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“The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.”
George Mueller
Kirk Cameron’s Comment
Faith levels the playing field. Again, let’s keep the simple things simple. Jesus said, “Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). It seems that one of the greatest virtues of children is their ability to trust. If I tell my three-year-old daughter that the earth is round, she believes me simply because she trusts my word. Because God is always faithful and does not lie, we can trust Him completely and have faith in His Word.
Questions & Objections
““If God gives me some ‘sign,’ then I will believe.””
The unsaved often want a “sign” from God. This is in spite of the testimony of creation, their conscience, the Bible, and the Christian. The cross is the only thing that can truly convince sinners of the reality of who Jesus is. Once they understand that the holes in His hands and His feet are there because of their own sin, they will fall at His feet and cry, “My Lord and my God!”
When a young man once told me, “I find it hard to believe some of the things in the Bible,” I smiled and asked, “What’s your name?” When he said, “Paul,” I casually answered, “I don’t believe you.” He looked at me questioningly. I repeated, “What’s your name?” Again he said, “Paul,” and again I answered, “I don’t believe you.” Then I asked, “Where do you live?” When he told me, I said, “I don’t believe that either.” His reaction was to become (understandably) angry. I said, “You look a little upset. Do you know why? You’re upset because I didn’t believe what you told me. If you say your name is Paul and I reply, ‘I don’t believe you,’ it means that I think you are a liar. You are trying to deceive me by telling me your name is Paul, when it’s not.”
Then I pointed out that if he, a mere man, felt insulted by my lack of faith in his word, how much more does he insult Almighty God by refusing to believe His Word. In doing so, he was saying that God isn’t worth trusting—that He is a liar and a deceiver. The Bible says, “He that believes not God has made him a liar” (1 John 5:10). It also warns, “Take heed, brethren, least there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief” (Hebrews 3:12, emphasis added). Martin Luther stated, “What greater insult ... can there be to God than not to believe His promises.”
Lesson
I have heard people say, “I just find it hard to have faith in God,” not realizing the implications of their words. These are the same people who often believe the weather forecast, accept what the newspapers say as true, and trust their lives to a pilot they have never seen whenever they board a plane. We exercise faith every day. We rely on our car’s brakes. We trust history books, medical journals, and elevators. Yet elevators can let us down; history books can be wrong; planes can crash. How much more, then, should we trust the sure and true promises of Almighty God? He will never let us down ... if we trust Him.
The Scriptures tell us that we should “above all, [take] the shield of faith” (Ephesians 6:16). This part of our armor is essential because it extinguishes all the “fiery darts of the wicked.” If you don’t have faith as your shield, you will be wounded, perhaps fatally, by the enemy.
Faith is spiritually what oxygen is physically. Without faith, the unbeliever gasps, writhes, and then dies. We know that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Without faith, the sharks will devour us. With faith, it is possible not only to please Him, but to float above the infested waters of this world. It is also possible to move mountains, subdue kingdoms, work righteousness, obtain promises, and stop the mouths of lions.
God has even given us an honor roll of soldiers who have gone before us in battle. Hebrews 11 lists those who through faith obeyed their Commander and were afterward promoted to Headquarters. Many, like Paul, carried in their bodies the scars of the Lord Jesus. We are told that they “were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings ... of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned ... sawn asunder ... slain with the sword” (Hebrews 11:35–37). They exercised faith throughout the battle, proving its worth. It’s now up to us to follow their example. These soldiers of the cross found that faith in God gave them the ability to be “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might,” to be “more than conquerors,” because they knew that God was for them, that He always caused them to triumph—through faith.
Feathers for Arrows
I have often heard cynics say, “You can’t trust the Bible—it’s full of mistakes.” It is. The first mistake was when man rejected God, and the Scriptures show men and women making the same tragic mistake again and again. It’s also full of what seem to be contradictions. For example, the Scriptures tell us that “with God, nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37). We are told that there is nothing Almighty God can’t do. Yet we are also told that it is “impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18). So there is something God cannot do! Isn’t that an obvious “mistake” in the Bible? No, it isn’t. The answer to this dilemma is found in the lowly worm.
I can safely say that it would be impossible for me to eat worms, although I have seen it done. I once saw a man on TV butter his toast, then pour on a can of live, fat, wriggling, dirt-filled worms. He carefully took a knife and fork, cut into his moving meal, and ate it. It made me feel sick. It was disgusting. The thought of chewing cold, live worms is so repulsive, so distasteful, that it would be impossible for me to eat them. It is so abhorrent, I draw on the strength of the word “impossible” to substantiate my claim.
Lying, deception, bearing false witness, etc., are so repulsive to God, so disgusting to Him, so against His holy character, that the Scriptures draw on the strength of the word “impossible” to substantiate the claim. He cannot, could not, and would not lie.
That means that in a world where we are frequently let down, we can totally rely on, trust in, and count on His promises. They are sure, certain, indisputable, true, trustworthy, reliable, faithful, unfailing, dependable, steadfast, and an anchor for the soul. In other words, you can truly believe them, and because of that, you can throw yourself blindfolded and without reserve into His mighty hands. He will never, ever let you down. Do you believe that?
Questions
- What is the biblical definition of “faith”? (See Hebrews 11:1.)
- In layman’s terms, what is faith?
- Why was the young man offended because I didn’t believe him?
- What are some of the things in which people have faith?
- What is implied when someone finds it hard to have faith in God?
- What does the Bible mean when it says that it is “impossible” for God to lie?
- On a scale of one to ten, how much faith do you have in God?
Answers to these review questions are provided in the back of the printed book / source PDF.
Memory Verse
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6
Last Words
Casanova, renowned for his self-indulgence, probably ended his life in self-deception. On his deathbed at the age of 73, he said: “I have lived as a philosopher and die as a Christian.”
Casanova
This page is a faithful digital transcription of Lesson 37 of The School of Biblical Evangelism by Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort (Bridge-Logos, © 2004), republished by UECF.NET under the book’s own printed permission to reproduce it “for the furtherance of the gospel and given away free.” See the About this Web Edition page for full source and copyright details, and the original PDF for the complete book, including the answer key.