Question 1

Faith seems so complicated; how can I ever get it?

Accepted Answer

Mark 5:36Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”Too often we make faith difficult, but that wasn’t what Jesus intended. Faith isn’t complicated. It simply means trusting Jesus to do what he has promised.Psalm 131:2Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.Matthew 7:9-11“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”Mark 10:14-16When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.Little children seem to attain faith easily. Children simply believe with calm assurance that their parents will provide and protect. We can have this same uncomplicated trust in God.

Question 2

Why should I have faith in God?

Accepted Answer

Isaiah 25:9In that day the people will proclaim, “This is our God! We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the Lord, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!”John 3:16“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”John 5:24“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”Faith means believing in and trusting God. We should have faith in God because he is real, he is good, and he loves us. The greatest example of his love is the gift of his son, Jesus, and the sacrifice he paid so we could be freed from sin and spend eternity with him.Hebrews 11:1Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.Faith in God leads to hope. Because of our confidence in who God is, we live in confident assurance of the future. When the world seems to be a crazy, mixed up place, believers can be absolutely confident that one day Jesus will return and make everything right again. Our faith in his promise inspires us to keep going today.

Question 3

How can I strengthen my faith?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 12:1, 4The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. . . .” So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.Like a muscle, faith gets stronger the more we exercise it. When we act on what we know is true, doing what God asks us to do, and then see him bless us as a result of our obedience, our faith grows stronger. The next time God calls us to do something, we will have more confidence to move ahead without hesitation.Psalm 119:48, 54I honor and love your commands. I meditate on your decrees. . . . Your decrees have been the theme of my songs wherever I have lived.Romans 10:17So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.Our faith is grounded in God’s Word—in what God has said. Our faith will grow stronger as we study the Bible and reflect on the truths about who God is and how he desires to work in us and through us. Faith is not simply a matter of positive thinking or human effort. Our confident assurance in God is divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit who works through the Word of God. Our faith grows as we read the history of God working through people across the centuries and realize that he will do the same in us.2 Kings 6:17Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.John 20:27-29Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”2 Corinthians 3:14The people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ.The strongest faith is built on spiritual conviction. Though our physical senses can provide some reassurances (just as Thomas found reassurance in Jesus’ scars), we cannot depend on them to see the whole picture. This world has a spiritual element that we cannot see but is very real. Our faith will become stronger the more we allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen our “spiritual vision,” so that we can sense and see the results of God working in us and in the lives of those around us. We should ask God to open our eyes to see his work and presence in the world.

Question 4

How much faith must I have?

Accepted Answer

Matthew 17:20“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”Mark 9:23-24“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”The mustard seed was used in ancient literature as an example of something extremely small. Jesus is saying that faith is not a matter of size or quantity. The size of our faith is not what matters. What matters is the size of the One in whom we believe. We do not need great faith in God; rather, we need faith in a great God.

Question 5

How does faith in God affect my life?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 15:6Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.Colossians 1:22Now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.Faith is our lifeline to God. Sin hurts our communication with God, building a barrier between us and him—cutting off our lifeline to him. A holy God cannot live with unholy people. But the simple act of faith—accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior and asking him to forgive our sins—makes us righteous in God’s sight. And living by faith keeps us close to him.Isaiah 26:3You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!Faith in God frees us from the pressures, priorities, and perspectives of this world. Trusting him brings peace of mind and heart because it links us to God’s peace and power. Knowing that God is sovereign gives us the peaceful assurance that he is in control.Romans 8:5Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.1 Corinthians 12:1Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this.Galatians 5:22-23The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.Faith means inviting God’s Holy Spirit to live in us. This taps us into the very resources of God, giving us the power to live and think in an entirely new way. If God himself is living within us, our lives should change dramatically.

Question 6

Do the struggles and doubts in my life mean I don’t have faith?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 15:8Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?”Matthew 11:2-3John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”2 Peter 1:4-5Because of his [God’s] glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge.Many people in the Bible whom we consider to be “pillars of faith” had moments of doubt. Doubts are valuable when they bring us closer to God. The key is to never give up on our faith and to always ask if, over time, our lives have been moving closer to or further away from God. During times of doubt, we should look for answers to our questions, investing the effort and discipline to allow our faith to grow.

Question 7

How can I pass faith on from generation to generation, or is faith mine alone?

Accepted Answer

Judges 2:10-11After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel. The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight and served the images of Baal.1 Kings 15:3He committed the same sins as his father before him, and he was not faithful to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been.2 Timothy 1:5I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.One generation’s devotion to God does not secure the next generation’s devotion to God. But one generation can leave a legacy of faithfulness. To encourage the next generation, we must involve ourselves with that generation, sharing our stories of God’s faithfulness and living in such a way that they witness our faith in action.