Faith is Agreeing with God

The most important question that each of us must answer is, “Do I agree with God?” The prophet Amos asked, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed (Amos 3:3)? We cannot “walk” with God or be in relationship with Him if we do not agree with Him.

We first looked at the importance of agreeing with God that the Bible is inerrant (without errors), authoritative and contains all that we need for faith and conduct. It is the only source of trustworthy information about the true God, YEHOVAH. Jesus prayed to God for all His current and future followers, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

The Bible teaches that sin separates us from God. If we want to experience a loving relationship with God, we must repent of our sins. Repentance is agreeing with God that our sins are offensive to Him and harmful to others and ourselves. We receive forgiveness for our sins by having faith that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins through His death and resurrection. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Next, we need to understand that “faith” also is essentially agreeing with God. The Greek word translated as “faith” is pistis. It means to be persuaded, to come to trust. Our faith demonstrates that we agree with God. God has persuaded us that He is trustworthy and that His Word is trustworthy. Therefore, we strive to make our actions, behaviors and attitudes conform with God’s Word. Salvation comes when I repent of my sins. Sanctification is the process of living in the manner that God prescribed.

Our faith comes supernaturally; it is a gift from God. “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift” (Ephesians 2:8). The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see and our hearts to understand the truth about God in His Word. The Holy Spirit persuades us that God and His Word are trustworthy. Jesus promised, “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13).

The apostle Paul tells us, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The Holy Spirit opens our ears to hear and understand the truth. “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God… Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:18, 25).

Faith in God’s Word is the basis for our eternal salvation and the foundation for our present lives, “for we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Agree with God and with His Word (Jesus), “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).