doct55 Increase our Faith we define faith from the Bible, and explain how faith has to have corresponding evidence in our lives.

By David Cox

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Luke 17:5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

The apostles made a simple request. Jesus had taught them about faith. But the main point for them was that Jesus himself is the Messiah, the Christ, God incarnate so that He can give us salvation. It was almost impossible to believe this, but if you can find ever so small a piece of faith to believe it, like a small seed, it will grow to great proportions. With time, it will grow like a great, strong, and large tree. But as with the cultivation of trees, there are matters that are very important to observe.

John 4:48 Then said Jesus unto him, except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.

The problem then is this of doubting, of wanting evidence, and this is the opposite of faith. The lack of faith is to doubt God, His power and ability to work.

Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent:   hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Titus 1:2… God which cannot lie promised…

Heb 6:18 it was impossible for God to lie… Psalms 101:7.

What is Faith?

Hebrews 11:1 Now 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.

“Faith” is to believe in something, even though you cannot “see it” or see how it can exist or do what it pretends to do. It is believing even though you do not have evidence of how it works, or what makes it work, but the person is certain that “it is certain” anyway. Hebrews 11 details great men and women “of faith” that pleased God.

Hebrews 11:6 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.

This faith is what saves us, not “activity” which is really works. Faith comes from what one thinks and orders his mine and life to obey. This is conviction. Faith is a belief that a person holds as certain for his life and soul, and in which, the person believes and practices.

Faith really does not exist just because somebody “says that it is certain,” but faith exists when a person lives his life as if it is certain. His life, his words, his thoughts, his fears and confidence, his actions and works, all these demonstrate what a person really believes, and what he “believes in”, what his doctrine (doctrinal or moral beliefs) really is. James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. But the words “faith” and its verbal form, “believe,” come from the concept of faithfully or consistently applying the actions of your life to be under the control of a thought or belief. That concept forms your life into what it is. Hebrews 11 is about these people’s lives and actions, and how that faith in God is revealed by their lives. In other words, a faithful car is a car that every time you insert the key, and turn the switch, it cranks up and takes you where you want to go. You don’t have to understand everything about how it functions, other than using it.

Matthew 21:21 Jesus said… f ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. 22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

We understand that everything that involves faith must be according to God’s will. Because faith is based on God, on His Being, His character, His will, and it will not work on our whims just so we can see a mountain moved. But there is a spiritual warfare within the soul of each person over to believe God or doubt. “Faith” in something is this confidence that functions in forming unified and constant conduct. It is always or almost always as it presents itself. This is to say that our belief corresponds to the reality of the real world. God declares to us real things, the way things really are, and God is behind the objects of our faith so that this faith in God, in what He declares will happen, will happen as God has said. For example, the universe had no other “origin” except for God speaking it into existence, and then, it existed. Hebrews 11:3. God declares to us what to believe, and God bases what He tells us on things that are real and without possibility that they won’t come to pass, for it is impossible that reality is some other way than what God has told us.

Luke 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Faith in what is Spiritual

But faith is something more than just simple confidence. The thief “believes” that things will go better for him if he steals. He believes that instead of working honestly. The trickster “believes” that things will go better for him by lying and stealing rather than honestly working. The fornicator “believes” that it is better to fool around on his wife than to be faithful to her. These people “beliefs” control and dictate their conduct. (Hebrews 11:6 “he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” means that God will reward and/or punish all men. These sinners don’t believe God will call all people into account one day. Romans 14:12)

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Satan is the father of the lie and deception, and that means that he “believes” that this is best for his own life. Satan defies the truth of God, what is the reality that God makes happen. But he teaches and convinces people that his lies are real, are true.

Some observations about Faith

Hebrews 11 presents us with a long list of people that God recommends to us because of their exemplary lives that please God. These people were people who have a faith that largely was “of their own doing” (they and God). Which of these people went to a Bible school? Which received a PhD in religion? All of these “heroes of the faith” were educated by themselves with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit helping them, by their own studies or some with the help of godly parents. There is no “secret” or “secret methods” in building their faith, but they simply did it with their own lives. The apostles of Jesus were “in the school of Jesus”, but apparently, they did not have any idea of how this about building their faith worked. Faith works and is built up when a person dedicates himself to God, to be used of God. This means that one studies the Word of God, and their soul ascertains that it is certain.

How does the process of  being born of faith work?

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Faith is worthless if it is not linked and founded in reality. In other words, faith “in faith itself” is vain and empty. It does not have substance. What makes faith in the Bible so special is because God, the Supreme Being is placing the substance, the objects as the foundation of our faith. A review of these objects of faith is simply, that He is teaching us to have confidence in God Himself, in His character.

Faith is to consistently “Believe” and “Practice” what God declares to us

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

James makes the argument that “faith” is not real if your life (your words, attitudes, motives, acts, works) do not correspond to your doctrine, what you profess and pretend to believe in.  The matter of “faithfulness” is very lightly understood and practiced by Christians today. Faith can only exist when one has faith consistently (faithfully). In other words, inconsistency, unbelief, and in the end analysis, sin, are things a person “does believe” which things “their faith is ill placed, on things God will judge adversely.” A faithful Christian is a person who “faithfully” practices his beliefs. He is not volatile, or changeable. People who do not go to church on Sunday morning, do not do so because they have other more important things to do, but they don’t really believe that things will go bad if they don’t go, or that things will go well for them if they do go.

Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

The point is if we have faith, this faith must come from God, and from what God tells us, commands us, and that is what we believe. If you do not believe in the Word of God, in His commandments and declarations, using them for the guide and rule for your life, you do not have biblical faith. “Faithfulness” is to have the same faith always and constantly. There is no secret in this. It costs us to be faithful. But this is the entire matter. You do not have faith nor are you a real Christian if you change constantly like a traffic stop light.

Luke 8:24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.  25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.

Jesus had the perspective that his disciples believed and had confidence in what He was teaching them. When they should have been “faith-full” and apply their faith to their situation of life and have confidence that God would take care of them, they failed. And Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith. If your faith is not applied to your life’s problems, in how you live day to day, then you do not have faith as God wants.

The Secret of Increasing your Faith

Luke 17:5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. 6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. 7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? 8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? 9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. 10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

The simple advice that you must heed is that there is no place for arrogancy nor boasting. It is our obligation (being God’s creatures) to obey Him. Your faith will increase only by the authority of whom we represent, that is God. It is his power that has to flow through us, and this is only when WE ARE DOING THE WORK AND WILL OF GOD.

Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

In this case, the father of the child with the demon could not help his son. This man received instructions directly from Jesus, and his case could only be solved or fixed by faith. The father immediately declared that he didn’t have the faith necessary that Jesus requested of him. But the man declared his desire to have that faith to “do the impossible.” God is always willing to help us with our little faith, but we must declare our desire for His help. The steps that follow are to obey God every day and on every occasion of life. When God reveals something in His Word, we have to put that into our life.

What is after having faith?

2 Peter 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith is not the lone element of our Christian life, of our relationship with God. Faith is the principle by which we begin our relationship with God. But there are more things to build on top of our faith.

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doct55 Increase our Faith