Faith is More Than Information
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17
An examination of true faith begins with information – the word of God – but it doesn’t end there. So, how is God’s word tied to faith and how do we take faith beyond the mere understanding and acceptance of information?
Faith comes by hearing because we need to know what to believe. Romans 10 has preachers announcing and spreading the good news of salvation and the way to righteousness. We need to know about Jesus, His sacrifice for our sins, and how to respond to the good news of salvation. We need to know the truth in order to be free (Jn 8:32). Knowing truth is essential to having true faith, but it isn’t enough on its own.
Faith comes by hearing because we need to know why we should believe. Faith isn’t supposed to be blind (with no reasons or evidence). God’s word provides evidence for faith: fulfilled prophecies, God’s kept promises, people rewarded for their faith and punished for their faithlessness, miraculous signs, and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Faith comes by hearing because God’s word gives us reasons for believing.
Faith comes by hearing because the Word of God builds trust. True faith isn’t just information and isn’t even having reasons to believe. These are supposed to build trust (which is the true meaning of Biblical faith). Listen to James 2:19: “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble!” What is the problem with demon faith? They believe. They tremble (implying they know judgment is coming). James says that the problem with the demons is that they believe but don’t have works – they don’t obey God. But I think the problem behind the problem is that they believe informationally, but the don’t trust God and His way for them (that’s why they don’t obey). Faith comes by hearing because hearing God’s word can build our trust in God. God’s Word demonstrates how trustworthy (holy, amazing, powerful, loving, gracious, merciful, kind, caring, etc.) God is so we will have faith in Him.
Faith is more than information because trust changes us internally and externally. Faith that is trust in God changes our minds and hearts, and that changes our lives and actions. This is why James says that “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (Ja 2:17). Our trust (faith) in God changes how we think. It changes what we think about God, but that changes how we think about literally everything. And if we change how we think, that changes what we do, our actions. Faith is why we obey. We trust that God is always right and that He has our best interest at heart. This is why faith is so fundamental to our response to God and saves us. It’s not that faith is the only thing we do, but that it motivates everything else – and without it, even if we do try to obey God it will be heartless – faithless – and worthless (Ro 6:17). This is why faith is more important than mere information. dd