What is Faith? Let's see how the Bible defines it

Faith is defined as belief with strong conviction; firm belief in something for which there may be no tangible evidence; complete trust, trust, trust or devotion. Faith is the opposite of doubt.

Webster's dictionary of New World College defines faith as "undisputed belief that requires no proof or proof; undisputed belief in God, religious principles ”.

Faith: what is it?
The Bible provides a brief definition of faith in Hebrews 11: 1:

"Now faith is the certainty of what we hope for and certain of what we don't see." (What do we hope for? We hope God is trustworthy and honor his promises. We can be sure that his promises of salvation, eternal life and a resurrected body will one day be ours based on who God is.

The second part of this definition recognizes our problem: God is invisible. We can't see paradise either. Eternal life, which begins with our individual salvation here on earth, is also something we do not see, but our faith in God makes us certain of these things. Once again, we rely not on scientific and tangible evidence but on the absolute reliability of the character of God.

Where do we learn the character of God so we can trust him? The obvious answer is the Bible, in which God reveals himself fully to his followers. Everything we need to know about God is there, and it is an accurate and in-depth picture of his nature.

One of the things we learn about God in the Bible is that he is unable to lie. Its integrity is perfect; therefore, when he declares that the Bible is true, we can accept this claim, based on the character of God. Many passages of the Bible are impossible to understand, yet Christians accept them for faith in a trustworthy God.

Faith: why do we need it?
The Bible is the instruction book of Christianity. Not only does he tell followers who to trust, but why we should trust him.

In our daily lives, Christians are assaulted from all sides with doubts. The doubt was the dirty little secret of the apostle Thomas, who had traveled with Jesus Christ for three years, listening to him every day, observing his actions, even watching him lift people from the dead. But when he came to the resurrection of Christ, Thomas asked for a touchy test:

Then (Jesus) said to Thomas: “Put your finger here; see my hands. Extend your hand and put it by my side. Stop doubting and believe ”. (John 20:27, NIV)
Thomas was the most famous doubtful in the Bible. On the other side of the coin, in Hebrews chapter 11, the Bible introduces an impressive list of heroic believers from the Old Testament in a passage often called the "Faith Hall of Fame". These men and women and their stories stand out to encourage and challenge our faith.

For believers, faith starts a chain of events that ultimately leads to heaven:

By faith through the grace of God, Christians are forgiven. We receive the gift of salvation through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
By trusting totally in God through faith in Jesus Christ, believers are saved from God's judgment on sin and its consequences.
Finally, by God's grace, we become heroes of faith by following the Lord in ever greater adventures in faith.
Faith: how do we get it?
Unfortunately, one of the great misconceptions in Christian life is that we can create faith on our own. We can not.

We struggle to nourish the faith by doing Christian works, praying more, reading the Bible more; in other words, doing, doing, doing. But Scripture says that's not how we get it:

"Because it is by grace that you were saved, through faith - and this not by yourself, it is the gift of God - not by Martin Luther, one of the first Christian reformers, insisted that faith comes from God who works in us and through no other source: "Ask God to operate faith in you, or you will remain forever without faith, regardless of what you desire, say or can do."

Luther and other theologians highlight the act of listening to the preached gospel:

"Why did Isaiah say, 'Lord, who believed what he heard from us?' So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. " (This is why the sermon has become the centerpiece of Protestant worship services. The spoken Word of God has the supernatural power to build faith in listeners. Corporate worship is vital for promoting faith as the Word of God is preached.

When an upset father came to Jesus asking for his demon-possessed son to be healed, the man uttered this excruciating reason:

“Immediately the boy's father exclaimed: 'I think; help me overcome my disbelief! '”(The man knew that his faith was weak, but it made enough sense to turn to the right place for help: Jesus.