FAITH
According to the Word of God, "
Faith is the substance of things hoped for
the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1)
The definition of FAITH according to Webster is "an unquestionable belief in
God, religion, etc.; loyalty and allegiance in a person or thing; a religion
or system of religious beliefs." 1 According to the Word of God,
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen"
(Hebrews 11:1); and, it is "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed
by God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear"
(Hebrews 11:3). Although Webster's definition fits into the worldview of what
man would consider faith, it is too ambiguous and far-reaching to understand
the Christian meaning of faith due to the inconsistency of what is said.
There is only one God. Although Webster sounds like he is referring to one
God, we cannot be for certain that he is referring to the One and Only God.
Faith is belief in the Christian God. This is the foundation for all of our
reasoning as a Christian. Otherwise, a person has no foundation…just an
opening in his mind for logic and reason. And that logic and reason is enmity
against God. Human reasoning or presupposing your own authority is enmity
against God; which is a sin against God.
The believer (the born-again Christian that knows Jesus Christ as his personal
Savior) is directed to avoid philosophy which has its roots in worldly,
humanistic, and non-Christian presuppositions (Colossians 2:8, "
See to it
that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according
to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world,
rather than according to Christ.")
It is imperative that the Christian who
prefers to know the truth and desires the truth to set him free understands
that God's word demands unreserved allegiance to God and His truth in all our
thought(s) and scholarly endeavors. Therefore, he must make every academic
pursuit and every thought related to Jesus Christ. To not use the principles
of Christ in our thoughts at any point is to deny the wisdom and knowledge of
truth God has placed in us when we accepted Him as our Savior and Lord. Does
this mean that those that fail to place Christ Jesus as the pivotal point of
all relationships and all activities are non-believers or non-Christian? No...
but it does mean that the Christian that places reason or fact before faith is
inviting the enemy into his thoughts, presuppositions and actions and will
eventually lead to false religion or false and uncharacteristic actions of faith.
1 Webster's New World Dictionary of American Language, College Edition, page 522.