Having More Faith in Jesus Christ
Faith Is There For us in Scripture
Some may ask, “How can I have more faith?” Paul wrote, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). The source and foundation of all faith is the Bible.
If we want faith, we must begin with a correct understanding of the Word of God. The more we know of the Bible, the more faith we can have, and the more correctly we know the Bible, the more effective our faith.
The Faith and The Doctrine
Throughout the New Testament the phrase “the faith” and “doctrine” are used interchangeably. When faith has an article preceding it as in “the faith,” it means “the statement of faith.” Therefore, to have correct faith, we must have an accurate statement of doctrinal faith.
The apostle Paul certainly recognized the importance of correct doctrine. He constantly opposed those who sought to change the faith. Perhaps he was concerned about accurate doctrine because of his own experience.
When Saul of Tarsus was persecuting the church, he thought his doctrine was accurate and that he was serving God. But when he met Christ on the Damascus road, he gained a living faith which changed what he believed and how he lived. Paul talked about those who had “departed from the faith” (1 Tim. 4:1) and “denied the faith” (i Tim. 5:8).
Keeping The Faith
At the end of his life, the apostle was able to say, “I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:8). Jude challenged his readers to “earnestly contend for the faith” (Jude 3).
If we want to have a growing biblical faith, we need to ground it upon a correct knowledge of God. A certain woman once heard someone compliment her great faith. “I have not a great faith,” she responded, “I have a little faith in a great God.”
Doctrinal faith is both the beginning and the test of our Christianity. If our statement of faith is wrong, then our personal faith is misplaced.
We must begin with a correct statement of faith, and build saving faith thereupon. Then we are meeting some of the important conditions to correctly experience a life of faith and continue to learn about doctrinal faith.
