Importance of Faith

Faith is the virtue that God seems to prize most in human beings. When I read through the bible it’s impossible to ignore the importance that’s placed on faith, on trusting in God.

Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Jesus is constantly encouraging faith in his ministry, and one of the things that frustrates him most is lack of faith:

• Daughter, your faith has healed you. (Mark 5:34)
• I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith… Go! It will be done just as you believed it would. (Matthew 8:10-13)
• Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted. (Matthew 15:28)
• O unbelieving generation… how long shall I stay with you? (Mark 9:19)

Why is it so crucial? I want to suggest two reasons:

1. Salvation: This one is surely obvious to us. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith.” (Ephesians 2:8).
2. Blessing: But faith leads to more than salvation. Faith is the doorway for all the other blessings that God wants to bring into your life. Without faith we’re standing outside the door, unable to cross the threshold. With faith the other virtues that God most wants to bring to us can start to come into play. The Magnificent Five are faith, hope, love, joy and peace. But they start with faith – without faith we can’t access the hope, love, joy and peace that God longs to bring to us.

So do you want more hope, more love, more joy and more peace in your life? Then seek more faith, and you’ll receive more of these other things. And how do we grow our faith?

Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

Mark Williamson works as a director of One Rock. He’s an experienced leadership trainer, author of biographies on John Wesley and William Wilberforce, and is also passionate about praying for London. He enjoys good films, good food, and going for long walks with his wife Joanna. You can follow him on Twitter @markonerock.