Now that we have given a partial definition of faith, it is pertinent to ask, "How can I develop this kind of faith? What are the reasons that my faith is often weak, and what can I do to make it strong?" Unfortunately, most people, who claim Christianity as their faith, never spend much time asking themselves what that faith is supposed to do in their day-to-day lives. I think it is safe to say that those who have "inherited their faith", simply follow the rituals, and traditions of those who have gone before. Many are "institutional Christians", and place their confidence in their membership in the "right" church to assure their acceptance before God, but it does not affect their actions in their homes, or the market place, unless some religious ritual is called for. Such faith offers no comfort in time of trouble, nor is sharing it anything more than a political attempt to proselyte someone to join your group. All knowledge and growth is left to the leaders. The institutional Christian chooses to be ignorant of the Bible. He is too busy with other things to spend any time in investigation, beyond mere membership in the group. This self-imposed ignorance precludes any real faith on the part of the one who practices this kind of religion.
In the twelfth chapter of Romans, Paul urges his readers to "not be conformed to the world, but transformed by the renewal of their minds," so that they can recognize the real value of the perfect will of God. This paraphrases the verse, but it shows the real emphasis Paul is making. He is urging us to set the world, and its distractions, aside and, in communion with God, renew our minds, so that we can get the true perspective of ourselves as His creatures, only successful, and truly happy, when we are following His will. That is what he means by "proving the acceptable and perfect will of God." The one who trusts his faith to the church, and lets the church teachers do his thinking for him, can never have real faith in God, for that requires a renewed mind, the result of seeking to find and understand more of the will of God for me.
We live in an age in which the cynic, the doubter, and the scoffer are very vocal. The media and the entertainment world bombard us with ridicule and derision for the principles of Christian morality and faith. Rather than respond to this by striving to increase their personal faith, and their personal relationship with God, many simply retreat behind the shield of the church, and trust the leaders to fight the battles for them. You do not have to go out into the street, and fight with the nay sayers. But you do need to find, in your study and prayer life, a bulwark against the cynics, and the agnostics of the time. Faith does not just happen. It takes effort on your part. God intends for you to seek Him, and find Him, and come to know Him. Only that course will build real faith.
We human beings have times when our faith grows weak and doubts arise. This is natural, for we live in a very complex and confusing world. Even the disciples of Jesus had times of fear and doubt. This is simply an evidence of our fallibility and our limitations. If I had all knowledge I would have no doubts, for I would know. In this computer age we are surrounded by people who pretend that they know all things and have certain knowledge. When we have doubts we are intimidated by this world which seems to know. Your faith does not rest on the world of technical advances. Your faith is in a greater, higher world of the spirit. That world deals with eternal things, which are not affected by temporal things.
Our doubts come when we cannot make our temporal world, and its activities, parallel our knowledge of the spiritual world. We ask ourselves why God doesn't do this or that, or why He allows some things to happen. Once you really come to accept your limitations in knowledge and understanding, and rest on the realization that He does all things well, these moments of doubt will occur less and less. It is only when we do not accept our limitations, and expect to understand all things, that we run into trouble with our faith.
I find that letting the overwhelming evidence of the created universe soak into my mind is a good starting point. No explanation of this has ever been made that fulfills all the demands of common sense, except God. Then I rest on the assurance of the historical Jesus, and the evidence of the Cross, which all the attempts of the enemies of Christianity have failed to refute. Impressed by the impact that historical fact has had on the history of mankind, I feel comfortable with my faith, even when there are so many things I can't explain and do not understand. When doubts arise I go back to these basic things and know that the alternative is unthinkable.
