What Is the Core of Our Life of Faith?

As this passage teaches, our life of faith must center on knowing, believing, and following Jesus, that is, the Word of God (John 1:1-3, 14). However, quite a few people often think that studying the Bible deeply, or in other words, searching the Scriptures (John 5:39), is something only for those who want to receive a position such as a pastor. So when people do various works or activities in the church according to their own interests or the responsibilities entrusted to them, Bible study often becomes only one part of their life of faith. If the church is large and there is even more work to do, they may not even have time to read the Bible. Yet because the work they are doing is related to Jesus and the church, it is easy for them to think that they are living their life of faith diligently and well.

Some people like church music, so listening to, singing, or composing church music becomes the main part of their life of faith. Those who like evangelism and missions busily travel to many places for that work. The same is true of those who are in charge of various programs in the church. Even ordinary believers often put their own work, or listening to the words of the pastor, ahead of the words of Scripture. Even pastors, or church leaders, often devote more time and effort to operating the church and managing the congregation. This is because there are many things they want to do and feel they must do.

At this point, it seems necessary for each of us to look back and ask again what should be the main thing in our life of faith. It is good for us to try to do something for Jesus, for the church, and for the saints. But more than that, we must not overlook the fact that each of us must first know and believe in Jesus. This is because Jesus desires this. Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1-3, 14). And the 66 books of the Bible are the Word of God. In other words, the records of the 66 books of the Bible are Jesus Himself. Therefore, if we love Jesus, we ought to love the words written in Scripture. And if we believe and love those words, then we will be able to keep them.

John 14:21, 24 “21He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. 24He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings: and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father’s which sent Me.”

Even so, when we come to the Bible, we often doubt and fail to believe, just like many of the disciples below, saying, “Who can do according to this word?”

John 6:55-61 “55For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. 57As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me. 58This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. 59These things said He in the synagogue, as He taught in Capernaum. 60Many therefore of His disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? 61When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples murmured at it, He said unto them, Doth this offend you?”

Because of this, like the father of the child possessed with a spirit, we may become uncertain about Jesus, that is, the Word of God.

Mark 9:22-24 “22And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if Thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 23Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief.”

But the Bible says that whatsoever is not of faith is sin, and it also says that our faith comes from the words of Jesus.

Romans 14:23 “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Therefore, before we do anything, in order for it to be acceptable to Jesus, we must first know and believe in Jesus. Of course, as many of the disciples said above, this may not be easy for us (John 6:60). It is something that requires much “patience” from us. But the Bible tells us to “bring forth fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15), and it also says that we have “life, or eternal life,” only when we know and believe in Jesus. Therefore, in order to know and believe in Jesus, we must love the Bible, and with an earnest heart, we must search the Scriptures.

In truth, there is nothing more important than loving and believing in Jesus (1 Corinthians 13:13). If there are other things, they are all secondary; they can never become the core. Our core is only Jesus, that is, the Word of God. Therefore, in our life of faith, the time we spend with the Bible must not be merely one part of our life of faith, but the very center of it.

Each of us has received different talents. However, in knowing Jesus, we must be one (1 Corinthians 1:10). Therefore, studying the Bible deeply is not only for those who will become pastors or leaders. Nor is knowing the Bible something that merely gives us more trouble. Rather, because the Bible is the only way by which we can receive faith and obtain life, that is, eternal life, we must consider it only natural to always search and keep the Scriptures.

If we are now too busy with other things, even if those things are related to Jesus and the church, and therefore we do not actually read and hear the Bible, we must understand that we are missing the most important core of our life of faith.

Matthew 26:26-27 “26And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My body. 27And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it.”

John 5:39-40 “39Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. 40And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.”

Acts 17:11-12 “11These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. 12Therefore many of them believed...”

John 17:3 “And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.”

Amen.