Why Faith is Important?

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him (God): for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)

Saving faith is not the same as credulity. It is not also a groundless leap in the dark, or believing something that you know nothing about.

There is such a thing as natural faith. This is the faith that we exercise in daily living. For example, you may ride a passenger bus, or perhaps a taxi cab, going to work. You of course must believe that the driver of the bus (or taxi) will take you to your chosen destination. You need to exercise natural faith in such a situation for you to be able to carry on your activities daily.

Another situation that requires the exercise of faith is when you enter a restaurant, and then after checking on the menu you order your favorite dish. You of course must believe that when you order Italian spaghetti that the waiter won't give Japanese noodles. Or when you order coffee that they won't give you Chinese tea. You must also believe that the cook or the waiter won't put poison on your food. In other words, you exercise natural faith in the entire affair.

Our daily life and activities, whether at work or at school or in business or in dealing with peoples, will be next to impossibility apart from our exercise of natural faith. We will look quite queer, mentally imbalance, or rude if we'll question every waiter that serves us as to whether the food being offered is free from poison!

We therefore see from the above examples how important faith is even in the daily activities of life.

A consideration of the place of faith in our relationship with our Creator - the Almighty God - will show further how essential faith is. The verse quoted above from the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us that "without faith it is impossible to please God."

But this kind of faith is supernatural in that it comes from God as a gift. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES: IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD: Not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Fallen man in his/her present condition has no such spiritual faith. God through His Spirit must first impart new life to man for him to have such a faith. Ephesians 2:1 describes mankind generally as "dead in trespasses and sins" as to their present condition. They are very much alive physically to all physical and material things of this world. But they are very much dead, by contrast, to all things of God's Spirit, with no eyes to see and no ears to hear and totally without feelings when it comes to spiritual things.

Psalm chapter 14, verse 1, tells us further: "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." The atheist's denial of God's existence is the result of spiritual blindness and ignorance. A man, who is born blind, may deny the existence of light in his mind. He may reason that he cannot see light, and therefore light doesn't exist. "To see is to believe."

But the blind man's denial of light's existence doesn't change the fact that light does exist. The same is true of God Almighty. The fool's statements: "There is no God. "God doesn't exist." "God is dead." "Man's mind created god." All such remarks don't in anyway affect the fact that God is He Who reveals Himself as the eternal "I AM." (Exodus 3:14)

Man's fallen heart and mind did create gods and goddesses. Hence the nations have their pantheons, both past and present. The Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman pantheons are very popular to name a few. These nations give us polytheism in their conflicting diversities.

But these false gods of fallen mankind's imagination give us a hint, pointing us to the one, living, true God. To illustrate, there are many fake hundred dollar bills that are floating around, but those false (or fake) dollars don't prove that genuine dollar bills don't exist. Rather they point to the fact that real (true) hundred dollar bills do exist! The counterfeit hints the existence of the real and true!

There is another important point. That is, how can you know the counterfeit from the genuine? The fake from the real? The false from the true? If you only have the counterfeit, and haven't yet seen a real one, how can you have a basis to compare with to determine the false from the true?

How can you know that what you are believing is a lie unless you know its opposite, that is, the truth to compare with? If you only have a lie that you wrongly assumed as the truth, how can you know that it's a lie except you are shown the true truth for you to have a basis for comparison?

It is now time to ask one of the most fundamental of all questions: "What is truth?" (John 18:38) Pilate once asked this most important question but how sad that he seemed not interested enough to know the answer that he immediately turned away from the One Who alone can give the real answer!

Let's again repeat the question - "What is truth?" - but now let's humbly hear what's the answer from the Lord Himself. The Lord Jesus Christ said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man comes unto the Father, but by Me." (John 14:6)

Christ's answer is clear. He said, "I am...the Truth." Christ is not just "a truth," one among many truths. But He said, He is THE TRUTH, that is, Truth absolutely. Absolute Truth is not just an idea, a thought, a philosophical narration, a religious organization, or an impersonal thing. Absolute Truth is a Person. Absolute Truth is Jesus Christ.

"One plus one equals two" - is a truth. It is a mathematical truth to be exact. "Abraham Lincoln was an American president" - is another truth. A historical truth to be exact. So there are many truths in different categories and subjects. All such truths are relative truths. They are truths that had to do with creation and time.

But there is only one absolute truth - THE TRUTH - without beginning and without end. Jesus Christ is the Truth. "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever." (Hebrews 13:8)

John chapter 1 reveals to us Who Jesus Christ is: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made...And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (please read verses 1-14 to see the contexts)

The Lord Jesus Christ, even before His incarnation or coming as a human being, already pre-existed in the beginning (before the creation of all things) as the Word of God. He already had the glory of the Son, with the Father, even before the world was (see John 17:5)

Both the terms "in the beginning" (John 1:1) and "before the world was" (17:5) refer to eternity and to the fact of Christ's eternal preexistence with God the Father previous to the creation of the universe or of all things.

Only God has such an eternal being (or an existence that has no beginning or end). "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God." (Psalm 90:2)

Christ had and has such an eternal being (or existence), because John chapter 1, verse 1 tells us further: "...and the Word was God." This is quite clear. The Scripture is plainly telling us that Christ as the Word (before His incarnation) was nothing less than Deity Himself!

John chapter 1, verse 3 further reveals that Christ, as the Word, is the Creator of the entire universe: "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made."

The term "all things" refer to all creation without exception. "All things" were made by the Word (or Christ). Christ is the Creator of all. "And without Him was not any thing made that was made." That is, nothing, absolutely nothing, came to existence apart from Him.

Saint Paul agrees, for under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he wrote: "[Christ] is the Image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of every creature: 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: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist." (Colossians 1:15-17)

The Lord Jesus Christ is clearly the Creator. He was the Elohim (God) Who created the heavens and the earth in the beginning (compare Genesis 1:1 with Hebrews 1:8, 10).

The Lord Jesus Christ is the only-begotten Son of God. He is God. As such He is THE TRUTH. That is, Truth absolutely. Truth personified and embodied.

God the Father sent Christ(His Son) to reveal His eternal love, righteousness and saving grace to us through Him. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

This is Paul's own testimony: "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came to the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." (1 Timothy 1:15)

Christ Jesus - God's Son - came to save NOT the religious man, or the church-going man, or the moral man. No, but He came to save sinners. Yes, SINNERS. I'll repeat for you not to escape this most important fact.

Christ came to save S-I-N-N-E-R-S. Yes, SINNERS. What kind of sinners? Any kind, my friend, any kind of sinners including the worst of them - even THE CHIEF of them. Paul, "who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious" (1 Timothy 1:13), is the example of what kind of sinners Christ is capable of saving through the power of His shed blood on the cross.

Are you a sinner? A genuine sinner? A thief? A murderer? An adulterer? An adulteress? An idolater? A swindler? An immoral man or woman? A liar? A rebel son or daughter? An envious or covetous person?

An egotistic man or woman? Full of self-righteousness and pride? A very selfish person? A worshipper of yourself? A worshipper of fellowman? A blasphemer? Full of hatred and bitterness?

Are you a sinner? From the witness of your own conscience and experience, from the witness of your parents and friends and enemies, and most of all from the witness of the Word of God, you must know the answer.

If you acknowledge and confess without hypocrisy, as before God, that you are a sinner, then please hear this good news: CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS AND THAT INCLUDES YOU! CHRIST CAME TO SAVE YOU! AND HE WILL SAVE YOU!

Do you want to experience God's forgiveness and a total cleansing of your heart and soul, that you can actually become a new creation in Christ, then don't hesitate, dear friend, come to Christ right now and call on Him to save you.

Yes, wherever you are, anytime, day or night, in sickness or health, God is present there with you through His omnipresent holy Spirit. God can hear you. Come humbly to Christ. He will by no means cast you out if you come to Him. Come as you are yourself.

There is no need to be other than yourself. Come to Christ right now. He will give you a new life. Repent and believe in Him.

Please understand, dear friend, that I didn't say come to a church, but COME TO CHRIST HIMSELF, to Him Who died for you on the cross of Calvary, and rose again from the dead on the third day!

Please understand, dear friend, that I didn't say come to a priest, or to a pastor, or a religious minister, but COME TO CHRIST. Christ alone can save you. He is the ONE MEDIATOR between God and men. He is the only Mediator that you will ever need to approach God.

What you need is not a new religion, or a new church, or new religious affiliation. No. Christ is all-sufficient. Christ is THE SAVIOR. You need Christ Himself plus nothing!

Christ says: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)