The Three parts of Faith

The Three parts of Faith

There are three parts to faith that I like to explain using the acronym “KAT.”

“K” stands for “Knowledge.” We must know what the Bible says. We must understand that God sent his Son to die on the cross for our sin. And we must understand that only through trusting Jesus can we have a relationship with the living God.

“A” stands for “Agreement.” Not only must we know what the Bible says but we must agree with it. We must agree that eternal life will be ours if we place our trust in Jesus. There are many people who understand that they are separated from God by their sin and that God sent his Son to die on their behalf. They also agree that if they would trust in Jesus they would have an eternal relationship with God. That’s great as far as it goes, but it is not saving faith. There is one thing left to do.

The “T” stands for “Trust.” We must trust Jesus as the One who paid the penalty of our sin.

We must trust him as the only way to have an eternal relationship with the living God.

One hundred and fifty years before Nik Wallenda’s 2012 walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope, the French tightrope walker and acrobat, Charles Blondin, was performing the feat. He walked across the falls many times, each with a different twist. Once he used stilts. Another time he crossed the falls on a bicycle. One time he even carried a stove and cooked an omelet. The story is told that one time Blondin looked down on the large crowd of admirers and asked, “Do you believe I can push a wheelbarrow across the falls?” “Yes, yes,” the crowd answered.

Then Blondin asked, “Do you believe I can push a wheelbarrow across with a person in it?”

Again, the crowd agreed that Blondin could pull off such an exploit. “Okay,” Blondin said, “I need a volunteer to get in the wheelbarrow.” Of course, no one did. Trusting in Jesus is getting in his wheelbarrow, so to speak, and allowing him to push us to a relationship with the heavenly Father. Jesus is the only One who can take us across the great gap that exists between sinful man and the holy God. He is the only One who can bring us to God. (1 Peter 3:18) We are sinners separated from God. We cannot save ourselves. So God did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He sent his Son to die on the cross as a perfect sacrifice for our sin. (Isaiah 53:6) Being a Christian is trusting in Jesus alone as the only way to have a relationship with the living God. I invite you to trust in Jesus. The following prayer will not save you; it is simply a guide to help you tell God your desire to know him through his Son. This must be the sincere prayer of your heart.

Dear heavenly Father,
I know that I am a sinner. I admit that to you with no reservation. I know that I cannot save myself. My works can never make me good enough for you. I am sorry for my sins and desire your forgiveness. Right now I trust in Jesus alone as the One who died for me. I trust in Jesus as my perfect substitute. My desire is to follow Jesus the rest of my life. I pray in his name. Amen.

By Ron Moore on June 25th, 2013