What does true faith look like according to the Bible? This part of the series “Faith That Transforms” uncovers the most popular myths about faith and shows how to build authentic faith grounded in Christ, rather than in emotions, works, or religiosity.
Fun facts and quotes
Albert Einstein once said:
“The problem is not that many people don’t believe in God, but that they believe in something that isn’t God.”
Corrie ten Boom (a woman who survived a concentration camp):
“Faith is seeing light with your heart when all your eyes see is darkness.”
The story of the tightrope walker:
A tightrope walker once crossed Niagara Falls on a rope while the crowds shouted, “We believe in you!” But he asked them, “Then who among you will climb on my back and cross with me?” Silence fell.
There’s a difference between “I believe that… God exists” and “I believe in God” or “I believe God.” Faith in God is not an opinion or a piece of information, but trust and relationship.
Statistics show that 95% of people in the world claim to believe “in something.” But when you ask them in Whom, and in what exactly, silence suddenly falls. That’s why the Bible teaches not just faith, but faith in God — God-given faith.
Here’s a question worth asking yourself: In what, or in whom, do you believe, and how do you believe?
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What Faith Is NOT
1. It’s not information – it’s relationship
The Bible teaches the difference between:
- believing God and believing in God – as trust, relationship, obedience, and
- believing that God exists (as information, an opinion).
In James 2:19:
“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”
Demons believe that… God exists…, that something is out there… yet they have no relationship with HIM! Christians are meant to believe GOD and believe IN GOD — His plan of salvation and His word.
PRACTICAL EXAMPLES:
- “I believe there is a doctor and that he’s good,” but that information alone won’t heal me. I have to go to him, trust him, and submit to his care.
- “Shoes sitting on a shelf won’t warm your feet,” but you have to put them on and walk in them
- The mere fact that God is —> does not save you; you need to come to Him, surrender your life to Him, and follow Him!
- Faith in God is expressed by surrendering your life to Him and by relationship with Him!
EXPLANATION:
You can know facts about God and still NOT know Him, and still not have surrendered your life to Him! Biblical faith is trust and relationship, not merely theological knowledge.
We need to turn away from the wrong things in our lives, receive Jesus and believe in Him. Then be baptized in water and in the Holy Spirit, and follow Him. After that, we need to have a relationship with Him in which we see how He transforms our life and how we bear good fruit in it.
2. It’s not what we see – it’s what we believe
Faith isn’t based on what we know and see, but on WHOM we trust. People say: “I’ll believe it when I see it,” but that’s not the right direction.
“I’ll believe it when I see it, just like doubting Thomas.” God says: “Believe, and then you will see.”
“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” – John 20:24-29
Thomas represents a faith that needs proof: “Show me, and I’ll believe.” Jesus points to a higher kind of faith: “Believe, and you will see.” Thomas wanted to see first and believe afterward. Jesus urges us to believe first and see afterward. That’s why the BIBLE says:
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Cor 5:7
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” – Heb 11:1
EXPLANATION:
Faith sees the invisible and trusts what God has said. Electric current flows — we don’t see it, but we feel and see its effects. Radio waves are all around us, and we can make use of them through a receiver. Read the following sentences backward:
Positively will I think only if everything changes
God will I trust only if everything changes
3. It doesn’t rest on emotions and feelings, but on TRUTH
Our emotions are good servants, but poor advisors. They serve us, but they should not rule over us or give us direction.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7
“For if our heart (emotions) condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.” – 1 John 3:20
EXPLANATION:
Emotions are changeable, but faith endures even when “I don’t feel anything.” The truth of God’s Word gives us assurance and a foundation to stand on. Faith says:
- 👉 “God, I don’t feel You, but I know that You are.”
- 👉 “I don’t see the way, but I trust Your faithfulness.”
Faith is a decision made every day, not an emotional high.
4. It’s not empty tradition and ritual, but a living relationship
Christianity is not simply about going to church. You can go to church your whole life and never give your life to Christ. Reading the Bible and praying can become an empty ritual, or they can be a relationship with the Father — a two-way conversation. Being part of a church and being the Church are two very different things! There are religious churches and religious people whose lives bear no fruit of the Holy Spirit. In a living relationship, you will always be bearing FRUIT!
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…” – Romans 12:2
“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” – Matthew 6:7
EXPLANATION:
Tradition does not save. Faith is a personal decision, not a family or church custom. The Pharisees had plenty of customs and traditions with which they obscured the content of the Word of God, which is the foundation of faith.
5. It’s not merely positive thinking and optimism
There are many books written on positive thinking, which use God and Bible passages torn out of context to try to confirm a kind of faith in faith itself. Believe whatever you want, hang a picture of a Mercedes on your closet door — look at it every day and believe you’ll have one, and you’ll have it ;) That’s not faith grounded in the Word of God, where we read:
“Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” – Psalm 37:5
EXPLANATION:
Optimism says: “somehow it’ll work out.” Faith says: “God is faithful, and He will answer in His own way” — so it will be well! Optimism rests on itself. Faith rests on God’s faithfulness.
6. It’s not naivety
Sometimes Christians think they should agree to everything and become, so to speak, doormats for life. Quite the opposite — we should have our own convictions, know our worth, and refuse to be deceived and manipulated. There are plenty of people who try to take advantage of our kindness and gentleness, but it shouldn’t be that way. God is good, but He is also direct.
“God is our refuge and strength… therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed…” – Psalm 46:1-2
EXPLANATION:
Faith sees the problems, but it also sees God above them. We are guided by goodness, but we don’t allow ourselves to be manipulated and controlled in the name of faith!
7. It’s not merely theory
“Faith without works is dead.” – James 2:17
EXPLANATION:
Dead faith talks, living faith acts and has testimonies of God’s work. Dead faith declares, living faith chooses obedience. If faith changes nothing in your life, then it’s not faith — it’s just an opinion, a theory.
6. It’s not an escape from reality
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” – Psalm 23:4
EXPLANATION:
Faith does not mean fleeing from difficulty. Faith means God’s presence within difficulty. We don’t isolate ourselves from the world; we are equipped to live in the world!
7. It’s not an instant answer to everything
“That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” – Heb 6:12
EXPLANATION:
God works on His own timetable, not on ours. The result of faith is sometimes immediate, and sometimes delayed.
8. It’s not just a prayer said in a crisis
“Pray without ceasing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:17
EXPLANATION:
If you only pray when things are bad, that’s not faith — that’s despair. Faith is a daily way of life, not a reaction to a passing problem.
9. It’s not just an add-on to life
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” – Matthew 7:24-27
EXPLANATION:
Faith is not an “option” or a “good habit.” It is the foundation on which the whole house of life stands. Without it, everything shakes when the storm comes.
10. It’s not a one-time event
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him” – Col 2:6
EXPLANATION:
Faith begins in a single moment, but lasts a lifetime. It’s not a sprint — it’s a walk with God. A daily step, daily dependence, daily trust.
11. It’s not God doing whatever I want, on my behalf
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.” – 1 John 5:14
EXPLANATION:
Faith is not about God fulfilling my wishes. It’s not “my will in heaven,” but His will in my life. Faith trusts that God knows better, sees further, and leads more wisely than I do. There are things God will do, and there are things we must do ourselves! Promises are not automatic — we need to believe them!
See the previous article: https://kosciol.czest.pl/osadzanie-cz-4-piec-rodzajow-bozych-sadow
