Hebrews 11
God created humanity with faith at the core of our very nature. I am using faith defined as “complete trust or confidence in someone or something.” God created us to have complete trust and confidence in Him. In the beginning, it was easy for humanity to trust God; God created humankind knowing and living in His presence. Sin broke the relationship between humanity and God, and each child is born estranged from Him. Sin did not break our ability to have faith. Children instinctively trust their parents. The sin of some wicked parents and of evil people can destroy a person’s ability to trust. It is difficult to trust in anyone, when everyone you have ever trusted has betrayed you. No matter how great the pain and betrayal everyone still longs for something to believe in. While they do not recognize it, even an atheist is exercising faith. To say with certainty that there is no god requires complete trust and confidence in something that the atheist cannot prove.

The writer of Hebrews chapter 11 is not speaking of generic faith. He is writing about faith that has God’s approval. God approves of faith that we place in Him and in His promises. God never approves of presumptive faith. Just because we ask God to do something, does not give us permission to have confidence that He is going to do it. We can only have complete trust and assurance if he says yes. If God says no, tells us to wait, or does not answer clearly then it is presumptuous of us to claim He is going to do it. God does not approve of “name it and claim it faith.” Teachers of this heresy tell us that we can use the “power of faith” to get what we want. They are wrong. We do not place our faith in faith. A powerful faith cannot answer our prayers. God answers our prayers. We do not need a powerful faith when we serve a powerful God.