Faith

William J.D. Shaw updated: Sept 24, 2018

(This same document is contained within the document titled “Further Important

Background to Bible Understanding and Study”, it is broken out here to help those who wish

to work on strengthening their faith)

Study in Faith

In order to start to grow in faith, one must recognize the character of God. First God speaks

truth, He does not lie, everything God says is truth. Second God does not change, when He tells us

something He never changes His mind in what He tells us, so what He tells us stays constant. Third

God is our Father, He loves us and made us in His image, He wants us to grow as His sons and

daughters, He wants to have fellowship with us. Two actions of God’s love to us are first giving us

the Law (the Torah, or the first five books of the Bible) in order to show us how to go through life

walking on the narrow path and maturing to become more like God Himself, second having His Son

Jesus come down to earth, walking amongst us, showing the way forward and dying for our sins

and covering our sins with His spilled blood. Forth God’s ways are higher that man’s ways, Gods

knowledge is greater than man’s knowledge, so when He tells us to do something we need to do it,

not question it. Fifth God is righteous, just and fair, He will judge everyone equally. Sixth God is

merciful and slow to anger, He will give everyone as much time as possible to change their ways

and follow what Jesus told us and showed us. So understand that when God says something is

forever, through your generations, in your dwellings, perpetual He means just that. So never listen

to what man says, just read for yourself what God’s word says and obey. Every person is given free

choice, so choose carefully. Seventh and final is that when God makes a covenant with man He

never breaks it.

Faith is the foundation stone for becoming and growing as a Christian. Faith is belief in

something unseen, unprovable, it is accepting what cannot be proven and going forward with hope

on accepting that belief. Since we cannot see God, we must accept Him on faith, we see His

creation all around us, His Holy Word is given to us and is shown to be true by prophecy that has

been fulfilled. The Holy Word is given to us through the action of the Holy Spirit, directed to men in

writing down the words, as such we take the Bible on faith. Also recognize that the Bible is written

to be literal for at least 95% of what is written. That means the average person can read it,

understand it and accept it.

The Bible defines faith for us;

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

We believe in God and in Jesus by faith. We believe that the Bible is Holy, it is the Word of

God, written by men but inspired by the Holy Spirit working through those who were directed to

write down the words. Without faith we cannot please God and be accepted as one of His children.

With Faith we are justified in God’s eyes.

Heb_11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to

God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Rom 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds

of the law.

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

We need to beware of falling into the major traps of the world around us, these are best

described in the following verse.

1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes,

and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

One needs to be particularly on guard against the pride of life as it is often very subtle and

can slip in quite unexpectedly, and not be easily recognized.

1. Belief in God and Creation

God’s creation is all around us, it is diverse and beautiful, it is the heavens, the earth and all

that is on the earth. It is what we see every day, it is the arrangement of atoms, particles, DNA,

RNA on the small scale and mountains, oceans, clouds, storms and the sun and stars on the large

scale. There is too much diversity in created life to occur by the theory of evolution. Man is so

different from the animal kingdom that he had to have been created by God. There is a material

world and a spirit world as told to us from the Bible. God and the angels are in the spirit world.

Man lives in the material world, but man has a part of himself that is spirit which makes him very

different from the animals. The spirit in man ties him to the spiritual world and therefore gives him

the opportunity to obtain eternal life.

Prophecy in the Bible shows us God’s supremacy over everything, including time itself.

There is a great deal of prophecy throughout the Bible, only a small amount has been fulfilled to

date, much of it is yet to come. But what has been fulfilled is accurate and is beyond any degree of

occurring by chance or statistical probability.

Consider the nation of Israel and the Jews, this is in our time a modern day miracle, it is

found in prophecy of the Bible. The nation has been re-gathered on the land that was given to

them, they have turned the land into a lush oasis. The dead language of Hebrew has been brought

back to life and as the Bible prophecy predicts the physical land of Israel, Jerusalem and the Jewish

people are contained and central to prophecy of the coming end time. Consider for a moment the

anti-Semitism towards the Jewish people, it comes from people throughout the world and from the

United Nation and most of the Arab nations. It is hatred that is totally disproportionate to the small

size of the land of Israel and to the limited population of the Jews in comparison the nations of the

world. Satan is hard at work in this world. Most of the Protestant Churches today erroneously think

that the Church has replaced Israel. They need to wake up and read the Bible.

The entire Bible is so integrated and tied together in a manner that is completely cohesive

and consistent, without conflicting statements even though it is comprised of so many books (66

books), verses and words, written in various periods of time(over two thousand years) by many

different authors(40 authors). The themes, ideas, and complexity throughout the Bible are all

coordinated and developed in a manner that it is impossible for man to have developed and written

it without slipping up and having contradictory or conflicting statements.

Further the Bible has hidden codes that could not have been placed by man, not even today

with the use of computers. To see an overview of these codes read the book “Cosmic Codes” by

Chuck Missler. In addition read the small article called “Unto Us a Child is Born” written by Zola

Levitt at the end of a booklet “The Seven Feasts of Israel” which addresses the stages of pregnancy

in relation to the timing of the Holy Days of God. The recognition of the main stages occurring in

pregnancy have only very recently become knowledge to man.

There are three current documentaries on DVD that are well worth watching as they

address the accuracy of the Bible coming from man’s current knowledge and understanding.

These are; a) Evolution’s Achilles’ Heels, b) Is Genesis History? , c) Patterns of Evidence –Exodus-.

Note what the Bible says about unbelief.

Mat_17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be

impossible unto you.

Rom 11:20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by

faith. Be not highminded, but fear:

2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which

believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Jas 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

Note what the Bible says about God’s creation.

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Psa 19:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the

glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Psa 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them

all: the earth is full of thy riches.

Luk 12:27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I

say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and

Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in

earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Heb_11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

We need to go forward with confidence in God’s Word, confidence in Jesus and His promise

to us. It is by faith in accepting Christ and by God’s grace to us that we are saved.

2. Belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior

We need three key beliefs to take on Christ (Messiah) and go forward towards growing in

righteousness. The first is to believe in Christ as taking on our sins, the second is believing that God

through His grace forgives our sins and third is through repentance we become a new person in

going forward from that time until the end. These are all tied together in faith, our faith in Christ

and in God. This then happens to be our starting point, then we are required to grow as a son of

God, as a Christian, to grow in righteousness. Growth requires action, it requires doing God’ Will,

doing what God’s Word tells us to do. Repentance is not a onetime action, rather it is an active

verb, going forth with us throughout the rest of our life.

Gal_2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be

justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Gal_2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,

who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Eph_2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Eph_3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and

grounded in love,

Rom_5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Gal_3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus

Christ might be given to them that believe.

3. Trust in God

A large part of faith is trusting in God. This is difficult as we normally make our way through

the world trusting in ourselves or in others such as family, physicians, repair men, dentists etc.

Trust in the Lord means not only having faith but also placing things in God’s hands and knowing

that He will handle them in His own way and in His own time. Having trust grow is more difficult

that having our faith grow. Our faith grows through reading and studying God’s Word and by

recognizing God’s action in things around us. In ancient times God’s people did not believe in

things happening by chance, they did not have a word in their vocabulary for this. Rather

everything that happens is directed by God. President Trump recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s

capital and moving the United States embassy is an action directed by God in our time.

2Co 1:9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in

ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own

understanding.

There are many verses in the Bible that tell us to put our trust in God. A major part of

growing in righteousness is placing our trust in God. Trusting in our selves is following on our own

understanding and that of the world around us, this is not the right way forward. Trust becomes

important in times of trouble and difficulties, that is when a test of our amount of trust comes in

question.

Psa 4:5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.

Pro 29:25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.

Nah 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

Psa 62:7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

Psa 62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Pro 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in

him.

Isa 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Psa 25:20 O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.

Psa 52:8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.

There are verses that tell us what benefits come to us for placing our trust in God. These

are an extension of our faith. We are blessed when we place our trust in Him. When we trust God

we need not be afraid, He will take care of us according to His Will. By faith we recognize that we

need to focus on our future life with God and not on our temporary life in this current material

world.

Psa 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his

wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Psa 34:22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

Psa 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

Psa 56:4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

2Sa 22:3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from

violence.

2Sa 22:31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.

Psa 17:7 Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.

Psa 5:11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in

thee.

Psa 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

Psa 31:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. In thee, O LORD, do I put

my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.

Trust in God is not an easy thing, it is something one needs to continue to work on and have

it continually grow over time. It is easy to put trust in God for the little things, not easy for the

major things. If you are totally obedient to God and His Will, following His Word and not the

commandments of man, meaning not being deceived by the way of the world or false doctrine

taught by the Churches, then full trust in God will result in having Him take care of you. Recognize

that it is His Will that is important and carried out in His timing, not ours. It is each of our personal

responsibility to learn and follow Gods laws and words, we are personally responsible if we allow

deception to mislead us. We need to do our best in following and carrying out God’s Will, living one

day at a time and placing our trust in Him.

4. Having Faith Grow

In order to have our faith grow, we need to continually read and study God’s Word. We need to

allow it to grow within us, to change our heart, to give us understanding that did not exist

previously. God’s Holy Spirit guides us as we read His Word, it will reveal new understanding to us,

one step at a time. Provided we take this and place it in our heart and follow what has been

revealed to us, then another gem will in turn be revealed. Each one works on helping our faith to

deepen. In other words you cannot be lazy and expect to have your faith and trust grow, you must

actively be studying God’s word continually, with some dedicated time every day.

Rom_10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

2Co_5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

Our faith also grows by being led to other information, new interaction with others, seeing

how events suddenly come together to overcome critical problems. God’s action works through

others in His own timing, things do not come together by chance, chance does not exist, it is

God’s hand that is directing us. What we see is evidence of God’s work, it is up to us to

recognize it.

Heb_11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing

whither he went

We need to pray always and ask God for guidance and for help in having our faith grow. We

need to follow on the path He sets forth for us, to embrace it, and strive towards growing in the

manner that God demands.

Faith grows by works, works in reading and studying, works in worshiping and praying,

works in helping others, works by walking with love and charity towards all others. Faith alone

without works is dead.

Jas_2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Jas_2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith

made perfect?

Jas_2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

Jas_2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

It is important to recognize that love towards others rates above that of faith, by our actions

in growing in righteousness so our faith also grows.

1Co_13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

1Ti_1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

Jas_2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and

have not works? can faith save him?

Jas_2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Jas_2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Therefore to grow in faith we need to do works. In doing works we grow as children of God,

we grow in righteousness. We need God’s help within us to grow in faith and trust.

Gal_3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

5. Do we need to Keep the Law

We need to ask ourselves if we have faith do we still need to keep the law, the

commandments and other directions given by God ? Was the law only given to the Israelites, or the

Jews ? Note that by faith we are the seed of Abraham. There is no difference between any of us,

Jew or Gentile. What applies to one applies to all.

Rom_3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Rom_4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

Rom_4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

Gal_3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children

of Abraham.

Gal_3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be

blessed.

Gal_3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Gal_3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Gal_3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Recognize that the manner in which we are saved is the same for all people, second that

the blessings given to Abraham are the same to all that are saved. What applies to one applies to

all. The argument by some men that say the laws and commandments, statutes, ordinances,

precepts and judgments were given only to the Jews or Israelites does not hold, it is a false

justification of man, one that allows him to go his own way and do his own thing ignoring the Will of

God

Rom_3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the

deeds of the law.

Rom_3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law

Jas 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

Jas 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

Jas 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

The reason we follow the law is to allow it to grow within us and have it work towards our

becoming righteous. It also acts to help us develop patience and to endure. It shows by action our

love for God. The law is our road map given to us by God’s love for us, it guides us through this

present life, it defines the narrow path that we are to follow. It identifies sin and therefore we are

aware of how to go forward and not sinning. It works within us to develop the personal

characteristics that God wants us to develop and grow into, humbleness, meekness, serving,

forgiveness, charity and love to all.

Gal_5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith

Php_3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God

by faith:

Rom_1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith

Jas_1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

1Ti_6:11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Gal_5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my

words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Joh 14:24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

Recognize that by keeping the law we are not by our own works being saved. We are saved

by believing in Christ having shed His blood and dying to cover our sins and by forgiveness of our

sins by God’s grace. Rather by keeping the law and commandments we are showing our love for

God and allowing God’s laws to work within us to help us grow and mature as God’s sons and

daughters. By keeping God’s laws we are being obedient to God.

We are to add virtue to faith and then with virtue we add understanding or knowledge.

2Pe_1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

A last thought on keeping the laws and what ties the laws into that of faith is as follows.

Rev_14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the

commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

The above verse (Rev 14:12) is extremely important, it identifies the requirements by God

of being one of his Saints. First is endurance or patience, second is keeping the commands of God,

third is keeping the faith of Jesus. It is doing all three that both God and Jesus directs and

demands of us, it is going forth doing the Will of God, living by every Word of God, obeying God and

maturing as He requires of us.

If you do not believe that keeping God’s laws are important, reflect on the following verse,

believe the Bible and not what other men tell you.

Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

6. Asking For Help in Prayer

When we ask God for something, we need to have faith that He will answer us. We need to

ask with faith and also ask without wavering. Faith means we persevere, we endure, are fully

committed and stay the course. Once we start down the path we must never quit. Keeping this

mind set we show our determination and hence our faithfulness.

Mat_21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea;

it shall be done.

Jas_1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Recognize God Will give us what we need and provided what we ask is God’s Will, we will

receive it. God’s timing is always impeccable. Be aware that we must obey God, live by every Word

that He gives us, if we do this, then when we ask He will hear us and give us what we need.

We must ask God for wisdom on how we need to go through life. We are expected to do

things for ourselves, not to leave everything for God to do for us. We need to ask God for wisdom

that helps us to do His Will. We need wisdom in going forward in righteousness, there is a balance

between placing our trust in God and walking forward in action in this world. It is only in asking God

to help us find this balance, that we can properly go forward.

A problem we have in keeping faith and growing in faith is that faith resides in the heart and

mind, whereas the body or the flesh drives us to abandon faith whenever it perceives itself to be in

trouble and rather to rely upon ourselves or the world. We must not lose sight of why God put us on

the earth, why we are here now. Our goal is to grow as children of God towards serving Him,

worshipping Him, obeying Him and loving Him in preparation for a future life. Our body distracts us

with in three different areas, first is the economics of living, second is our relationships with others

and third is our present life survival and health. We must not let these distract us from our prime

directive of growing in following God’s Will. As we follow God’s Will and act upon it, He works

within us so that we grow strong in faith, and when our time comes He will call us.

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