True Christian faith is the gift of God, not only for salvation but for empowering us through absolute belief and trust in God and the truths presented in His Scriptures.
God’s Gift
True Christian faith is the gift of God, not only for salvation but also for every aspect of His design for our unique kingdom lives. It empowers us through absolute belief and trust in God and the truths presented in His Scriptures.
Eph 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
Faith for salvation is the gift of God. Accordingly, we can take no credit. In the same way, the true Christian faith, required for thriving as the masterpiece He designed, is also God’s gift. It connects every aspect of our lives with Him, His purposes, and His power. As Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him…”
Tragically, many have been deceived into believing they, through mind, will and emotions, are responsible for faith from the time of salvation on. Through Galatians 3: 3, Paul declares, “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now perfected by the flesh?” Thus, God’s Spirit is the only source of the faith that results in true life in Christ
Our Faith Is To Be In God
Sadly, many sincere Christians are deceived into attempting to replace His gift of faith with their flesh’s futile imitation. They are taught, “If your prayers for healing or your heart’s desires aren’t answered as you wish, it is because your faith isn’t strong enough.” Refer again to Galatians 3: 3 and align that with Scripture. Our Christian lives began through God’s gift of faith so how can we possibly believe that attempting to live for Christ through human efforts at either faith or serving Him can be of any value to His kingdom? Flesh-generated faith has no power. Holy Spirit-generated faith is the only true source of life through our incredible walk with God.
Ask the Spirit for revelation about faith as He presents it in the following Scripture.
James 1: 6 “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.”
The Spirit is our source of faith regarding all of life in Christ. Doubts cannot stand against the faith He provides.
James 2: 19 (NKJ) “You believe there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble.”
James is making the point that intellectual belief in God, versus the Spirit’s gift of faith, does not bring salvation to either demons or mankind.
1 John 5: 14, 15 “… if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us … we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”
When faith for the power of prayer is taught, then our prayers will align with God’s will which is what the Bible teaches.
God’s Faith is Always Based on Bible Truths
Scripture reveals, “All scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Tim 13: 16). The Bible is the inerrant Word of God. Only the Spirit’s revelation of this truth through His gift of faith can result in our truly believing Scripture and living accordingly. We then anchor our lives in God’s truths. Religious, cultural, and intellectual attempts at defining truth are powerless. They are as vacillating as sand driven by hurricane winds.
God’s Scripture truths include:
• God’s Character and Identity
• Through all scripture
• Through the life of Christ
• His love for all mankind
• His calling for His Church
• The incredible freedom of knowing He has a unique design for each individual and their roles in His kingdom.
• The role of the Holy Spirit
• His Promises
• His Sovereignty
What Christian Faith Is Not
Let us now move beyond the central truth that true Christian faith is God’s gift and cannot result from mankind’s efforts to considering misconceptions that are to be confronted and eliminated.
Christ centered faith does not include:
• Presuming on God to bless our human plans, those not initiated by His Spirit.
• Guaranteeing results that coincide with the worldly “measures of success.”
• His providing the desires of our hearts, if they are presented from the flesh instead of aligning with Scripture and His will. (Psalms 37: 3-7)
• Receiving His promises according to either our definition of what the promise means or in our insistence God executes in our desired timeframe. See Hebrews 11.
• Expecting His sovereign will to align with our limited understanding of what is best.
The Believer’s Role in Appropriating God’s Gift of Faith
Our role in this life of faith centers in walking in the Spirit by journeying through this earthly life under the revelation and control of His Spirit. Through Gal 5: 16-25 (NKJ), Paul exhorts all to, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; and these two are contrary to one another … If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” As we grow deeper in our relationship with God, we learn to receive His revelations and surrender all to Him. We stand on His Scripture’s truths. His revelation and gift of faith replaces our futile efforts. He, not our flesh, then both transforms us and accomplishes His will in and through us for Christ’s glory.
We must remember to pray with faith.
God’s Incredible Life of Faith
Heb 11:13 “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar …”
Heb 11: 33-34 (NKJ)
“… who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises … out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle … were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had … chains and imprisonment … And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise…”
God’s life of faith is empowered beyond our comprehension (please consider all of Hebrews 11). It is not always easy or viewed as successful by either the world or mankind’s church, yet He designed each of us to be listed among His group of heroes of the faith, not by our efforts but through His Spirit’s life in and through us. God does not measure heroes based on worldly accomplishments but on lives lived through His empowering faith. Jesus didn’t ask the disciple what they could do for Him, but what He could do through them!
Application
What is the Spirit revealing concerning your beliefs about faith and victorious life that differ from the Scripture references above? How do you validate those with Scripture? What steps is He guiding you to embrace with Him?
Your comments and questions are welcomed at: curtp.martinauthor@gmail.com
Author’s Bio: Curt Martin is an author, speaker, seminar leader, and organization consultant. God has filled him with the passion to see every individual and organization become the unique and incredible masterpiece God designed. Little touches Him more than helping awaken all God placed within you, so you thrive in His freedom, purpose, and power as you learn to walk in God’s Spirit. Only those who commit to this journey experience the fullness of living God’s victorious life. Articles include excerpts from his award winning book, “Whose Life Are You Living.”
Here is some related reading for you: How to Be Transformed into the Image of Christ
Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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