Faith: Boldness or Arrogance
Pastors Rodney & Adonica Howard-BrownePublish date: 10/19/2025
Foundation Scriptures:
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13 NKJV
1. Faith.
a. Faith is trusting God’s Word and acting on His Word.
b. Hebrews 11:1 KJV — Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
c. Faith is not a feeling.
d. It is an action based on confidence in God’s Word.
e. Faith believes what God says and acts accordingly, regardless of what natural circumstances declare.
2. Boldness.
a. To be bold is to be daring, confident, courageous, fearless.
b. Boldness means “to dare to do.”
c. Acts 4:13 KJV — Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
d. The word “boldness,” used here, is translated: confidence; openly; boldly; plainly; freely; (with) confidence; confidently.
e. It means: freedom in speaking; unreservedness in speech; free and fearless confidence; cheerful courage; all out-spokenness; frankly, i.e without concealment; assurance.
f. The people could see and hear that Peter and John had been with Jesus.
g. Their boldness flowed from the relationship they had with Him.
3. Arrogance.
a. To be arrogant means having or showing an exaggerated opinion of one’s own importance, merit, ability, etc.; conceited; overbearingly or insolently proud; characterized by or proceeding from a sense of superiority, self-importance, or entitlement.
b. Proverbs 16:18 KJV — Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
c. Arrogance exalts self; faith exalts Christ.
4. Egotism.
a. The definition of Egotism is selfishness; self-centeredness; self-conceit; excessive and objectionable reference to oneself in conversation or writing; vain; boastful; opinionated; indifferent to the well-being of others.
b. Galatians 6:3 KJV — For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
c. The ego says, “Look at me.”
d. Faith says, “Look at Jesus, working through me.”
5. Faith and Boldness Are Not Arrogance.
a. Many confuse faith and boldness with arrogance or egotism.
b. They see confidence and assume pride.
c. But true faith isn’t self-assured; it’s Christ-assured.
d. Ego says: “I can do it.”
e. Faith says: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
f. Faith is dependence; arrogance is independence.
g. John 15:5 KJV — For without Me ye can do nothing.
6. Walking in Faith and Boldness.
a. To walk in faith and boldness, you must have confidence, courage, fearlessness, and daring.
b. Confidence—in God and His Word.
c. Hebrews 10:35 KJV — Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
d. Confidence in Jesus, not ourselves.
e. Philippians 4:13 KJV — I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
f. Confidence in the Word releases authority in the Spirit.
g. Courage—to act on what you believe.
h. Joshua 1:9 KJV — Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
i. Courage acts when others freeze.
j. Fearlessness—the ability to live free from fear.
k. Psalm 27:1 KJV — The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
l. To go where no one else will go.
m. 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV — For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
n. Daring—to do what God says you can do.
o. Matthew 14:29 KJV — And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
p. Daring to act on the Word of God.
q. James 1:22 KJV — But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.
r. Daring faith steps out where natural logic and reasoning stop.
7. The Laws of Faith.
a. Romans 3:27 KJV — Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
b. Faith operates by divine law—spiritual cause and effect.
c. 1 John 5:4-5 KJV — For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
d. Faith is the victory that conquers all opposition.
e. Hebrews 12:2 KJV — Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.
f. Jesus is both the beginning and completion of your faith.
g. Romans 8:29 KJV — For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son.
h. Faith produces Christlikeness—not arrogance.
i. Romans 6:23 KJV — For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
j. The law of doubt and sin leads to death, but the law of faith brings life.
k. Job 3:25 KJV — For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me.
l. Fear attracts what faith repels.
m. James 1:6-8 KJV — For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
n. Doubt divides; faith decides.
o. Romans 14:23 KJV — For whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
p. Romans 8:6 KJV — For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.