by Rex Rouis
According to the Bible, growing faith is not a struggle. Faith is a grace, a gift from God. The gift of faith comes freely when we meet the conditions of the promise.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
We struggle when we try to work up our own faith outside of God’s grace. This kind of faith is no substitute for real Bible faith. Human natural faith is weak and temporary. It is emotional and intellectual. It is of the mind. It is usually referred to as ‘mental assent.’ This is when a person ‘mentally assents’ to something as believable but not yet fully believing it or receiving it. It is a mental faith and not a heart faith. It will not receive anything from God.
God’s faith is supernatural. It is spiritual, personal, and vital. It is alive and it is active. Its power is irresistible because it has the backing of Almighty God Himself. The Bible says that, “It is with the heart that man believes unto righteousness.” Faith comes to the heart when the answer to the promise is spoken to us by the Lord.
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the (spoken) word of Christ. Romans 10:17
We simply cannot receive through mental assent. Faith alone is God’s currency. Faith comes alive when the word on the page drops from our head down into our heart. We must meditate on His word and seek Him until we know that we know that we know that we have heard from Him. Faith is not make-believe. It is not a hope so or a wish so. It is an imparted knowing from God. Faith begins when the will of God is known. To receive, we must determine whether we have a head faith or a heart faith.
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. II Corinthians 13:5a
For many of us the confusion on how one receives faith has resulted in countless vain attempts to believe. Not to mention the added disappointment of not receiving. Let us stop struggling. We cannot manufacture our own faith. Faith cannot be worked it up. Let us go to His word and into His presence and receive from Him. It will take time, discipline, and focused seeking but it will be worth it.
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6
It is worth it because when faith comes the answer comes. For faith, the Bible says, is the victory.
For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. I John 5:4
Comments
If faith comes by grace than what is the fight of faith 1 Timothy 6:12?
How would keeping my mind on the promises of God and not the problems not be work.
If we don’t work up faith then why build up faith in Jude 20?
Paul spoke in tongues more than any. Would not his effort in praying in tongues have something to do with his faith?
If faith comes by hearing and we get it by grace then is all the effort in studying the Bible of no benefit?
If faith comes by grace then why meditate on the Scriptures day and night. Josh. 1:8?
The solution to a lack of faith to cast out demons is to pray and fast. For me fasting is work. Fasting is exhausting work. Prayer is also work.
If fighting in faith is not work, praying in tongues and prayer is not work. If meditating on the Scriptures day and night is not work. How would I move from working at these things to resting while doing these things.
Would not the process of receiving from God be the work of rejecting the world? Rejecting the bad attitude of people cursing on the job. Rejecting the bad attitude of so called Christians complaints? Rejecting the pain in your body. Would not all of this be work?
To not work for me is to sit down and turn on the TV and enjoy the world.
I can also sit down and enjoy God. But Satan has other ideas. While sitting down in a park and reading enjoying the sky and wind in my face. A policeman came up and asked me what I was doing there? So I after the police left I had to fight to regain my peace.
Scott – Bravo. I agree with everything you wrote. Faith is an effort but not a struggle. It takes work but not self-works. We discuss many of these items on this site, many that you mentioned. Well done. Rex
Sure faith comes from God we should not struggle for it, but just to believe in God without doubt.
Sure, but the whole issue is how does one get to a place where you can ‘believe in God without doubt.’ How do you get there? Do you choose to do it, or is it received as a graced ability from God? And, if it is grace received, is there anything that you must do to receive it? Are there conditions?
Is there an actual moment when one receives faith? A moment when you have it but a moment before you did not. I believe there is such a moment. It is the moment you ‘hear’ from God concerning the thing for which you are hoping – Romans 10:17.
The Church has been vague and confusing on these issues and because of that there is a huge misunderstanding about when someone truly is in faith. Most people, I think, if they are honest, just assume that they are in faith, or hope that they are in faith, and they have no idea if they really are in faith. The woman with the issue of blood knew that she would be healed (Mark 5:28). We also need to ‘know.’ It is the basis of faith.
We must remember there are a few scriptures which state who will be saved..it is those who keep the commandments (for , according to Scripture, we show God we live HIM by keeping HIS commandments) AND have the faith of Jesus Christ. Again, by whose faith are we saved? By the faith of Jesus Christ. That is having faith in Jesus Christ’s faith…It is in the Scriptures. Revelation 2:4 , and 14:12.
Faith comes by ‘Grace’ as it is Received from God . The role of ‘efforts’ come to reach the point of ‘receiving’ and what we do or how we conduct things in life after we have received the Faith. God’s will is greater than human will. But He will always give us a choice- to live in His grace or out of His grace. This will require a pro-active decision of involvement of our complete self (heart-mind-spirit) in Christ focused to SEEK His Presence constantly at all times, for there will be many distractions and temptations in life.
Awesome piece, I tell my kids all the time have faith and their reply is always “I do mom but….” with that they get a lecture from me, there is no “buts” in faith, saying it doesn’t mean your believing it, there’s a huge difference.
Now this, is Good!!!!!!!
🙂