What does it mean to have faith in Jesus?

I visited a friend the other day who is battling cancer. He raised the question, what does it really mean to have faith in Jesus? How would you answer him? When a person is faced with the possibility of their imminent death many of the answers we usually give seem hollow. I could not promise hi m that he would be healed or that his life would be better by putting his faith in Christ. I could not talk about finding purpose and direction in life, the way we often do when sharing our faith. So when all of the superficial things of life are stripped away, what does it mean to have faith in Christ? Here are a few of my thoughts.

                Having faith in Christ is looking beyond the immediate to a higher reality. My friend’s situation reminds me that, at best, this life is temporary and fleeting. James tells us that our life is like a mist; here one day and then gone the next. Having faith in Christ is affirming that this life is only the prelude to something more. The writer of Hebrews defines faith in this way; “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” [Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)] Our hope is in the salvation that Jesus offers to us. Jesus came to inform us that we were created to live in an eternal relationship with God. Sin has broken that relationship and so we need a Savior. Jesus is that Savior. Although we cannot see Jesus in tangible form we can have confidence in God and his word. As Jesus told Thomas, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." [John 20:29 (NIV)]

                Having faith in Christ is taking him at his word and acting upon it. Jesus invites us to trust him. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. [John 14:1 (NIV)] Trust is the ability to have confidence in another even when the evidence is against us. To truly have faith in Jesus means letting him have control of your life. That is a scary thing. All of us want to be in charge of what happens. When we feel like we are losing control we fight hard to regain it. Jesus said that to follow him in faith is to let go of control; to trust him to lead. “Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” [Luke 9:23-24 (NIV)]

                Having faith in Christ is believing that God loves me. To say that God is love is one thing, but to believe that God loves me, personally and individually, is something else. God sent Jesus into the world to demonstrate the extent of His love. Jesus lived out that love as he encountered people one-on-one. The woman at the well, Nicodemus, the man born blind are all tangible evidence that God cares about individuals. Genuine faith is believing that Christ loves me even when my world is crumbling. Paul expressed that kind of faith in his letter to the Corinthians. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. [2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)]

                Having faith in Christ does not mean that we don’t have questions and doubts. Even the men who were closest to Jesus were plagued with doubt from time to time. When Jesus declared his awesome promise that he was going to prepare a place for us in heaven, Thomas expressed his uncertainty. Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. [John 14:5-6 (NIV)] After Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to the disciples huddles in the upper room, Thomas again expressed doubt because he wasn’t there. Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." [John 20:24-25 (NIV)] Even after Jesus had appeared to the disciples on several occasions, there were still some who were filled with questions. Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. [Matthew 28:16-17 (NIV)] If the disciples could have questions, then we should not be surprised when we experience doubt. Doubt can be a catalyst for an even greater, deeper faith in Christ.

                What does it really mean to have faith? Faith is not just wishful thinking. Faith is choosing to firmly believe Christ even when we don’t have all of the answers. Genuine faith never gives up. It is a journey that leads us through many different experiences. Each experience shapes our faith. Faith is a guide that leads us ever forward toward maturity in Christ.