For this new year, God has instructed me to adopt the guiding theme of “EVER INCREASING FAITH” in the Church that I pastor. It is a beautiful theme that seemingly seeks to encourage good feelings of hope and vitality. However, it is also a theme that is heavy in what it requires from believers. This is particularly true when considering the following fact of immense concern; many believers do not know what Faith is and resultantly do not live lives of Faith!

In this the first of a 3-part article series, I want to encourage you to join me in exploring scripture in understanding this concept called “Faith”. To help us to properly understand, define, and live lives of Faith, permit me to present to you the following scriptural lessons that I have gathered and learned about Faith from. I call them “Five Foundational Lessons about Faith“.

Lesson #1: The ability to have Faith comes from God

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 hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Romans 12:3 (KJV)

Paul encourages the church in Rome to be very “sober” in their thinking and not to exalt themselves higher than they should. He then proceeds to show that our ability to have faith is based on “the measure of faith” that God has given unto us. You were not the one who found God first, He is the one who found you. You did not love Him first, He first loved you and gave Himself for you. Therefore, you’re not the one who used, or can use, your own strength to muster up faith in Him; He is the one who gives you the ability to have faith in Him. To think otherwise is to envelop ourselves in pride, thinking that we can do more than we actually can.

Lesson #2: The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Faith

We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak.

2 Corinthians 4:13 (KJV)

God gives to us a “measure of faith” by indwelling us with His Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul then tells the Church in Corinth that we have “the Spirit of Faith”. The Spirit of Faith – the Holy Spirit – is then the one who causes or pushes us to believe. When we believe, we can speak with power and authority. It all doesn’t start with us believing, though. It starts with the Holy Spirit’s work in you. You believe when the Holy Spirit reveals things to you and convicts you of your sin. Then you can believe, confess, and repent. That’s why Paul highlights that believers firstly have “the Spirit of Faith” and then are able to “believe and therefore speak”. Therefore, salvation starts with the work of the Holy Spirit. That’s why the scripture says, “for by grace are you saved through faith, and its not of yourself, it is the gift of God. Not of works in case anyone should boast” (ref. Ephesians 2:8-9). It being “not of yourself” and “not of works”, but being the work and “gift of God” shows that it is the Holy Spirit’s initiative and not yours. You respond to the Holy Spirit in true belief and repentance after He brings His conviction and revelation to you.

Lesson #3: Faith is “Substance” and “Evidence”

¹Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ² For by it the elders obtained a good report. ³ Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Hebrews 11:1-3 (KJV)

Understanding that God made the heavens and the earth by His Word can only be done by faith. Understanding how Abel gave a pleasing sacrifice, how Noah built an Ark even while being ridiculed by the society around him, how Abraham believed God which was accounted to him as righteousness, how David conquered Goliath and became King, how Daniel, Esther, Mordecai, Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah found favour with pagan Babylonian and Persian kings, and how the Apostles followed Jesus Christ to the very end, even to the point of death, can all only be understood by faith. A revelation of God’s nature and work, both in creation and through the lives of His people, can only be truly understood by Faith. 

Faith is the substance of things hoped for. We cannot see tangibly the things we are hoping for, but faith acts as the substance of these things. It also acts as the evidence of the unseen. The intangible, spiritual things are confirmed to us, in this physical realm, by Faith. Hebrews 11:3 even tells us that the Word of God was “the unseen” component that made all things that are visible to exist. Faith is the spiritual tool and ability, produced by the Holy Spirit, that confirms to us the truth of the Word of God and the presence and activity of His Holy Spirit. One can even say that the activity of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, together, produces faith. That is why “faith comes by hearing the Word of God” (ref. Romans 10:17). 

Lesson #4: Faith is the necessary component that allows us to please God

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)

Faith is a reflection of the presence of the Holy Spirit and the action of the Word of God in our lives. Therefore it is clear to see why God places such emphasis on Faith being the requisite ingredient that must be present in the mixture of our lives if we truly want to please Him. In order for us to live a life of faith that pleases God, we must firstly believe that He is who He says He is, and secondly we must believe that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.

The first part speaks about God’s identity, to know who He is. People of faith have encountered and know their God. They have received a fresh revelation of who Jesus Christ is. They might not know everything there is to know about God (which is an impossible and never-ending venture) but they understand who He truly is. Knowing God in such a way builds our understanding of Him and our relationship with Him. The Holy Spirit and the Word seek to bring such revelation knowledge and understanding to us establishing the chiefest of foundations; a relationship with Jesus Christ. This helps in the establishing of faith in our lives.

The second part speaks about God’s ability, to know what He can do. People of faith know their God as the One who can do all things. If we diligently seek after Him, He is more than capable of rewarding us for such diligence and dedication. He can save, He can heal, He can deliver, He can comfort, He can convict, He can correct, He can create, He can judge, and He can rule and set all things right for His glory. This second part cannot be established until we firstly understand who our God truly is. However, when it is truly grasped, a believer would be in the glorious position of being in an established spiritual state of true faith.

Lesson #5: Faith is meant to “increase”

We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; – 2 Thessalonians 1:3 (KJV)

2 Thessalonians 1:3 (KJV)

As we saw earlier in this article, Romans 12:3 tells us that God has given to each of us as believers “a measure of faith”. As amazing as this is, we also see that from scripture, He desires to do more for us than to see us continually operate within this initial measure only. That measure of faith pushed us to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. But there are deeper mysteries and greater heights to achieve in Christ, as explained by the Apostle Paul in the following scripture passage:

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (KJV)

This then presents an interesting fact about Faith; Faith can increase! Jesus’ desire for us is that we become more and more like Him, as seen in 2 Corinthians 3:18. God’s ideal plan, as shown in this scripture, is that we become so much like Christ that it would be as if we see Him and His glory when looking into a glass or mirror! He desires that we be changed into His image and that we grow in Him “from glory to glory”, which is a process led by the Spirit of the LORD. God is saying to us, in this season, that our “measure of faith” must begin increasing. 

Now, a good question to ask here is “how can our faith increase?“. To find out, stay tuned for the next article, “The Faith Life (Part 2)“.

TO BE CONTINUED

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