Achieving a Giant Faith
Teachers
Lesson Summary
In this class, Dave Rich began a focused study on understanding the biblical definition of faith, emphasizing that this foundation is essential for the entire "Achieving a Giant Faith" series. The teacher opened by reminding the class of the previous week's lesson about the importance of continual spiritual growth from baptism throughout one's lifetime. Rather than assuming students understood faith, Rich facilitated a discussion asking class members how they would define faith, receiving responses such as "trust" and "surrender." The teacher then introduced the biblical definition from Hebrews 11:1—"the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen"—and illustrated this concept with a practical example of driving a car without understanding how the engine works, yet having faith it will function properly. A significant portion of the class addressed a critical distinction: that faith is not merely the performance of religious activities such as church attendance, Bible reading, and prayer, nor is it blind acceptance of ideas without question. Rather, true biblical faith requires genuine conviction and belief, particularly in foundational truths such as God's creation of the heavens and earth. Rich acknowledged that a person can engage in all the external practices of faith while still harboring doubts about core beliefs. The teacher used examples of confusing or contradictory signs in everyday life to illustrate the broader confusion people experience regarding what it means to be a true believer in a polarized world. The class was designed to help students move beyond surface-level religion to develop a genuine, conviction-based faith grounded in biblical understanding.
Key Scriptures
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.