What Faith Isn't

Last Wednesday I dedicated a post

to sharing some of the things God taught me about faith in reading from Genesis to Esther. The time I spent reading this section seems to have had plenty of challenges and many opportunities to have faith as the Word of God describes it. My mom went through her first major surgery, a particularly nasty sin was revealed in a family member, another close family member professed faith in Christ and then quickly denied it, a friend retreated into seclusion for a few months, problems arose in my church, and my husband and I struggled with money issues.

It is very important to know what faith is, but it is also important to know what it isn't. I've heard many Christians say things about faith that I've learned are not correct when compared to Scripture. These incorrect beliefs about what faith is leads them to false hope and a misunderstanding of who they are and who God is. They walk on dangerous ground.

Some things faith is not:

1. Faith is not believing that you will get what you want. Many times, faith is preached as believing that whatever situation you're in  will end in a way you want it to. When I recently told my mom that I may have a medical problem, she told me to have faith. What she meant, of course, was that I should believe that I don't really have this medical problem and that when I go to the doctor he'll tell me I have nothing to worry about. A year ago I would have nodded and thanked her for the encouragement, but I could not do that in light of what God's Word has taught me.  In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 Paul gives a summary of his many troubles, including beatings, shipwreck, hunger, danger of robbery, and sleeplessness. This convinces me that although we always want things to turn out happily, it is not always God's will to fix problems for us. It may be his will that I be diagnosed with this medical condition and making myself believe that he won't allow it won't change that.

2. Faith is not more powerful than God. It seems that during difficult times it becomes more attractive to listen to those who say things like, "Declare it in faith and it will happen!" People are told to speak positive words because positive words will make positive things happen. A more subtle form of this Word of Faith preaching is present when we give in to the idea that if we believe God will do whatever thing for us, he actually will. This doctrine makes human faith more powerful than the Almighty God. Ephesians 1:11 says that God works all things according to his own will and Psalm 115:3 says that he does whatever he likes. Our faith doesn't have much to do with what God chooses to do. He determines his actions by his own perfect will, not by our faulty and sometimes misguided faith.

3. Faith is not useless. So if having faith doesn't mean I believe God will end everything happily and if faith won't change God's will, what is it good for? Faith is good for salvation (Ephesians 2:8), it is good for righteousness (Romans 4:5), it is good for testimony (Hebrews 11:1-2), and it is good for peace with God (Romans 5:1). As I wrote in the previous post, faith is knowing that whatever God does is best. I know that even if everything goes badly this year, God will use that difficult to bring good into my life. He'll use it for his perfect wise purposes even if I can't understand what he's doing at the moment. Knowing that my God means good for me gives me more trust and peace in him than I would have if faith simply meant I could change his will. How could I trust in a God so easily swayed? Praise God for what faith actually is!