Even Our Faith: Part 2-Belief vs. Faith
LET’s READ ALOUD TOGETHER!
:: 1 John 5:1-4 (NIV) :: 1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. PPT 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
We talked a lot last week about the fact that the writer of this letter, the Apostle/Disciple, John… was writing to young Christians…not sure if it was a particular church or maybe a young adult small group or maybe just a particular AREA/CITY that he had ministered in previously that were probably a good bit younger than him… at any rate, in these letters he keeps calling them “little children”, “my children”, “dear children”...
And all the way through these letters, he continually compares these two opposing forces… light vs dark, the World and vs true believers… this life of dualism or “mundo dualista” that we live in here on earth. And what we said was that the reason John was writing this way is because the early church was already being ALIENATED and SIDELINED… considered OUT OF TOUCH & IRRELEVANT on pretty much every issue, just like the church is often considered today. And just like the 1st century church that John was writing to, we need VICTORY today in order to, as John describes it, “overcome the world”.
It seems on one hand like John is saying the same thing twice, but a careful look at the scripture tells us that in order to OVERCOME THE WORLD… FAITH is something you HAVE and BELIEVING is what you DO.
…let that sit for a moment… and then let’s put it another way.
The implication is that FAITH is the OBJECT of the victory and BELIEVING in JESUS is the ACTION that moves us toward it…
Here in America, in the 21st century, we often put faith & belief on the SAME side of the same coin…
People will ask “What faith are you?”...and the answer they’re looking for is something like “are you Protestant, Jewish, Mormon, Muslim, Hindu, Catholic, Pentecostal Charismatic, Baptist, Methodist, or … “other” (Flying Spaghetti Monster)... but those aren’t actually Faith. They are religions or denominations, or perhaps they’re just a joke… but they’re not FAITH. Those things are not going to “overcome the World”.
Songwriters sing about the fact that they “Lost their FAITH…” … but what they really mean by that is saying, “I’ve given up on the things that I thought were true…or what my parents taught me because they didn’t work in bad situations…or those beliefs didn’t come through for me…”
George Michael said you’ve “gotta have faith, faith, faith-ah”... (gotta put that ‘ah’ in there…)... and I have no idea what that means… but I don’t think what he’s talking about is true faith!
What John is pointing out here in vs 4 & 5 is that REAL FAITH is something that’s OBJECTIVE, concrete, steadfast… that’s completely different from a BELIEF that’s SUBJECTIVE, changing, feelings based.
Believing is SUBJECTIVE: Subject to how you feel, or the weather or whether or not the preacher said something you agreed with… that’s not FAITH. And frankly, as a pastor, I don’t want you to hear preaching from me that’s subject to personality or charisma…
I want us, together, to learn how to have an OBJECTIVE faith that doesn’t rely on us at all… but it relies on the Word of God for strength.
So let’s look together at several scriptures that specifically discuss FAITH & BELIEF and see what we can gain… Just a reminder, John says that in order to overcome we need both… but I think we need to know the differences between them so we can know HOW to have both.
:: Romans 10:17 :: So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
:: Hebrews 11:1 :: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Both of these DEFINE FAITH in spiritual terms but to my mind actually they could be considered CONFUSING spiritual terms. The problem is that when we try to DEFINE faith in NON-SPIRITUAL terms, we keep ending up using the word belief / believing… just try!
Maybe there’s nothing wrong with that…it’s just not how SCRIPTURE defines faith.
So maybe we should also DEFINE BELIEF:
:: James 2:19 :: You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. ::
So ANYONE, even demons can BELIEVE… but demons can’t have “overcoming victory” … this is why we can’t use BELIEF to define FAITH…
How about more scriptures that point out the differences…
:: Mark 16:14 :: Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
:: Romans 3:22, :: 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe…
:: Galatians 3:22, :: 22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
:: 2 Cor 4:13 :: 13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,
This last one drills down a little bit further, even saying that there is a SPIRIT of faith that CAUSES us to believe.
Just a couple more quick attempts at definition & we’ll move on…A couple of weeks ago when we were talking about the Holy Spirit we looked at the AMPLIFIED Bible to draw out more of the meaning of the original text… let’s do that again & see if we can come up with some better definitions & differences between BELIEF & FAITH..
:: John 3:16 :: 16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. ::
And let’s revisit Hebrews 11:1
:: Hebrews 11:1 :: Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].
So between these two words, especially in the original language & the way the Amplified puts it, let’s narrow down the difference:
The word “belief” or “believing” carries with it this sense of sticking to... trusting in... and leaning or relying upon something or someone as being true. It’s the mental decision or INTELLECTUAL ACTION to DECIDE that something is true.
Faith, on the other hand, doesn’t have anything to do with your intellectual action or decision. It IS truth that comes ONLY from the Word of God...it is CONVICTION OF SUBSTANCE, it’s not INTELLECT.
Faith isn’t KNOWING, faith isn’t BELIEVING…faith is SUPERNATURAL CONVICTION…the SUPERPOWER ABILITY to comprehend “as fact that which cannot be experienced by the physical senses!”
FAITH is the SUPERNATURAL POWER....BELIEVING is OUR RESPONSE to that power...believing is MY job. Faith has come because I have heard the WORD as truth -- now I have the opportunity to accept or reject that truth. Faith is a SEED that has been planted in my heart...believing is the watering & care that “I” have to do to cause it to grow.
Now are you beginning to see where the OVERCOMING VICTORY comes from?!?
If someone asks “How do you know healing is real or that healing is for today?” Is it because I “BELIEVE” it’s true? NO, my BELIEVING CAN’T PERFORM MIRACLES… otherwise the “Flying Spaghetti Monster” people would could ‘believe’ just as much as i do & what they say would be enough…
No, The WORD OF GOD has been spoken that says, :: “By His stripes I am healed” in Isaiah 53:5 and it’s the WORD OF GOD has said in ,
James 5:14 :: 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up
And because the WORD OF GOD has been spoken into my life, the SEED OF FAITH…that SUPERNATURAL ABILITY to SEE AS FACT that which cannot be experienced by the physical senses… THATS why I have faith AND believe that healing is real & healing is for today!
FAITH & BELIEF aren’t interchangeable… in order for OVERCOMING VICTORY they BOTH have to be present in my life…
FAITH is supernatural (superpower) ability … BELIEF is mental assent or agreement
FAITH is a spiritual force :: BELIEF is a personal choice
FAITH is GOD’s POWER at work through His word :: BELIEF is our RESPONSE to that power.
FAITH is active because the WOrd Is ALIVE :: BELIEF is activated when we RESPOND.
BELIEF = NO power in itself :: Faith IS power
THE BOTTOM LINE:
OVERCOMING VICTORY is the INTERSECTION of SUPERNATURAL FAITH and BELIEF in Jesus as Lord.
THAT is what John is saying… :: This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. ::