Biblical faith involves three elements: (1) conviction of mind; (2) trust of heart; and (3) surrender of the will (see the April ‘97 issue, p. 4). Many people have intellectual convictions about God, the Bible, or Jesus of Nazareth. Relatively few, however, are able to muster the personal trust required to take the steps by which faith is "perfected" (James 2:22). Perhaps it would be helpful to examine some qualities that make someone trustworthy, and see how these traits apply to God. After all, for faith to be genuine and well-placed, one has to have total confidence in the object of his commitment. What has the Lord done to earn our trust?
Trust is a complicated thing. Some people are suspicious by nature. Perhaps their trust has been violated one too many times by someone who used and abused them. The Lord is not like that!
1. He demonstrates a genuine interest in our well-being. His overtures are not forced or artificial. There are no sinister motives lurking beneath the surface. All of God’s commandments are "for our good always" (Deut. 6:24). Jesus’ intentions are transparently honest, when He says, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). His offer is real: "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
2. He has a track record of keeping His promises.
Joshua 21:45 is an apt commentary on the faithfulness of God: "Not one of the good
promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass"
(Josh. 21:45). In the New Testament, we are reminded, "The Lord is not slow about His
promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish
but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come. . ."
(2 Pet. 3:9-10a).
Joshua 21:45 is an apt commentary on the faithfulness of God: "Not one of the good
promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass"
(Josh. 21:45). In the New Testament, we are reminded, "The Lord is not slow about His
promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish
but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come. . ."
(2 Pet. 3:9-10a).
3. His help is constantly available. We may be tempted to sin from time to time, but "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor. 10:13; cf. Heb. 2:17-18). A helpful exercise would be to search a concordance to find how many times the Lord is called "faithful" in Scripture. There are numerous examples. We may be tempted to sin from time to time, but "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor. 10:13; cf. Heb. 2:17-18). A helpful exercise would be to search a concordance to find how many times the Lord is called "faithful" in Scripture. There are numerous examples.
4. He is "able" to deliver us. The apostle Paul says of Abraham, "Yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform" (Rom. 4:20-21). Returning from the mount of transfiguration, Jesus noticed a demon-possessed boy thrown into epileptic convulsions, and his disciples were unable to effect a cure. The boy’s father pleaded, "But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us!" Jesus responded by repeating the man’s words with an exclamatory, "If you can! All things are possible to him who believes." The Lord’s power should not have been an issue. Of course, the man’s reply is all-too-human: "I do believe; help my unbelief" (Mark 9:22-24). In the matter of our eternal destiny, Jesus is "able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him" (Heb. 7:25).
5. He is willing. For many people, the issue is not the Lord’s ability but His willingness with respect to them personally. Does God really love them? If someone has lived an extremely ungodly life, the doubts may linger. On one occasion, when Jesus slept through a fierce and life-threatening storm on Galilee, the disciples roused him and said, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" With a word, Jesus "rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm." Then He turned His attention to the disciples, and asked, "Where is your faith?" (Luke 8:22-25). Perhaps the Lord would say to us, as He once said to His apostles, "O unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you, and put up with you?" (Lk. 9:41). In spite of their constant shortcomings, He patiently nurtured their fragile faith. A leper once asked Jesus, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." The Lord touched him and said, perhaps with a smile, "I am willing; be cleansed" (Luke 5:12-13). How desperately we need to take these words to heart!
Personalize the application. A dying Christian, who had served faithfully as an elder for many years, told me on his death bed, "What this all boils down to is whether we really believe." If you put your confidence in the Lord, He will never let you down! Join with the apostle Paul in confident affirmation, and say, "I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day" (2 Tim. 1:12).
Originally appeared in the March, 1998 issue of Focus Magazine