The Focus of Our Faith

Have you ever heard someone say, “Just believe”? Some people seem to believe that faith in itself is all that is needed, as if somehow the object of our faith is not important. Believe in the sky? The ground? Some spirit? Our ancestors?

To me, that’s like believing any car is sufficient for a trip across the country. It doesn’t matter whether it runs, has tires, a working transmission, or seats. Isn’t one car as effective as another? Almost no one would buy into such logic. But when it comes to faith, many do.

The Object of Our Faith

A strong object for our faith is essential to get us through difficulties in life. The Apostle Peter wrote to some early believers, “You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials so that the genuineness of your faith – more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”¹

In the summer 2014 edition of Bible Studies for Life, author MaryJo Sharp says, “Since we can have confidence in Christ’s victory over death, we can certainly have assurance of His power over every kind of pain or sorrow. This, then, is our firm anchor in times of trouble–a mighty foundation for hope.”² This awareness is crucial to the people of God. We don’t have faith in faith; we have faith in God. The object of our faith matters.

To return to our car illustration for a moment, if I intend a cross country trip, does my faith matter more than the car (the object of my faith)? If I jump into a clunker, am I likely to arrive without incident, if at all? No. If, however, I climb into a dependable car, with faith it will carry me without fail, I have a much better chance to reach the goal. The object of our faith is important. Misplaced faith is no better than a lack of faith.

There is Salvation in No One Else

Saving faith is also dependent on its object. Those who would be reconciled to God must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, not simply believe. Jesus Christ is the savior of the world, thus He is the One in whom we believe. The Apostles Peter and John proclaimed this clearly to the religious leaders of their day, saying of Jesus, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.”³ And in John 3:36, the prophet John the Baptist warned, “The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”

No faith, no matter how earnest, placed in anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ, will avail salvation. Not our works, our parents, our church, nor our pastor will bring salvation on our behalf. Make Christ and Him alone the object of your faith because He will never fail.

Yours for the Great Commission,

Ronnie W. Floyd

Senior Pastor, Cross Church

General Editor, Bible Studies for Life