HOW DO WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE FAITH?

Well, everyone has faith – some in themselves, others in various gods of their choice, and others in their “higher power,” whatever that might be. However, these aren’t a saving or a Biblical faith. Therefore, the question should become, “How do I know that I have a Biblical faith?”

There are many possible answers. However, Jesus had placed a lot of emphasis on our response to the Scriptures:

·       So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide (“continue” or “hold to my teachings” – NIV) in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32, 51 ESV)

This is a very easy test. We can ask ourselves, “Do we read Scripture and want to understand what it is teaching us?” However, is this always an indication of saving faith? It seems so. Jesus continued:

·       “Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word…Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” (John 8:43, 47)

If we are of God, we listen to His Words to obey them. If we are not of God and lack saving faith, we cannot bear to listen to His Words.

This simple test answers a parallel question, “Are we of the elect, the chosen?” If we hear and obey His Words, this also proves that we are of the elect. The ordinary person has rejected the Word and has hardened his heart against it. It is contemptable to him (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Through this test, Jesus also assures us that we will not fall away or reject the faith:

·       “When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him [the good shepherd, Jesus], for they know his voice [or teachings]. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” (John 10:4-5)

·       “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (John 10:27-29)

Jesus also warned that the Word, the Light, also sets us apart from the world, as it also set Him apart:

·       “I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.” (John 8:37)

Jesus also warned that this would be our fate:

·       “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” (John 15:18-20)

Having rejected the Word, they will even convince themselves that they are doing a righteous service by eliminating us. Such is the power of deception to those who welcome self-deception:

·       “…Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.” (John 16:2-3 ESV)

They have not known our Lord because they have rejected the Light in favor of the darkness of self-deception (John 3:19-20). Sadly, many of those who call themselves “Christians” hate the Light of the Word and also those who bear the Word. Jesus had often prophesied that brother would turn against brother (Matthew 24:10-12; 10:21). When I question them about the basis of their faith, either they admit that they pick-and-choose among the verses of the Bible, according to their tastes, or they make use of many sources. Often, they claim that the evangelical is naïve for just taking the Bible as is and present many reasons why we should doubt the Scriptures. In any case, they have failed the faith-test.

As Jesus had taught, our response to the Word of God also determines whether or not we love our Savior:

·       “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him…If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.” (John 14:21-24)

I can love my wife in many ways – doing the dishes, taking her out, or by rubbing her feet. I cannot love God in any of these ways. There is only one way to love Him – by keeping His Word. If I refuse to love Him in this manner, I do not love Him at all.

If, instead, we have decided that there are parts of the Scriptures that we will follow and other parts that we will not follow, we have made ourselves judges over the Word of God and not its servants. This is not faith in God but in our own tastes and judgments.

I’m sorry if my black and white presentation has left out the nuances and the grey areas, and there are those in-between areas, as Jesus had indicated:

·       And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. (Mark 12:34)

Some are on the way.