What is true Biblical faith? When it comes to faith, we hear all kinds of things that it may or may not be. We hear people say, "I have faith that everything will work out..." Or, "If you just believe..." Or, "If your faith is strong..." When we say things like this, what really is our faith in, what is the content of that faith or belief? If we read Romans 4 closely the content of Abraham's faith was always in one thing and one thing only: God himself. When we hear statements like those quoted above, typically the content of that faith is in ourselves or some power that faith has in itself. Faith really isn't going to work everything out, it can't. Our faith in itself doesn't do anything. If we have faith that just believing something will happen will make that thing happen, we will be greatly disappointed. When it comes to faith matters, only God can make something happen. Abraham had no ability in himself to accomplish the things described in Romans 4. Our faith in God comes as a result of God's ability and our inability.

Note the content of Abraham's faith in Romans 4. (1) Abraham believed in who God was, verse 17, "in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist." (2) He also believed the promises of God, who said, verse 17, "I have made you the father of many nations." (3) Abraham did not let what he saw or experienced in this world sway his faith even though, verse 19, "when he considered his own body which was as good as dead... or when he considered the barreness of Sarah's womb." Despite what Abraham saw and experienced he was, verse 21, "fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised."

Faith in the One True God is not blind, it is based on the evidence that God himself has given us in the Bible and through His Spirit. Blind faith is faith without evidence and says things like, "I have faith that..." but has no Biblical evidence for. True faith also comes from the knowledge of our inability and God's ability (which also comes through the evidence of the Bible). If we find ourselves lacking in or disappointed in our faith, we must switch our focus away from us and onto God. Just like Abraham, we must (1) believe in who God is, (2) believe in the promises, or word, of God, and (3) not let our circumstances sway our faith. Believing in God's promises comes only by knowing God's promises, which means we must read His Word, the Bible. Believing in who God is comes by the same means, we must get to know who God is by reading His Word. Only then will we have faith that is not swayed by our circumstances.