TID #169 What is faith? Part 1

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TID #169 What is faith? Part 1

What’s up TRC and Friends! Today me and Jon chop up the topic of faith. Here are some links for you and below are some devotional thoughts to help you put the podcast into practice. 

Enjoy!

Faith is a popular topic in today’s spiritual landscape, but the Bible provides a distinct and clear definition. True biblical faith is confidence in God grounded in His character, promises, and Word.

Hebrews 11:1 gives us the most direct definition: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” This isn’t wishful thinking, but rather a confident trust in God’s kingdom realities that we cannot see.

What Makes Christian Faith Different from Other “Faith” System’s Understanding of “Faith”?

Two key aspects distinguish biblical faith:

  1. Saving faith is essential for a relationship with God (Ephesians 2:8-9)
  2. There’s a difference between saving faith (initial trust in Christ) and the ongoing faith we live by on a daily basis

Who Should Be the Object of Our Faith?

  1. The object of true faith must be the triune God of the Bible revealed as Yahweh and further revealed in Jesus who is the Christ. While people can exercise faith in other things or entities, misplaced faith has no eternal value. Even using God’s name while focusing on something else (like Aaron’s golden calf) is still misplaced faith.

How Do We Live by Faith Daily?

Living by faith requires:

  1. Daily Bible reading and prayer
  2. Maintaining spiritual disciplines even when life is good
  3. Building spiritual habits that become default responses in difficult times
  4. Testing everything against Scripture

What Are the Signs of True Faith?

Genuine faith produces visible fruit:

  1. Sharing the gospel with others
  2. Active participation in the body of Christ
  3. Taking action based on God’s promises
  4. Living differently because of what we believe

Application

Consider these questions this week:

  1. Am I living by faith daily or only in crisis moments?
  2. What is the object of my faith – truly God or something else?
  3. Is my faith producing visible fruit in my life?
  4. How am I strengthening my faith through daily disciplines?

Challenge: Choose one area where you typically rely on yourself and intentionally practice trusting God instead. This might mean:

  1. Praying first instead of acting immediately
  2. Sharing your faith when it feels uncomfortable
  3. Letting go of control in a situation and trusting God’s timing
  4. Building a new spiritual discipline into your daily routine