Faith to Faith

The apostle Paul wrote, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed---a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith" (Rom 1:16-17).

Paul's affirmation is clear in teaching that our life in Christ begins in faith and that it continues in faith, that apart from faith there is no life.  It also reveals that our faith gives rise to faith, as read in the KJV, "faith to faith."  Or, perhaps we could say that our faith will be found living in another - not that our statement of beliefs will live in another per se but that the faith we live will be transferred to those who see our living faith.

The apostle Peter contributes to this theme in saying, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Pet 3:15).  The teaching is that people, seeing our life of faith in our daily example, will want to know what we have and begin to ask us about it.

Therefore, when my faith is not simply held but lived out, my faith will be born in another and their like faith will also establish a living, dynamic faith in another.  Faith only held as a set of beliefs or convictions has little value, and to proclaim our beliefs in words alone is not very compelling.  But to give life to our faith in how we live, consistently, day by day - that is a faith that gives rise to faith.

There is an old poem I remember from Harding University about four decades ago, which says, "You are writing a gospel, a chapter a day, by the things that you do and the things that you say.  People will read your gospel, whether faithless or true.  Say, what is the gospel according to you?"

What about your faith?  Will it remain a set of ideas or even ideals in your thinking or will it be the compass for your walk?  Will your faith be alive and open for review or hidden from view?  Will your faith give rise to faith in others or lay quietly in the recesses of your mind?  Jus' Ask'n.