Faith Is About Asking the "What If?" Questions

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
How Would You Answer These 7 Questions About Faith?
"A powerful discussion
Friday mornings I meet with men who are committed to strengthening each other’s faith in Christ.

Last week we asked —
What is faith?
We had a powerful discussion and all of us were strengthened.

This made me think
What other questions would be helpful to think through — so we can better understand and live by faith?

Here are seven questions — with my answers —

1. What is faith?
Faith means trusting all that God promises to be to me in Christ Jesus.
It’s trusting — not just agreeing to facts (James 2:19).
It’s trusting what Christ has done for me on the Cross (Gal 2:20).
But it’s more — it’s trusting all that God promises to be to me in Christ Jesus (Rom 4:20-21).

2. What has God promised?
I use five categories —
to satisfy me fully and forever in Himself (John 6:35).
to forgive me through faith in Christ so I can experience His heart-satisfying presence (1Pet 3:18)
to enable me to obey Him so I receive even more heart-satisfaction in Him (Ezekiel 36:27)
to ordain every event in my life to bring me even more heart-satisfaction in Him (2Cor 4:17)
to provide everything else I need in such a way that I have the greatest heart-satisfaction in Him (Phil 4:19)
Notice that every promise focuses on God as our all-satisfying Treasure.

3. How does faith in Christ transform me?
A principle of human behavior is that whatever I trust to satisfy me I desire the most — and whatever I desire the most I obey.
So — when I trust Christ as my all-satisfying Treasure — I will be transformed, because I will passionately desire and obey Him.

4. How can I tell when my faith is weak?
My faith is weak when —
I desire something else more than Christ (John 5:44).
I do not obey Christ (Heb 11:8).
I do not feel peace and joy in Christ (Rom 15:13).
I doubt that God will keep His promises (Rom 4:21).
5. How can I strengthen my faith?

God will strengthen my faith as I earnestly pray for His help (Mark 9:24), and meditate on the truth of God’s Word (Rom 10:17).

6. How does faith in Christ produce peace and joy?
When I fight with prayer and God’s Word to trust Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will make the truth of Jesus so real to me that I am completely satisfied (John 6:35; John 7:37-38; 1Pet 1:8).

And when I trust all the rest of God’s promises — every fear and doubt will be overcome (Isa 26:3).

7. How does faith in Christ produce obedience?
When I trust Jesus Christ as my all-satisfying Treasure (John 6:35), and when I trust that through obedience I will experience even more of His all-satisfying presence (John 14:21), I will obey."

Hmmm, I always got "How dare you!"