What Faith Is Built On

Every generation, in its specific time and domain, very often rides on fads that dictate what to believe. There were times when folks wouldn’t venture too far beyond their homes for fear of falling into the abyss at the jumping off place located along the skyline. Fear of the unknown elicited great caution. People didn’t want to fall casualty to the innumerable perils of heedless bravado. In our times however, society views challengers of status quo as heroic. Whether modernity has afforded her offspring better approaches to matters unknown is a debatable issue. As always, fads that fuel creative juices and nudge folks into trying new ideas are never in short supply.

Belief vs Knowledge

In 1996, R&B artist R. Kelly released a title that hit the music world like a storm—I believe I can fly! His philosophy? “If I can see it, I can do it!” In other words, to achieve anything in life, you only need to create a mental picture and work toward it. That is building faith upon faith, a recipe that has produced more disappointments than the fear of failure. I don’t mean to cast aspersions on people’s confidence in their natural capabilities. Doubtless, courage is a virtue that constantly gives folks the necessary thrust to attempt what they otherwise wouldn’t. But faith must be based on something more reliable than mere human ingenuity.

Years ago, during a draught that caused great famine, a certain man took drastic measures. It was best for him to fly to heaven and escape the pain and suffering. So, he climbed to the top of a tall eucalyptus tree and there made a prayer, forgiving the Creator for leaving him to suffer horrendous effects of the dearth. And having made such great strides, the poor fellow believed he’d significantly shortened the distance to paradise. It was now up to God to facilitate the rest of the flight. Amen! With that, he leapt from the branch and swung his coat about in a bid to gain lift. To his utter amazement, he plummeted to the ground. Fortunately, the tree’s branches reduced his downward velocity, and thick undergrowth offered a somewhat soft landing. The man survived alright with broken limbs and lifelong injuries that testified to his act of folly for the rest of his life.

Do you have faith? What is it based on? What gives you assurance that it’ll produce the results you hope for? Is it even possible to tell whether faith will work for a given situation? For many, especially in Christendom, faith is the conception of an idea. A ‘believer’ then prays over the idea slapping a few verses of Scripture on it for authentication. That becomes the basis for believing that God will reward their ‘faith’ and do whatever they ask. On such a mindset, innumerable incoherent claims are made on many a religious pulpit. People are asked to do bizarre things to actualize their faith in hopes of procuring desired blessings. Unfortunately, many continue to be disappointed and their faith in God is eventually wrecked.

Whom vs What

In the New Testament, one conspicuous aspect to faith is that it bolstered courage of believers to endure hardships. In most Pauline epistles, faith is hardly depicted as a means of procuring earthly benefits, but more about reliance on God’s faithfulness to those who trust Him. Faith in God strengthens even the weakest when faced with threats and perils. It makes believers resolute in their commitment to do what is right in the face of contradictory situations. Biblical ethics define the values upon which a Christian builds his/her faith in God. Faith says, ‘Scripture instructs me to behave thus, and I will obey it and leave the consequences to God.’

In a final letter to his budding protégé, Paul tells Timothy, “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him…” (2 Tim 1:12). These are popular lines in Christendom and often tossed about to endorse ideas that contradict the context of the apostle’s message. Paul was in prison awaiting his execution when he wrote this last epistle. He felt it needful to encourage Timothy, a young man who would face many difficulties in his own bid to fulfil Christian ministry. Faith in God had carried Paul through many hardships, and Timothy would have to build strong faith to fulfil his ministerial calling.

Timothy came from a lineage of genuine believers, including his grandmother Lois, and his mother Eunice. Nonetheless, sincerity of faith must be constantly checked against the object of its trust. I know whom (not what) I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him… As Christians, we don’t peg faith on the strength of our belief; neither do we trust in our human abilities. If we did, we would be trusting in ourselves, not in God. Instead, we put our faith in Jesus Christ who faithfully fulfils what He has promised.

What we’re stressing is that a Christian’s faith must be based on God’s Word. In the absence of Scriptural promises, we have absolutely no reason to expect God to honor our own inventions. Does that mean there’s a Scripture for every detail of our personal lives? No, there isn’t, but there’s enough to cover many important areas. If a Scripture exists that addresses our need, we should embrace and claim it. Has God’s Word spoken about our authority in Christ? That covers everything under that heading. The same is true about protection, finances, peace, eternal life, etc. It’s our duty to find Scriptures that cover our individual situations. If Scripture promises God’s Presence, debating whether God is with you by night or daytime, on land, sea, or sky, is an exercise in futility. Splitting hairs over vague and inconsequential matters is not faith.

Faith as Basis of Prayer

This article is about faith rather than prayer, but the two subjects are very closely related, and we need to say a few things about prayer here. When we pray in agreement with God’s promises, we are assured of positive results. The apostle John tells us, ¹³ I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. ¹⁴ This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. (1 John 5:13-15 ~NIV). Did you get that? When we align our requests to God’s will, we are assured of positive outcomes. And how do we know what God’s will is? Holy Scripture is God’s written will! God fulfils His promises one hundred percent of the time!

Let’s use an example. For instance, if you meet the conditions set for a job offer, you apply with confidence. You aren’t being presumptuous. On the other hand, if you disregard the terms given and fill an application anyway, and your mail gets lost, you will always think the reason you didn’t get a response was because you weren’t qualified. But if you are certain about your qualifications, you can follow up with a phone call and ask whether you were shortlisted for interview. Similarly, when we don’t know God’s will, we pray blindly and get confused when we don’t get answers. Knowledge is the mother of confidence, presumption a scion of ignorance.

Knowing God’s character is key to understanding what to expect of Him. People who have related to God for lengths of time in sincere ways get to know what He is like. They have a track record of how God has dealt with them. That helps them know how to relate to Him. In fact, the more we know how God operates, the more prayer breakthroughs we experience. You relate best, and in more meaningful ways, with the people that you know well. It is no different with God.

My Father Told You No Such Thing!

In a 1991 movie, Night of the Hunter, a serial murderer posing as a cleric charms an unsuspecting widow hoping to obtain money robbed from a bank and hidden away by her executed husband. The woman is unaware that her dead husband showed their juvenile son where he hid the loot. As the faux evangelist warms his way into the widow’s home, the boy refuses to buy into the stranger’s tales. He is convinced the stranger’s only goal is to find the money. I first saw this movie many years ago, but the lad’s words stuck to my mind. The fake preacher tells the boy that his dying daddy sent him to help his family know about God and religion. With a resolute look, the boy retorts, “My father told you no such thing!”

That lad knew his father well enough to see through the lies of an imposter. As Christians, we need to take the initiative to familiarize ourselves with our heavenly Father! If we do, we’ll see right through the gimmicks that swindlers peddle. It’ll help us determine the kinds of engagements to involve ourselves in, and which to steer clear from. What we know about God is the basis of who we become as believers. It will give us courage to say “No!” when everyone around us is bowing to falsehoods. What you should know, but don’t, is your greatest liability and personal undoing! Faith in God is based on the knowledge of God!