Understanding Faith (Part 2)

Faith Defined

Faith is a simple concept that has been made to appear complicated. The Bible is intended to be the source of knowledge for each believer to gain understanding in the spiritual things of God. Experts tell us that the style of writing is on a seventh grade level which puts it well within the grasp of the average person. The text of scripture is easily understood by all but the spiritual principles are beyond the reach of the unbeliever for we are told that the word is spiritually discerned and cannot be understood by the mind that has its foundation in the flesh[1]. The reason the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit is because they are missing the key to knowledge. The Spirit of God opens our eyes to see what is eternal. Until the Holy Spirit is within us, the eternal truths of God’s word cannot be understood. Many false teachings are born out of an effort to make sense of the spiritual principles of God based on man’s understanding through the fleshly mind. The word of God is foolishness until we have eyes to see the eternal; therefore, those in the flesh must bring fleshly things into their doctrine in order to make sense of the scriptures.

This is true when it comes to understanding faith. Faith formulas are based on then natural mind trying to use spiritual principles for selfish gain in the flesh. Since the flesh and the Spirit are at odds and cannot agree[2], it should not be surprising that when teachers attempt to explain the Bible through the flesh many various doctrines emerge and become a cause of confusion. This is why the Bible instructs teachers to exhort with simplicity[3] and why the early church was warned by the apostles to be on guard against anything that convolutes the simple truth of God’s word. Anything that complicates the truth of scripture is usually a deception intended to corrupt our minds from the true doctrine of Christ[4].

Faith could not be defined in simpler terms than the Bible provides. We are told that Abraham believed God and his faith was accounted to him for righteousness. Abraham struggled with doubts and fears just as we do, but when God spoke His word to Abraham, he always obeyed without wavering and he believed the promises of God. Abraham’s life proclaimed the message of the gospel. God called Abraham out of his country to journey to the land of promise that was not yet revealed. We are called by God to leave our life in this world[5] and to begin a pilgrimage to heaven. Just as Abraham journeyed through hostile territory in a land that was not his own, we are journeying through this world that is not our home. Abraham was justified by faith without any works of the law just as we are justified by faith without works of the law[6]. Even the testing on the mount where Abraham was to offer up his son was given as a foreshadow of the cross. Look at Genesis 22:1-5

And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. ² And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. ³ And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. ⁴ Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. ⁵ And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

This begins with Abraham’s test of faith. The word translated here is the word ‘tempt’ which means to test, try, or prove something. One chapter earlier God told Abraham that in Isaac shall your seed be called; therefore, the promise of God could only go through Isaac. Since Isaac alone was the path to the promise, there was not an option to have another son. The test was two-fold: Isaac was the beloved son that Abraham had waited 99 years to receive and he was also the promise given by the word of God. Abraham was being asked to lay down the most valued thing in his life and to put his trust in the word of the Lord. The faith of Abraham is revealed in verse 5 when he declares that he and his son will go up and will come back down. Abraham knew that there were only two options; God would either provide a substitution for Isaac or God would raise Isaac from the dead. This is explained further in Romans 4:16-18

¹⁶ Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, ¹⁷ (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. ¹⁸ Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

To summarize this passage, Abraham is the father of faith to us all for he is the example of New Testament faith found in the beginning of God’s revelation in the Old Testament. Faith was actually revealed before the Law; therefore, Abraham was not only an example to the nation of Israel, but to all who believe through Christ. Abraham believed the promise of God that through Isaac he would be the father of many nations and would pass down the promise that would ultimately be fulfilled through Jesus; therefore, he had the faith to offer up Isaac. He was able to offer up his son knowing that God had the power to give life to the dead or declare anything to fulfill His promise to Abraham. Some make the mistake of thinking that we have the power to speak things into existence believing that Abraham had this power. It was not Abraham who had the power, but Abraham believed God who had the power to do these things. This gives us the assurance that when we obey God by faith, He is able to do what it takes to fulfill His word and keep His promises – even if He must speak something into existence. This was the assurance of Abraham and it should be our firm foundation as well.

We know the end of this account and that God did not allow Abraham to slay his own son. This sacrifice was not to be made by Abraham but was a foretelling of what would one day be offered through Jesus Christ. Two thousand years later Jesus ascended that same hill and became the sacrifice for our sin.

Simply put, faith is believing God who is able to give life to the dead and call things that are not as though they were. In fact, faith is believing that God has called the end from the beginning[7]. The Bible tells us that God prepared our works in Christ before hand that we should walk in them[8], God created our days and paths before we were born[9], and that we were created in Christ before the foundation of the world[10]; therefore, we should have faith in God to accomplish His word in our lives knowing that He alone has the power to direct our steps and empower us to fulfill our calling in this life. Faith is believing the word of God and standing upon His word with assurance knowing that it is as real as what we can see or touch. In fact, it is more real for the things we see will pass away but eternal things which are not yet seen will not pass away[11].

The only thing complicated about faith is getting our flesh out of the way. We have already looked at how the scripture reveals that faith is of the Spirit but doubt and fear are of the flesh. The challenge of walking by faith is the same for any other area of spiritual discipline. Our flesh will rise up and challenge our faith and we must overcome through the power of God. The apostles stated that they must keep their flesh under subjection in order to inherit the promise [12] and the same applies to each Christian. We are warned that our flesh will continuously attempt to rise up and draw our minds to the flesh and away from the things of the Spirit[13]; however, we have been given the power to overcome. In fact, we have been given everything that we need for life and godliness through the power found in Christ[14]. When our flesh is leading us we are blinded to the truth before us. There is nothing in heaven or earth that has the power to overcome our faith for it is faith that overcomes the world[15]. Since nothing can overcome our faith that has been given to us by God, the only way the Christian can be defeated is to be persuaded to turn from our faith. One example that immediately comes to mind is the account of Peter coming to Jesus on the sea.

This event begins by Jesus sending His disciples across the sea with the promise that He would come and meet them. As they journeyed, a storm arose and the ship was caught in the wind. Jesus came to them on the sea and they cried out in fear thinking it was a spirit. Jesus identified Himself and encouraged them not to be afraid. Now look at Matthew 14:28-31

²⁸ And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. ²⁹ And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. ³¹ And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Jesus empowered Peter to be victorious and gave him the command to ‘come’. The waves and the wind had no power over Peter and he was able to overcome these obstacles until he took his eyes off Christ and began to set his mind on fear. At this point he was no longer walking by faith but was trusting in the flesh. It was never Peter’s power; it was the power of God that he received through faith. The same is true for every Christian. This world has no power over our lives for if God is for us, who can be against us? You will overcome if you walk by faith but once you set your eyes on this world, you are no longer walking by faith and are therefore not in the Spirit. Peter allowed fear to turn his heart away from believing the word of the Lord and he began to sink. If we allow the works of the flesh to rule our lives, they will turn us out of the way of God. Look at Hebrews 3:

¹² Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

This is how Satan defeats the Christian. Fear and doubt have no power until we receive these into our heart and then allow them to turn us away from God. Nothing in the flesh can defeat those walking in faith, but Satan can attempt to lure us into the flesh through fear, lust, doubt, greed, selfish ambition, hatred, bitterness, and other carnal things of the flesh[16]. Once your mind is in the flesh, you are no longer walking in faith. It is through faith that we abide in Christ and walk in the Spirit. Look at Jude 1:20-21

²⁰ But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, ²¹ Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Do not miss one important principle that is often overlooked in this passage. The Bible does not say to build your faith, but to build yourself up on your most holy faith. It is most holy because it is of God and not by human effort. Only God is most holy and your faith is by the Spirit of God. You must build your life, actions and all your ways upon the faith you have received and then you have the promise that you will keep yourself in the love of God. This is how we abide in Christ, walk in the Spirit and inherit the promises given in scripture. All of these things are a part of experiencing the love of God. Only through faith can you keep yourself in the love of God and only through the word of God can you build yourself upon your gift of faith for faith comes by hearing the word of God[17].

Another example of how being in the flesh is a hindrance to faith in our lives can be seen in the biblical account where the disciples failed to heal a demon possessed man. Jesus sent out His disciples to preach the Kingdom of Heaven and instructed them to take no provisions with them but to allow God to provide for them during their labors. He gave them the power to do His will, heal the sick and to cast out demons. They returned rejoicing over how God used them and provided for them. God gave them the power to do His will and fulfill the calling for their lives. Even though they had the power and had already experienced success, they soon found that the flesh was still a hindrance to their spiritual walk. A demon possessed man was brought to them and all their efforts failed. Confused by their inability to do what God had given them the power to do, they questioned Jesus after He cast it out. Look at Matthew 17:19-21

¹⁹ Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? ²⁰ And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. ²¹ Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

This passage is very important for our understanding of faith. The disciples asked why they couldn’t cast it out and Jesus said, “Because of your unbelief”. He did not say, “Because you need more faith”, in fact, Jesus made it clear that faith the size of a grain was enough to move any mountain. They had the faith for God, by His Divine power, has given us all things that are necessary for the Christian walk of life and our godliness[18]. The power is from God and is more than sufficient. They also had been ordained by Jesus to do the very work they failed to accomplish. The problem is that some obstacles are powerful and will not be easily overcome and for this reason we cannot be victorious if our flesh is in the way. Our flesh interferes with our holiness and for this reason our flesh must be brought into subjection if we want to be used by God to accomplish His mighty work or grow into a deeper understanding. This is the purpose behind fasting. Fasting brings our flesh under subjection and prayer sets our focus on the Spirit and guides us into God’s ways.

We as Christians have the promise that the gates of Hell cannot stand against the church founded upon Christ[19]. A gate is a defensive barrier intended to keep an enemy out. Jesus made it clear that we are not of this world but are warriors and sojourners in this world. The word picture being communicated is that the church carries the gospel into all the world and even though Satan puts up his defenses, they cannot stand or prevail. He sends out his attacking forces, but we have the whole armor of God by which to repel and to quench his attacks. It is the power of God that opens up any door and breaks down every barrier. We are soldiers of Christ[20], but we do not fight by physical means. Look at 2 Corinthians 10:3-4

³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;

Our war is a spiritual battle and it is God who breaks down the strong holds when we walk by faith in the path He has set before us. Jesus stated that the faithful church that honors His name by keeping His word will have success because He opens a door that no one can shut. We fight the battle by overcoming sin and taking the message of truth to the culture around us. Satan will resist and he will raise up defenses to attempt to stop the work of God, but he will not prevail. Satan can only discourage you and try to draw you out of your walk of faith, but he cannot overcome you without your willingness to submit to the flesh.

A vivid example of this can be seen in Numbers 22. As Israel was marching to the land God promised, the King of Moab saw that he could not prevail against them. He hired the prophet Balaam to curse Israel thinking that the words of this man could affect his enemies, but Balaam explained that God had blessed and it cannot be reversed. He then taught the King of Moab that Israel could be cursed by drawing them into sin. Moab sent their most beautiful women to seduce the men and draw them into sin. As Israel sinned, they were outside of God’s will and judgment fell. Israel could not conquer the nations before them until they repented and returned to the Lord.

This is how the church is overcome. Satan cannot stand against the work of God and the gates he erects cannot withstand the church for when God opens the door it cannot be shut. The only strategy that can prevail is to lure God’s people into the flesh and cause them to sin. As we depart from our walk of faith, we have no power to stand against our enemies. Without the hand of God we have no power to open any door or break down any gate. In fact, the same passage that promises that God will open a door that cannot be shut also states that if God closes the door, no one can open it. We are completely dependent on the providence of God to accomplish His will and we are required by God to live in holiness which comes solely through walking in the Spirit.

Sometimes God closes a door of opportunity or raises up an enemy to force us to go into another direction. We should persevere but we should also be seeking and praying for God to open our eyes to see where He is directing our steps. There are many times when the decisions that seem right to us are not where God is directing us. The Bible tells us that when our ways please the Lord, even our enemies will be at peace with us[21]. This doesn’t mean that we will not have enemies, but they will have no power to hinder us when we are going in the direction God has laid out for us. Even when we have sincere motives, the direction we may think is right may not be God’s will and we can only please Him when we are following Him and walking in His perfect will. In this case our enemies are tools in God’s hands for our good so that we are turned to the direction that pleases God and where we will experience His goodness. This is true for the church and also for our personal lives.

It is very important for us to understand that when we are weak in faith, the problem is not that we need more faith but that we need to build our lives up on our faith and walk in the Spirit. Christians frequently make the mistake of thinking that they need to do something to gain more faith, but the truth is that what God has given is more than sufficient and nothing else is needed for us to walk in a life of victory and eternal significance. The disciples of Jesus had this same way of thinking and the Bible explains that more faith was not needed. Let’s look at Luke 17:5-6

⁵ And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. ⁶ And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

When the disciples of Jesus were young and immature in the faith they thought the problem was that they needed more faith. Jesus again illustrates this by stating that faith the size of a grain of mustard seed was sufficient. Jesus often used the mustard seed to illustrate small things because it was something that the people of that generation understood. A mustard seed is used for spices and everyone looked at it as one of the smallest things they used in their daily lives. To hold up a small seed and show its seemingly insignificance is a powerful illustration to show the power of our faith. Any amount of faith is sufficient for it is a gift of God and the power of God in our lives. We need not concern ourselves on how big our faith is; we need to just realize that what God has given is more than sufficient to move any mountain or overcome any barrier. God has given us the ability by the Spirit to believe and trust in His power to accomplish His will in our lives and the world around us. We only need to build our lives around that trust and seek His will knowing that when we submit ourselves to His will nothing can hinder our faith. If God is for us, who can be against us? If we are walking in the Spirit we are also walking in His will and then we can have the confidence that He is for us. Then we will have confidence in the promise of 1 John 3:

²² And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

Add to this the passage from Colossians 1:9-10

⁹ For this cause we also … do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰ That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

It is through knowledge of His will (which comes from the knowledge of His word) that we are filled with wisdom and understanding. As you learn to walk in understanding you will learn to walk in His will and then you will be fruitful in every good work. Out of that fruitful life you will increase in your understanding in the knowledge of God. We are built up on our most holy faith when we study the word and walk in it. The scriptures are the foundation of our Christian walk and the source of our instruction that leads us into God’s will. This is explained in 2 Timothy 3:16-17

¹⁶ All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: ¹⁷ That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

This is how we build ourselves on our most holy faith. The instruction of scripture equips each of us for good works because the word of God is the foundation of our faith. As you study and seek God by faith, He gives you understanding and reveals His will to you. As you walk in His will and become fruitful by allowing Him to work through you, He opens your eyes to grow in more understanding and reveals more knowledge to you. This is how Jesus built up the disciples. He taught them and laid the foundation of faith, sent them out, taught them, and sent them out again. The instructions of God are the way of life and His commandments are our lamp[22]. We walk by faith and the scriptures give us the way to complete our calling without falling out of the way. Let’s conclude this topic by looking at Proverbs 4:11-13

¹¹ I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. ¹² When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. ¹³ Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

The word ‘straitened’ is the Hebrew word ‘yatsar’ (pronounced yaw-tsar') which means to be in dire straits, in a bind or distressed. This is an incredible promise for if we take hold of instruction and do not let it go, we will have life, will not stumble, will not be in distress but will finish the race with confidence and success. This is the life of those who build themselves upon the holy faith God has given. Those who have faith will put their confidence and trust in God. Faith comes by hearing the word of God and putting our trust in Him through obedience to His commandments and instructions. By faith we let go of our life and lay hold on His word and do not let it go! Only then will we experience the promise of 1 John 5:

⁴ For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Eddie Snipes

Exchanged Life Outreach

http://www.exchangedlife.com

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[10] Matthew 25:34, Ephesians 1:4, Hebrews 4:3, 1 Peter 1:20, Revelation 17:8