Consequently, faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.     Romans 10:17, NIV

Without faith it is impossible to please God.    Hebrews 11:6, NIV

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 

James 1:2-3, ESV

How strong is your faith? Can it stand up to testing, or will it crumble at the first sign of opposition? Paul reveals in Romans 10 that our faith is based upon the Word of Christ, so it is vital for us that our faith be formed from a deep familiarity with the truths contained in the Bible. Otherwise, our faith may not be much more that superstition. The writer of Hebrews takes it to another level entirely. He reveals that we cannot even begin to please God in the absence of faith. He uses numerous examples of men and women throughout history whose faith was proven by the stands they took when the going got tough. Then James comes along and, through inspiration, tells us that the testing of our faith is required for us to be steadfast before God. It is true that these trials can come by physical tests, but it is equally true that these trials can also come from the times when our understanding of God's Word is challenged in some way or other.

While we don't often combine these three Scriptures, their combination gives a fuller picture of faith than many may have. Its source is the Word, it will have to be tested to be proven genuine, and a failure of this test will reveal a faith that cannot endure.

Now to the next point: Can your faith stand this kind of testing? When people challenge what you believe, can you meet that challenge or do you crumble? I have seen too many people over the years who cannot stand up under the pressure of their beliefs being challenged. When anyone questions those beliefs, they will often go into a defensive mode and then lash out, or they will become so shaken that their very faith becomes in question. This should not be, but we see it too often. So, what is the solution? Is it simply to never expose yourself to situations where you might have your beliefs challenged? Is it to meet with anger and bitterness anyone with the audacity to disagree with your understanding of the Bible? If so, then what you might be calling faith might not be faith at all.

One of the things that has strengthened my faith as I have matured is, oddly enough, the same thing that used to weaken it when I was younger: Those times when my beliefs were challenged. How could that be, you might be wondering? It is because in the past that which I thought to be faith was simply something I believed. Now you might be thinking that these two things are the same and while they can be, in this instance they were not. I simply believed what I believed because I believed it. Maybe it was because my parents had taught my that belief, or maybe it was because they taught me the opposite and I was in a defiant mood. Perhaps it was because a religious leader had said something, so it must be true - right? More often, it may have just been that someone said something about God that I wanted to believe, so I latched onto it with all my might.

But, knowing what we know about Paul's inspired comment in Romans 10:17, we realize that these things are not the source of faith at all, for genuine faith can only be revealed by the sacred Word of God and Christ. When you look at it this way, you realize that the type of faith that God is talking about is a belief that is based on the knowledge of what He said rather than what we end up believing from any source outside of Scripture.

Now, to bring some semblance of closure to this discussion. When our faith is tested, it is actually our knowledge of what we have come to believe from the Inspired Word that is being tested? If we find that our faith cannot stand up to the test, it is likely because the source of our faith is from outside of the Bible's teachings. Should that prove to be the case, we need to shift our loyalty back to God's Word instead of the many sources that tend to unduly influence us. At that point our faith truly does become faith because those things we believe about God have a provable source - the very words of God and Christ! And when our faith does not stand up to the revealed Word of God, it is then that we know we have a problem that must be remedied.

And that remedy can only be an adjustment of our beliefs to comply with God's Word. When we find ourselves looking forward to these tests of faith because we know that they will have the effect of bringing us in harmony with the will of God, it changes us. It strengthens us and it gives us confidence because we are no longer relying in preconceived and preferred notions of what we wish God's Word said, but instead are now getting our faith from the only real, faith giving source! And that gives us joy!