An individual’s faith is a necessary part of their spiritual salvation. By trusting God and His promises, we live according to His word and obey His commands. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” By our faith, we remain focused on forgiveness, heaven, and eternity. But where does faith come from?
Faith does not come from others. While we may be greatly influenced by how others live or what parents teach us in childhood, we cannot acquire faith from other people. We cannot inherit or receive faith from others.
Faith does not come through prayer. We might find ourselves asking God to help us be more faithful to Him or even to “give us faith,” but prayer is not a source. Faith does not come because we ask, and God decides to give.
Faith does come from hearing the word of God. While our faith can grow deeper and stronger as we struggle through life (James 1:2-4), the only biblical source of faith is the word of God. Paul wrote, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Learning God’s word and burying His commands in our hearts is the only way to acquire faith in Him.
Matt Langfield