Summary:
“I don’t want to live by faith, I want science and facts.”
When people hear that the Bible talks about living by faith, that is what runs through the thoughts of many of them.

But you live by faith all day long

• You turn on light switch in faith the light will come on
• You turn on water faucet and expect in faith water will come out

You don’t get those results until you step out in an action of faith.  But you are not stepping out in “blind faith”.  You are stepping out in “faith based on experience”.  God asks for the same.  The problem comes in when we attribute our problems to failings of God instead of looking at what God actually says.  In other words, when people make promises for God that He has not made or He may have even made completely differently.

A little more:
The Bible calls for a “reasonable” faith.  A faith based on experience.  The 6-year-old learns a reasonable faith when they do things their own way and then realize their loving and wise parent counseled otherwise.

The early Church grew very fast.  It did not grow because of good “theology” or “blind faith”.  It was completely based on the stories people told on what they had actually experienced themselves.  Sometimes those were miracles, but it was mostly as simple as seeing community with true caring for each other and hearing life principles that actually made sense.

Look closer at the 10 commandments.  They are not repressive rules, they make sense.  Don’t steal, don’t murder, don’t bear false witness, etc.  God teaches life principles that, if we really look at them, we should think following them is acting in reasonable faith.  We would have, as the Bible calls it, “hope for things not seen…” because you would generally expect life to come out better if you have faith in those principles.

Expanding on “faith in things not yet seen” as another thing we do frequently.  We go to a quality mechanic with faith they will fix our car.  We go to a quality doctor and expect they will help with our health issue.  We do these things not out of blind faith, but a reasonable faith based on experience.

While this earth will never be a small slice of Heaven, if we do trust and follow God’s life principles, we will experience peace, provision and purpose that only God can offer and that will make this short time on earth better for you.  Jesus taught two basic principles that summarize the whole Bible:

• Seek first getting to know and understand your loving and wise Heavenly Father
• Seek to help others as much as you help yourself (better to give than receive)

If you truly live these out, you will find that peace, provision and purpose that only God can offer.

A couple of side topics on faith:

• There are some peddlers of promises God doesn’t make (e.g. “Prosperity Gospel”).  They make guarantees of health and wealth that God does not make.  God is allowing problems in this world that will have consequences as we have talked about in the why God allows bad things to happen topic.  Nowhere does God make promises to “fix all problems” because that would be like taking away the problem of the 6-year-old – it misses the point of what God is doing.
• Much writing has been done on the topic of miracles.  Some claim they don’t happen anymore, but that contradicts the facts.  Some say to you just need to have enough faith and God will do it, but that is very rare in reality.  In the Bible, you see miracles mostly when God’s message was being brought into a new area (not “only”, but “mostly”).  Speculation is that is often God’s way of validating the work of those bringing the message to a new place.  Most of the Bible discussions in locations where the church was established shifted towards walking in trust (faith) of God’s guidance rather than emphasizing miraculous solutions.  Just like the parent of the 6-year-old, God is emphasizing matured character, not miraculous solutions to the problems in this world.  That said, sometimes God does perform a miracle and it is fine to ask for one.  That parent might just buy the toy next time if they feel being generous will not support bad character traits anymore.

Back to the FAQs

Bible references:

• Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 
• Luke 1:37 With God, nothing is impossible. 
• Romans 10:17  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. 
• Hebrews 11:6  And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. 
• Galatians 2:16  yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.
• James 1:2-3  Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 
• Psalms 37:5  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act.
• James 1:5  If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
• John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.