith. Cain chose to make a different type of sacrifice. He understood what he was supposed to do (because of knowledge that came to him “by faith”—that is, by his hearing of God’s words). However, he chose to disobey God. Abel, although we do not find recorded in the Bible a single word that he ever said, still speaks to us today because of his faithful actions. In Hebrews 11:7, the text says, “Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” God told Noah to build an ark because it was going to rain—and rain so much that the entire Earth would be covered in water! Such things had never happened before. In fact, some scientists suggest that until this occasion, it had not rained on Earth. Noah, hearing these things, understood “by faith” that he needed to build this ark. In Hebrews 11:8, we read, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” Suppose God were to appear to you and tell you to pack your possessions and leave your home. Suppose God said, “You are going to a place where I will guide you, but you will not know where it is.” That would take a great amount of faith. But if you understood that God was in control, and that it was God Who was telling you to go, then you would be acting upon God’s words. In Romans 4:20-21 we read, “He [Abraham] did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” Abraham’s faith was based upon evidence God could do what He said He would do.
In all of these instances, what does “by faith” mean? Were Abel, Noah, and Abraham “just guessing”? Or were they responding on the basis of assumption or strong probability? Were they acting where there was no evidence? The Bible declares in Romans 10:17 that “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Biblical faith inherently involves the fact of the existence of God. Of course, if God did not exist, then none of this would even be worth discussing. But it also involves the fact of the existence of man. You may find it hard to believe, but there are actually some people in the world who say that we “don’t really exist.” Rather, everything we do is a matter of pure thought. Our physical bodies are not really physical at all. Thus, the fact of the existence of man also must come into play in regard to biblical faith. Additionally, we have to take into account the “revealing ability” from God to man. God has to be able to communicate to us His will, His thoughts, and His words. This, then, involves the “response ability” of man to God. This means that we must have the ability to do that which God tells us to do. It also involves the testimony of God to man. God has revealed Himself to us. In Old Testament times, He spoke through the prophets. But now He speaks through His Son (Heb. 1:1-2). And we have God’s testimony recorded within the pages of the Bible. Faith also implies man’s proper response to that testimony. God has the ability to communicate with us, and has given us the ability to respond properly to Him. Let me stress again, then, that biblical faith means “taking God at His Word.” There can be no biblical faith where there is no testimony from God.
Have you ever head someone in a religious discussion say something like, “I’ve never really read the Bible very much, and I don’t know much about it. But I do ‘have faith.’” When a person says such a thing, he is indicting himself, and is saying in essence, “I have ‘a type’ of faith, but it is not biblical faith.” That person’s “faith” has come from somewhere else besides the Word of God.
Let’s now look at the faith that we today are to possess. In Hebrews 11:6 we read, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” We must have faith, which is evident from reading this verse. Faith is produced by hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). We must not be merely hearers of the Word, as James 1:22 tells us: “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” We must believe that God exists, and our belief must come from our faith. Our faith, of course, is based upon the Word of God. That belief compels us to be obedient. We must do that which God has commanded us to do. In order to be rewarded, we must diligently seek Him. To come to Him, one must follow the plan that God has set forth. We call it the plan of salvation. In Hebrews 10:4, the writer explains to us, “It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” Those in the Old Testament who offered animal sacrifices to atone for their sins did so “by faith.” God had told them that this was what they were to do. And through the Law of Moses especially, the understood exactly what they were to do. They offered the animal sacrifices to atone for the sins that they had committed. But all of those animal sacrifices of the Old Testament pointed forward to a time when the Perfect Sacrifice would be slain for the remission of the sins of the whole world. In Matthew 26:28, Jesus said, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Let’s take just a moment to examine the ramifications of this particular passage. If we look at all of the religions in the world around us, what does this verse say about any of those religions that exclude Jesus? It says that those people are lost. They are without hope. They are people who do not have a proper faith. It is only through Jesus that we can come to the Father. In Matthew 10:32, Jesus continued this line of thinking when He said, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.” For one to gain the favor of God, and to have his name confessed before the Faith, he first must confess the name of Christ. But what of those who refuse to do so? Matthew 10:33 says, “But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” We certainly do not want to be the people in that group—the people who will be told to depart from God, and who will have their names denied before God in Heaven. It was Peter who said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Here we find two additional commands. We are to repent, and we are to be baptized. Baptism is “for the remission of sins.” In Mark 16:16, Jesus specifically said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
Turn with me to John 14:15, where Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” We must keep Christ’s commandments “by faith.” We must hear them in order to do that. Jesus died for you and me on Calvary’s cross. And He invites us to come to Him. Notice in Matthew 11:28-30 where Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Jesus came into this world to seek and save that which is lost. And He begs all people to come to Him in faith—the faith that comes by hearing the Word of God.
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Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
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1.According to Ephesians 4:4-6, how many “faiths” are there?
2.According to Hebrews 11:1, what is faith?
3.In Hebrews 11:1, to what does the phrase “things hoped for” refer?
4.According to Romans 10:17, what produces faith?
5.What, according to Ephesians 6:16, is the Word of God to Christians?
6.Why, according to John 20:30-31, do we have the testimony in the Bible about what Jesus did while he was here on Earth?
7.What is wrong with the following two statements? “There is no way to prove that God exists. We are compelled to accept the existence of God by faith.”
8.What was Thomas’ attitude in John 20:24-25?
9.When Thomas was presented with the evidence that he sought in order to believe in Christ, what was his response (as recorded in John 20:28)?
10. According to Luke’s statement in Luke 1:4, why did he write his Gospel account?
11. Does 2 Corinthians 5:7 teach that sometimes faith can be produced in the absence of sight?
12. Does 2 Corinthians 5:7 teach that faith is produced as a result of the absence of evidence?
13. According to John 4:42, can faith be produced in the presence of sight?
14. Does John 6:69 teach that it is possible to both “have faith” and to “know” at the same time?
15. What would be a good, biblical definition of “availing faith”?
16. According to Hebrews 11:6, how important is faith?
17. According to Romans 4:20-21, what did Abraham not do?
18. According to Romans 4:20-21, of what was Abraham “fully convinced”?
19. Upon what was the faith of men like Abel, Noah, and Abraham based?
20. If we have genuine faith, what, according to James 1:22, will that faith instill in us?
21. What, according to Matthew 10:32, will our faith in Christ bring us?
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