In the Bible, God shows us repeatedly what it means to have faith in the God of the Bible, who is perfectly good, versus placing our faith in unreliable objects, persons, or even ourselves. The Holy Bible is full of the choices of people throughout human history and the consequences of their choices. A person's actions are usually a result, or evidence, of what a person truly believes about God's Word and character.
Faith is the acknowledgement of God's glory; His worthiness to be trusted. If we do not believe what God has written about His identity, purpose, or plan, then we will act as if what He has said and done is irrelevant to our daily lives.
Faith is confidence that God is who He has said He is, and that He will do what He has said He will do. That faith in God's word informs our thoughts, values, and resulting actions.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. — Hebrews 11:1
Biblical faith is not blind. It has both substance and evidence, even though the triune God, the object of our faith, is unseen. A person's faith is only as good as the reliability of the object of that faith. The triune God who is revealed in the Holy Bible is the only completely reliable object of faith. He never fails. He never lies. He is always good.
How can we trust a God we cannot see with the struggles and challenges of life brought on by a world that we CAN see? We have to take Him at His Word. We must believe Him and take action based on what He said while walking through the difficulties.
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. — Hebrews 11:6
Jesus challenged His disciples, again and again, to take the objects that they can see and believe God's written word about the context that gives them meaning and purpose. He was constantly working to build their confidence in God.
Are you hungry? Do you need clothes? What are your concerns about tomorrow? See the lilies of the field? Look at the sparrow! (Luke 12:22-34) Do you have a raging storm in a small boat on the water in the dark hours before dawn? Come walk on the water with me. (Matthew 14:22-33) Jesus was teaching both them and us to look at life through the lens of trusting God in life now with our eternal future in mind. (Matthew 6:19-34)
Even after His resurrection, Jesus was exhorting His disciples to read and believe what He had already written through the Prophets in the Bible's Old Testament. (Luke 24:25-27, 44-48) Jesus spent forty days after His resurrection teaching them to live life in the light of the coming kingdom. (Acts 1:3)
The primary purpose of this document is to encourage faith in God that results in global vision and action which will, for obedient believers, lead to treasure, rewards, and rejoicing in heaven.