The Meaning of Faith (Part 1): Believing the Promise

Quick Overview

The first part of the faith series argues that biblical faith rests on evidence, not blind belief. It shows how Noah and Moses acted on God’s warnings and promises, illustrating that faith involves obedience and perseverance. Abraham’s story is central: despite his and Sarah’s age, he trusted God’s promise of descendants, and his faith was credited as righteousness. The article encourages believers to trust God even when circumstances seem impossible, reminding them that faith in God’s Word is justified by His character.

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"Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen." Hebrews 11:1

It is often believed by outsiders that the Christian faith consists of belief in a mysterious being that cannot be heard, cannot be seen and cannot be proven to exist. A blind faith, only supported by a fairy tail book called The Bible. As a result, this faith is often viewed as incompatible with the alleged objective claims of modern science. The problem with this view is that for many years, it has been evident that both can and should be able to go through the same door. Atheistic theories like evolution have failed to provide an explanation for the fact that this universe had a beginning, a belief also held by scientists. The Bible covers this event in verse one. The universe’s beginning, testifies of a Beginner; the Big Bang, testifies of a Big Banger. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ under Pontius Pilate and the fact that soon after many believed He had risen and were willing to die for this, is an undisputed fact of history. So even though “by faith we understand that the universe was created by God’s command…” (Heb 11:3), we are not speaking of a blind faith. Rather, “…His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse.” (Rom 1:20). Creation testifies of a Creator.

If someone asked you why you believe in God, what would you point to first?

• The universe had to come from somewhere
• Creation is too detailed to be an accident
• I’ve felt God’s presence in my life
• History and prophecy point to the truth of the Bible

Works of Faith

"Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

This is the foundation of the Christian faith. However, I want to encourage you to think about what it means to ‘believe that He exists.’ When we look at Scripture, we see that this is more than merely acknowledging His existence or believing that Jesus is the Son of God; for even demons are willing to profess this (e.g. Matt 8:29; Mark 5:7; Luke 8:28) and even the satan himself knows the Word of God (e.g. Matt 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–13). What is perhaps even more significant is that although the demons did recognize Him, the Pharisees — experts in the Jewish Law — did not.

In his letter, James teaches that “…faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself” (Jas 2:17). So, what kind of works are expected? Hebrews 11 sums up several Old Testament events that were rooted in faith. Verse seven covers how “…Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” Other than simply affirming God’s existence, he was willing to act on it. Faith in God, rather than what his eyes could see, was governing his actions (2 Cor 5:7). Even when others saw no reason to prepare for a major flood, Noah trusted the word of God. If you truly trust your doctor, you will follow their advice. Your actions reflect your beliefs. In addition to that, your decisions will reveal your true focus. Moses chose suffering over earthly riches “…for he considered the reproach because of the Messiah to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since his attention was on the reward” (Heb 11:26). He saw more glory in God’s promise than in everything this world could give him.

The Faith of Abraham

"For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness." Romans 4:3

He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.” Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness. -Genesis 15:5–6

Someone known for his faith is Abraham. Perhaps the most encouraging thing about this is that even Abraham struggled with his faith. In Genesis 15, God promises Abraham (back then, still called ‘Abram’) that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars in the sky (Gen 15:5). Yet, when he and his wife Sarah (back then, still called ‘Sarai’) had reached an age where childbearing became very unlikely, his wife told him that “…the LORD has prevented me [Sarai] from bearing children…” (Gen 16:2) and proposed that Abraham go to her slave, so their family could be build through her. What happens here is that their faith in God’s promise was based on the natural circumstances, rather than God’s capabilities, opposed to Noah, who believed in the coming flood, even when no one could find any natural sign of a coming flood. Later, after God had given Abraham and Sarah their son Isaac, God commanded Abraham to offer up their son. Abraham did not hesitate and walked up the mountain with his son. Why? Because of his faith in the promise of God. God had kept His promise before, and because he remembered God’s promise, he told his son that “…God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering…” (Gen 22:8). The book of Hebrews teaches that “he received the promises and he was offering his unique son, the one it had been said about, Your seed will be traced through Isaac. He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead, and as an illustration, he received him back“ (Heb 11:17–19).

Set Apart by Faith

Our faith is what sets us as Christians apart from the world. “By faith they [the Israelites] crossed the Red Sea as though they were on dry land. When the Egyptians attempted to do this, they were drowned” (Heb 11:29). The letter to the Galatians teaches that “just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, then understand that those who have faith are Abraham’s sons” (Gal 3:6-7). It is not whether we are circumcised or not, offer tithes, or perform sacraments. We have been saved by faith, through God’s grace (Eph 2:8-9). Paul’s focus was on the reward, for he considered “…that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us” (Rom 8:18) and “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him for righteousness” (Gen 15:6; Rom 4:3; Gal 3:6; Jam 2:23). Even when Abraham was asked to sacrifice the son God had promised him, he knew that the promise did not depend on Isaac, but on God. Their confidence was that God had done it before, so He can do it again. Believing in a reliable source is not blind faith. If we take the medicine our doctor prescribes us, we can walk the road the God and Creator of the universe has paved for us.

Bible translation: The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009).