What is your Faith?

Faith

Someone asks me “what is your faith?” The questions start flooding my mind as I stumble for a response.

Is “my faith” my denomination”? Is faith a compilation of my beliefs?

Is faith just trust? Is faith just belief? Is faith just hope?

What are the foundations of faith? What can faith be compared to?

Is faith developed, created, instilled or inherited? Where does faith reside, in my head or my heart?

Is faith maintained or is it constant? How big does faith need to be?

Just how can I explain what faith means to me?

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Now how can I explain what I can’t even see? I can’t tell them that it is just a feeling that I have – it’s much more than a feeling.

I recall Jesus healed people that witnessed their faith, but what did he see in them? I also recall that Jesus rebuked his disciples and others because of their lack of faith.

Jesus seemed to be always telling people that they could do much more than they thought they could if they had stronger faith. The size of faith doesn’t seem to be significant because Jesus said that if we had faith the size of a mustard seed that we could move mountains.

I do know that I need to hold onto my faith – no matter what struggles I may be facing. In Matthew 24: 9-13 Jesus warns, "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

My friend is standing there still waiting for my answer to his question – what can I tell him? It seems that my faith must be rock solid, void of all uncertainty; it must be a large part of who I am and how I respond. What ever I tell my friend should not be a “smokescreen” it must be what I really believe my faith to be, it must be the truth.

Yes! That is what my faith is! My faith is the truth of my belief in God, my trust in his guidance in my life, and although I can never “do” enough to “earn” my way into heaven I have the assuredness of my salvation through Jesus His Son who suffered, was crucified and died for my sins and the sins of so many others. Jesus rose from the dead and is alive and will come to claim his kingdom, once and for all time.

OK, time to respond to my friend … here goes.

My friend, my faith is the truth of God and in the gift of salvation through His Son Jesus. All faith, all truth, all hope is in God - God above me (in the Father), God for me (in His Son, Jesus), and God in me (in the Holy Spirit). My faith is a gift. My faith is a gift from God!

JMc 3/9/2007