All You Need is Faith

The Beatles (best band ever) proclaimed “All you need is love.” However, while love’s a necessary component for living an admirable life, it won’t save you from eternal damnation. Ony faith in Jesus will do that.

A.W. Tozer wrote, “Faith is all-important in the life of the soul. Without faith it’s impossible to please God. Faith will get me anything, take me anywhere in the kingdom of God, but without faith there can be no approach to God, no forgiveness, no deliverance, no salvation, no communion, no spiritual life at all.”

It’s fair to say hope and trust are attributes of faith. Brennan Manning wrote, “Faith arises from the personal experience of Jesus as Lord. Hope is reliance on the promise of Jesus, accompanied by the expectation of fulfillment. Trust is the winsome wedding of faith and hope.”

However, faith in Christ isn’t something we choose to acquire. It’s a gift. A person either has it or not. But, because it’s intangible, it’s not unusual for those who have it to wonder if they really do. Defining it can be elusive due to the Bible never really explaining precisely what it is. Hebrews 11:1 comes closest: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we don’t see.” Thomas Kempis confessed, “I’d rather exercise faith than know the definition thereof.” He nailed it. Faith is detected, not in words or thoughts, but only in our actions.

There’s an intriguing story in the Book of Numbers that emphasizes active faith. Stupidly, the Israelites turned away from God once again. In response, God sent poisonous snakes slithering into their camp. Terrified, the repentant Israelites begged Moses to ask God for help. God told Moses to manufacture a brass serpent and stick it atop a pole in plain sight. Moses then instructed those who got bitten to merely look at it and they’d be healed. That simple act of faith worked as advertised.

You have to admire God’s sense of humor in His using the image of a snake to make a point. (I’m sure Satan was not amused.) Centuries later our Savior would highlight its significance. He taught, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life“ (John 3:14-15). In other words, “looking” and “believing” are synonymous. Tozer wrote, “Faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God.”

The Scriptures admonish us to fix our eyes on God. Two examples are: “Those who look to Him for help are happy; their faces are not ashamed“ (Psalm 34:5) and “I look up toward You, the one enthroned in heaven. Look, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a female servant look to the hand of her mistress, so my eyes will look to the LORD, our God, until He shows us favor“ (Psalm 123:1-2).

Jesus often looked to the Father. Before feeding the multitude, “He took the five loaves and two fish, and looking up to heaven He gave thanks and broke the loaves“ (Matthew 14:19). He also said, “I tell you the solemn truth, the Son can do nothing on His own initiative, but only what He sees the Father doing. …For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He does, and will show Him greater deeds than these, so that you’ll be amazed“ (John 5:19-20).

We can’t see what God can show us if we don’t look.

Christians are to “keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of our faith“ (Hebrews 12:2). Tozer summarized that Biblical message well: “From this we learn faith isn’t a once-done act, but a continuous gaze of the heart at the Triune God. Believing is directing the heart’s attention to Jesus.”

Sounds simple enough, but Satan works 24/7 to distract us away from God and onto ourselves. Therefore, it’s anything but easy to remain focused. That’s why we’re to make looking upward to Christ a habit because He’s the only hope we have. We must trust solely in Jesus’ unwavering love.

Manning wrote, “Jesus crucified isn’t merely a heroic example to the church. He’s the power and wisdom of God, His love capable of transforming our cowardly, distrustful hearts into hearts strong in the trust that they’re loved. We don’t have to do anything, except let our unworthy, ungrateful selves be loved as we are. Trust happens! You’ll trust Him to the degree that you know you’re loved by Him.”

To all who seek salvation Christ confirms, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and the one who lives and believes in Me will never die.” He then poses the most profound question of all: “Do you believe this?“ (John 11:25-26). Only those who possess faith can answer in the affirmative.

“Looking” isn’t difficult. We don’t need special equipment or talent. It doesn’t require a degree in theology. We can do it any moment, no matter how pleasant or dire our circumstances. Looking to God should be as natural as breathing.

Tozer wrote, “Many have found the secret of which I speak and, without giving much thought to what’s going on within them, constantly practice this habit of inwardly gazing upon God. They know something inside their heart sees God. Even when they’re compelled to withdraw their conscious attention in order to engage in earthly affairs, there’s within them a secret communion always going on. Let their attention be released for a moment from necessary business and it flies at once to God again.”

Henri Nouwen commented on always looking upward: “When the totality of our daily lives is lived ‘from above,’ that is, as the Beloved sent into the world, then everyone we meet and everything that happens to us becomes a unique opportunity to choose for the life that cannot be conquered by death.”