Real Faith

by Doy Moyer

Biblical faith is not mere belief. It is trust, but it is more than that. It is conviction, loyalty, faithfulness, allegiance, and commitment. To say that we ought to trust God and have faith is not to say that we sit back and do nothing. That is a bad spin on faith and trust, but it’s not uncommon. To say that we trust God is to say that we have devoted ourselves as disciples to be loyal and faithful to God no matter what happens.

When understood this way, there is never a false dichotomy between faith and works, for our loyalty to King Jesus encompasses both to the best of our abilities and the point of death (Revelation 2:10). We are saved by grace. We recognize that grace, biblically understood, teaches us to be zealous for good works (Titus 2:11-14). We know we cannot earn our salvation, but we also know that we cannot forsake the works of God and remain loyal to Him. In becoming Christians, we pledged our loyalty — our allegiance — to the King of kings and Lord of lords, so we must not think that turning back is an option (Luke 9:61-62), for “we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul” (Hebrews 10:39).