4b. Types of Faith

There are a number of different ways that the word 'faith' is used in the Bible. Let's have a look at a selection of them:

'The Faith' as a Belief System

Paul instructs Timothy that deacons must "hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience" (1 Timothy 3:9); he warns that "some have strayed concerning the faith" (1 Timothy 6:21); but he asserts, concerning his own walk with God, that "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).

In these passages Paul uses the word to refer to, if you like, the body of doctrine that Christians hold to be true. The word is commonly used in this sense today. For instance, the monarch of the United Kingdom has the title "Defender of the Faith" (Latin 'Fidei Defensor', which we see abbreviated to 'Fid Def' on our coinage), which was conferred upon King Henry VIII by Pope Leo X in acknowledgement of his treatise attacking the Lutheran reformation.

(See also Acts 6:7; 13:8; 14:22; 16:5; Romans 1:5; 1 Corinthians 16:13; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Galatians 1:23; Ephesians 4:5; Philippians 1:25, 27; Colossians 1:23; 1 Timothy 1:2; 4:1; 5:8; 6:10; 2 Timothy 3:8; Titus 1:4; Jude 1:3).

However, this use of the word is by no means the main or the most important one.

'Have Faith in God'

We are exhorted throughout the Bible to have faith in God, as one who is the trustworthy, reliable, even infallible, authority on all matters pertaining to our lives.

As we saw in the previous article, there is a lot more to this than simply believing that He exists. James tells us that even the demons believe that He exists - and tremble with fear (James 2:19).

This faith is clearly seen in Abraham, to whom Paul refers as 'the father of faith', who, on the basis of a revelation from God, got up and set out on a journey, not knowing where he would end up. All he knew was that God was reliable, that God had his best interests at heart, and that God would not mislead him. He did not just believe these things in his head; he stepped out in faith and tested them in real life (Genesis 12:1-4).

We see the highest expression of his faith in God in Genesis 15:1-6, when God promises this ancient childless man, whose wife is long past the age of child-bearing, that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. We see in verse 6 the first recorded occasion when any man was justified before God through faith in Him: "Abram believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness".

(Abraham's original name was 'Abram', but God changed his name when He entered into a covenant with him in Genesis chapter 15.)

Why did Abram believe God? Surely this is a clear example of someone believing despite all the evidence? Sarai was barren and well past child-bearing age. There was no way that she would ever conceive now. It was far too late. Was Abram naive? Was he gullible? Was he foolish?

No, he was not. Abram trusted God and took Him at His word. We all operate in this type of faith every day of our lives. We receive all sorts of information from family members, friends, colleagues, experts, the news media, advertising. Much of it we dismiss as nonsense, but much of it we accept and believe without questioning, for the simple reason that we trust the person or agency who passed on the information.

Day to day life would be impossible if we did not live this way, if we were not able to trust people and take their word without having to put everything to the test to find out if it's really true. We would never order goods over the internet. No-one would ever accept a cheque. Newspaper sales would fall away to nothing, because no-one would believe a word that was written.

In exactly the same way, it would be impossible to walk with God if we did not trust Him implicitly and believe every word that He says, even (or perhaps especially) when there is only His word to go on, and all of the natural evidence tells a different story.

'Active' or 'Dynamic' Faith

Almost every time Jesus uses the word 'faith', He uses it in the sense of having total confidence in God that He will do something specific for you. On four separate occasions he rebukes his disciples for being “of little faith”:

• In the Sermon on the Mount, because they did not trust God to provide for all of their day-to-day material needs (Matthew 6:30; Luke 12:28)
• In a boat in a storm on the sea, for not trusting God to keep them alive and get them safely to the opposite shore (Matthew 8:26; Mark 4:40; Luke 8:25)
• While Peter, after successfully walking on the water, lost his nerve and began to sink, for not continuing to trust God to keep him afloat (Matthew 14:31)
• Again in a boat, but this time with no bread, for not remembering how God fed 5,000 men, plus women and children, from 5 loaves and 2 fish, and not believing that He could do the same thing for them any time of day or night (Matthew 16:8)

On the other hand, Jesus commends a number of people for having faith and for receiving a miracle as a consequence:

• A Roman centurion, for believing that Christ could heal his servant just by saying the word (Matthew 8:10; Luke 7:9)
• Four men who lowered their paralysed friend down through a hole in the roof above Jesus’s head (Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20)
• A woman with a chronic haemorrhage for believing that she had only to touch the hem of his garment to receive her healing (Matthew 9:22; Mark 5:34; Luke 8:48)
• A Syro-Phoenician woman who would not take “no” for an answer but was determined that He would cast the demon out of her suffering child (Matthew 15:28)

Jesus assures his disciples that if they have any faith at all, be it as insignificant as a mustard seed, they will have the power to move mountains in order to accomplish the purposes of God (Matthew 17:20; 21:21; Mark 11:22; Luke 17:5-6).

Faith is also necessary, of course, to receive forgiveness and to be saved.

When a sinful woman came in and washed his feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, and anointed them with perfume, He said to her “Your sins are forgiven; your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:36-50).

How did He know that she had faith?

The Pharisee in the story exhibits the type of attitude that would have been common among the religious people of the day – and would not be unknown among religious people in our own society today – but she was confident that Jesus would accept both her and her worship. She had listened to His preaching, and had believed that God would welcome even someone with a background as disgraceful as hers.

Through faith she had opened her heart to receive grace and forgiveness. Her actions demonstrated the reality of that faith. She had total confidence that she was accepted by, and safe in the loving hands of, Jesus the Son of God.

The apostles continued in this vein, as we see when Peter declares that it was through “faith in the name of Jesus” that a cripple was healed (Acts 3:16), and when Paul sees that another crippled man “had faith to be healed” (Acts 14:9). James assures us that “the prayer of faith” will raise up the person who is sick, and if he has sinned he will be forgiven (James 5:15).

'Passive' or 'Receptive' Faith

We are, of course, justified by faith, as Abraham was (Romans 3:22, 28-30; 4:5-11; 5:1; 9:30; Galatians 2:16; 3:7-9, 11, 24-26; 5:5; Philippians 3:9; Hebrews 11:7). And through faith we experience the work of God in our lives in a number of ways. For instance:

• Our hearts are purified by faith (Acts 15:9)
• We are sanctified (set apart as holy) through faith in Christ (Acts 26:18)
• We have “propitiation through faith in his blood” (Romans 3:25) – i.e. we have peace with God, who was angry with us when we were in sin, but looks favourably upon us when we turn from our sins and put our trust in Jesus.
• Through faith, along with Abraham, we receive the promises of God (Romans 4:13-46; Galatians 3:14, 22; Hebrews 6:12).
• Through faith we have access into grace (Romans 5:2), and it is through faith that that grace saves us (Ephesians 2:8).
• By faith we are able to stand before God (Romans 11:20; 1 Corinthians 16:13; 2 Corinthians 1:24).
• Our faith instructs our conscience, and so either permits us or forbids us to do certain things (Romans 14:22-23).
• We receive the Holy Spirit and can prophesy, or move mountains, or otherwise exercise the power of God through faith (Romans 12:16; 1 Corinthians 12:9; 13:2; Galatians 3:2, 5).
• We walk by faith, not by sight (Romans 4:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Galatians 2:20).
• We have access to God with boldness and confidence through faith in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:12). We can draw near to Him with a pure heart in full assurance of faith (Hebrews 10:22).
• Christ dwells in our hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:17).
• In the armour of God, we have faith as our shield (Ephesians 6:16) or our breastplate (1 Thessalonians 5:8).
• The Scriptures make us wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 3:15).
• Through faith we understand that the universe was formed by the word of God (Hebrews 11:3). Intellectually we do not understand how it can come about that God can speak and a universe can materialise where there was nothing before, but through faith we have no difficulty with it at all.
• Faith, apart from works of righteousness, is dead, unfruitful, useless (James 2:14-26).
• Our faith will be tried and tested, but the end result is a Godly character (James 1:3; 1 Peter 1:7).
• Through faith we are kept by the power of God (1 Peter 1:5), and the end result of walking in faith is the salvation of our souls (1 Peter 1:9).
• The victory that overcomes the world is our faith (1 John 5:4).
• Our faith is precious (2 Peter 1:1) and holy (Jude 1:20).

'Fight the Good Fight of the Faith'

We must also bear in mind that is possible for us to lose our faith, with grim consequences, as Paul warns Timothy a number of times:

• Some have made shipwreck of their faith by not maintaining a clear conscience (1 Timothy 1:19).
• In the last days, some people will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils (1 Timothy 4:1).
• Anyone who does not provide for his own dependents has denied the faith, and anyone who has taken a vow of celibacy and then recants has cast off their faith (1 Timothy 5:8, 12).
• Some people, desiring to be rich, have erred from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:10).
• Through false teaching, the faith of some has been overthrown (2 Timothy 2:18).
• Some men have corrupt, depraved, or distorted minds and mislead the unsuspecting through their erroneous teaching. As far as faith is concerned, these are reprobates who, like counterfeit goods or money, should be rejected (2 Timothy 3:8).

Conversely, he exhorts young Timothy, to whom he refers as “my son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2), and those to whom Timothy is ministering and for whom he is responsible:

• To have a pure heart, a clear conscience, and sincere or unfeigned faith, as these are the necessary ingredients for producing a life of love (1 Timothy 1:5).
• To continue in faith, in love, and in holiness, with self-control (1 Timothy 2:15 - women).
• To hold the mysteries of the faith with a clear conscience (1 Timothy 3:9 – deacons).
• To nourish himself on the truths of the faith (1 Timothy 4:6).
• To pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness (patience), and meekness (gentleness of heart) (1 Timothy 6:11).
• To hold fast the pattern of sound words which he had been taught, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 1:13).
• To fight the good fight of the faith (1 Timothy 6:12).

Next up, we'll look at the first major step of faith that we take after surrendering our lives to Christ - the vitally important step of Baptism in Water.