I am a word nerd. So, I think that it's so very important to be clear about the words that we use to understand life. Here are a couple of words that I think you need to be clear on.
Faith: Accepting as true all that God says and acting on it.
Here are two things to notice from that definition:
Faith does not pick and choose what to believe from the Bible. It accepts all that God says. And, in fact, it is important to include all that God has said relative to a particular topic so that you can understand that topic accurately and thus live well. So, just to take one example, it is important to accept as true the fact that God has decided everything about your life before you were born AND the fact that you can make real choices for which God will hold you accountable. God speaks both facts.
Faith is more than accepting something as true. Satan accepts all of the Gospel as true. That 'faith' is worthless. And, sadly, that is the kind of 'faith' that too many have. A real faith, one that actually connects to Jesus, is very different. Real faith acts. So, when the Spirit points a saint to some aspect of the Gospel He wants that Christian to work on, real faith responds with action. Some shy away from that kind of faith because putting the truth into action can be very demanding. But Jesus warned us about that, didn't He?
Hope: Hope is waiting for God to keep a promise.
Here's a promise for you to hold on to as you grow older.
Listen to me, house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been sustained by Me from the womb, carried along since birth. I will be the same until your old age, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will bear and rescue you. Isaiah 46:3-4
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