The Invitation/ Prepared/ Maturing in Christ

There are Many Kinds of Faith but Only One is Important

Rom. 8:28 May 1, 1992

The Christian Spirit Magazine May 1992 – When my husband, Roy, and I talk about how faith saw us through the ordeal of his cancer we are talking about a specific kind of faith. Faith is a word widely used and with many different meanings. When someone uses the term we can’t presume we know what that person truly means.

The dictionary says, “1 .) confidence or trust in a person or thing, 2.) belief which is not based on proof, 3.) belief in the doctrines or teachings of religion, 4.) the doctrines which are or should be believed. 5.) a system of religious belief, the Christian faith, the Jewish faith 6.) that trust in God and in his promises as made through Christ by which man is justified or saved.”

So we see that when one speaks of faith we can’t be sure what he means by that. There are many ways to have faith as well as many things to have faith in. When one confesses having faith with no explanation of what his faith is, it could be in a wide range of things, or people, or systems. The person could have faith in himself; in positive thinking or positive confession; faith in the medical profession; or the religious organization he belongs to; the support of his friends; his pastor, priest or rabbi; his family: his good luck; his doctor: or even the occult. A person can place his “faith” in just about anything.

Then there is number six on the dictionary list: trust in God and in his promises as made through Christ by which man is justified or saved. This is the kind of faith that leads us to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and not a relationship with a religious system. I think I can safely say that many, maybe most people, have their faith nestled snugly in their religion and not in a relationship with Christ. That personal relationship with Christ is available to all however, and is the kind of faith Roy and I are speaking of when we speak of the faith that got us through the trauma of his cancer.

Because our faith helped us through the illness does not mean that we did not have the same problems and difficulties that many others have had when battling with cancer. One difference is that both of us had peace through it all, a peace that we know we would not have had except for our relationship with Jesus Christ and the comfort and reassurance that goes along with knowing Him. One thing we both knew from beginning to end was that things would be alright no matter what the outcome.

As soon as we knew Roy had cancer the Lord gave me this Scripture. “All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purposes.” Rom. 8:28. I knew it meant that no matter what happened it would be for our family’s good. I always had that promise to hold onto no matter how bad things looked.

After his first operations the Lord told Roy that “it would be alright” and he knew it meant whether he lived or died – everything would he alright. If he died he truly knew where he was going and that he would be with his Lord forever. That blessed assurance cannot be equaled by any other kind of faith. Faith in a person, or group, or system, organization or religion cannot give us this kind of faith nor can it produce this kind of peace which “passeth all understanding”. It is a relationship with a person not a religion, and that person is the living Jesus Christ, the only one that will never let us down.