Jesus - The Source of our Faith

By Thomas R Dohling

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb.12:2).

At first glance, what does this sentence mean to you? It should mean that Jesus is (1) the author of our faith, and (2) the finisher of our faith. So, Jesus is the beginning and end of our faith; the Source and Perfector of saving faith. Jesus is the expression of God’s grace towards mankind.

If we are to grow in grace, we must live by faith. "Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace" (Rom.4:16). If we tried to progress spiritually by the use of our natural faculties, we would be greatly frustrated. We must walk by faith in the Lord and His word. "We walk by faith, not by sight" (2Cor.5:7). This means that we trust the Lord in being able to do what He has promised even when He is invisible to us. Yet, where do we get faith? What is the source of faith?

Jesus is the source of our faith: "Jesus, the author . . . of our faith." If we have saving faith in Christ, He brought it into being. Jesus authored our faith in a revelatory and relational manner. He revealed to us the truth we needed to know (through sermons, personal witnesses, tracts, audio tapes, books, Bible reading, and many other means). Then, He invited us into a relationship with Himself. “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt.11:28-30).

First, He told us the truth about our need. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God . . . For the wages of sin is death" (Rom.3:23 and Rom.6:23). Then, He told us the truth about His loving work on our behalf. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom.5:8). All the while, His Spirit was convicting us of the reality of these matters. "And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (Joh.16:8). Ultimately, Jesus invited us to trust in Him for the gift of salvation. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest . . . the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Mat.11:28 and Rom.6:23). Basically, Jesus revealed Himself to us as one who could be trusted to save our souls, so we placed our hope in Him. Thereby, He authored faith in us.

Where are we to go for more faith (for the developing of our faith)? Jesus is the source for this need as well: "Jesus . . . the . . . finisher of our faith." The one who brought faith into being in us now wants to perfect our faith (to bring it on into mature development) in the same manner that He began it. Initially, we had to have Jesus revealed to us to have faith authored in us. Now, we must have a continuing revelation of Him through His word, if our faith is to be increasingly built up. The more we study His word, the clearer He will become to us and thereby our faith in Him will develop and mature unto perfection. May we all come to Jesus again and again for spiritual refreshing and development.

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