True Faith​—Is It Still Possible?

“Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that the believer would stake his life on it a thousand times.”​—MARTIN LUTHER, 1522.

“To all intents and purposes we already are a secular society in which Christian faith and practices have become largely moribund.”​—LUDOVIC KENNEDY, 1999.

VIEWS on faith differ dramatically. In the past, faith in God was the norm. Nowadays, in a world of skepticism and suffering, true faith in God and in the Bible is disappearing rapidly.

True Faith

To many, “faith” simply means having a religious belief or following a form of worship. As used in the Bible, however, “faith” basically means total trust​—complete, unshakable confidence in God and his promises. It is a quality that marks a disciple of Jesus Christ.

On one occasion, Jesus Christ spoke about the need to pray and “not to give up.” In so doing, he raised a question about whether true faith would exist at all in our day. He asked: “When the Son of man arrives, will he really find this faith on the earth?” Why did he raise such a question?​—Luke 18:1, 8, footnote.

Lost Faith

Many things can cause people to lose what faith they may have. Among them are the traumas and trials of everyday life. Professor Michael Goulder, for example, was a parish priest in Manchester, England, at the time of the 1958 Munich air disaster in which many of the Manchester United football team were killed. In a BBC television program, announcer Joan Bakewell explained that Goulder “felt helpless before the scale of people’s grief.” One result was that he “lost his faith in a God who intervenes in human destiny.” Goulder stated his belief that “the Bible isn’t . . . the inerrant word of God” but, rather, “the errant word of man, perhaps with some divine inspiration here and there.”

Sometimes faith just withers away. That was what happened in the case of writer and broadcaster Ludovic Kennedy. He says that from childhood his “doubts and uncertainties [about God] went to and fro and [his] disbeliefs grew.” No one, it seems, could give him reasonable answers to his questions. His father’s death at sea was a serious blow to what was already a very weak faith. Prayers to God to “preserve us from the dangers of the sea and from the violence of the enemy” went unanswered as the converted passenger liner his father was on was attacked and destroyed by German battleships during World War II.​—All in the Mind—​A Farewell to God.

Such experiences are not unusual. “Faith,” says the apostle Paul, “is not a possession of all people.” (2 Thessalonians 3:2) What do you think? Is true faith in God and in his Word still possible in an increasingly skeptical world? Examine what the following article has to say on this subject.

You Can Have True Faith

When Sarah Jayne was 19, she learned that she had ovarian cancer. Following surgery, she felt good and was optimistic about the future. So optimistic, in fact, that when she was 20, she got engaged and began to make plans for her wedding. That same year the cancer returned, and she learned that she had only weeks to live. Sarah Jayne died in June 2000, just before she turned 21.

WHAT impressed visitors to Sarah Jayne’s bedside in the hospital was her calm confidence about the future, along with her deep faith in God and his Word, the Bible. Despite the terrible tragedy she was facing, she was sure of the resurrection hope​—that she would see all her friends again. (John 5:28, 29) “I will see all of you in God’s new world,” she said.

Some dismiss that kind of faith as delusional. “What else is the afterlife but a belief among the insecure,” asks Ludovic Kennedy, “that at the last trump there will be cakes and ale, even caviar and trumpets for them too, that in some leafy Eden they will share happy hours with those who have gone before and others who may well come after?” To that, we must raise a counter question. Which is more reasonable​—to believe that “this life is all we have, so we had better make the most of it,” as Kennedy suggests, or to believe in God and his promise of a resurrection? Sarah Jayne chose the latter. How did she develop such faith?

“Seek God . . . and Really Find Him”

To develop faith and trust in someone, you need to know him and to learn how he thinks and acts. This process involves the heart as well as the mind. It is really the same when it comes to developing true faith in God. You need to get to know him, to learn about his qualities and his personality, to find out how trustworthy and dependable he has proved to be in all that he has said and done.​—Psalm 9:10; 145:1-21.

Some feel that this is impossible. God, they say, is too distant, too mysterious​—if he exists at all. “If God is as real as he seems to be to Christians like Sarah Jayne,” asks the skeptic, “why doesn’t he make himself known to the rest of us?” But is God really too distant and unsearchable? In a speech to the philosophers and intellectuals in Athens, the apostle Paul said that “the God that made the world and all the things in it” has also provided all that is needed to “seek [him] . . . and really find him.” In fact, Paul said: “He is not far off from each one of us.”​—Acts 17:24-27.

How, then, can you “seek God . . . and really find him”? Some have done this simply by observing the universe around them. For many, that in itself gives enough evidence to convince them that there must be a Creator.a (Psalm 19:1; Isaiah 40:26; Acts 14:16, 17) They feel, as the apostle Paul did, that “[God’s] invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship.”​—Romans 1:20; Psalm 104:24.

You Need the Bible

To build real faith in the Creator, however, you need something else that he has provided. What is that? The Bible​—God’s inspired Word, in which he reveals his will and purpose. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17) “But wait,” some will say, “how can you possibly believe anything the Bible says when you see the terrible things done by people who claim to follow the Bible?” Granted, Christendom has a shocking record of hypocrisy, brutality, and immorality. But any reasonable person can see that Christendom only pretends to follow Bible principles.​—Matthew 15:8.

The Bible itself warned that many people would profess to worship God yet would, in fact, “disown even the owner that bought them.” “On account of these,” said the apostle Peter, “the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively.” (2 Peter 2:1, 2) Jesus Christ said that these ones were “workers of lawlessness” who would be clearly identified by their evil actions. (Matthew 7:15-23) To reject God’s Word on the basis of Christendom’s record is like throwing away a letter from a trusted friend simply because the person who happens to deliver it is disreputable.

Without God’s Word it is impossible to build real faith. It is only through the pages of the Bible that Jehovah presents his side of things, so to speak. He sheds light on such perennial questions as why he has permitted suffering and pain and what he will do about the situation. (Psalm 119:105; Romans 15:4) Sarah Jayne came to believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:19-21) How? Not simply because her parents told her so, but because she took the time to evaluate honestly all the evidence that shows the Bible to be a unique revelation from God. (Romans 12:2) She observed, for example, the Bible’s powerful influence in the lives of those who adhere to its principles. With the help of such publications as The Bible​—God’s Word or Man’s?,b she also carefully examined the mountain of internal evidence that proves divine inspiration.

“Faith Follows the Thing Heard”

It is not enough, however, simply to have a Bible or even to believe that it is inspired. “Faith,” writes the apostle Paul, “follows the thing heard.” (Romans 10:17) Hearing the Bible, not just having a Bible, is what builds faith. You “hear” what God has to say by reading and studying his Word. Even young ones can do this. Paul says that “from infancy” Timothy was taught “the holy writings” by his mother and grandmother. Does this suggest that some kind of brainwashing was involved? No! Timothy was not manipulated or deceived in any way. He was “persuaded to believe” what he heard and read.​—2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14, 15.

Sarah Jayne became persuaded in the same way. Like the first-century Beroeans, she “received the word [from her parents and other teachers] with the greatest eagerness of mind.” As a little child, she no doubt put instinctive trust in what her parents told her. Later, as she grew up, she did not just blindly or passively accept everything she was taught. She ‘carefully examined the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so.’​—Acts 17:11.

You Can Build True Faith

You too can build true faith​—the kind of faith described by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Hebrew Christians. Such faith, he said, is “the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld.” (Hebrews 11:1) Having such faith, you will be absolutely sure that all your hopes and expectations, including God’s promise of a resurrection, will be realized. You will be convinced that such hopes are based on sure guarantees, not on wishful thinking. You will know that Jehovah has never failed to keep his promises. (Joshua 21:45; 23:14; Isaiah 55:10, 11; Hebrews 6:18) God’s promised new world will be as real to you as if it were already here. (2 Peter 3:13) And you will see clearly with eyes of faith that Jehovah God, Jesus Christ, and God’s Kingdom are all realities, not delusions.

You are not left on your own to build true faith. Besides making his Word freely available, Jehovah has also provided a worldwide Christian congregation that is devoted to helping righthearted people build faith in God. (John 17:20; Romans 10:14, 15) Accept all the help that Jehovah provides through that organization. (Acts 8:30, 31) And since faith is a fruit of God’s holy spirit, pray constantly for that spirit to help you to develop true faith.​—Galatians 5:22.

Do not be put off by skeptics who scoff at anyone who professes faith in God and his Word. (1 Corinthians 1:18-21; 2 Peter 3:3, 4) In fact, true faith is of immense value in strengthening your stand against such attacks. (Ephesians 6:16) Sarah Jayne found that to be true, and she always encouraged those who visited her in the hospital to build up their own faith. “Make the truth your own,” she would say. “Study God’s Word. Stay close to God’s organization. Pray constantly. Stay active in Jehovah’s service.”​—James 2:17, 26.

Seeing her faith in God and in the resurrection, one of her nurses said: “You really do believe this, don’t you?” When asked what gave her such an optimistic outlook despite her trials, she replied: “It is having faith in Jehovah. He is a real friend to me, and I dearly love him.”