Why are most people trapped by fears and worries? Because they lack faith! But what is faith? Is it positive thinking? A certain feeling? One’s church affiliation? Is it confidence? Or hope? Or the simple belief that Jesus died for your sins?

Or is faith something far more?

The Bible states that “without faith it is impossible to please [God]” (Heb. 11:6). This is an incredible statement, yet it is in the Bible! Take it for exactly what it says. Just think! Anything a person does, in attempting to be Christian, means absolutely nothing, if he lacks faith. For without faith, he has no hope—no possibility—of pleasing God. Any who are not pleasing God are Christians in vain. So having real faith is serious!

When speaking of our time—the last generation before His Return—Jesus asked, “When the Son of Man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Think of the incredible implications of this question! Is it possible that true faith could be completely gone from Earth at Christ’s Second Coming? Jesus was able to look forward, into our time, and know that conditions would exist allowing this to be true—almost!

Jesus said He would build His Church and He promised it would never be destroyed. His Church—God’s Church—is where people do have faith according to the Bible definition. Therefore, the presence of God’s people on Earth will ensure that at least a few people will be found to have faith when Christ returns.

Real faith comes from the Spirit of God. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23). No one can have faith or even be a true Christian without God’s Spirit.

Here is God’s definition of faith: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Did you notice that faith involves “evidence” of things “not seen”? The marginal rendering of “substance” is “assurance.” Faith involves an assurance “of things hoped for.” But, if something is hoped for, that something has not yet been received. Therefore, where faith is involved, there is an assurance that it will be received!

Consider this verse: “For we walk by faith, NOT by sight” (II Cor. 5:7). Practicing true faith means learning to disregard what you see. Literally, sight does not count in relation to what God has promised to do or when He will do it. This verse reveals that Christians do not walk by what they see!

What about you? Do you lack faith to know that God is with you? To overcome sin and guilt? To be healed of disease? To believe all things in His Word? To know that “all things [will] work together for good” (Rom. 8:28) if you are serving God? To believe God will work out injustices you suffer? To believe God will provide for you? To believe that you can endure severe trials and persecution? Or that God will deliver you from them? Do you lack faith to see the soon-coming kingdom of God more clearly and that you can be in it?

The Bible says that you need not lack faith in any of these! You can develop real faith!

To learn much more about the subject and what true faith is, watch The World to Come two-part series True Faith—What God Says! at rcg.org/worldtocome.