{"id":56,"date":"2011-07-07T02:15:17","date_gmt":"2011-07-07T02:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/firststepsontheway.com\/?page_id=56"},"modified":"2011-07-10T01:16:46","modified_gmt":"2011-07-10T01:16:46","slug":"07-the-foundation-of-faith-toward-god","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/firststepsontheway.com\/?page_id=56","title":{"rendered":"Step 07 The Foundation of Faith toward God"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Foundation <\/strong>of Faith toward God<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Second\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

of Six Elementary Teachings about Christ<\/p>\n

Hebrews 6:1,2<\/p>\n

Topic Headings:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Introduction<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. \u201cFaith toward God\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. Three New Testament Examples of Faith<\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. A Definition of Christian Faith<\/strong><\/li>\n
  5. The Greatest Application of Christian Faith<\/strong><\/li>\n
  6. Other Applications of Faith<\/strong><\/li>\n
  7. The Importance of Faith<\/strong><\/li>\n
  8. The New Testament Commands Us to Believe.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  9. Faith Is a Gift.<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n
  10. We Are Justified before God Only by<\/strong> <\/strong>Faith.<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n
  11. Genuine Faith Always Produces Good Deeds.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  12. Faith without Deeds is Dead.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  13. We Are Justified before Other People by<\/strong> the Deeds that Come from Our Faith.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  14. On the Last Day Jesus Will Point to our\u00a0<\/strong>Deeds as the Evidence of our Faith.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  15. What should you do?<\/strong><\/li>\n
  16. A Prayer of Faith<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    1. Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The Bible teaches us about faith in two ways:<\/p>\n

    1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Faith can refer to an important aspect of someone\u2019s personal relationship with someone else.<\/p>\n

    [Jesus said:] “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God<\/span>, believe<\/span> also in Me<\/span>.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> \u00a0(John 14:1)<\/p>\n

    \u201cNow faith<\/span> is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> (Hebrews 11:1)<\/p>\n

    2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Faith can also refer to the objective substance upon which that aspect of one\u2019s personal relationship with someone else is based.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIf you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith<\/span> and of the good teaching that you have followed.\u201d <\/em><\/strong>(1 Timothy 4:6) <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Does that sound complicated?\u00a0 It\u2019s not really as difficult to understand as you may be thinking.<\/p>\n

    2. \u201cFaith toward God\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Faith is directed toward someone or something.\u00a0 People can direct faith toward other people, toward their possessions, or even toward themselves.\u00a0 Christian faith is directed toward God (Hebrews 6:1).<\/p>\n

    3. Three New Testament Examples of Faith<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 One way to understand faith is to look at examples of faith in the New Testament.\u00a0 These allow us to see this important aspect of someone\u2019s personal relationship with Jesus and what the specific, objective substance of this was.<\/p>\n

    The Faith of a Leper<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>40<\/sup><\/em><\/strong> A man with leprosy came to Him<\/span> and begged Him<\/span> on his knees<\/span>, \u201cIf you are willing<\/span>, you can make me clean<\/span>.\u201d \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>41<\/sup><\/em><\/strong> Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. \u201cI am willing<\/span>,\u201d he said. \u201cBe clean!\u201d <\/em><\/strong>42<\/sup><\/em><\/strong> Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. <\/em><\/strong>(Mark 1:40-42)<\/p>\n

    Please note the following:<\/p>\n

    This man\u2019s faith was directed toward Jesus, for he came to \u201cHim\u201d<\/em><\/strong> and begged \u201cHim.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    This man fell \u201c<\/em><\/strong>on his knees\u201d<\/em><\/strong> before Jesus.\u00a0 This behavior shows an aspect of his relationship to Jesus; that is, this man considered that Jesus was in authority over him and his situation.\u00a0 This is part of the objective substance of his faith.<\/p>\n

    This man said, \u201cYou can make me clean.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 These words reveal another part of the objective substance of his faith; this is what he believed.\u00a0 He believed in Jesus\u2019 ability to help him.<\/p>\n

    He began by saying, \u201cIf you are willing, . . .\u201d<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 The words \u201cIf you are willing\u201d<\/em><\/strong> suggest that there was initially some doubt in his mind as to whether Jesus was willing to heal him.\u00a0 As we will see, believing that Jesus is also willing to help us is another very important part of the objective substance of faith.\u00a0 Jesus encouraged him to believe this by saying, \u201cI am willing.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    The Faith of a Woman with a Flow of Blood<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 25<\/sup><\/em><\/strong> And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. <\/em><\/strong>26<\/sup><\/em><\/strong> She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. <\/em><\/strong>27<\/sup><\/em><\/strong> When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him<\/span> in the crowd and touched His cloak, <\/em><\/strong>28<\/sup><\/em><\/strong> because she thought, \u201cIf I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.<\/span>\u201d \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>29<\/sup><\/em><\/strong> Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. . . .<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>34<\/sup><\/em><\/strong> He said to her, \u201cDaughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> (Mark 5:25-29,34)<\/p>\n

    Please note the following:<\/p>\n

    This woman\u2019s faith was also directed toward Jesus; for she \u201ccame up behind Him\u201d<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 that is, behind Jesus, and not behind someone else.<\/p>\n

    This woman came to Jesus after she \u201cheard about Jesus.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 She heard some objective substance about Jesus.\u00a0 No doubt, she heard of previous miracles that Jesus had performed, so she knew Jesus COULD help her, too.\u00a0 Also, these accounts convinced her that Jesus was a kind person and therefore WOULD help her. \u00a0Based on what she heard, her opinion of Jesus is great indeed, for she thought that only touching this great person\u2019s clothes would be enough to bring healing!\u00a0 Elsewhere the New Testament teaches that \u201cfaith comes by hearing\u201d<\/em><\/strong> (Romans 10:17).<\/p>\n

    She thought, \u201cIf I<\/span> just touch His clothes, I<\/span> will be healed.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Please notice how this woman personalized the general objective substance that she had heard about Jesus.<\/p>\n

    The Faith of a Father whose Son Had a Deaf and Dumb Spirit<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    <\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 17<\/sup><\/em><\/strong> A man in the crowd answered, \u201cTeacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. . . .22<\/sup> \u201cIt has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him.\u00a0 But if you can<\/span> do anything, take pity on us and help us.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 23<\/sup> \u201c\u2018If you can\u2019?\u201d said Jesus. \u201cEverything is possible for him who believes<\/span>.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 24<\/sup> Immediately the boy\u2019s father exclaimed, \u201cI do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!<\/span>\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a025<\/sup> When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. \u201cYou deaf and mute spirit,\u201d he said, \u201cI command you, come out of him and never enter him again.\u201d 26<\/sup> The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. . . .\u201d<\/em><\/strong> (Mark 9:7,22b-26a)<\/p>\n

    Please note the following:<\/p>\n

    This father came to Jesus.\u00a0 He had, at least, some idea that Jesus might be able to help his son.<\/p>\n

    This father was not sure that Jesus COULD help his son.\u00a0 He says, \u201c<\/strong>if you can<\/span><\/em><\/strong> do anything.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

    Jesus is surprised that he questioned His ability, quoting the father\u2019s words back to him, asking him to reconsider his doubt, \u201c\u2018If you can\u2019?\u201d<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Then He encourages his faith with these words: \u201cEverything is possible for him who believes<\/span>.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Then the father prayed, \u201cI do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!<\/span>\u201d <\/em><\/strong>He realized that his faith was corrupted with doubt.<\/p>\n

    4. A Definition of Christian Faith<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Christian faith is an aspect of a person\u2019s relationship with God, which comes from hearing about God\u2019s kind and powerful character which makes Him both willing and able to help people.\u00a0 Christian faith is that aspect of our relationship with God which takes this objective substance about Him and applies it personally to oneself.<\/p>\n

    5. The Greatest Application of Christian Faith<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The greatest application of Christian faith is in regard to eternal salvation.<\/p>\n

    Jesus said, \u201cFor God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d (John 3:16)<\/p>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The objective substance of this faith includes the following:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • people will simply perish without God\u2019s help,<\/li>\n
    • there is a God,<\/li>\n
    • this God extremely loves the world,<\/li>\n
    • this God gave His one and only Son,<\/li>\n
    • the death of His Son in the place of disobedient people makes Him both willing and able to forgive their disobedience, and<\/li>\n
    • this God will give eternal life to those who believe in His Son.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In order for a person to have Christian faith himself, he takes this objective substance and applies it to himself.\u00a0 He says, \u201cIf I just believe that God gave His one and only Son for me, I shall have eternal life!\u201d<\/p>\n

      6. Other Applications of Faith<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In the Bible God gives us plenty of objective substance about Himself to encourage us to believe that He is willing and able to help us with all aspects of our lives, for example \u2013<\/p>\n

        \n
      • what we shall eat, drink, and wear;<\/li>\n
      • how to endure the difficulties of life;<\/li>\n
      • how to bear persecution for being Jesus\u2019 disciples.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

        7. The Importance of Faith<\/strong><\/p>\n

        “Without faith<\/span> it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe<\/span> that He is<\/span>, and that He is a rewarder<\/span> of those who diligently seek Him.” <\/em><\/strong>(Hebrews 11:6)<\/p>\n

        8. The New Testament Commands Us to Believe<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0Believe!\u00a0 This was the command of John the Baptist:<\/p>\n

        “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to people that they should believe<\/span> on Him Who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> (Acts 19:4)<\/p>\n

        \u00a0Believe!\u00a0 This was the command of Jesus Himself:<\/p>\n

        “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.\u00a0 Repent and believe<\/span> in the gospel.\u201d <\/em><\/strong>(Mark 1:15)<\/p>\n

        Believe!\u00a0 This was the command of the apostles:<\/p>\n

        “Believe<\/span> on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.\u201d <\/em><\/strong>(Acts 16:31)<\/p>\n

        9. Faith Is a Gift<\/strong><\/p>\n

        When a person believes, it looks as though he himself has done something great; but consider these passages of the New Testament:<\/p>\n

        \u201cFor it is by grace you have been saved, through faith\u2014and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God<\/span>, . . .\u201d <\/em><\/strong>(Ephesians 2:8)<\/p>\n

        “God…opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.”<\/em><\/strong> (Acts 14:27; see also Matthew 16:17 and John 1:11,12.)<\/p>\n

        <\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

        10. We Are Justified before God Only by<\/strong> <\/strong>Faith<\/strong><\/p>\n

        We are justified before God only by faith and not by the things that we do:<\/p>\n

        “We conclude that a man is<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>justified by faith apart from the deeds of the<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>law.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> (Romans 3:28)<\/em><\/p>\n

        11. Genuine Faith Always Produces Good Deeds.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

        8 \u201cFor it is by grace you have been saved, through faith\u2014and this not from yourselves, it is the gift<\/span> of God\u2014 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created<\/span> in Christ Jesus to do good works<\/span>, which God prepared in advance for us to do.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> (Ephesians 2:8-10)\u00a0<\/p>\n

        \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

        12. Faith without Deeds is Dead.<\/strong><\/p>\n

        “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? \u00a0Can such a faith save him?\u00a0 . . . As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” <\/em><\/strong>(James 2:14, 26)<\/p>\n

        13. We Are Justified before Other People b<\/strong>y<\/strong> the Deeds that Come from Our Faith.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u201cFor if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> (Romans 4:2)<\/p>\n

        14. On the Last Day Jesus Will Point to our <\/strong>Deeds as the Evidence of our Faith<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 31<\/sup> \u201cWhen the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32<\/sup> All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33<\/sup> He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0\u00a0\u00a034<\/sup> \u201cThen the King will say to those on his right, \u2018Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35<\/sup> For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36<\/sup> I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0\u00a0\u00a037<\/sup> \u201cThen the righteous will answer him, \u2018Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38<\/sup> When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39<\/sup> When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0\u00a0\u00a040<\/sup> \u201cThe King will reply, \u2018I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0\u00a0\u00a041<\/sup> \u201cThen he will say to those on his left, \u2018Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42<\/sup> For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43<\/sup> I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0\u00a0\u00a044<\/sup> \u201cThey also will answer, \u2018Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0\u00a0\u00a045<\/sup> \u201cHe will reply, \u2018I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

        \u00a0\u00a0\u00a046<\/sup> \u201cThen they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.\u201d <\/em><\/strong>(Matthew 25:31-46)<\/p>\n

        15. What should you do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \n
        • \u00a0Believe these fundamental teachings of the \u00a0Bible about God and the salvation that He has obtained for us through His Son.<\/li>\n
        • \u00a0Believe especially that God loves you personally so much that He sent His own Son to die in your place for your sins.<\/li>\n
        • \u00a0Believe God to help you with all the other matters of life.<\/li>\n
        • \u00a0Live the kind of life which shows that you believe the Bible\u2019s teaching.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          \u00a0<\/p>\n

          16. A Prayer of Faith<\/strong><\/p>\n

          My Father in heaven, I believe that You are really there and that You reward those who seek You.<\/p>\n

          I believe that You love me so much that You planned to send Your Son long ago into this world to suffer for my sins.\u00a0 I believe that Jesus Christ is that promised Savior and that He came to save me.<\/p>\n

          I believe, but there is much that I still do not understand; help me to believe everything about You.<\/p>\n

          Also, please help me to live the kind of life that pleases You and that shows that I really do believe in You.\u00a0<\/p>\n

          Thank you for hearing me for Jesus\u2019 sake!\u00a0 Amen!<\/p>\n

          \u00a9 copyright 2011\u00a0<\/p>\n

          Lyra Publications<\/p>\n

          Preston, Minnesota<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          The Foundation of Faith toward God \u00a0 The Second\u00a0 of Six Elementary Teachings about Christ Hebrews 6:1,2 Topic Headings: Introduction \u201cFaith toward God\u201d Three New Testament Examples of Faith A Definition of Christian Faith The Greatest Application of Christian Faith Other Applications of Faith The Importance of Faith The New Testament Commands Us to Believe. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/firststepsontheway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/56"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/firststepsontheway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/firststepsontheway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/firststepsontheway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/firststepsontheway.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=56"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/firststepsontheway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/56\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58,"href":"http:\/\/firststepsontheway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/56\/revisions\/58"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/firststepsontheway.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=56"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}