BELIEF OR FAITH? (Part II)

FAITH IS WHO GOD IS

RESPONSE: Previously, we addressed what belief is and how it relates to faith. We now turn to what faith is. The New Testament has on scripture that explicitly defines what faith is and it is in Hebrews 11:1.

The question that I would like us to have in mind is that; If we are saved by grace through faith, what is that faith that we are saved through?

A Gift like Grace is

At least by now some of us know that salvation is a gift, not something we attain by our own efforts.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9.

This verse seems to suggest that salvation is a two-stage procedure of 1. by Grace and 2. through faith. Both of the stages, according to verse 9, have no iota of our contribution. The grace is not ours and neither is the faith through which we are saved; lest we boast of a contribution.

For if faith was ours, then the grace of God would have turned into a wage to the faithful ones among us. But the word insists by saying:

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23.

Justification by faith means that God has removed the penalty of our sins and has declared us to be righteous. By God’s work (of grace and faith), we have peace with our Lord Jesus Christ.

The word of God confirms in the following words,

“Therefore since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” Romans 5:1.

From this point, therefore, we already have confirmed that faith is not something of our making but instead part of the set of the gift of God for our salvation that through belief (choice/recognition) we receive. Faith is a gift, like God’s grace is.

Old Testament Hebraic use

The term ‘Faith’ has its root in the Hebrew word, ‘Aman’ which essentially means ‘Firmness’ ‘Reliability’ and ‘Stability’ of will.

Right away from the root meaning of faith, we understand that no fallen human beings who are characterised by instability, infirmness and unreliability can have faith in them.

In the Old Testament (OT) Hebrew syntax, the term ‘Aman’ communicates not our instinctual belief (we saw in the previous presentation) but faith applied to man.

For instance, in Genesis 15:6, Abraham recognised Yahweh and by that recognition (belief), faith exhibited itself in his life and it was counted to him as righteousness.

For that matter, in Genesis 15:6 the term ‘Aman’ is used in the hiphil and niphal verb form to mean that he has chosen to recognise the greatness of Yahweh in both the perfect and the imperfect periods and situations. Abraham was 100% sure of the PROMISE as if it was a PRODUCT already.

Aman in the hiphil verb form appears in Exodus 14:31, Deuteronomy 1:32, 9:23; Psalm 78:22; Numbers 14:11; Isaiah 43:10; Jonah 3:5.

The term ‘Aman’ is the same word pronounced as ‘Amen’. The term ‘Amen’ is the one the New Testament translates as ‘Verily’, ‘Verily’ or some times truly, truly.

Amen comes from the root ‘Aman’ and it was always mentioned in the proclamation of curses for instance in Deuteronomy 27:15; Numbers 5:22; Nehemiah 5:13; Jeremiah 11:5.

Again, Amen was said or responded after prayers and hymns of praise e.g. 1Chronicles 16:36, Nehemiah 8:6; Psalm 41:13; 2Timothy 4:18; Revelations 22:20. Our Lord Jesus Christ used the term frequently in the Biographies (Mathew, Mark, Luke and John); Mathew 5:18, 26.

When Jesus said verily, verily, the literal translation would be ‘Amen’ ‘Amen’ and the interpretation is that Jesus always introduced some of his speech by saying; ‘FAITHFULLY’ ‘FAITHFULLY’ I tell you’.

Faith is Who God is

In the Hebrew language ‘Aman’ is the root word for another Hebrew term ‘Emuna’ that is frequently used in the OT text. Emuna means, Firmness, Fidelity and Steadiness.

This term, however, does not communicate faith as a concept or as an independent and acquired attribute of God but first, it expresses God himself (Deuteronomy 32:4) then his attributes (1Samuel 26:23; Psalm 36:5; 40:10; Lamentations 3:23) and finally his words (Psalm 119:86; 143:1).

In the Old Testament ‘Faith’ is characteristic of who God is and it is his nature (Genesis 24:27; Exodus 34:6; Psalm 25:5; 31:15) and it is this divinity that is exhibited in those who recognise this God and come to him (Exodus 18:21; Nehemiah 7:2; Psalm 15:2).

God being characteristically faithful the Hebrew language has a synonym to ‘Faith’ which addresses God as the eternally sure, reliable base and that is ‘Batah’ (2Kings 18:30; Jeremiah 39:18; Psalm 62:8).

When the Jewish people addressed God as the Holy and faithful, they meant that he was the only one who was, is and will be Tested, Tried and always Trusted base of dependence.

In the Greek ideology, faith is an abstract concept that can be taught and learnt to practice, but in the Hebrew ideology, ‘Faith’ is who God is and he can only be experienced and exhibited in our lives. Faith is the channel the saved are channelled through. And that is why we are saved by grace through faith.

It is under these terms that a human being has no claim on the salvation process and we cannot boast of anything (our so-called faith inclusive).

To further clarify on this matter, next, I will handle the question of by whose faith we are saved?

God bless you I invoke TRUTH, REASON and FAITH (2Tim 2:7)
Priest Isaiah White (+256-793/775 822833 for further inquiries)
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24)
@Think & Become