In his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul urges his recipients to remain strong in faith: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1 Cor. 16:13). The author of the Letter to the Hebrews, on the other hand, uses the words “assurance” and “conviction” to describe faith (Heb. 11:1). Strong faith is thus a good thing.
But is a person strong in faith pleasing to God? Does the Bible describe a believer as successful, constantly improving, and strong in faith? Let’s examine what the Bible says about individuals whom we consider exemplary in their faith.
The Respected Biblical Persons’ faith
Abraham, the forefather of faith and a patriarch revered by Christians, Jews, and Muslims, left his homeland and relatives to journey to the land God had promised him. God had also assured him: “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2). Hebrews 11 beautifully describes how Abraham’s obedience was rooted in his faith. His faith led him to trust in God, even though he had no idea where he was going.
Was Abraham, then, exemplary in his faith? The Bible also gives a different picture. Soon after arriving in the promised land, Abraham and his family had to flee to Egypt due to famine. Abraham said to his wife Sarah: “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake” (Gen. 12:11-13). Abraham failed to trust in God, which led to Pharaoh taking Sarah to his house.
The apostle Peter is regarded as a central figure in Christianity and an exemplary believer. Surely his faith was strong? At least he seemed to think so himself. When Jesus walked on water toward their boat in the storm, Peter asked Jesus to call him over. Jesus did, and Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water. However, his faith failed, and he began to sink. Jesus said to him: “O you of little faith” (Matt. 14:31).
Peter was also not so good at learning. Even when Jesus spoke of his impending arrest, Peter still relied on his own strength: “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away” (Matt. 26:33). But he was wrong. It happened as Jesus had predicted: “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times” (Matt. 26:34).
What Is an Exemplary Believer like?
A person who feels strong in his faith may easily see himself as a good person and an exemplary believer. Jesus tells of such a person: “The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get’” (Luke 18:11-12).
The story also features a despised tax collector who served the occupying power. Of him, it is said: “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” With this parable, Jesus wanted to show what kind of person is pleasing to God. The Pharisee was not. Jesus continued: “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14).
If someone has a strong faith, it is not because of him and he has no right to boast about it. Faith is God’s work from beginning to end. Humans have neither the ability nor the possibility to create saving faith for themselves, for it is purely a gift from God. Paul teaches: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).
Also, the power to believe comes from God, not from man himself. This is what Peter eventually understood. He was not strong in himself – nor was he supposed to be. At the end of his first letter, Peter writes: “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5).
When God said to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous” (Deut. 31:23), He did not mean that Joshua should find strength within himself. David sings in Psalm 28: “The Lord is my strength and my shield” and “The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed” (Psalm 28:7-8). God told Isaiah: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
Self-reliant does not need God
Although Paul encouraged the Corinthians to be strong in faith, his intent was not to urge them to rely on their own strength. Rather he wanted to urge them to trust in God’s promises. A person who feels strong in their faith has distanced themselves from God and fallen into the same state as the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable: the sin of self-righteousness.
In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul, complaining about his sinfulness, told how Jesus had comforted him: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9). Only a person who knows his own weakness and feels that his own strength is not enough to believe, even for a little while, can be according to the mind of God. In the heart of a person who is of God’s mind does not dwell pride, but humility. A person with the mind of God has the same request that the disciples made to Jesus: “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5).
Relying on one’s own strength is typical of human nature, which is why even Jesus’ followers can fall into the sin of self-righteousness. However, in His church, God teaches His children humility and true faith through the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, He reveals Himself and His will to His children.
The Book of Ezekiel tells how God shepherds His flock: “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice” (Ezek. 34:16). John the evangelist describes God’s way of keeping his children on the right path in this way: “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2).
Like David, we can pray: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24).
Author: Taneli Kalliokoski
Image: Pixbay