Faith in Jesus Christ is very precious. It is a personal trusting relationship. We trust that God loves us; that He sent His son to be the substitute sacrifice for our sins; that all our sins are paid for by Jesus; that we can be certain of eternal life; and that the Holy Spirit helps us to follow Jesus and serve Him each day until we meet Him. We trust God in all this because we believe what He has said in His Word ... simply put, we trust what He has promised. That was how the churches in Crete were started, and that was why Paul wrote to Titus, so that the believers would grow in godliness as he continued to explain God's Word.

True faith does not rest upon culture, tradition or religious background. True faith rests on the promises of God. So, we have confidence that we have eternal life, because Jesus said, "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:40). Although there were many glimpses of this truth in the Old Testament, it was not until Jesus came that the full truth was brought to light. When the Apostles started to preach the gospel, the truth was accessible to all who heard: and it transformed all who believed the gospel promises.

True faith still comes through the same route. Romans 10:17 says, "... faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." So our faith should rest on believing that the word preached to us is the Word of Christ. So, if you are a church leader, make a priority of Biblical preaching. If you are hungry to grow in your faith - pray that your pastor will preach truth fresh from the Word, and long to hear the voice of Christ as you read. As you learn to trust what He says, put it into practice and the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:9).