Living Principles 1
Faith
Faith has always been the mark of a disciple of Jesus. The early disciples were known as BELIEVERS. Jesus said: . . . Everything is possible for him who believes Mark 9:23. Through faith we have access to the impossible! Faith is the key to gaining the ear of God (Isaiah 65:24; Matthew 6:5), the approval of God (Romans 5:1; James 2:23), and the full inheritance He has for us, His people (Hebrews 11:6; John 14:12- 14).
Contents
THE KEY TO FAITH
See Hebrews 11:1. Faith simply means having trust, assurance or confidence in another person or that person's words. Having faith in God involves an exchange of trust from self to Him, from relying on one source of knowledge to a higher source.
TWO KINDS OF KNOWLEDGE
1. Sense Knowledge
All knowledge that comes to natural man comes to him through the five senses - seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and touching. This is limited knowledge, described as the wisdom of men in 1 Corinthians 2:4-6.
2. Revelation Knowledge
This knowledge is not based on the five senses, nor on natural reasoning, but on an alternative source - the TRUTH of the word of God. It is received through man's spirit, and is described as the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 2:7,11-14; 2 Corinthians 5:7).
THE BASIS OF FAITH
The basis of having faith in God is in four important realities:
1. The Existence of God
See Hebrews 11:6; Revelation 1:8.
2. The Nature of God
(see Hebrews 6:13)
He cannot change (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17).
He cannot fail (Joshua 1:5; 1 Chronicles 28:20).
He cannot lie (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2).
3. The Finished Work of the Son of God
Christ has become the source of our faith in God. The fact of His death and resurrection provides ground for our believing (Hebrews 12:2; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Romans 5:1-2; Galatians 2:20).
4. The Word of God
His word stands true forever (Matthew 24:35; Isaiah 40:8; Jeremiah 1:12).
Faith comes when God brings a specific word - out of all He has ever said - directly to us in our circumstances. Spoken in this way, the Word of God comes alive to us, releasing our faith (Romans 10:17).
HOW FAITH WORKS
The principle of faith (Romans 3:27) is to operate in our lives continually, no matter what the circumstances (see 2 Corinthians 5:7; Romans 1:17; James 1:5-6). It works in the following way:
A Word From God
Firstly, God encourages us with a word relevant to our circumstances. This may come through the written Scripture or by the inner voice of the Holy Spirit (see Genesis 15:3-5;17:15-21; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2).
Obedience To The Word
For faith to operate in our situation, we must obey that word. Faith is ACTIVE, not passive. Most of God's promises are conditional - He will do His part, if we do our part (see Genesis 15:6; Matthew 7:24-27; James 2:17).
The Crisis, Or "Trial Of Our Faith"
This is a period of testing. Everything happening around us appears contrary to what God has said, and there seems to be no natural evidence for our believing. At this point, our faith rests completely on God's word (see Romans 4:16-21; 1 Peter 1:6-7; Psalm 105:17-20).
The Result
The end result is always victory on the part of the believer, bringing glory to God (see 1 John 5:4; Genesis 21:1-3; Psalm 105:20-22; Acts 3:16; Hebrews 6: 13-15).
See Hebrews 12:2, Genesis 37-45 and Matthew 14:27-32 for examples of the faith principle. Similar outworkings of this principle can be seen in all the heroes of faith described in the 11th chapter of Hebrews:
FAITH INVOLVES OUR WHOLE LIFE
What I Am - Righteous By Faith
See Hebrews 11:4-7. Abel was declared righteous by faith; Enoch was transformed by faith; and Noah entered into the new creation through faith (see Ephesians 2:8; Philippians 3:9).
What I Have - Promises By Faith
See Hebrews 11:8-23.
Heb 11:13 (KJV) tells us how the Old Testament saints received the promises that God gave them. It says they:
Caught a vision of them - Having seen them afar off . . .
Were convinced that they were true - and were persuaded of them . . ."
Applied them personally - "and embraced them . . .
And lived accordingly - and confessed they were strangers and pilgrims . . (see also Hebrews 6:12; Galatians 3:6-9).
What I Can Do - Exploits By Faith
See Hebrews 11:24-40. These verses give a summary of the great feats done for no other reason than that these people had faith in God (see Matthew 21:19-22; Mark 11:20-24; 1 Timothy 6:12; James 5:15-18; Luke 17:5-6; Matthew 17:20).