WHAT IS FAITH?
The Greek word translated faith (Pistis) also means conviction of the truthfulness of God. Thus, when we talk about having faith in God, we invoke God’s integrity; how truthful He is to keep His Word and how convinced or persuaded we are that God is indeed truthful.
Concerning God’s truthfulness or His integrity, this is the testimony God gives concerning Himself: “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19). Hebrews 6:18 also says “it is impossible for God to lie” and in Titus 1:2 we read that “God cannot lie”. This text did not say that God will not lie but rather He CANNOT lie. This means that God hasn’t simply purposed in His heart not to lie, rather, He lacks the ability to lie. What proceeds out of His mouth is truth and the standard by which we know what is true and what is false. Therefore, if God says what you see as black is rather white, then you had better believe what He says because He sees further and deeper than anyone could ever see, and what He says is and becomes reality.
God holds His integrity in such a high esteem that those who do not believe God are deemed to make Him out to be a liar. 1 John 5:10 says “…Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar…”. Romans 14:23 also says “whatever is not of faith is sin”. This is how dangerous unbelief is. When we live without faith we are sinning and also making God a liar because by our unbelief, we reject God’s Word as truth and bring His integrity and truthfulness into disrepute (1 John 5:10). This is a place we should never want to be.
An example of this kind of faith, which rests on God’s integrity and is also given for our example is what is shown about Abraham in Hebrews 11:17-19. Because God had told Abraham that he will have descendants from Isaac, Abraham considered (and was ready to act) that should he sacrifice Isaac following God’s word, God will have to raise Isaac from the dead since he was yet to receive his descendants through Isaac according to the word spoken by God, who cannot lie. And figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from the dead (Hebrews 11:19).
This is the kind of faith that gets the job done. The kind that places absolute confidence in God and His integrity and is at rest knowing that God who has promised is faithful, and He will also do it (see Hebrews 10:23, 1 Thessalonians 5:24, Acts 27:25, Romans 10:11, Hebrews 11:11).
To be continued.
Dr. K. Omari
April 6, 2021