Faith and Going to God with Confidence and Reverence

Our Response to God’s Grace

What is faith and who is it in? Who is the world’s faith in?

1. Faith: In the Bible faith is always a gift from God, and never something that can be produced by people. 

   1. Pistis in Greek, meaning the conviction of the truth of anything, belief. To be fully persuaded or come to trust. Appears 243 times in the NT. 

      1. In short, faith for the believer is "God's divine persuasion" – and therefore distinct from human belief (confidence), yet involving it. 

         1. Strong's Greek: 4102. πίστις (pistis) -- faith 

         2. G4102 - pistis - Strong's Greek Lexicon (ESV) 

2. Three aspects of faith: Faith Defined | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals 

   1. Notitia. Notitia refers to the content of faith, or those things that we believe. We place our faith in something, or more appropriately, someone. In order to believe, we must know something about that someone, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. 

      1. Examples of notitia are God’s promises, the gospel, etc. 

   2. Assensus. Assensus is our conviction that the content of our faith is true. You can know about the Christian faith and yet believe that it is not true. Genuine faith says that the content — the notitia taught by Holy Scripture — is true.

      1. The Holy Spirit and Word of God convict us. 

   3. Fiducia. Fiducia refers to personal trust and reliance. Knowing and believing the content of the Christian faith is not enough, for even demons can do that (James 2:19). Faith is only effective if, knowing about and assenting to the claims of Jesus, one personally trusts in Him alone for salvation. 

      1. The demons are not saved because they do not exercise a saving kind of faith. This is James’ very point, namely, not any kind of faith can save a person. Only the kind of faith that produces good works can save (James 2:17-20). While we are saved by faith alone, nevertheless, the faith that saves is not alone. It is always accompanied by good works. We are not saved by works (Ephesians 2:8-9), but we are saved for works (Ephesians 2:10).

3. The difference between saving faith and non-saving faith is that the former is only the belief that God exists. The latter is faith in God (trusting God). No one can be saved by believing that God exists and that Christ died for their sins and rose again. 

   1. The wording here can be confusing as some will say it’s not believing in God but believing God. The main point is that there is a clear difference between the acknowledgement that God does or may exist and a genuine trust in God, a genuine trust in who God is (His character) and what He desires for you (His will).

4. In like manner, no one can get to the top floor by an elevator if she simply believes that elevators can get her there. She must believe in the elevator (i.e., trust it) enough to step in it and allow it to get her there. The demons do not believe in (trust God) for their salvation—they simply believe that God exists, but they continue in their rebellion against Him (Jude 6; Revelation 12:4). 

   1. Is there a Bible contradiction in James 2:19? 

5. Can we be given more faith? Or are we to lean further into the faith that we have already been given?

   1. 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

      1. Matthew 7 ESV - Judging Others  

      2. Does this passage apply to faith as well? Yes, the Father will be glad to produce more faith within you! 

   2. 13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 

      1. 1 Corinthians 16 ESV - The Collection for the Saints 

      2. Here it says “the faith,” referring to faith in Christ and the resurrection. For those who are saved, we already have this faith and therefore must stand firm in it. 

   3. 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” 

      1. Matthew 17 ESV - The Transfiguration 

   4. So which is it? Both! We must not let ourselves think that we cannot accomplish much because of how little faith we feel we have. Therefore, we should pray for more faith, but also stand firm in the faith we have already been given. 

6. As for those of this world, their faith is not in Christ. 

   1. Things that it could be in: 

      1. Themselves, their own abilities

      2. Politicians, celebrities, athletes

      3. Other religions (Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Athiesm, etc.) 

      4. The world or universe (Pantheism, Taoism) 

      5. Nothing (Agnosticism, Skepticism) 

      6. Philosophy (Humanism)

      7. Science (Atheism) 

   2. Every single one of these, and anything else outside of Christ, will never be enough to save. They will send those who put their faith in them straight to hell. 

7. What does it mean to be saved by grace through faith? 

   1. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

      1. Ephesians 2:8-9 

      2. Think about this, is it your faith in your car’s brakes that save you from getting into an accident, or is it the brakes that have been tested-tried-and-true that save you from getting into an accident. 

      3. We are saved by the perfect life (works), death (atonement), and resurrection (showing God’s power over sin and death) of Jesus Christ. 

   2. 12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

      1. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

      2. If all of this were fake, if Christianity were false, it would not matter how much “faith” we have because it would all be in vain. 

   3. 1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

      1. Romans 4:1-5  

   4. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

      1. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 

      2. When we are given faith by God, that faith is counted to us as righteousness. God no longer sees our sinful selves, instead He sees the righteousness of Christ. 

   5. What does it mean that salvation is by grace through faith?

Going to God with both Confidence and Reverence

Hebrews 10:17-31 

1. How do we balance coming to God in confidence with also having appropriate reverence? What does our approach to God look like after we sin? See verses 17-31. 

   1. Confidence: In the Bible confidence has a lot to do with our assurance and impelling us to do something about it. 

      1. Pepoithésis in Greek, meaning trust or reliance. Occurs 6 times in the NT. 

         1. Strong's Greek: 4006. πεποίθησις (pepoithésis) -- confidence 

      2. Parrēsian in Greek, meaning free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, and assurance. It can also mean freedom in speaking or unreservedness in speech. Occurs 31 times in the NT and is what is used here in verse 19. 

         1. G3954 - parrēsia - Strong's Greek Lexicon (KJV) 

         2. Strong's Greek: 3954. παῤῥησία (parrésia)

   2. Confidence according to Merriam-Webster: noun, the quality or state of being certain, also a relation of trust or intimacy.  

   3. Reverence: noun, deep respect for someone or something; verb, regard or treat with deep respect. 

      1. Biblically speaking, our fear of God is a reverent fear, not one of terror. 

      2. We are not to profane the Lord as described in verse 29. 

         1. Profane: treat (something sacred) with irreverence or disrespect. 

   4. We can have full confidence and assurance in our salvation because of Christ’s work, death, and resurrection, but we must not forget our position under God. 

      1. Are we praying arrogantly, like spoiled children? See Matthew 6:9-13. 

      2. Do we read Scripture like any regular book? Do we forget that the author is the one, true living God? See 2 Timothy 3:16. 

      3. Do we treat others as if they aren’t also made in God’s image? See Genesis 1:26-27 and Genesis 9:6. 

      4. Let us not abuse the grace of God! Romans 6. 

   5. Repentance is when we recognize that we are wrong in our sin, confess our sin to God, and have a change of mind about it. It is not simply apologizing. 

      1. Metanoia in Greek, meaning a change of mind or change in the inner man. Root word is metanoeó (same meaning but in the form of a verb). Each deals particularly with reference to acceptance of the will of God. 

         1. Strong's Greek: 3341. μετάνοια (metanoia)