"Faith Lives From It's Object"

I have a few words in response to a study I have recently done on the topic of "faith" in my leadership class at Liberty.

The power of faith is found in the object of faith and not in the act of faith. Many people view faith (belief) as if it were an actual energy that accomplished stuff. Not to be blunt, but this is nothing more than New Age mysticism. The emphasis in scripture is that faith is dependence upon, and confidence in, the goodness, strength, and sovereignty of God. In other words, as my Theology professor at Midwestern, Dr. Mark Devine, said almost every class period, "Faith lives from it's object." There are many people who bear the name of Christ who put more hope in their ability to make their faith work and effect change than they do in God to work and effect change.

This is an issue in modern day Christianity that needs to be attacked. Much television preaching is characterized by this view of faith. Whenever hope is put in some subjective force (called "faith" by many) rather than in the strength of the living God, dependence is the last item on our agenda.

Those who have this view of faith are usually the first to yell, "I'm going to do great things for God!" rather than, "God is going to do great things through me." Those who have this view also tend to put more hope in the perfection of their prayers, and the amount of time they pray, than in the God who makes the prayer effective. As I have often said, "God is mover and shaker of prayer."

Maybe a good (and unique) definition of faith could be "dependence and confidence put into action." Any thoughts?