While most people are familiar with Hebrews 11 (also known as the Faith chapter of the Bible), the first direct reference of faith in the Bible – at least from my observation – happens much earlier, in Deuteronomy 32, when God says that the children of Israel have no faith.

Faith is a necessary virtue

Faith is much like hope, in that it’s a virtue necessary to believe in God, but it’s something that can only be seen in how we live. D.L. Moody once said that, “Out of 100 men, one will read the Bible, the other 99 will read the Christian.” Our faith is demonstrated in the way that we live. “The things which are not seen are eternal,” Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:18. That is faith.

Faith is a lifestyle

“The just shall live by faith,” is a statement that repeats twice in Scripture; once in the Old Testament in Habakkuk 2:4, and again in Romans 1:17. Regardless of the season, a lifestyle of faith means that we must keep walking and “continue in the faith” (Acts 14:22) even though such a way of living is not without its challenges. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:7 that, “we walk by faith, not by sight,” and it’s because of our trust in God that we can be confident as we move through life. It’s not in and of ourselves, or our friends, or our earthly establishments – we can be confident because we walk by faith.

Abound in faith

Furthermore, in 2 Corinthians 8:7, we’re called to abound in faith. Abound, meaning to be filled up, to overflow, be abundant, and flourishing. The only way to flourish in your faith is to follow Christ, and follow hard. On our best days, are we really doing that? We fail at living a lifestyle of faith because as humans, it’s our nature to compartmentalize faith, when really faith is too vast to ever be classified or catalogued by our finite minds. We just can’t handle it.

Also important to remember is that the apostles asked our Lord to increase their faith (Luke 17:5), and they were on to something. Inside each one of us is a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). For some, that faith is fleeting (Luke 8:13), and for others that faith is overflowing (Matthew 8:10). D.L. Moody once said that, “A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will bring heaven to your soul.” The measure of faith inside us is waiting for us to wake up and ask God to grow it, and therein is the difference between fleeting faith and overflowing faith. Faith requires action. Like a garden, your faith will only grow if you plant the proper seeds, provide your soul with regular watering from God’s Word, and keep short accounts with any weeds and pests. 

A lifestyle of faith is a life lived with intention, and with purpose.

Originally published as “Faith.” Minto Express, Independent Plus, Arthur Enterprise-News, Mount Forest Confederate, Walkerton Herald-Times. May 30, 2019: 6. Print. Web.