Where does faith come from?

[Dad Ernie]

Greetings All,

It seems some agree with me, some don't. That's okay. I hope I might clarify a bit how I see faith.

In the Complete Jewish Bible the word "faith" (Gr. pistis) is interpreted "trust". We see some explanatory verses in these:

Mark 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. IOW - "TRUST GOD".

Psalms 40:4 Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

Psalms 56:11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.

In contrast to this we see such verses as:

Psalms 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

Psalms 146:3-5 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, (NOT JESUS, BUT THE SONS OF ADAM) in whom there is no help. 4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. 5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:

Isaiah 36:6 Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.

Indeed through Adam's creation, God imparted "faith" - TRUST to ALL men. It is one of the GIFTS God has given unto men. Do you know what "agoraphobia" is? It is the fear of being in large, unconfined spaces. People lock themselves in their homes fearful of going outside that perhaps the sky will fall on them. I know of no mature Christian who has this phobia. The reason being is that their TRUST is NOT in the things of THIS WORLD, but it is in GOD!

I believe that it was King David that was warned not to put his trust in his horses or in the sheer number of people he ruled over. Yet he took a census and counted his horses. God dealt with him on this severely.

Adam at first "walked and talked with God", but the day he put his trust in his wife and in the serpent, he fell.

Isn't this what happened to Peter? He got out of the boat of safety and actually took a few steps toward Jesus UPON THE WATER, but he quickly was struck by the fearsomeness of the high waves and the dark billowing clouds above and DOWN HE WENT.

I do not believe that God keeps giving us more and more faith. He gave to ALL men a "measure", and as is noted, even that MEASURE (the size of a mustard seed) is ENOUGH to move mountains, but it is NOT to be placed in man, events, cars, alarm clocks, even yourself, but it is to be placed in God, and when you do, KEEP IT THERE, - DO NOT take your eyes off HIM, even when the enemy is tossing you into very stormy times. KNOW that God is your buckler, and your shield. Jesus is ever present in the time of need, you can REST ASSURED that HE is there for you. KEEP TRUSTING HIM. - THAT is "GREAT FAITH".

Often you can see a young Christian have VERY GREAT FAITH. Sometimes very profound miracles can happen around such faith. But as we continue our Christian walk, the enemy does everything in his power to cripple and destroy that grain of seed called "faith in God", so little by little the enemy hacks away, bit by bit, our once strong faith is crippled until what is left is "little faith".

BUT, if a Christian persists in HIS walk with the Lord, through all sorts of trials and tribulations, never taking his eyes off God and His Son, that Christian's "faith" is said to "increase" or "become great faith". So it is the EXERCISE of that faith, as HAPPY suggested, that causes that little seed of faith to GROW and to INCREASE. It is planted in KINGDOM soil, NOT in the soil of this earth.

Does that make my prior post more understandable?

Blessings,

Dad Ernie

[tsth]

Dear Happy,

I am again in agreement with what DE, posted above. But if I may, I'd like to add some things I have learned from experiencing faith myself.

Disclaimer:

This is what I have learned in my personal life, and according to what I have experienced myself. I am giving a testimony, and want to be clear that this is my opinion of my own experience of faith.

I have found that faith to me, is very much explained in the experiences of those mentioned in Hebrews 11. In that, they all began with a Word of God They all were told something from God, and they believed to the point of "activity", therefore they experienced the outcome of their belief in what God told them I am finding that out as well! We are all given a measure of faith, but I do not think it is all the same measure. Why? I honestly don't know? I do know that my faith, and many times, womens faith seems to be more so than mens', (not always!) but I find this to be true with my husband and myself. Women are much quicker to lean on faith than men, just as children are too. That is the reason for the Scripture in Mark 10, that the children will enter the kingdom. They have great faith.

Another thing I have found through my own experiences........my faith grows, the more I practice it. If you do something that you KNOW God has told you to do, especially if it seems against the odds, but you know God wants you to obey, and you do it...........then you experience that faith being rewarded......Hebrews 11:6.........You become more comfortable in trusting the things that God leads you through.........voila.......greater faith.

It is like this:

Matthew 13:12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

I believe the above describes faith, the more we practice/have of faith, the more we are given. It grows abundantly.

(I have a more detailed version I will post below, but it maybe too long?)

In His Love,

Suzanne

[tsth]

More Will Be Given?

Matthew 13:12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

Matthew 25:29 For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

Mark 4:24 Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.

Mark 4:25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."

Luke 8:18 Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

2 Corinthians 10:15 not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, in other men's labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere,

Ephesians 4:13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

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 testimony. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him";for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Hebrews 13:7-8

Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

James 2:14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Dear RT,

It has occurred to me that the thing which is given in more abundance, is FAITH. If any of us has walked in accordance to obedience to the Word. Done that thing which is obviously by faith, that thing which to us, like the others spoken of in the times before us, is difficult, but we have obeyed and done that which seemed unlikely or impossible, but, because we were instucted by the Lord, and believed and followed, then....as we continue in this "practice of faith" (or dare I say "work of faith") our abundance of faith is "increased".

"Take heed what you hear

How do we heed what we hear? Do we heed with the intent to obey?

Much like what Jesus tells us about His yoke is easy. It is, if we are willing to take hold and embrace that which seemingly at first glance is difficult, or binding. To walk in faith is sometimes, because it is not so obviously easy, but the more we do it, the easier it becomes and the more abundant it is.

Matthew 13:12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

Isaiah 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

And those who do not believe to the point of obedience, then what he has will be taken, his faith will not remain. (The Falling Away?)

I believe this is what is exampled in the story of the 10 Virgins, 5 believed to the point of obeying and were given much, 5 did not believe to the fullest, they only partially believed, not to the point of obedience. We as God's people must begin to believe unto obedience, lest we come to the point of diminished faith, for our faith is only increased in abundance, if we perform those things we are called to perform, those things spoken to us by the Word and the Holy Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, just as those before us did. Noah, Abraham, Daniel, Rahab, etc.....

Dear Happy, I hope this helps answer some of your questions. As you can tell it was from an earlier post, but I felt it was very applicable to your questions.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[JesusisGod2]

[

Jesusisgod2, I guess you answered the question I asked Dad Earnie, but I want to see what he says. I do have a question about "faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God" verse, it doesn't say anywhere that you increase it by hearing, only that it cometh by hearing. Do you think it implies it?

[

I don't know if it implies as much as it states it. and I'll try to explain what I mean by this.

As we read Gods word we get to know God and learn to trust Him with more and more of lifes matters.

Faith starts out in our life as a mustard seed but as we learn of God and put our trust in Him it grows up and branches out to where when we ask ourselves the question why? our answer will be because God says so and I trust in what God says.

Our faith increases the more we submit to Gods word which is Jesus Christ. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God" John 1:1

In Rom 10:8-- it is called "Word of faith"

Jude 1:9 -- shows us Gods Word is faithful

Col 1:5 -- it is called the word of truth

Phil 2:16 -- it is called the word of life

2 cor 5:19 it is called the word of reconsiliation

I dont recall where it written but the verse goes something like God watches over His word to see that it performs all that He has set it out to do.

So my answer would be that by reading Gods word and trusting what is written in it, God will take that mustard seed faith that He has given us and cause it to increase into the tree as He has promised.

The mustard seed starts out tiny but as it is nurtured it eventually grows into a tree. this does not happen over night.

Dad Ernie -- thanks for clarifying what you meant on your second post. Thats some pretty good stuff on faith. I was edified by it for sure.

God Bless you guys and keep the posts coming. I know I for one am learning from the different responces

In Jesus

[Voice Of God]

FAITH comes from hearing JESUS (THE WORD).

He is the AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith!

[Ovedya]

Simple answer: Faith is Jesus Christ.

[JesusisGod2]

Simple answer: Faith is Jesus Christ.

Hey God-man,

Welcome back!

Great post guys, I really like a sight where there are those who still appreciate the reading of what Gods word says, as opposed to what such and such said or what thier preacher says.

When the woman at the well went to the towns people and proclaimed that she had met the Messiah, she brought them all to Jesus. but when they heard Jesus speak (symbolic of reading Gods word) they replied

"and many more believed because of His own word, and said unto the woman, now we believe, not because of thy saying; for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world" John 4:41-42

The woman led them to the mustard seed faith but by hearing Gods word (reading the word of God) for themselves they went from a simple belief to strong faith that moves mountains "we have heard Him ourselves and know that this is indeed" when they went to hear His word for themselves

they could say without doubt Jesus is God.

its funny how sometimes you read Gods word and dont think that you are getting anything out of it but an opportunity comes where you are talking to someone about the Lord and these scriptures that you had thought you were getting nothing out of come to your rememberence and you as well as the person you are speaking with are edified.

This has happened on more than a few occassions to me and shows me the power of Gods word and as you witness someone else responding to Gods word you cant help but be amazed at what a wonderful and powerful God we serve and that His word is living and active.

[Guest Happy]

Jesusisgod2, voice of God, I am not clear on Jesus being the word. Where can I get an explanation? Are there any bible study sites that go into it? It's very interesting, but it always went over my head.

[Ovedya]

It is interesting when you read the Scriptures concerning faith. Belief in the Bible is something that we already have the capacity for, faith in the Bible comes from believing into something. For example, the verses in Romans 10 state that we must first believe with our heart, then confess with our mouths in order to be saved. This is why we are called believers, not "faithers." Faith is on God's side, we receive faith the moment we believe. Hebrews 11 gives the perfect definition and examples of faith.

[Ovedya]

Jesusisgod2, voice of God, I am not clear on Jesus being the word. Where can I get an explanation? Are there any bible study sites that go into it? It's very interesting, but it always went over my head.

Here are the verses: John 1:1, 14; 1 John 1:1; Rev. 19:13.

Jesus' being the Word of God means that He is at least three things:

1) He is God revealed.

2) He is God expressed.

3) He is God defined.

Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9), therefore, He is fully God. Jesus' speaking is God's speaking (John 12:49, 50; 14:10 cf. John 6:68). His actions and His expressions were all God's actions and expressions. Therefore, He is called the Word of God.