This morning, I felt that God wanted to take us back to a foundational basic.  Although this is a foundational basic at the very start of following Christ, it is also a key in continuing to grow and develop and experience all that God has for us.

Faith – Greek pistis – an assurance or guarantee, firm persuasion, a conviction based upon hearing

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (NIV)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (ESV/NASB)

To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. (GNT)

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (KJV)

Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. (NCV)

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. (NLT)

Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]. (AMP)

Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen. (TPT)

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. (MSG)

Faith is how our new life in Christ begins.

Ephesians 2:8-10

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We’re saved by the grace of God through our faith.  We cannot earn our faith through works.  We cannot ever do enough good to outweigh the consequence of our sin.  That’s not how our nation’s civil laws work and it’s certainly not how God’s laws work.  In fact, the penalty for breaking any of God’s laws is the same, so effectively if you broke one, you’ve broke them all.  And all of us have done exactly that.

We cannot and do not earn our salvation through good works, however, we were created to do them.  It is through our works that we can express and live out our faith.  Not to get saved, but because we are saved.  Not to earn God’s love or grace, but out of gratitude for God’s love and grace freely gifted to us.

Faith at the beginning.

Romans 10:9-15

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!

Believing in our heart and professing our faith with our mouths.  Two crucial components of our new life in Christ. 

Most of us are comfortable with the believing in our heart part.  It’s the professing with our mouths part that we have a tendency to hold back on.  We speak so many idle words.  We speak so many words that are far from faith-filled.  That’s another message for another time, tho