Yet, even though these writers dispute the truth of the Gospel, they are themselves people of faith.  They express their "faith" in the absence or anonymity of God.  They have their own "faith" community.

Everyone has faith.  However, only those who trust in Christ have saving faith.  May we never confuse the two.

We as Christians have no point in questioning the sincerity, devotion, or conviction of those who, apart from Christ, have faith in their own judgments or conclusions.  If those who hold passionately to material, sectarian, or hedonistic idols and are outspoken in their beliefs, we have no reason to doubt how strongly they feel.

However, just as faith must not be confused with saving faith, the strength of faith also must never be confused with the object of faith.  A person may worship a peanut butter sandwich with great zeal, but the object is still a peanut butter sandwich.

Our argument is not with the sincerity of those without Christ.  Our concern for them is in regard to bringing them the substance of Christ and pointing to the Person of our Lord.  This does not happen by preaching faith but by proclaiming Christ.

What critics of Christianity and adherents of other religions assume is that we Christians, like they, come to our faith and persuasion like everyone else: that we simply pull together our observations, opinions, and traditions and thereby choose to believe as we do.  Presumably, our faith is no more legitimate than theirs. 

They assume we follow Christ because our parents pushed us into a church or a buddy influenced us or we simply are following our own weird and wacky views.

Such is not so.  Saving faith is trusting Jesus.  Saving faith is knowing Christ as God and Lord, consenting to the Word of God, and placing our confidence in Him alone.  We cannot produce this ourselves. (John 6: 44)  The Bible says by nature all people lack completely the spirituality needed to have a trusting heart.  Saving faith is a pure gift of God in Christ.

God works through the Gospel to reach hearts and create saving faith.  God created the world by commanding light to shine out of darkness.  God creates faith by shining the light of the knowledge of Jesus into human hearts (2 Corinthians 4:6).  This is His doing, His gracious will and blessing. 

We talk about the moon shining, but the moon doesn't provide any light.  It receives it from the sun.  In the same way, the heart of a Christian shines with the light of Jesus but takes no credit for it.  Saving faith is a gift of God.  Rejoice in His gift to you. 

Rejoice that the Holy Spirit has worked saving faith in you by telling you about Jesus.  This knowledge is not just plain information but is given to have an effect on us, to bring us to welcome Christ as our Savior and have confidence in the promises of God.

Faith is the work of God who creates and sustains it in our hearts.  Of course, God does not believe for us.  We are the ones who do the believing, but Jesus makes it clear that God is not only the one who makes this possible (John 6: 28-29), He is the One who makes it happen.

It is much like the fact that we are physically alive.  We are the ones who are living, breathing, thinking, and walking around, but it is God who provides this physical life we have. Christians believe in Jesus as Savior, but it is God who creates and keeps this spiritual life in our hearts.

Saving Christian faith without Christian knowledge is impossible, but knowledge by itself is not faith.  There are people who know answers to many Bible questions, but this doesn't prove they believe them.  The teaching of the Word of God is the instrument used by the Holy Spirit to produce faith.  No one is going to put their trust in something they don't regard as true.  God wants faith not just in the head but in the heart.  Devils know the Bible, and some new atheists do too, but they have no faith.  Faith means confidence of the heart.

Here is the caution for us.  Just to accept facts about Jesus is not faith.  But if we trust those truths regarding His incarnation, His atonement for our sins, and His resurrection, this is saving faith.  Saving faith is the trusting confidence of the heart in things we know to be true.

The Bible defines faith this way. "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  Faith is not wishful "cross your fingers" thinking but being sure of God's grace, the forgiveness of sins through Christ, and all the promises of the Bible.  It isn't speculative, opinionated, or culturally shaped.

Faith is not a feeling.  Feelings like peace, joy, and happiness are an outcome of faith.  At difficult times in life we may not feel these things, but faith is still true because it holds to Jesus.

It is Jesus who is the only focus (object) of the faith that actually saves.  It is the object of faith which is essential.  The object of faith comes before faith.  The Gospel object and content is Christ.  Christ is the world's Savior.  He is God in the flesh.  Christ alone rose from the dead.  Every word He ever uttered speaks truth to mankind. It is Jesus Christ who gave Himself for us and for the whole world.  This is not our opinion.  It is our confession -- God's saving faith alive in our hearts.  How utterly blessed we are to have been given the faith which saves because is relies on Christ Jesus.