steve.c Posted October 27, 2006 Report Share Posted October 27, 2006 What exactly is faith? Can we take credit for having it? Can we be condemned for lacking it? Define "faith" in terms a 10-year-old could understand. Faith is a trust in God and His Word. It is a trust which places Him at the centre of everything. Faith is the trust that God and His Word are truth: absolute truth. No, we cannot take credit for faith because it is God's Holy Spirit which opens our hearts to Him and, as a result, we put our sole trust in Him. Without the Holy Spirit we would not come to God or have faith. However, having had our hearts opened to it, we have to accept the invitation "Come to me". Faith can be deepened. This requires spiritual disciplines on our part but it will not happen without the Holy Spirit working within us. As Willard puts it, it is discipline together with dependence: dependence on the Holy Spirit. For the ten year old I would say that we have faith in a person who we know will not let us down, who loves us unconditionally and always looks after our best interests. Such a person will always be there for us. We can always trust and confide in them. This is like the relationship between a parent and a child at its best. Faith in God is the same trust except that we can trust Him absolutely as we know His love is absolute towards us, He will never let us down and He always works in our interests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Stanley Posted October 27, 2006 Report Share Posted October 27, 2006 ~WHAT US FAITH~? Faith is believing in the impossible.Faith comes alive when you apply Scripture.Faith is an attitude of expectation.Faith is a being a constant process in our lives,but does not free us from being obedient to God.Faith is a confident hope.Faith is a gift God gives us because he is saving.Ephesians 2:8.Through the faith he gives us,he carries us from death into life.John 5:24. I don't believe we can take any credit for having faith.God has given it to us as a gift.I believe the stronger your faith becomes you can accomplish more things for God.To God "all" be the glory. Your faith is what helps you to lead others to salvation.Faith is believing Jesus died for our sins.Faith is believing in the impossible.Faith is hope.If you do not have faith,how can we believe God can do the impossible?. To a 10yr old child ,I would tell them about the story Jesus tells about the parable of the mustard seed.Also Jesus tells another story to his apostles in Luke 17:6.Children learn by stories.Also is like walking,you believe when you put your foot in front of you there is solid ground,and as you walk you know(Believe)you are going to get to where you want to go.If a child believes mama and daddy are going to take care of them,that is faith in their parents.You could say to a child,Faith Is Believing in something they want to accomplish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavenlymann Posted October 27, 2006 Report Share Posted October 27, 2006 Faith is the conduit by which God works in us. This conduit is also provided by God. I believe the scripture makes this clear. It is a conduit much like the mouth is a conduit for the body to receive nurishment for the body. In the account in Exodus we can see how Pharoh hardened his own heart at first and after doing this it says God did the hardening of Pharoh's heart. It appears that God finally confirmed the hardness of heart that Pharoh initiated himself. But yet God says, "for this very reason I raised you up." Exodus 9:16...that is that God's power and Name may be made known. I do believe that God will not accept a "no" from His elect...the hound of heaven will stay on our trail till we "decide" for Christ (that is surrender to Him)... a decision that was already made in heaven and we finally agree to. It did include our free-will...when we feely gave our will up to what God decided. "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warrior Posted October 28, 2006 Report Share Posted October 28, 2006 What exactly is faith? Can we take credit for having it? Can we be condemned for lacking it? Define "faith" in terms a 10-year-old could understand. Faith is totally relying on Jesus instead of our own selves. It is believing when you are in the midst of trials that say it can't be done. We can have determination but faith is a gift from God, we receive a measure with salvation but it grows as our relationship with Christ grows. To explain it to a child it's like believing when you get hurt that a kiss from mommy will make it well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCHRIS Posted October 30, 2006 Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 We all have a faith in something, may it be a chair we will sit in, the car we drive down the freeway, our spouses cooking. The Christians faith is in Our Lord Jesus Christ. In Romans 10:17; "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" The more we seek God the stronger our faith becomes, remember too that we all have a measure of faith given to us. The most important thing is in WHOM we put that faith in, in Christ or our own self. I think someone else has used this but we did this as part of our childrens ministry. For a child to either jump into their fathers arms or lean back and let their father catch them. That is a simple way of explaining faith to 10 year olds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ella Posted November 1, 2006 Report Share Posted November 1, 2006 Faith is believing in something that we cannot see. An example is gravity. We cannot see "gravity" but we fee it's effects daily and the world could not function without it. Humans cannot take credit for faith- it is a god given gift. I believe we are given faith in varying amounts by God. Some people have no faith- I believe that there is a chance of condemnation for lack of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda bass Posted November 4, 2006 Report Share Posted November 4, 2006 I think that Hebrews 11:1 has the best definition of what faith is. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,the evidence of things not seen." We can't take credit for having faith because it is a gift from God. Everyone has some measure of faith no matter how small. Most of us have faith without even realizing it. For example,when you sit down in a chair,you have faith that the chair is going to hold you up. By faith,you believe the chair isn't going to fall apart causing you to crash to the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobi Posted November 28, 2006 Report Share Posted November 28, 2006 Faith is a total reliance on something. Our spiritual faith is a gift from God - each of us has been given a measure of faith (see Romans 12:3); but the Word says we can increase our faith (Luke 17, 2 Cor. 10). I once heard a teacher give an example of faith as stepping onto a floor. We don't stop and ask ourselves if the floor is going to hold us - we don't even give it a second thought. We have complete trust in the floor that when we step onto it - it will still be there, holding strong. The promises and Word of God is just as reliable and strong. We just have to learn to step out into the things of God with that same kind of trust and reliance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelOnLine Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 Q4. What exactly is faith? Faith is taking God at his Word. Accepting and putting into action God Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sis. dee Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 Q4. What exactly is faith? Can we take credit for having it? Can we be condemned for lacking it? Define "faith" in terms a 10-year-old could understand. Faith is the confidence that what we pray for will actually happen. Believing every word and promise that God has said to us. Can we take credit for having faith? I do not believe yes and no. The Bible say that we are all given a measure of faith, so it up to us to use it, to stir up the gift of faith that is in us, the more we use it the more that our faith will grow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynnely Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 Q4. What exactly is faith? Can we take credit for having it? Can we be condemned for lacking it? Define "faith" in terms a 10-year-old could understand. Faith is believing in something you can't see, feel, taste, smell or hear. To each of us God gives the measure of faith He wants us to have. When we exercise that faith, He gives us more and more. To the 10-year old: Honey, remember the time you climbed that big old tree in the back. You were way up high and the limb began to crack and you were afraid you were going to fall and get hurt? Daddy saw the situation and immediately ran out to you, told you to shut your eyes tight and let go of the branch, that he would catch you. Just have faith...let go! You did...and Daddy caught you safely! That's the same kind of faith God wants you to have...just let go and let God! He'll catch you when you fall! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewell Posted February 11, 2007 Report Share Posted February 11, 2007 Faith is belief without seeing, without proof. Being a God-given revelation, we cannot take credit for having it. Can we be condemned for lacking it? I believe we can when it is offered and we reject it. Faith is like love - you can't see it or hold it, but you can feel it. It is what makes a person strong inside, in their heart, mind, and soul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulcbe Posted February 18, 2007 Report Share Posted February 18, 2007 Q4. What exactly is faith? Can we take credit for having it? Can we be condemned for lacking it? Define "faith" in terms a 10-year-old could understand. Some thing great and wonder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 What exactly is faith? Can we take credit for having it? Can we be condemned for lacking it? In this case faith is the ability to believe in Christ Jesus as Savior when we recognize and acknowledge our need for a Savior. It is a gift of God. We can claim no credit. No one will stand before His Creator and say He didn't know He was. He will be condemned on His unwillingness to repent. The fool hath said in his heart, "There is no God." Psalm 53:1 God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacek Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 Q4. What exactly is faith? Can we take credit for having it? Can we be condemned for lacking it? Define "faith" in terms a 10-year-old could understand. I am not sure if I can explain tbut I think it is belief that God exists, that he sent Jesus for us and Jesus let Holy Spirit to come to help us. But it is just a credo - and if I just say so it is not faith, it become faith when I live it, it must be seen through my lifestyle, through my works and through my contacts with other people. In some way we can have some credit for our faith but first God shows us the truth and after we become believers we can take some credit if we trully try to live by God's law, as in Romans - we must resist ti sin till we bleed (sorry - I don't have english translation of Bible, I try to explain what i think the best I can). Faith means that you can always be sure that God watch over you and gives you the best thing for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Ofosu Anim Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 Q4. What exactly is faith? Can we take credit for having it? Can we be condemned for lacking it? Define "faith" in terms a 10-year-old could understand. Faith is having trust in the existence of something though one has not seen that thing (Hebrews 11:1) No. We cannot take credit for our it since our faith is in response to the Father's gentle drawing and the holy spirit's conviction (source-Pastor Ralph). Again we cannot go to the father if he does not draws us to himself. The part of us that yearns for a god and eventually believe in a God comes from the almighty God, our creator. YES. We all have been given a measure of faith to believe in God and accept salvation offered to us through Jesus Christ and to do good deeds of righteousness. If we fail to use this and accept salvation and we die (or perhaps Christ comes), we shall be condemn with the devil and unbelievers. THE REASON WHY WE MUST USE AND GROW IN FAITH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy T Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 Faith is a substance. No we can not take credit for having it, but we can take credit for receiving it. Yes we can be condemned for lacking it; because the bible says in Hebrews 11:6 that it is impossible to please God without faith and if we can not please God we will be condemned. We can not even receive salvation without faith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meandean Posted April 28, 2007 Report Share Posted April 28, 2007 Q4. What exactly is faith? Can we take credit for having it? Can we be condemned for lacking it? Define "faith" in terms a 10-year-old could understand.what a difficult question.well it's not blind optimism or a manufactured hope so feeling, neither is it an intellectual assent to a doctrine. it is certainly not believing in spite of the evidence, that would be superstition.true bible faith is confident obedience to god's word in spite of circumstances and consequences.( warren wiersbe) j. oswald sanders said faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present and the invisible as seen. when i started to find a definition for faith, i first went to hebrews chapter 11:1. substance-evidence-witness. then i got to thinking about 1 john chapter 1.faith is different from belief. first there has to be a foundation.secondly, there has to be conviction. thirdly. we must be made into a witness. jesus has provided all of these requirements. that which was from the beginning, which we have heard,which we have seen with our eyes,which we have looked upon,and our hands have handled,the word of life,this is what i call faith.though he might not touch me physically, he does spiritually. and that goes for hearing seeing and so on. on being condemned... there is a parable of the ten talents. one guy had ten, invested it wisely and received ten back. another had five, invested it and recieved five back. the last took his and buried it. when the owner came back, the first two were rewarded and the last tried to use an excuse and return the blame on his master. he was thrown into weeping and gnashing teeth. so i don't know about lacking but it's pretty clear on using faith. we are to live out this life,we are to let our light shine before men Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don W Posted June 17, 2007 Report Share Posted June 17, 2007 Faith in the Bible is defined as: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beadie Posted September 18, 2007 Report Share Posted September 18, 2007 Faith is the belief that something is true or will come to pass without any tangible proof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suellen Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Faith is the Holy Spirit conviction and drawing from within us, and simply us listening and adhering to that pull. We definitely can not take credit for it, once we begin to take credit for it, we lose that true faith and it turns into arrogance. Faith for a ten year old might be a parent speaking to their child and encouraging them to accept the love and understand the consequences to each and every decision that they make every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdamse Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Q4. What exactly is faith? Can we take credit for having it? Can we be condemned for lacking it? Define "faith" in terms a 10-year-old could understand. Faith is having trust. Faith is a gift we receive from God, and God gets the credit. We have faith, because God is trustworthy. Faith is like sitting on a chair believing it will not break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryon Posted January 6, 2008 Report Share Posted January 6, 2008 Q4. What exactly is faith? Can we take credit for having it? Can we be condemned for lacking it? Define "faith" in terms a 10-year-old could understand. Trust in something unseen. No, not for lacking it, but for not believing in the redemptive power of the blood of Christ. Faith is believing or trusting that something is true even when you can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mags Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 Faith is the belief in who God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is. The believing without seeing - the knowing in your heart and head. We can't take credit for our faith because it is only through the Holy Spirit's conviction, and our Father's softening of our hearts that we have faith. Who Christ is is revealed to us by the Spirit who leads us to a better understanding - he teaches us, and guides us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisabeth Posted November 30, 2008 Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 Q4. What exactly is faith? Can we take credit for having it? Can we be condemned for lacking it? Define "faith" in terms a 10-year-old could understand. Faith is dependant and being sure of something. Each morning we wake up and have faith that day will come and the sun will rise. We have no control over this, but we do depend upon it. Faith in God is given by God, it is only through God's grace are our eyes opened and our understanding enlightened. We are not able to know God unless He Himself makes Himself known to us. Even when we search for Him, we only do so because He awakens our senses to do so. Once enlightened and are given faith and knowledge of the most high are we to exercise faith in Him. It grieves God when we don't trust Him for everything, and His Word teaches all about His power, His love, His promises which in faith we are able to take hold off and utterly depend on Him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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