 INTRODUCTION
Faith. What is ‘faith'? Are you a 'person of faith'? Dictionary.com lists these meanings for 'faith': 1. confidence or trust in a person or thing (i.e. faith in someone's character or ability) 2. belief that is not based on proof (i.e. she had faith that her plan would succeed) 3. a system of religious belief (i.e. the Christian faith; the Jewish faith) Faith happens. ALL. THE TIME. We all exercise faith in one way or another.
So, ‘faith’ is a concept with which we are quite familiar. But the faith we all exercise in the physical realm to try (or test) ideas with our five senses seems 'comfortable'. If the idea holds true each time we test it, we come to BELIEVE, or TRUST in it. If NOT, we stop testing it and move on. But the first ‘try’ was an act of faith. FAITH IN THE SEEMINGLY INTANGIBLE Our physical world somewhat makes sense to us--we find it all too easy to 'believe' what we see, hear, taste, smell, and touch (even if our perception/ interpretation of what we experience isn't totally accurate). But the 'unseen' world is a mystery. Most have faith (or opinions) that there is a spiritual realm--that when our bodies wear out , and we are dead to this world, we transition to another realm. The Bible says that our Creator 'placed eternity in our hearts'--meaning we long for something we can't quite define on our own. This is a HUGE concept. One that I believe takes a lifetime to even scratch the intangible surface of understanding. BUT what time we pursue exploring our spiritual nature CAN make this physical existence more complete, more real, more transcendent. And when those who have put their 'faith' in the God of the Bible are following His plan, they are compelled to tell others, and extend an invitation. Their 'faith' in God is now trust and belief. Their only real 'proof' is the personal changes that following Christ has brought about in their lives. That as we unlearn the world's ways, and more and more walk in God's ways, we find His promises are real, and His ways are good. FAITH IN JESUS So, when believers share their faith-- explain their beliefs and why they believe them-- many times they follow a template presentation that provides, in a nutshell, Biblical AND personal experience answers to impactful questions, like:
A typical outline for ‘witnessing’ to an unbeliever goes like this:
***Read scripture texts on Becoming a Child of God here When we can't make that shift. . . Okay, so that is the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. And believers everywhere will say, “It is real. It is overwhelming. It is Truth. And God is so good.” Some who hear the good news are open to it already—maybe they grew up in families where the God of the Bible was acknowledged, honored and/or worshipped. Maybe, as a child, someone told them about Jesus and how to be ‘saved.’ That was me. When I was eight years old, my teenage half-sister asked if she could “practice” her gospel presentation on me. At the end of it, she asked if I would like to ask Jesus into my life to be my savior. And I did. I had no questions. I did not need to know “How do I know the Bible is true?” “How do we know God exists?” “Where did God come from?” In child-like faith, I said “Yes” to God’s gift. Jesus even notes that childlike faith is necessary to take that first step into God’s family. In childlike faith, before I was old enough to ‘doubt,’ before I had questions, God reached my heart. And I changed. I didn’t understand much. But I knew I was saved. I knew I needed to read my Bible. I knew other people needed to know about Jesus. For most of my elementary school upbringing, I was “that goody-two shoes Christian weirdo.” I shared the gospel with two of my childhood friends. One came to faith in Jesus right away. The other believed later in life, but remembered that I was the first to tell her about Jesus. I had the wonderful privilege of witnessing her baptism about 50 years AFTER that day!!! Faith in God has been the over-arching theme in my life. But that doesn’t mean I never wandered from God’s ways. Fast-forward to my mid-twenties when, after 4 years of marriage, I made the decision to divorce my first husband. There was no abuse. Though there was evidence of some ‘wild oats’ that were still being sown, I never suspected infidelity. I just wasn’t happy. I wanted what I wanted, and this was not what I wanted. A couple of years after the divorce, I went through a moral and spiritual crisis. “Who-am-I? How-could-I-have-walked-away-so-easily? I-presumed-on-God’s-grace! Am-I-even-a-Christian?” One evening, alone in my apartment, sitting on my couch, I cried and asked God, “How could I have done that? Do I even know You, Lord?” Immediately, I heard God speak into my spirit, “Kay, if you had not welcomed me in when you were eight, you would not be here, right now, calling out to Me.” Ba-bamm! Full of wonder, I understood those words to mean, “You became mine then. And you are still mine. I have always been with you.” God is faithful to keep us, even if we stray. BUT, WHAT IF? What if I had NOT grown up in a Christian home? What if I grew up in a solid family, but with no spiritual formation? What if I had grown up in a dysfunctional home with lots of anger, maybe violent? How can someone believe in a good God after such hurtful experiences? OR what if I had a bad experience with “Christians” that created resentment, mistrust and built my argument against Christianity? What if any of those were my back-story, and in adulthood as a bitter unbeliever, someone shared the good news of salvation with me?
BIGGER QUESTIONS What about the “BIG” questions that blow our minds to even contemplate, like:
It’s in the Bible, AND. . . SO . . . These questions to be explored in Part II of “What is Faith in Jesus (and why should I care)?”( Coming soon) This is a BIG project not to be carelessly or flippantly dealt with. I’m intimidated by it. But with God, all things are possible. I BELIEVE it! For your inspiration and encouragement. Happy 2026!!
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