Why Faith Is So Monumentally Important

 

Ask just about any teacher, and they will probably agree that the process of learning changes a student’s behavior. Learning is the vehicle to a person’s transformation. When the outcomes or results of learning any subject have been clearly defined, they will point to either concrete success or failure. In other words, if we learn well, we know the information and pass the test, if we don’t learn well, we fail it. This allows us to gauge where we are in this process of learning. It tells us whether we can move on to the next level or whether we need to go back and revisit the information, so we’ll have it successfully under our belts. Our Heavenly Father had this all figured out, and He made the process of learning an integral part of growth and maturity in every way.

It should never be lost on any of us that knowledge can lead us to a profitable destination, but we must also be aware that all knowledge about anything and everything isn’t always good for us. God didn’t create us with all knowledge already programmed into our minds; it doesn’t come standard with our packaging. We get to decide what we want to know and when we want to know it. When we’re born, we are essentially helpless. We lack the ability to formulate words, and we’re dependent on our parents or guardians for everything we need. Babies don’t know a whole lot about this new world they are born into. They must learn and grow, and this is a process that never ceases. In this way, faith and learning are very similar. As believers, God requires us to grow in faith by learning about how to employ it through His Word.

Our Heavenly Father wanted children. He wanted a family and we’re it. Genesis 1:27 tells us that we are made in God’s own image, and He has given us the gift of life in order to enjoy all that He has in store for us. Heavenly Father tells us in 1Thessalonians 5:23(NLT), “Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.” He created human beings with three parts: spirit, soul, and body. The three of these provide all we need to function like God’s Son, Jesus Christ, and that’s God’s goal for us—to function like Christ. God’s Son is the mold that He used to fashion our being. 

Heavenly Father is a Spirit, and He communes and fellowships with what He is. Again, we are made in His image. We have a spirit, which is the highest part of who we are. We are spiritual beings having an earth experience. Our human-spirit makes it possible to commune with God and continue building the life He’s given us. The thing that we must know is that the world is packed full of information, and much of it is not good. It will not help us to be the men and women God created us to be, because it will not help to build our faith in God. To grow in faith, you and I must be very discerning and reject the information that isn't good for our souls, because it will be harmful to learning to walk in the faith of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 11:1(NIV) tells us, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Faith is confidence, and confidence requires our minds and our hearts to work together. It requires our souls and bodies to be submitted completely to our spirit so that all parts of us are in harmony with the Will of God. It is only when we are in harmony with God’s plan for our lives that we can be confidently guided through the Holy Spirit and walk in faith. James 2:22(NIV) shows us this through the example of Abraham. It says, “You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.” This kind of uniformity of purpose comes from being attentive to God’s voice and listening for His directives, for He is sure to give them. Abraham heard the directive from God, then moved in faith. This is the only successful pattern for a believer. 

Faith in God is required to have a successful Christian life. We can’t do anything without faith in God, it is the engine of our existences. Whenever our faith is stymied or blocked, our physical reality is hindered, and we can’t accomplish God’s purpose or the personal goals we’ve set for ourselves. This is why faith is so monumentally important. It allows us to shape and mold a life and to function in that life as Jesus Christ did when he walked the earth. We can only do this by walking in the example he left for us. He teaches in John 15:4-5(NLT), “4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

We must be diligent about learning to walk by the faith of Jesus Christ. Many people try to employ faith without learning about our Master Jesus. Some think it is merely a way to get goodies from Heavenly Father. It is so much more. Faith is the way we demonstrate our thankfulness and love to and for God. Our belief and trust in Him are an expression of our gratitude. And yes, sometimes it takes time to build our faith, but God has included in our makeup all that we need to digest, process, assimilate, and live by faith. The more information about Jesus Christ that we take in, the more like Jesus Christ we will become, and the more we will witness the tremendous benefits of walking by his faith.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. 

“Why Faith Is So Monumentally Important”, written for Christian Encouragement and Inspiration© 2021. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.