United Church of God

You Can Have Living Faith

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Table of Contents

Jesus asked a question with profound implications for each of us: "When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" Faith is growing increasingly rare in our secularized society. How can you have living faith?

Since most people don't read the Bible, they know little about God. Many aren't even sure whether God is real. What about you? What kind of faith do you have? Do you want to have more? Do you understand what faith really is?

Many people think of "faith" as either a feeling or a collection of ideas that represent one's convictions. Although both of these concepts involve elements of faith, the full definition is much broader.

Martin Luther, founder of the Protestant Reformation, referred to the book of James as an "epistle of straw."

An excellent way to understand the meaning of faith is to consider the examples of the Bible - men and women who trusted and obeyed God, placing their lives in His hands. Who were they, and what can we learn from them?

Few attitudes are more disheartening and destructive to faith than the notion that God doesn't hear our prayers, doesn't answer or doesn't care. It is easy to come to such conclusions when God doesn't respond when or how we want.

Have you ever wondered why we don't see more evidence of faith?

God expects us to grow in faith, and he tells us it is impossible to please Him without it. So how can we grow in faith? Scripture gives us several keys to building and growing in faith. What are they, and how do we utilize them?

A comment by the apostle Paul that many lift out of context and misinterpret is Romans 3:28: "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law."

Faith is vital to the entire Christian life - from first understanding who God is up through salvation and eternal life.

Many newer translations of the Bible render certain verses written by the apostle Paul to say that we are to live by our faith IN Christ - whereas the earlier King James Version translated these to say that we must have the faith OF Christ. Just how should these verses actually be translated - and why is this important?

In the book of Hebrews, disobedience is equated with disbelief (Hebrews 3:18-19). How are these two are so closely related?

Is belief all that God requires of us for salvation?