What Is Faith?

Lord's Day, November 24, 2024, Connect Church Silicon Valley (with Chinese translation)

Selected Scriptures




What must we do to be saved? This is one of the most important questions we could ever ask.

We were created by the one true God for a purpose—to glorify him and enjoy him forever. And yet each of us have turned to our own way and rejected the very God upon whom we depend for our very life and being. We have made a mockery of his name by living out our sinful impulses. We have neglected to love, or even acknowledge, the one who first loved us. Therefore, we are justly condemned by God. And so God, in the riches of his mercy, sent his own Son. He sent his Son Jesus Christ as a man in the place of sinners like us. And on the cross, he died the death that we deserved and paid the penalty of our sin. All of our sins were nailed to the cross. And then God raised him up from the dead as a proof to us that the penalty had indeed been paid in full. And because of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, the way of salvation has been opened. There is now a way to be forgiven of sin and reconciled to God. There is now a way to have life with God forever. But then, how do we take that way of salvation? Seeing that God has done all this to save us, what must we do to receive his salvation?

The Bible records a story of one man who had this exact same question. Two early Christian missionaries named Paul and Silas had just been thrown into his jail. But here's what happened next.

"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, 'Don't harm yourself! We are all here!' The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'" (Acts 16:25-30).

What must we do to be saved? The jailer correctly realized, as you must also, that he needed to be saved from his sin. But what must we do to be saved? How can we escape the righteous judgment of God? How can we be reconciled to our God who cannot tolerate our guilt? How can we receive the forgiveness that Christ offers through the cross? If you're not a Christian, try to take a guess. You might say that we can be saved if we live a righteous life. Or if we pray to God daily. Or if our good works outweigh our bad ones.

But here is how Paul and Silas responded to this man.

"They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.' Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household" (Acts 16:31-34).

Friends, salvation comes through faith—faith in Jesus Christ. Now, you might ask, why faith and not something else? The answer is because salvation is by grace. The Bible says,

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
"Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace" (Romans 4:16).

Pay attention to this word "grace." "Grace" means something that we don't earn or deserve. Because we are sinners who deserve God's judgment, we can do nothing to earn righteousness before God. Therefore, it was Jesus who fully earned our righteousness for us when he died on the cross. To be saved by grace means that salvation is a free and unmerited gift. But then because salvation is offered as a gift, we can't possibly pay for it on our own. Therefore, salvation is by faith, which is a simple trust and acceptance of what Jesus has already done for us completely. Grace means that, unlike other religions, we can neither pay nor pray our way to have peace with God. To be reconciled to God, faith is the only option. Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.

So today, we'll think about what exactly is faith? If faith is the way to salvation, then how do I have it, and how do I know I've got it? If you're taking notes, my message for today will have three parts.
1) What does it mean to have faith?
2) What does faith look like?
3) What are some common misconceptions about faith?

1) What does it mean to have faith?

Now, the word "faith" is used to mean many different things today. But when we ask the question—"what is faith?"—we are primarily interested in what the Bible has to say about the nature of faith. The Bible shows us that there are three essential components to faith, each of which builds upon the other. They are: knowledge, belief, and personal trust.

Of course, knowledge is the basic foundation of faith. You can't believe in Jesus if you've never heard of him! In order to be saved, you need to know the basic facts about Jesus. You need to know that he died on the cross to pay for our sins. You need to know that he rose again to declare victory over death.

If you're relatively new here, we trust that, as you participate in our gatherings, you're gradually getting to know more about Jesus. You don't have to know everything to become a Christian, but you do need to know the basic facts.

Next, saving faith requires belief. When I say belief, what I mean is confidence or assurance that something is true. When most people think of the word "faith," this is probably the first thing that they think of. To believe in Jesus, you must believe that he is God, who died on a cross and rose again. However, the Bible makes it clear to us that this kind of belief is not enough to be saved. There needs to be something more.

Third and finally, saving faith requires personal trust. Simple belief is not enough. In James 2 it says,

"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder" (James 2:19).

What James is sarcastically saying to us is that a simple belief that God exists or that Jesus is God is not real faith. During the life of Jesus, the demons believed that Jesus was God, even when nobody else did. Yet their response to Jesus showed no indication of true faith. So then, what is the difference between mere belief and true faith? It is what we call personal trust.

In our English language, we make this distinction clear in the two different usages of the word "believe." "Believing in" something is very different from "believing that" something is true. For example, if you were to ask somebody whether he believed that Joe Biden was the President of the United States, then he would of course say yes. But to ask somebody whether he believes in Joe Biden as the President of the United States is a different matter entirely. To believe in somebody is much more than to acknowledge their existence. To say that you believe in Joe Biden means that you believe him to be trustworthy and capable of his job. It means that you trust him to lead the country in the right direction. The Bible is clear that the faith we need is this latter kind of faith.

"Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household" (Acts 16:31).

To trust in Jesus is to stake all of your hope on him and what he has done for you. To move from belief to trust is to say that God's promises are not only true, they're true for me. Trust takes belief and makes it real and personal and transformative.

Now, this may sound kind of vague, so let's take a step back. What does it actually mean to trust someone or something? Are there other examples of trust that we can use as a comparison? It turns out that there are.

Every day of our life, we are constantly placing our trust in something. I'm not talking about simple trusts, like trusting our chairs to not collapse when we sit on them. I'm talking about deep-rooted trusts that are sometimes invisible to us.

Kids, many of you are stressed all the time because of schoolwork or maybe friends. Have you ever wondered why? Could it be because you've placed your personal trust in your grades or how well other people like you? Could it be that you've unconsciously decided to stake your hope and worth in how well you've done in school or how many friends you have?

Parents, maybe you struggle with your temper when you're arguing with your kids. Have you ever thought about why? Perhaps it's because you've placed your trust in how well your kids turn out. You've decided to stake your hope and worth in how well they meet your expectations. When they don't, you lash out because of your own insecurity.

Perhaps you're here and you're single, and you feel very alone, and you feel that there's no hope of finding love anymore. What you've actually done is placed your trust in love. You've decided that life is most worth living when you love someone and they love you back. You've unconsciously decided that true satisfaction comes from a relationship, or a happy family.

Or maybe you're here today and you've been going to church all your life, but deep down, you know that you struggle with pride and looking down on others. You feel a surge of excitement whenever people see how diligently you serve the church. You feel anger when you are criticized and shame when you sin. Well, you may be a Christian, but your trust is actually, at least partially, in your own good works.

To trust in God is simply to do to God what you have unconsciously done to all these false gods. It is to believe that you have significance as a person not because other people like you, but because God loves you in Christ. It is to trust that what matters most in life is not making money or finding love, but following the will of God. It is to draw hope not from the promises of the world, but from the words of God. We all trust in something. Trusting in Jesus is a matter of taking our trust out of those things and putting them in Jesus instead. To go from simple belief to real trust is to say that Jesus is not only God, but that he's my God. It is to not only believe that Jesus is a Savior, but that he's, in a very real sense, my Savior.

Now, before we move on, just think about how liberating that would be to trust in God alone! Compared to the world, how unshakeable are the promises of the Lord! Read about what the biblical authors had to say about this kind of faith. Look at the kind of confidence they had.

"God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging"
(Psalm 46:1-3).

"Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior"
(Habakkuk 3:17-18).

Faith is simply a matter of trusting in God and taking him at his word.

2) What does faith look like?

The question could also be worded: what are the signs or evidence of faith in your life? If you're a Christian, then these are the signs you should be looking for in your own life to see if your faith is genuine. If you're not a Christian, then this is what your life will look like if you choose to place your trust in Jesus.

The first sign of true faith is repentance. Repentance means turning away from sin to live righteously before God. Repentance is such an important sign of faith that sometimes people really see faith and repentance as two sides of the same coin.

On a surface level, repentance is simply putting an end to the sins in our life. It doesn't mean immediate perfection. It simply means a firm commitment to hate our sin and change our life according to God's law.

However, on a deeper level, repentance means much more, and we see how repentance and faith are closely connected. On a deeper level, repentance is not only turning away from sinful actions, but also turning away from sinful trusts. We turn away from trusting in money, or trusting in love, or trusting in acceptance, and we turn towards trusting in Jesus. Our hearts get totally rewired into this radically new way of understanding who we are and why we matter. Surprisingly, it's only this deep, inward transformation that leads to real outward transformation. If you're interested in learning more about this, I would recommend the book How People Change, which I heard some others in the church are reading right now.

The second sign of true faith is following Jesus forever and obeying his commands. Because true faith means having a personal trust in Jesus, this trust leads to a commitment to follow him. Trusting somebody means placing yourself in their hands and allowing them to tell you what to do. In the same way, trusting Jesus means making him your Lord and Master. It leads to genuine obedience. Not perfect obedience, but sincere and committed obedience.

Friends, if you're here and you're not a Christian, these two signs of faith—repentance and obedience—are the cost of trusting Jesus. Consider these things carefully, so that you know what you sign up for if you choose to believe in Jesus.

3) Clearing up misconceptions about faith.

Finally, I'd like to give some comments about four common misconceptions that people have about faith.

i) Saving faith is not "blind faith." Although phrases such as "blind faith" or "taking a leap of faith" are common, they are not entirely accurate when describing biblical faith. If you're here and you're not a Christian, one of your hesitations when it comes to having faith in Jesus might be a lack of evidence. When we invite you to believe in Jesus, perhaps you feel that we're asking you to ignore your reason. But as Christians, we don't believe faith is irrational, or that faith and reason are opposed. We believe that our faith is built on truth, and that we believe in something that truly happened. So if you have doubts about Christianity, we would encourage you not to put them aside, but to really search for answers. We don't claim to have all of those answers. But we do believe that a careful study of the evidence can only lead to or strengthen faith.

ii) Saving faith trusts in God and his promises, not what we think he ought to do for us. One thing that I think many new believers struggle with is the issue of faith seeming ineffective. Maybe you're facing this problem right now. We keep telling you to trust God, but you decide to trust God and yet your life is simply not changing. In spite of how much faith you have, nothing gets better. Is God simply not there? Let me try and explain this common misunderstanding.

When it comes to faith, we need to distinguish between what God has promised and what we want. God does invite us to pray for what we want and need. He says,

"... in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6).

He even wants us to pray expectantly with faith in his power to answer. He says,

"Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:24).

But having faith in God means two things at the same time. On the one hand, it means believing that he has the power to give us what we want. At the same time, it also means believing that his plan and timing is better when he doesn't give us what we want. To believe in God is both to believe in his power but also his wisdom and direction. In fact, this is exactly what Jesus demonstrated for us as he prayed before his death. He prayed,

"Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will" (Mark 14:36).

So somebody who has true faith in God is simultaneously confident that she will receive exactly what she asks for, and yet not disappointed when God has other plans.

You see, faith in God is ultimately based on our trust and confidence that God will act on his promises. God has promised that he has completely forgiven our sins when we trusted in Jesus. God has promised that he will one day end evil and suffering forever. God has promised that believers will spend eternity with him. But God has actually never promised that you would live a happy life. He never promised that he would give you a job or a happy family. These are the things that we rightly want for ourselves, but not the things that God has promised us. Therefore, we need to anticipate the possibility that God may have a plan for us that contradicts what we want for ourselves. We need to trust ultimately in what God has promised, not what he hasn't promised.

But let me go a step further. If you're disappointed that your trust in God has not yielded the results you wanted, your problem might actually be that you haven't trusted in God in the first place. Let me explain what I mean by this. Let's say that you desperately need a job, and you've decided to trust God because that's what all your Christian friends tell you to do. You pray to God and you really believe that God is going to get you a job. Then months pass, and you still don't have a job. You're very disappointed and you decide that Jesus isn't God after all. But don't you see from what we've learned today? Your disappointment with God actually shows that your trust is still in your job or your financial security or whatever it is. What you've done is simply use Jesus as a tool to serve your real god, which is getting a job and having a comfortable life. You may believe that Jesus is God, but you haven't trusted him enough to make him your God. You have knowledge and belief but not personal trust. You believe in him enough to trust that he has the ability to give you what you want, but you don't actually trust him to redefine what you want.

Christians, this is also very important for how we share about our faith with others. We need to be careful in how we testify to God's work in our lives. God absolutely does work in our lives. But if all we do is talk about how God has made our life better, then we mislead people into thinking that's what the gospel is all about. We're giving people false hope and a false gospel if we mislead them in that way. We need to be pointing people towards what Jesus has actually done and what Jesus has actually promised. Saving faith trusts in God and his gospel.

iii) We are not saved by the strength of our faith, but by the object of our faith. If you are in any kind of contact with Christian faith, whether you're considering Christianity or you've been a Christian for decades, doubt is going to be part of your life. And based on my experience, there are basically three kinds of doubt. The first is intellectual doubt. Kids, I think this is really common for people your age. You feel like there's just not enough evidence for you to believe. Or you feel like other things, such as science, have made Christianity unlikely to be true. The second kind of doubt is the kind of doubt that comes from fear of the commitment needed to follow after Jesus. If you have this kind of doubt, you probably think it's quite likely that Jesus is really God, but you're just nervous about how much it's going to cost you to become a Christian. Jesus might be God, but you're just not sure enough to lay down your life for him. The third kind of doubt is the kind of doubt that comes from extended or intense periods of trial and suffering. So much pain or grief has overtaken you that you don't know if God really exists anymore. And if he really does exist, you simply don't know if he really loves you and cares about you at all.

So these kinds of doubts are inevitable. And if you're here and you're not a Christian and you have doubts about Jesus, I just want to make sure you know that you're still going to have doubts about Jesus if you become a Christian. Doubt is more normal than you think it is. There are probably Christians here who have more doubts about Jesus than you do. The only difference between you and them is that they've decided to trust Jesus in spite of those doubts. Until we see God face to face, doubt will not go away.

That's why it's so important to realize that we are not saved by the strength of our faith, but by the object of our faith. At the end of the day, it is Jesus and not our faith that saves us. One analogy that I like to think of is how a lightbulb lights up when you connect it to a battery. If you know anything about electricity, then you know that the lightbulb lights up no matter what kind of wire you use. You can use a cheap one or an expensive one, a thin one or a thick one—as long as you connect the wire to the battery, the lightbulb lights up. Likewise, even a very weak faith saves us if we put it in the right place. Tim Keller gives another helpful analogy. Two men want to fly to China. One of them is very confident in flying, but he decides that he's going to get to China by gluing feathers to his arms. The other man is deathly afraid of flying, but he takes a plane. He's sitting there, his knees are trembling, his hands are sweating, and he can't even open his eyes. His faith was so weak that it only got him as far as the door of the plane. But which man do you think got to China in the end? Ultimately, it's Jesus that saves you, not the strength of your faith.

Friend, if you trust in Christ and still struggle with serious doubts, be assured that genuine faith and doubt can coexist. Remember what the man who needed Jesus to heal his son said to Jesus? Jesus told him, "All things are possible for one who believes" (Mark 9:23). And the man responded in the way that all of us sometimes do. "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24). What a wonderful reminder and encouragement to us that is—that there is no perfect faith, only a perfect Savior!

iv) The basis of faith is not a subjective experience of God, but the objective reality of who Jesus is and what he has done. This is a common misconception that I frequently see. Sometimes, we confuse faith with having a conversion experience. Kids, maybe you've heard about how your parents came to faith, and you've concluded that you're not ready to really become a Christian yet because you haven't had that experience yet. Or maybe you're here and you are a Christian, but you doubt your faith because you don't seem to have the deep spiritual experiences that other believers have. Or maybe you're here and you think that you're a Christian, when all you've had is a spiritual experience or an encounter with God. But if that spiritual experience was not followed by faith in Jesus, then you are not a Christian. Faith and spiritual experiences are not the same thing. You don't need to supposedly "experience" God to have real faith. If you're here today and you've heard and understood the gospel of Jesus Christ, then you have absolutely everything you need to take the step of faith towards Jesus. Faith means nothing more than hearing about what Jesus has done for you and trusting him at his word—making a simple, quiet decision to make him your Lord and Savior.

I know people who have had intense experiences of God, only to show no sign of long-lasting faith afterwards. And yet I know just as many people, if not more, who have never experienced God in an intense way, yet have quietly chosen to follow Jesus and trust him day after day. Which kind of person would you rather be? Friends, choose faith over illusory experiences. Do not place your trust in how much you have experienced God. Christians, this also means that when you share your testimony to non-believers, focus less on your personal experience and more on Jesus himself. Feelings come and go, so faith based on feelings will never last. Only Jesus will last forever.

As we conclude, I'd like to do something a little different, which is to personally invite you to repent of your sin and place your trust in Jesus Christ, if you've never done so before. This is the way that you can be forgiven of all your sin and reconciled to God. I hope that from today, you've concluded, as I have, that trusting in Jesus is both simple and costly. It's simple in that anybody can come to Jesus, doubters included. But it's costly because you have to give every part of yourself to him. So this is a choice that you need to make carefully. We'd love to walk with you for as long as it takes and help prepare you to make this important decision. But if you're ready to make this urgent choice now, I'd like to give you a few moments to do that. Let's all close our eyes and bow our heads, and we'll have a brief pause of personal reflection before I close us in prayer. So if you've never done so before, do real business with God. Repent of your sin and trust in the Lord Jesus for salvation.



Our heavenly Father, we thank you for sending your Son Jesus Christ. We thank you that his death on the cross is sufficient to take away all of our guilt. We thank you that you raised him from the dead to show us that shame and death no longer have power over us. We humbly come before you to ask for your forgiveness. We repent of our sin and trust in Jesus for our hope and salvation. We ask that you would grant us the grace and courage to come to you by faith. Please give us assurance and confidence that your salvation is all we need. Strengthen our confidence in you, which so often wavers. In Jesus's name, Amen.

中文翻译

我们必须做什么才能得救？ 这是我们能问出的最重要的问题之一。

我们被独一的真神创造，只有一个目的——那就是荣耀他，并永远享受他。 然而，我们每个人都选择走己路，拒绝神。 我们因随从罪恶的本性而羞辱了他的名。 我们没有爱，也没有承认那位先爱我们的神。 因此，我们理应受到上帝的谴责。 然而，神却满有怜悯，差派了他的独生子。 他差派他的儿子耶稣基督，以人的身份替代像我们这样的罪人。 在十字架上，他替我们死，偿还了我们的罪债。 我们所有罪都被钉在了十字架上。 然后，神使他从死里复活，以此向我们证明罪债已完全偿清。 因为耶稣基督的牺牲，救恩的道路被打开。 如今，有一条道路可以使罪得赦，与神和好。 如今，有一条道路可以与神同享永恒的生命。 那么，我们如何走上这条救恩之路？ 既然上帝已经做了这一切来拯救我们，我们必须做什么才能得到他的救赎？

圣经记载了一个人问过同样的问题。 有两个早期的基督教传教士，名叫保罗和西拉，刚刚被关进了这个人看管的监狱。 接下来发生了这样的事情：

“约在半夜，保罗和西拉祷告，唱诗赞美　神，众囚犯也侧耳而听。 忽然，地大震动，甚至监牢的地基都摇动了， 监门立刻全开，众囚犯的锁链也都松开了。 禁卒一醒，看见监门全开，以为囚犯已经逃走，就拔刀要自杀。 保罗大声呼叫说：「不要伤害自己！我们都在这里。」 禁卒叫人拿灯来，就跳进去，战战兢兢地俯伏在保罗、西拉面前； 又领他们出来，说：「二位先生，我当怎样行才可以得救？」” （使徒行传16：25-30）

我们当怎样行才可以得救？ 狱吏正确地意识到，正如你也必须意识到的那样，他需要从罪中得救。 但我们必须做什么才能得救呢？ 我们怎样才能逃脱神公义的审判？ 我们怎样才能与那不能容忍我们罪恶的神和好？ 我们怎样才能获得基督通过十字架所提供的赦免？ 如果你不是基督徒，可以试着猜一猜。 你可能会说，如果我们过公义的生活，就可以得救。 如果我们每天向神祷告，就可以得救。 如果我们的善行多于恶行，就可以得救。

但保罗和西拉是这样回答这个人的：

“他们说：「当信主耶稣，你和你一家都必得救。」 他们就把主的道讲给他和他全家的人听。 当夜，就在那时候，禁卒把他们带去，洗他们的伤；他和属乎他的人立时都受了洗。 于是禁卒领他们上自己家里去，给他们摆上饭。 他和全家，因为信了　神，都很喜乐。” （使徒行传16：31-34）

朋友们，救恩是通过信心获得的——对耶稣基督的信心。 你可能会问，为什么是信心，而不是其他的东西？ 答案是因为救恩是出于恩典。 圣经说：

“你们得救是本乎恩，也因着信；这并不是出于自己，乃是　神所赐的；”（以弗所书2：8）

“所以人得为后嗣是本乎信，因此就属乎恩。”（罗马书4：16）

注意“恩典”这个词。 “恩典”意味着我们无法赚取或配得的东西。 因为我们是应当受神审判的罪人，我们无法靠自己的行为在神面前称义。 因此，当耶稣死在十字架上时，他为我们赢得了完全的正义。 靠恩典得救意味着救恩是一个免费的、不配得的礼物。 因为救赎是一份礼物，我们就不可能靠自己付出代价。 因此，救恩是借着信心——一种单纯的信靠和接受耶稣已经为我们完全成就的一切。 与其他宗教不同，恩典意味着，我们既不能靠着付出代价，也不能靠着祈祷，以求与上帝和解。 要与上帝和好，信仰是唯一的选择。 当信主耶稣，你就必得救。

所以今天，我们来思考信仰到底是什么？ 如果信仰是救赎之路，那么我如何拥有它，我怎么知道我拥有了它？ 如果你正在记笔记，我今天的信息将分为三个部分：

1) 有信仰意味着什么？
2) 信仰是什么样子的？
3) 关于信仰有哪些常见的误解？

1) 有信仰意味着什么？

“信仰”一词有许多不同的含义。 这里，我们主要关注的是圣经对信仰本质的描述。 圣经告诉我们，信仰有三个基本组成部分，每个组成部分都建立在另一个的基础上。 它们是：知识、信念和个人信任。

当然，知识是信仰的根基。 如果你从未听说过耶稣，就不可能信他！ 为了得救，你需要知道关于耶稣的基本事实。 你需要知道他为了偿还我们的罪死在十字架上。 你需要知道他复活了，战胜了死亡。

如果你是新朋友，我们相信，通过参与我们的聚会，你会逐渐更多地了解耶稣。 你不必知道一切才能成为基督徒，但你需要知道基本事实。

其次，得救需要相信。 相信就是对某事有信心，并且确定它的真实性。 当大多数人想到“信仰”这个词时，这可能是他们首先想到的。 要信耶稣，你必须相信他是神，为我们的罪死在十字架上并复活了。 然而，圣经清楚地告诉我们，有这种相信还不足以使人得救。 还需要更多。

最后，得救还需要信靠。 单纯的相信还不够。 雅各书2章说：

“你信　神只有一位，你信的不错；鬼魔也信，却是战惊。”（雅各书2：19） 雅各在这里用讽刺的语气告诉我们，单纯相信神存在，或者相信耶稣是神，并不是真正的信心。 魔鬼也相信耶稣是上帝。 然而，他们对耶稣的回应却没有表现出真正的信心。 那么，简单的相信和真正的信仰之间有什么区别呢？ 这就是我们所说的个人信靠。

在英文中，“相信”一词有两种不同的用法。 “相信某事“与“相信某事是真实的”非常不同。 例如，如果你问某人是否相信，乔·拜登是美国总统，他当然会说是的。 但如果你问某人，乔·拜登作为美国总统， 你是否相信他，那就是完全不同的问题了。 相信某人，远远不只是承认他们的存在。 说你相信乔·拜登意味着你认为他值得信赖，并且能够胜任他的工作。 这意味着你信任他能够带领国家朝正确的方向前进。 圣经清楚地表明，我们所需要的信心是后一种信心。

“凡接待他的，就是信他名的人，他就赐他们权柄，作神的儿女。”（约翰福音1：12）

“神爱世人，甚至将他的独生子赐给他们，叫一切信他的，不至灭亡，反得永生。”（约翰福音3：16）

“他们说：「当信主耶稣，你和你一家都必得救。」”（使徒行传16：31）

信靠耶稣就是把你的所有希望寄托在他和他为你所成就的一切之上。 从相信到信靠的转变，是说神的应许不仅是真实的，而且，对我个人而言，神的应许是真实的。 信任使相信变得真实、个人化并具有蜕变性。

让我们退一步看： 信靠究竟意味着什么？ 有没有其他的例子？ 当然有

我们每天都有意无意的信靠一些事物。 我说的不是简单的信任，比如相信椅子在我们坐下时不会倒塌。 我说的是根深蒂固的信任，有时是我们意识不到的。

青少年中很多人因为学业或朋友感到压力。 你们有没有想过为什么？ 会不会是因为你信靠的是你在学校的成绩或别人对你的认可？ 会不会是因为你下意识地将自己的希望和价值寄托在学业成绩的好坏或朋友的多少？ 爸爸妈妈们，也许你们在与孩子争吵时控制不住脾气。 你们有没有想过为什么？ 也许是因为你信靠的是孩子的未来。 你决定将自己的希望和价值寄托在你的孩子是否能达到你的期望上。 当他们没有达到你的期望时，你会因为自己的不安全感而发怒。 或许你是单身，感到非常孤独，你觉得再也没有找到真爱的希望了。 实际上，你信靠的是男女之爱。 你可能认为只有爱某人并被某人所爱，生活才有意义。 你可能觉得，真正的满足感必须来自于一段关系或一个幸福的家庭。 或许你是一个资深基督徒，每个星期天都去教会，但内心深处你知道自己的挣扎， 你骄傲并且轻视他人。 你兴奋于你在教会的殷勤服侍被别人看见。 当你受到批评时，会感到愤怒，当你犯罪时，会感到羞愧。 那么，你可能是基督徒，但在一定程度上，你信靠的是自己的善行。

信靠上帝就是把你无意识中，对所有这些假神所做的事情，做在上帝身上。 这意味着，你必须相信，你作为一个人的意义不是因为其他人是否喜欢你，而是因为神在基督里爱你。 信靠神意味着，最重要的事情不是是否赚大钱或找到爱情，而是遵行神的旨意。 我们的盼望不是来自于世界的承诺，而是来自神的话语。

信靠耶稣就是将我们的信靠从这些事物中转移到耶稣身上。 从简单的相信到真正的信仰，就是相信耶稣不仅是神，而且是我的神。 不仅相信耶稣是救主，而且是我的救主。

单单信靠神，摆脱捆绑，得自由！ 主的应许牢不可破！ 让我们看看圣经中描述的信靠。

神是我们的避难所，是我们的力量，
是我们在患难中随时的帮助。
所以，地虽改变，
山虽摇动到海心，
其中的水虽匉訇翻腾，
山虽因海涨而战抖, 我们也不害怕。
诗篇46：1-3

虽然无花果树不发旺，
葡萄树不结果，
橄榄树也不效力，
田地不出粮食，
圈中绝了羊，
棚内也没有牛；
然而，我要因耶和华欢欣,
因救我的　神喜乐。
哈巴谷书3：17-18

信仰就是信靠上帝，相信他的话。

2) 信心的表现是什么？

这个问题也可以表述为：你的生命中有哪些信心的标志或证据？ 如果你是基督徒，那么这些是你应该在自己生命中寻找的标志，以确认你的信心是否真实。 如果你不是基督徒，那么如果你选择信靠耶稣，你的生命会有这样的表现。

真信仰的第一个标志是悔改。 悔改意味着远离罪恶，按照神的旨意过公义的生活。 悔改是信仰的重要标志，有时人们把信仰和悔改看作同一枚硬币的两面。

在表面上，悔改就是结束我们生活中的罪。 这并不意味着立即达到完美。 这只是意味着一种坚定的承诺：恨恶我们的罪，并根据神的律法改变我们的生活。

然而，从更深层次来看，悔改的意义远不止于此，而我们也能看到悔改和信心是如何紧密相连的。 在更深的层次上，悔改不仅是转离罪恶的行为，更是转离错误的信靠。 我们不再信靠金钱、爱情或别人的认可，而是转向信靠耶稣。 我们的内心被完全重塑，进入一种全新的方式来理解我们是谁以及我们为何有价值。 奇妙的是，只有这种深刻的内在转变才能带来真正的外在转变。 如果你对这个主题感兴趣，我推荐一本书——《人如何改变》（How People Change），听说我们当中有人正在读这本书。

真信仰的第二个标志是永远跟随耶稣并遵守他的命令。 因为真信仰意味着对耶稣有个人的信靠，这种信靠带来跟随他的承诺。 信靠某人意味着把自己交到他手中，让他告诉你该做什么。 同样，信靠耶稣意味着让他成为你的主和主人。 这会带来真正的顺服。 并非完美的顺服，而是真诚且坚定的顺服。

如果你还不是基督徒，那么这两个信仰标志——悔改和顺服——就是信靠耶稣的代价。 务必仔细思考这些问题，这样你才能清楚地知道，当你选择相信耶稣时，你将面对的是什么。

3）澄清关于信仰的迷思

最后，我想对信仰的四种常见误解做一些说明。

i）基督教的信仰不是盲目的信仰。 尽管“盲目信仰”或“信心飞跃”等短语很常见，但它们在描述圣经信仰时并不完全准确。 如果你还不是基督徒，你可能因为缺乏证据而犹豫是否要信耶稣。 当我们邀请你相信耶稣时，也许你觉得我们是在让你忽略理性。 但作为基督徒，我们并不认为信仰是非理性的，也不认为信仰和理性是对立的。 我们相信我们的信仰是建立在真理之上的，我们相信的是确实发生过的事情。 因此，如果你对基督教有疑问，我们鼓励你不要把它们放在一边，而是去寻找答案。 我们并不拥有所有的答案。 但我们确信，认真研究证据会引导或加强信心。

ii）信仰是信靠神和他的应许，而不是我们认为他应该为我们做的事情。 很多新信徒在信仰看起来“无效”时都会挣扎。 也许你现在正面临这个问题。 我们一直告诉你要信靠神，但你决定信靠神，然而你的生活却没有改变。 不管你有多大的信心，事情都没有好转。 上帝根本不存在吗？ 让我试着解释这种常见的误解。

首先我们需要区分上帝的承诺和我们想要的。 上帝确实邀请我们为我们想要和需要的东西祈祷。 他说：凡事借着祷告、祈求，和感谢，将你们所要的告诉　神。 他甚至希望我们带着信心祷告，期待他的能力会回应。 他说：凡你们祷告祈求的，无论是什么，只要信是得着的，就必得着。 但信靠神意味着同时做两件事。 一方面，相信他有能力赐给我们我们想要的东西。 另一方面，相信当他不给我们我们想要的东西时，神有更好的计划和更好的时间。 信靠神既是相信他的能力，也是相信他的智慧和指引。 这正是耶稣在死前的祷告中为我们示范的。 他祷告说：「阿爸！父啊！在你凡事都能；求你将这杯撤去。然而，不要从我的意思，只要从你的意思。」 因此，真正信仰上帝的人既相信她会得到她所要求的东西，又不会因为上帝有其他计划而失望。

信靠神最终是基于我们对神的承诺的信靠和信心。 神已经承诺，当我们信靠耶稣时，他已经完全赦免了我们的罪。 上帝承诺有一天他会永远结束邪恶和苦难。 上帝承诺信徒将与他共度永恒。 但上帝实际上从未承诺过你会过上幸福的生活。 他从未承诺过会给你一份工作或一个幸福的家庭。 这些是我们合理渴望的事情，但并不是神向我们承诺的事情。 因此，我们需要预见到，神对我们的计划有可能会与我们自己的愿望相冲突。 我们最终信靠的是神的应许，而不是他没有应许的事物。

让我进一步说明。 如果你因信靠神没有带来你想要的结果而感到失望，问题可能在于你一开始就没有真正信靠神。 让我解释一下。 假设你迫切需要一份工作，你决定信靠神，因为所有的基督徒朋友都这么告诉你。 你向神祷告，相信神会赐给你一份工作。 几个月过去了，你仍然没有工作。 你非常失望，认为耶稣根本不是神。 你对神的失望实际上表明，你信靠的是你的工作或经济保障，或者其他。 你只是把耶稣当作一个工具，用来服务于你真正的“神”，也就是得到一份工作和过上舒适的生活。 你可能相信耶稣是神，但你并没有信靠他到，足以让他成为你的神的地步。 你有知识有信念，但没有个人的信靠。 你相信神有能力赐给你想要的东西，但你并没有真正信任他去重新定义你的渴望。

这一点对于我们基督徒如何向他人分享信仰也非常重要。 我们在见证神在我们生命中的工作时需要谨慎。 神确确实实在我们的生命中做工。 但如果我们只谈论神如何让我们的生活更加顺遂，就会误导人们认为这就是福音的全部内容。 如果我们以这种方式误导别人，就会给他们传虚假的福音。 我们需要指出耶稣实际上做了什么，以及耶稣实际上承诺了什么。 救赎的信心信靠的是神和他的福音。

iii）我们得救不是因为信心的大小，而是因为信心的对象。 无论你今天是慕道朋友，初信者，还是资深的基督徒，怀疑都会成为你生活的一部分。 在我看来，怀疑主要有三种类型。 第一种是理性上的怀疑。 这种理性上的怀疑在孩子们中间非常常见。 你觉得没有足够的证据让你相信。 或者你觉得其他事情，比如科学，使得基督教看起来不太可能是真实的。 第二种怀疑是因为害怕跟随耶稣所需的承诺而产生的怀疑。 你认为耶稣很可能真的是上帝，但你担心成为一名基督徒需要付出多大的代价。 第三种怀疑来自于长期或剧烈的试炼和苦难。 你承受了太多的痛苦或悲伤，以至于你不知道上帝是否真的存在。 如果他真的存在，你根本不知道他是否真的爱你，是否关心你。

这些怀疑是不可避免的。 如果你今天还不是一名基督徒，并且对耶稣有怀疑，我想让你知道，即使你成为基督徒，你仍然会对耶稣有怀疑。 怀疑是正常的，比你想象的更正常。 在座的基督徒可能比你更怀疑耶稣。 你和他们唯一的区别在于，他们在怀疑中选择了信靠耶稣。 直到我们面对面见到神，怀疑都不会消失。

这就是为什么我们需要认识到，我们得救不是因为信心的大小，而是因为信心的对象。 归根结底，是耶稣拯救了我们，而不是我们的信心。 我想到的一个比喻是，当你把灯泡连接到电池上时，它就会亮。 如果你有一些电学知识，那么你就知道，无论你使用什么样的电线，灯泡都会亮。 你可以使用便宜的或昂贵的电线，细的或粗的电线——只要你把电线连接到电池上，灯泡就会亮。 同样，即使是非常微弱的信心，如果信靠的是神的应许，神也能救我们。 蒂姆·凯勒给出了另一个有用的比喻。 两个人想飞往中国。 其中一个人对飞行很有信心，但他决定通过将羽毛粘在手臂上来到达中国。 另一个人对飞行感到极度恐惧，但他坐上了飞机。 他坐在座位上，双膝发抖，手心冒汗，甚至不敢睁开眼睛。 他的信心如此微弱，只足够他走到飞机的舱门前。 但你认为哪个人最终到了中国？ 归根结底，是耶稣拯救了你，而不是你信心的大小。

如果你信靠基督却仍然挣扎于严重的怀疑，请相信真正的信心可以和怀疑共存。 还记得那个需要耶稣医治他儿子的父亲对耶稣说了什么吗？ 耶稣对他说：「你若能信，在信的人，凡事都能。」 那个父亲的反应和我们所有人有时的反应一样。 我信！但我信不足，求主帮助。 这对我们来说是多么美好的提醒和鼓励——没有完美的信仰，只有完美的救主！

iv）信心的基础不是对神的主观体验，而是耶稣是谁以及他做了什么的客观现实。 这是一个非常常见的迷思。 有时候，我们把信仰与某种“归信体验”混为一谈。 在座的孩子们，也许你听过你的父母是如何信主的，然后你觉得自己还没有准备好真正成为基督徒，因为你还没有这样的经历。 或者，你已经是基督徒，但因为你似乎没有其他信徒那种深刻的属灵体验而对自己的信仰产生怀疑。 又或者，你认为自己是基督徒，但你仅仅经历过某种属灵体验或与神的相遇的体验。 但如果那种属灵体验没有伴随着对耶稣的信心，那么你并不是基督徒。 信仰与属灵体验并不相同。 你不需要所谓的“体验”神才能拥有真实的信心。 如果你今天在这里听到并理解了耶稣基督的福音，那么你就拥有了迈向信仰耶稣所需的一切条件。 信仰就是听到耶稣为你所做的，按照他的话信靠他——做出一个简单而安静的决定，把他作为你的主和救主。

我知道有些人曾经有过强烈的属灵体验，却没有表现出持久的信心。 同样，我也知道许多人，甚至更多的人，他们从未经历过那种强烈的神圣体验，却默默选择每天跟随耶稣并信靠他。 你更愿意成为哪种人呢？ 选择信靠神而不是虚幻的体验。 不要把你的信心建立在你与神的体验之上。 这也意味着，当基督徒向非信徒分享你的见证时，要少谈个人体验，多谈耶稣本身。 感觉来的快走的也快，因此建立在感觉之上的信心永远不会持久。唯有耶稣会永远长存。

结束前，我想邀请你认罪悔改，信靠耶稣基督。

只有这样你才可以得以赦免所有罪，并与神和好。 我希望，从今天起，你跟我得出同样的结论：信靠耶稣既简单又昂贵。 简单在于任何人都可以来到耶稣面前，包括怀疑者。 但代价高昂，因为你必须将自己全部交给他。 所以，这是一个需要你认真做出的选择。 我们愿意与你同行，帮助你预备好做出你的决定。 但如果你现在已经准备好做出这个重要的选择，我想给你一些时间。 让我们都闭上眼睛，低下头，在我结束祷告之前，先有一段个人反思的时间。 如果你从未这样做过，请在此刻真诚地与神沟通。 认罪悔改，并信靠主耶稣的救赎。



我们的天父，感谢你差遣你的儿子耶稣基督。 我们感谢你，因为耶稣在十字架上的死足以带走我们所有的罪孽。 我们感谢你使他从死里复活，向我们表明羞耻和死亡不再有能力辖制我们。 我们恭敬地来到你面前，恳求你的赦免。 我们忏悔我们的罪过，相信耶稣是我们的盼望和救赎。 我们祈求你赐给我们恩典和勇气，凭信心来到你面前。 求你赐给我们信心和确据，相信你的救恩是我们所需要的一切。 求你坚固我们常常摇摆的信心。 奉耶稣的名祷告， 阿们。