There's More To Faith Than Faith

By Chance Freeman

Today, billions of people claim to have faith. Jesus said that when He returns, faith would be a rare commodity. So, there is a disconnect between Jesus' definition of faith and ours today. The author seeks to discover what faith really is-by the Bible. This book uncovers meanings in the Faith chapter of the Bible (Hebrew 11) that many have not

• Language: English
• Publisher: Haystack Creatives
• Release date: Jul 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781953115393

Chance Freeman

Chance Freeman is a life-long learner. He has a mindset of questioning all assumptions, even his own. He has studied Bible prophecy intensely over many years. Another passion is to study history from the original sources. Dennis has served as a pastor for thirty-five years, restored antique cars, trucks and tractors since he was twelve, sings in a barbershop chorus, plays guitar and violin and bass in a band, is part of an old-time fiddler club, and lives off the grid on 20 acres in northern California. He is also becoming a pilot.

Book preview

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my first grandchild, Faith. She lives up to her name; she is a person of faith. When this book was written, she had just become a teenager. A person’s faith is often tested while a teen, but she is showing signs that her name was rightly chosen.

Plus, Faith is following both her mother and grandfather in loving to write. Writing comes naturally for her, and she will probably someday write books and pass her grandpa up. Keep up the good work, and keep up the faith, Faith

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Jeannie and Bill for making this book possible, both by their inspiration and their support. It is the faith of Christians like these that inspire me to write. Also, for the many minds that wrestle with issues of faith and salvation, I am motivated to write a book like this. It is my intention to make it as clear as possible for them.

I would like to thank my wife, Debbie, for her part in making this book possible. She allowed me to retire just a bit early so that I could write the several books I have in mind. She patiently entertains the grandkids so that grandpa can write. Then, she sits and looks very interested as I read the entire book to her for her approval. Thank you Debbie, you are the greatest blessing of my life.

Section One

Hebrews 11

The Faith Chapter

Introduction

Faith. It is a term most widely used, but usually misunderstood. Between two or three billion people on the planet claim to have faith in Christ, but Jesus asked the rhetorical question concerning His second coming, When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8). The implication is clear: faith will be a rare commodity in the last days. We often hear the expression: faith alone. The problem is that the Bible only uses those two words together once, and reads, You see that man is justified by works, and not by faith alone (James 2:24). We call Hebrews 11 the faith chapter. But the primary focus of Hebrews 11 is actually something else, as we will see later in this book.

Why is there so much confusion about faith? It is a primary target of the devil, because it is so important. In fact, the writer of Hebrews says, Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). So, this book is about faith.

I have done a lot of thinking and studying about faith. In fact, my first sermon preached in the seminary before about 300 seminarians and professors was the same title as this book. I have pastored several churches and one of the first series of sermons I present is on faith. Since I recently retired, the subject of faith has been on my mind a lot. Therefor, I decided to write this book about faith. I will endeavor to write my thoughts in such a way that the everyday Christian can adjust his or her life to be a life of faith. Faith is essential.

Chapter 1

Faith Defined

The faith chapter begins with a definition of faith. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).

This simple Bible definition tells us that faith deals in the realm of the things unseen, the things unproven, and the things that have not yet happened. We believe that those unseen things exist, we believe that the things we cannot prove happened, and we believe that things predicted to happen in the future, will happen. That is faith. We do not need faith concerning what we can see and prove. Faith deals in the realm of the unseen.

We use faith everyday. When I flip on a light switch, I have faith that a light will come on. Although, living off the grid, I must first start the generator. How electricity works, I have no clue. It has been explained to me in college more than once—but how it actually works, I do not know. There is something about electricity rapidly following a conductor, such as copper wire. It is heading towards a ground, which it greatly desires. When it finally finds a ground, the molecules are so excited and move so rapidly that they create much heat. This heat, when produced on a very fine wire in a vacuum, causes a continual burning without consuming the wire. This fire is also light, hence I can see to type this manuscript. I have heard it explained, but I do not know what laws of nature make it all happen. The question still remains, what exactly is electricity? We use it by faith. We includes the greatest scientists.

I find myself on the road a lot. I have driven about one and a half million miles. Whenever I find myself driving on a new road, I do something quite expected—when approaching a hill or curve that I cannot see over or around, I stop the car and walk to where I can see to determine if the road continues or not. If it does, I get back into the car and continue to the next point beyond which I cannot see and repeat the practice. Do you believe that? Obviously, I am jesting. Actually, in all those miles driven, I have never had the road simply end without a warning sign. So, because of my track record with roads, I drive on into the unknown. I will admit that when driving in Uganda, I sometimes feel like I should check out the road ahead. My faith in roads has been shaken because of my driving experiences there.

We can now add another element to our definition of faith. Yes, faith deals with the unseen, the unknown, and those things that have not yet happened, but our faith exists because of some previous track record or experience. We can have assurance and we can have confidence in the unseen or the future because of what we have seen or experienced so far. Faith has some basis in the past.

A new Christian hears or reads stories of people of faith. Their experiences trusting God are reported to have paid off. Then the new Christian takes some baby steps of faith, and that faith is rewarded. Confidence is built. That is faith. The longer a person is a Christian, the greater the faith because the broader the track record. Faith does not exist in a vacuum. We are invited into faith. O taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8).

One of my earliest experiences in faith was concerning the discipline of tithing. The Bible says, ’Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until there is no more need’ (Malachi 3:10).

As a little boy, my mother read this verse to me and explained what it meant and what I was to do. In my mind, it was only conceptual. I had no experience in this realm. I had somehow earned ten dollars, and we were in church. Again, my mother reminded me of my responsibility, and the promise of blessing. I was a little doubter. She urged the situation. Reluctantly I put one of my ten dollars into a tithe envelope and she helped me write my name. After I dropped the envelope with the precious one-dollar bill enclosed into the offering plate and the deacons took it away to some mysterious place for an unknown cause, an elderly lady tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a crisp new one-dollar bill. She said that my sister had been at her house the previous week and was given a gift, and this was for me. She