We read in Romans 1:5 that we have received grace and apostleship through Him to bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations, on behalf of His name. Here at Brigada, we’ve recently been tossing over the concept that the idea of “having faith,” though it might function like a possession in English, is actually more like an action verb in the original language. To make matters worse, faith is a word used in many contexts these days and, in fact, it seems to be used rather loosely. But the Greek for faith, pisteuo, is clearly “to have faith in, trust; particularly, to be firmly persuaded as to something.” A great example of faith in action is Hebrews 11. By faith:
• Noah built an ark;
• Abraham went out, not knowing where he was going;
• Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice;
• Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau
• The Israelites crossed the Red Sea.
In each of the instances above, a person’s faith leaped into action. This reminds us that faith, our belief in a God that is all powerful, demands behavior. It’s no longer ok for us just to sit in a pew (or an office chair). I must turn my own faith into action. True faith has to have an Action Focus!
So what kind of action focus will YOU tackle? If you have an opinion on faith (or any thought related to the above), just click “Comment” after the web version of this item. Thanks in advance for sharing your opinion!
(*Note: Some of the above ideas were spawned from “Word for the Day” by JD Watson. And thanks to the Brigada team for generating cool thoughts about faith in action!)
Faith works–at least from James’ perspective. True faith reveals itself in action. Could we start using “faith” as a verb? Probably not. But it functions like one. That’s how we know we actually believe something, or Someone. One of my favorite aspects of faith is that it, like salvation, seems to be a gift from God. 2 Peter 1:1 says that his readers, through the righteousness of Christ, have received a faith as precious as that which Peter himself possessed. I think of it this way: God has wonderfully and miraculously given me the capacity to believe something that I can’t see or prove scientifically. Humanly speaking, to believe in an unseen God doesn’t make much sense. Spiritually speaking, because of God’s amazing grace, it makes perfect sense. Therefore “faith is the substance of things unseen, the assurance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1). Wow! And mine is as precious as that of Peter–and as much in need of growth and development. The outcome of our faith is the manifestation of it in things that glorify God. That’s pretty cool.
Well done on the explanation about faith!
May God Bless you!
YES! Faith is an ACTION word! I do a series on James, A Servant of God, titled, FAITH ALIVE! Anyone interested? You can write asking for the notes!
I recently posted a comment on Facebook: Choose to live life (i.e. make decisions) that require faith.
If we are really going to live the life that the Bible outlines for us, we must do so by faith. We must step out on things, believing that God will back up His Word.
I have recently been thinking about Jacob. It says of him that he wrestled with man and with God and overcame. What does this mean? Does it mean that Jacob, like the widow before the unjust judge in Luke 18, wouldn’t take no for an answer? If we know what God has said, will we wrestle with it and keep holding on to it until we see it come to pass?