One of the most abused components of Christianity today is the way in which people have come to misunderstand Christian “faith.” As we stand the threshold of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, we examine today the evangelical confession of faith as the scriptures indicated it, as opposed to how many churches today have twisted it.
Hopefully, you will see that we must hold in careful balance the tensions that the scriptures allow when we confess what “faith” is and what it isn’t.
Misconceptions on Faith 
1 – Amount: You must have enough “faith” for God to listen
2 – Willful-Ignorance: Faith is blind
3 – Faith saves
4 – Faith is a force (substance) by which you can achieve success
5 – Only “spiritual” people need to have faith
6 – I don’t need faith
The Danger of Worry
1 – Worry controls and paralyzes you to fear
2 – Worry fails to trust God
3 – Worry is governed by our experiences
4 – Worry focuses on earthly gain rather than God’s kingdom
5 – Worry fails to believe God’s Word
6 – Worry stagnates your decisions: faith life & ability to walk by faith
ReFormation on Faith
1 – Your faith comes from God
Romans 12:3
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”
Ephesians 2:8
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”
Hebrews 12:2
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
2 – God allows trials to grow our faith
Romans 5:3-5
“3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
“16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
James 1:2-4
“2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
3 – The opposite of faith is not doubt, it is fact: your source of security
John 20:24-29 – απιστοσ
Matthew 28:17 – δισταζο
“16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.”
4 – Therefore, faith is built on the application of trusting God’s Word
Romans 10:14-17
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news… Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”
5 – Faith is actionable-confidence
Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
6 – Justification comes by faith
Romans 5:1
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”
Galatians 2:15-16
“We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.”
Recommendations on Faith
– Worry is a sin – Don’t worry, be holy
– “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…”