True Faith

[BanjoPicker]

The word faith, the word believe with its various endings, the word trust is the other word for faith and believe. It is used with its various endings.
The words simply mean to confide in, so as to be secure without fear; to flee for refuge to or to take shelter in; to put faith in; to stay or rest on; to rely on; to believe or to take one at his word; to rely upon the promise of another; and to put absolute trust in a person without any questioning or doubts as to His faithfulness.

The Bible definition of faith is, "The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" Heb. 11:1. Various renderings express this verse thus: "Now faith is a well-grounded assurance of that which we hope, and a conviction of the reality of things which we do not see" (Weymouth); "Now faith means we are confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see (Moffatt); "Now faith is the title-deed of things hope for, the putting to proof of things not seen" (Centenary Translation); Now faith is an assumption of what is being expected, a conviction concerning matters which are not being observed" (Concordant Version); Now faith is the persuasion of the things that are in hope, as if they were in act; and it is the manifestness of the things not seen" (Syriac); "Now faith is assurance of things hope for, a conviction of things not seen" (Revised Version).

 

[BanjoPicker]

Paul, in Rom. 4:17, expresses true faith as an attribute of God. "Who quicketh the dead, and CALLETH THOSE THINGS WHICH BE NOT AS THOUGH THEY WERE." "Faith is union of assurance and condition, the counting reckoning a thing done as though it were already done. Faith does not have to see before it believes. It laughs at impossibilities and all circumstances that may be contrary to it and counts the thing done that it asks from God. Faith is not swayed to believe God only when things seem possible, and it is not moved to waver or question in the least when things seem to go contrary to what has been asked. It doggedly plugs right along counting the things that are not as though they were.

 

[BanjoPicker]

WHAT FAITH IS NOT

Faith is not feeling that prayer is answered. The average person who seeks to exercise faith depends upon what he can see, hear, or feel. Testimonies concerning faith are usually expressed in connection with feelings and emotions, or the various senses. Sense-faith is based upon physical evidence or upon the emotions and feelings of the soul. All who take this road will sooner or later be deceived. Faith should be based upon the Word of God regardless of any sense-knowledge or feeling-evidences.

 

[BanjoPicker]

People are constantly looking to feelings as to whether prayer has been heard or not. If they happen to feel good, or if something happens that encourages them, they think that it easy to believe but if reverse come and feelings take wings these same people are in the depths of despair. They are quick to accuse God of being unfaithful and untrue to His Word. If they do not go this far, they are quick to imagine that it was not God's will to grant the answer. They become satisfied to go without what God has plainly promised.

 

[BanjoPicker]

Faith has not the slightest relationship with feelings and sense-evidences. At the times when men think they have all the faith in the world because of feelings they have the least in the world and when they think they have the least they have more than any other time in their lives. Many people are surprised to get answers to prayer because when they prayed, they thought their faith was nothing. People should not believe they are healed because the pain is gone, or that they are saved because they feel they are forgiven. They should not think that their prayers are answered because things are working out that way. Instead, they should always maintain faith because of what the Word of God says. The Word of God should have first place in their lives instead of the senses. All basing of faith upon what we have done how weel we live or what experiences we have had will lead to failure in answered prayer. God does not answer upon these grounds. He answers solely upon the grounds of grace and faith in Him and in His word.

 

[BanjoPicker]

True Faith is not trusting in the goodness and in the faith of another man. It must be personal faith in God and His Word. People continually go about seeking someone who has faith and who can get answers to prayer for them. This may work temporarily while one is learning about God and His Word but if we do not properly learn and develop a personal faith that refuses to be denied we shall eventually revert to failure and unbelief and we shall have to be satisfied with the modern theory that answered prayer is not for everyone.

 

[BanjoPicker]

The best thing for a person that will pay is that of having personal faith in God, faith in Jesus Christ, faith in the Holy Spirit, faith in the Word of God Faith in the atonement, and total consecration personally to believe God regardless of anything that might happen to hinder prayer. The right program is not talking about faith, or the need of it, but the actual exercise of it. Simple Faith in the Word regardless of feelings and circumstances is never possible to the man who lives only in the realm of his senses, for he believes only what he can see, feel, hear, or understand to be possible. This was the kind of faith Thomas had when he declared that he would not believe until he had seen. It was the kind that Martha had when she could not see nothing but the natural fact that Lazarus had been dead four days and "by this time he stinketh." This is the kind of faith taught and encouraged by modern religious leaders, but it is not the kind required by the New Testament.

 

[BanjoPicker]

Neither mental faith nor mere assent to truth and dependence upon feelings is enough. The individual must come to life and action before he will realize the benefits of active, living faith that refuses to know defeat and failure. A man must learn to fight the fight of faith and lay hold of God and His Word. He must learn that he is surrounded by an unbelieving world and an atmosphere of doubts, that demons and fallen angels and men have lived for centuries in unbelief and wickedness creatin currents of doubt and mistrust that are subtle ant that effects of the fall have left in the lives of fallen men deep wounds of doubt and wavering that must be healed. He must learn that he has to wrestle with powers of darkness and currents of mistrust and unbelief which make it a struggle to exercise active faith for things that are not seen. He must not only learn to do this, but he must do it in order to get results.

 

[formula1]

It’s a knowing!

1 John 5
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

 

[Ruger#3]

It’s a knowing!

1 John 5
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Well said…

We ask for what we think we need and should have faith God provides that which we do need. A friend once said, God has a plan for us, we just got to figure out what that is.

 

[formula1]

But we don’t always have figure out God’s will. Sometimes we just have to trust Him and in that you find the confidence of knowing!

 

[Ruger#3]

But we don’t always have figure out God’s will. Sometimes we just have to trust Him and in that you find the confidence of knowing!

Great point….

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

 

[BanjoPicker]

There are several kinds of faith mentioned in Scripture, in arriving at the kind of faith one should have.

COMMON FAITH (Titus 1:4). It is called "the mutual faith" (Rom. 1:12).

This is the faith that is common to all men who claim to be Christians. It is common because of the few commonly accepted truths held more or less alike by all Christians, such as belief in Christ as a Saviour and eternal life. The uncommon kind is that rare faith in apostolic power and in the fulness of God in the lives of all Christians. It is faith in these truths that brings controversy because the average church member has not been taught that he can have all the benefits of the gospel which were experienced by early Christians.

 

[BanjoPicker]

WEAK FAITH (Rom. 4:19; 14:1-23; 15:1-4; 1 Cor. 8:1-13).

This is the kind of faith that constantly limits personal benefits and privileges in the gospel due to wrong teachings and personal scruples concerning non-essentials of life. There are literally thousands of people who spend much of their time arguing and condemning each other over small details of life that are not essential enough to mention in particular in Scripture. These consist of what one may or may not eat, drink, wear, or do in life and still be a Christian. In the above-cited Scriptures it is clear that the Kingdom of God does not consist of meat, drink, and personal details of life that are not specifically forbidden in Scripture, but that it is "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Rom. 14:17).

If the devil cannot get men to commit great sins that are forbidden in Scripture, he will urge honest-hearted people to go to the extreme and condemn this or that in personal liberties that are not strictly condemned by God. Multitudes today got to the utter extreme and condemn in some degree almost every phase of human living. The law of Scripture concerning anything that is not definitely forbidden by God in Sceipture is: "He that doubteth is dam-ned if he eat, because he eateth not in faith: for WHATSOEVER IS NOT OF FAITH IS SIN" (Rom. 14:23).

The Christian law of love to others is: "Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. For meat destroy not the work of God. All things are pure; but IT IS EVIL FOR THAT MAN WHO EATETH WITH OFFENCE. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. Hast thy faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is the man that condemneth not himself in the things which he alloweth . . . We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let everyone of us please his neighbor for his good to edification" (Rom. 14:19-22; 15:1, 2).

 

[BanjoPicker]

STRONG FAITH (Rom. 4:20).

This faith is the kind that refuses to be defeated. It refuses to take no for an answer. It laughs at circumstances, symptoms, all outward appearances, and what is seen, heard, or felt, and it doggedly holds to the fact that what has been asked of God is granted. Abraham had this kind of faith: "Who against hope believed in hope, that he should be the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not WEAK IN FAITH, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb [who was about ninety years old]: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was STRONG IN FAITH, giving glory to God; and BEING FULLY PERSUADED that, what he had promised, he was able to perform. And it was counted to him for righteousness" (Rom. 4:18-22).

This is the kind of faith all men should have and could have if they would only persuade themselves that God is true to His Word. Most men claim that they have faith in God to the extent, and not one wants to say boldly that He is a liar and that He will not do as He said, but when it comes to exercising faith that will not doubt or waver in prayer, very few will maintain such a strong faith and thank God for the answer even before it is realized. Very few will simply refuse to question or waver in the least when it seems that things are going contrary to what has been asked of God. This is exactly why they do not get definite answers from God. There is no person who will exercise faith as strong as that of Abraham who will go very long without an answer from God. Such a thing, that God would refuse one who came to Him in such unwavering faith is literally impossible and unheard of (James 1:5-8; Heb. 11:16). All men are definitely assured of getting from God those things which He has promised if they will "walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham" (Rom. 4:12, 23-25).

 

[BanjoPicker]

LITTLE FAITH (Mt. 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; Lk. 12:28).

This is the same as no faith because it is the wavering kind (Heb. 10:23; Jas. 1:5-8).

GREAT FAITH (Mt. 8:10; 15:28).

This is the true, unwavering faith that will always move God to answer according to His abundant promises (Heb. 11:6).

UNFEIGNED FAITH (1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:5).

This faith is the kind that knows no hypocrisy, sham, or counterfeit. It is the kind that does not brag or put on outward show, that it is real. It is simply genuine and real and sincere in its every aspect. It proceeds out a pure heart and from a good conscience, as stated in these Scriptures. It is not hereditary, although in 2 Tim. 1:5 Paul speaks of it as being in three successive generations. It is the kind that all honest, pure, and sincere men have. It is the unselfish, holy, and godly kind that naturally increases in the life of every true child of God, as he grows in grace and knowledge.

 

[BanjoPicker]

TEMPORARY FAITH (Lk. 8:13).

This is the kind of faith that believes for a while and springs up like a mushroom, but because of shallowness, lack of root it fails in time of temptation and test. People through the ages have been of this type. They receive the Word of God with great joy, and it seems that they are going to outstrip everybody else in faith, but after a few days or weeks they are not heard of again, or if they are heard of again, it is in another revival meeting where their emotions become again stirred temporarily and they make another start in faith, soon to fall again. They never fully come clean with God or make the full surrender of their lives except for the moment. They do not prepare the soil so that the seed can take root and produce fruit.

Some teach that this cannot happen, but it does in spite of the so-called impossibility of falling away from the faith and being renewed in repentance again. Some teach that one cannot fall from the faith, but Jesus certainly said that some would "receive the word with joy; and these have no root, WHICH FOR A WHILE BELEVE, and in time of temptation FALL AWAY" (Matt. 13:20, 21); Lk. 8:13). Paul speaks of these as those who "concerning faith have made shipwreck" (1 Tim. 1:19), as "having cast off their first faith" by going "aside after Satan" (1 Tim. 5:12-15), and as having "erred concerning the faith" (1 Tim. 6:21). Many Scriptures say that men can depart from the faith and fall from faith. (Acts 14:22; 1 Tim. 2:15; 4:1; 5:8-15; 6:10, 21; 2 Tim. 2:18; Heb. 3:6; 12-14; 6:11, 12; 10:22-28). Men are repeatedly told to continue in the faith (Acts 14:22; Col. 1:23; 2:6, 7). Anybody with common intelligence knows that he can disbelieve anything that he chooses to lose faith in, especially in things that are not seen.

 

[tell sackett]

It’s a knowing!

1 John 5
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Interesting you should choose that passage (1John is one of my favorites). Yes, it is a knowing. One interesting thing about that word is the two different Greek words we see translated "know". The word John uses here is "oida"- to be absolutely sure. He uses it frequently (and yes, that's the word he uses in v.13).

The other Greek word is "ginosko" which John also uses frequently in this letter. Ginosko is to know by experience. He actually uses both in v.20- And we know with certainty that the Son of God is come, and has given us an understanding, that we may know by experience Him that is true...

A wonderful word.

But we don’t always have figure out God’s will. Sometimes we just have to trust Him and in that you find the confidence of knowing!

The confidence of oida or ginosko?
Or both?

 

[formula1]

Interesting you should choose that passage (1John is one of my favorites). Yes, it is a knowing. One interesting thing about that word is the two different Greek words we see translated "know". The word John uses here is "oida"- to be absolutely sure. He uses it frequently (and yes, that's the word he uses in v.13).

The other Greek word is "ginosko" which John also uses frequently in this letter. Ginosko is to know by experience. He actually uses both in v.20- And we know with certainty that the Son of God is come, and has given us an understanding, that we may know by experience Him that is true...

A wonderful word.


The confidence of oida or ginosko?
Or both?

Both! Experience and just knowing feed the growth of Gods purpose in each one of us!

I’m going to now call you our resident Greek scholar!

 

[tell sackett]

Both! Experience and just knowing feed the growth of Gods purpose in each one of us!
?

I’m going to now call you our resident Greek scholar!

Please please don’t do that. That’s way overshooting the target. You could write a whole set of books about what I don’t know, but I do love word study.