One-page Bible Study - FAITH

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Pdf available here

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These Bible Studies look at important aspects of Christian faith and practice. They can be done individually or used for group discussion. The Bible verses are profound – but keep the study simple. Let God speak to you through the verses, with these two questions in mind:

• What does this verse tell me about God and his good news?

• What does this verse tell me about living as a Christ

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“These three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). Love is the greatest, but faith is also important and the two are closely connected. Elsewhere Paul writes, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6).

 

Faith is essential for a relationship with God

Because God is invisible and unprovable, faith is necessary in order to know him and to receive the blessings he wants to give us. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). That passage goes on to say “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Such faith has a real and wonderful outcome of love, joy and salvation – see 1 Peter 1:8-9. (NB our English words faith, belief, trust are the same word in Greek and so mean the same thing. Likewise, to believe = to have faith = to trust.)

 

God sets great store on faith. It is the one essential of our spiritual life. It is all that God – and Jesus – ask of us in regard to our salvation: “Believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:2).

 

Faith is trust in God and in his promises

Faith is not simply believing that God exists. Rather, true faith is a reliance on God which results in both trusting his word and responding with obedience (James 2:19, Romans 1:5).

Faith is itself God’s gift to us (“Jesus, the author of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), but it is stirred up and grows stronger the more we hear God’s word and act on it (Romans 10:17, Matthew 7:24).

 

Abraham is the great Bible example of this (Hebrews 11.8-10). We too are called to trust in God’s reality and his promises, whatever our present situation (Proverbs 3:5-6, 2 Corinthians 5:7).

 

Faith is the way that we are put right with God

The basis of that trust is knowing that we are in a right relationship with God, through faith in the Gospel i.e. the good news of what Jesus has done for us (Romans 1:16-17; 3:22-24).

The grace of God – his undeserved love and mercy – is a gift to us. But like any gift, it needs to be received and accepted. That is the response of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9, John 1:12, John 3:16).

 

Faith is the way that we live the Christian life

So by grace, through faith, we become friends of God (Romans 5:1-2). And we live the Christian life each day in exactly the same way (Colossians 2:6-7, Galatians 2:20).

We keep our eyes on Jesus – he is both author and perfecter of our faith – in order to run the race with faith, perseverance and joy (Hebrews 12:1-2, 2 Timothy 4:7-8, 1 Peter1:6-9).

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