Chapter One
Jesus
told several people a very interesting thing about faith. Matt. 9:29-30 says,
"As Jesus went on from
there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of
David!” When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked
them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they
replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith
will it be done to you”; and their sight was restored."
Notice that Jesus asked them
a very simple question! "Do you believe that I am able to do
this?" The reason He asked them is
obvious because He said in Mark 9:21-24 where a father had brought his son, who
was possessed
by a spirit, to Jesus and Jesus asked him,
"How long has he been like
this?" "From
childhood," he answered. "It has often thrown him into fire or water
to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." "If you can?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."
Immediately the
boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
Notice also that Jesus
told them that it was because of their faith that they were healed. It was
faith that healed them because they believed.
In Matt. 9:20-22,
"Just then a woman who had
been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the
edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will
be healed.” Jesus turned and saw
her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed
you.” And the woman was healed from that moment."
Notice again that
Jesus said it was her faith that healed her!
In Matt. 14:28-31
Peter said,
"Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” Jesus said. Then Peter got down out of
the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to
sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of
little faith,” Jesus said, “why did you doubt?”
Here Jesus linked
having little faith with having doubt which is the lack of belief. Belief is
what causes faith to operate on our behalf and if we have doubt it causes our
faith to be weak. You cannot have strong faith if you doubt because faith and
doubt oppose each other. Why is this so? James said in Ja. 1:5-8,
"If any of you lacks wisdom,
he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it
will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because
he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the
wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the
Lord; he is a double–minded man, unstable in all he does."
Jesus said in Mk. 11:22-26,
"Have faith in
God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this
mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt
in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to
pass; he shall have whatsoever he says. Therefore I say unto you, What things
so ever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you
shall have them. And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have
ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you
your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which
is in heaven forgive your trespasses."
Paul made an
interesting statement in 1 Cor. 2:4-5 when he said,
"And my speech
and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in
the power of God."
There are two kinds of
faith. Our faith and the God kind of faith or the faith of Christ. Our kind of
faith is based on what we believe. This faith is why Jesus said that all things
are possible to them that believe. This is a spiritual principle or law that we
are in the possession of if only we would learn to obey it's laws just as we
have learned to obey the laws of gravity. Doubt is the fly in the ointment of
belief and faith. It weakens faith and cause it to be of no effect. Because we
have learned to operate by the law of
our five senses we have to see, touch, hear, feel or taste in order to believe.
The law of our faith
is based on what we believe to be true. It is very powerful if we can sit aside
what our five senses tell us. This has been proved over and over by hypnosis.
People have done feats that no way could be done if they weren't under
hypnosis.
There is another kind
of faith which has all the power of the universe behind it and that is the
faith of Christ.
Paul said in Rom.
12:3,
"For I say,
through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of
himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as
God has dealt to every man the measure
of faith."
He also said in Rom.
3:22,
"But now the
righteousness of God without the law is manifested,(or revealed) being
witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness
of God which is by faith of
Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no
difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God;"
Question! If God gives
to everyman the measure of faith, whose faith is it? I believe you would have
to agree with me that it is a measure of His faith. Paul also said in Gal.
2:20,
"I am crucified
with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the
life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith
of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
He also said in 1 Cor. 12:27,
"Now you are the body of
Christ, and
members in particular."
My point is simply this: If
our Father has baptized us into the body of Christ by His Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13)
and we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16) then it stands to reason that we
have the measure of the faith of Christ.
What, then, is the
difference between our faith and the faith of Christ? Our faith is based on
believing and His faith is based upon knowing!!!!
Our faith being based upon
our belief in God's word and is subject to doubt. When He reveals something to
our Spirit it brings a knowing with it that has no room for doubt. We then know
that we know that we know and nothing can cause us to doubt.
Peter believed and confessed
to Jesus in Matt. 26:33-34,
"Even if all fall away
on account of you, I never will." "I tell you the truth," Jesus
answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown
me three times."
This is a perfect example of
the difference between the two kinds of faith. Peter declared what he believed
in his heart but what he didn't know was that something was about to happen
that he didn't understand and his faith was based on what he believed to be the
purpose of God. When the temple guards came out to arrest Jesus Peter saw them
as the enemy and tried to take one of the guard's head off. When Jesus rebuked
Peter for his actions Peter was dumbfounded and confused. Jesus said,
"Put your sword back in
its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will
die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once
put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would
the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"
John said in 1 Jn. 5:16-15,
"These things have I
written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know
that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of
God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing
according to his will, he hears us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever
we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."
And again in 1 Jn. 5:4-5,
"For whatsoever is born
of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the
world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he
that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?"
It is one thing to say to
yourself, "I believe that!", and an entirely different thing to live
by what you believe to be the truth. Have a great week and remember the words
by the great Apostle Paul, "The righteous shall live by Faith!" (Rom.
10:38)