Knowledge, Experience Help Increase Your Faith

“Faith comes by hearing. And hearing of the Word of God. (Romans: 10:17). God uses two cooperating methods to increase our faith: Knowledge and experience.

1. Knowledge is necessary to faith. If you don’t have knowledge, you can’t have faith. Without knowledge, you only have faith in faith. True faith needs an object. So, the better you know the object of faith, the stronger your belief becomes.

But knowledge in and of itself is not adequate. We must be good listeners and go a step further by asking, is the information credible? There is much being said today. Many messages, many voices, many outlets for information. It can be overwhelming. But I think for me, I have to find a way to verify the accuracy and truthfulness of every message presented. In other words, is this ultimately true? Factual, truthful knowledge is the foundation of a solid faith.

The best source for credible truth is ancient scriptures. The truths contained therein have been tested in life’s most dangerous and difficult times. And they still ring true today. Without the certainty of the information, you can’t develop a strong belief. You can only hope to be on the right track. And that’s not good enough.

2. Experience is necessary to grow in faith. A faith untested is not a faith at all. We learn to trust by trusting. Some say the Christian faith is a leap into the dark. That is, there is really nothing to go on except some high-minded platitudes that have no basis in fact.

The critic says people who believe in Christ are unaware of real life facts and are just woefully ignorant of how the real world works. I would counter by saying the Christian faith is a leap from the dark into the light!

By applying knowledge to life, we find truth. We discover the truth about ourselves, about others and the world in which we live as we focus our faith on credible knowledge. We test that knowledge in every day decisions we make. And as our experience base conforms to our knowledge, we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

How solid is the information you have? Is is true, or is it just what you want to believe is true? How many ways have you tested that information? Does your experience confirm the facts you believe? If so, you are on the right track.

So, take the leap from the dark into your light. You will land safely.