Any time that we read the scriptures, study the scriptures, debate the scriptures with intent of coming to the knowledge of the Truth, there are a few simple guidelines that will help us to more accurately extract proper counsel and Truth from the scriptures.
1. No verse out of context.
2. Interpret scripture with scripture.
3. Proper use of conjunctions in the scriptures.
4. Who is doing the speaking?
5. Who is being spoken to?
6. Use simple logical thinking when we read scriptures.
7. We must be willing to lay down the traditions of men.
8. God talks totally different to His family than He does to His enemies.
In the last 100 years or so, there have been several returns to bible principles, which have been good, starting with the charismatic movement in the early 1900’s, which brought the gifts of the spirit back into some of the churches. Following that the mighty healing movement in the late forties and early fifties and that led into the Word movement, which was ushered in by the faith teachers. Their slogan was, we are not moved by what we see or hear, but only by what the Word says! Then the intercessory prayer teachings sprung up. Could you not pray with me for one hour!
The teaching of faith has continued to be popular among many of the church organizations and ministries. We can all probably recall several teachings on faith, which we have heard in the last several years. However, we might agree that the “faith teaching’ kinda got off track quite a bit?
Thank about this! How many sermons have you heard on “grace”? In the past, how many resource catalogs have you seen with a teaching series on “grace”? Grace has not been taught, in the body of Christ, to the point that we understand how it works, what it is for or how to properly use grace.
Before we plow into the mechanics of “grace”, it might be necessary to examine “faith” a bit further to make sure our understanding of “faith,” is settled as to what it is, what it is for and how to use it. Faith should be settled in our understanding.
Faith accesses Grace! We may have never heard our “faith teachers” make that statement.
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Faith accesses Grace! All my life being in church and following ministries, I never learned that Biblical Truth taught. If they taught it to me, I was not listening and I totally missed it!
This will be the main theme we will discuss when we dive into the scriptures concerning “faith”.
First of all, there are two types of “faith”. The first faith we experience is that which we are born with. This is “natural faith”. Our “natural faith” is developed as we physically develop by what we are taught by our elders, what we see and what we experience in life
We all demonstrate “natural faith” every time we sit down in a chair, every time we drive across a bridge, every time we flip a light switch to gain light into a dark room. With our “natural faith” we fully expect the chair to hold us. With our “natural faith” we fully expect the bridge to support us as we cross the bridge. With our “natural faith” we fully expect the light to come on when we flip the switch on the wall.
It is really amazing how strong our “natural faith” is settled in our understanding. We have all seen chairs fail and dump someone, ha ha ha! We have all seen bridges fail and dump vehicles to crash to a lower level, OMG! We have all flipped a switch on and have the light to come on, what’s going on? Yet we are not deterred. We continue right on.
In this discussion, our desire is to understand our “faith” that deals in the supernatural realm. The first thing we must confront in our mind is the fact that we may actually have some misunderstandings, preconceived notions or just plain wrong teachings from our elders. So with that laid out there, let’s address our “faith” Which the Lord designed and has given to us in order to operate in the supernatural realm of the kingdom of heaven on the earth at this time in history.
First let us examine that, which we have been taught concerning how we receive supernatural faith? We have heard “faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God”! We do have a scripture reference for this. Certainly we have heard this verse quoted many times.
Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
However, has anyone ever shared the Word of God with a person and that person did not have “faith” come into them? They may have just ignored the Word and continued on with their life in unbelief and faithlessness like before!
Well, if one has a high dollar Bible, the word “cometh” will be in italics. The translators added that word during translation and Strongs gives that word a 9999 denotation, meaning that it was not in the original manuscripts. The Interlinear Greek also concurs.
Guide line #1 in effect here. We should do not take this verse out of context but leave this verse in its image, which is the whole of Romans chapter 10. Paul is quoting the prophecy of Isaiah 53 and who would believe his report concerning the Messiah. Paul is explaining the fulfillment of that prophecy by the Lord Jesus Christ and the benefits granted to those who choose to confess Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. When we confess Jesus as our Savior, we receive the spirit of Christ. When we receive the spirit of Christ, we receive the faith of Christ.
Gal 4:4 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Every person has the choice to believe or not believe the report of the Word of prophecy of Isaiah 53 and that Jesus fulfilled those scriptures. If we chose to believe and then confess Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior, then we receive the Spirit of Christ to indwell us.
That which takes place is referred to as the New Birth. The old spirit man of sin, which we inherited from Adam is destroyed and replaced with the Spirit of Christ. We receive some great benefits, which are called the fruit of the Spirit and one of them is faith.
Gal 5:2 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
So the “faith of Christ” is one of the fruit of the Spirit, which we all receive at the time of our new birth. When we look around the community of Jesus followers, it would naturally seem that some were dealt out more faith than others. However that is not true.
Rom 12:3 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.
At the time of our new birth we received the Spirit of Christ and along with the Spirit of Christ we received the faith of Christ. Of course that faith resides in our Spirit man.
This understanding concerning our faith is highly important to our understanding of how “grace” is designed to work in the kingdom of heaven on the earth here and now.
Many of our well intentioned “faith teachers” have taught us more on how to have faith in our faith than anything else. We have been taught to use our faith to believe for cars, houses, money, airplanes, miracles and all kinds of “things”. It got so extreme that they were sometimes labeled as “name it and claim it” or “blab it and grab it” and some other names we won’t mention.
Did not Jesus tell us in the scriptures to seek first the kingdom of heaven and these “things” would be added to us?
Matt 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
It is easy to see that the “faith movement” derailed almost to the point of using our “faith” to just believing in “things” instead of accessing “grace” and demonstrating the manifold wisdom of God and the spiritual realm onto the earth now.
In this derailed “faith movement” we would get so excited and used some of our “natural faith” along with a bit of our “supernatural faith” and every now and again we would have a “faith adventure” and begin to think that we had arrived. However, most of the time we would get back into the boat wet after we had had a “water walking” adventure and then a “faith sinking” adventure! However, I would rather be a wet water walker than a dry boat setter!
Hopefully we will be able to extract truth and discernment from the scriptures and have a more clear understanding of how “faith” assesses “grace”. Strangely enough, we already know this but not to the degree that it brought the full light of the gospel in our mind. Notice the scripture that most every believer can quote from memory.
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
We can see that we subconsciously already knew this and have quoted that our “faith” accessed “saving grace”. However, the mechanics of “faith” being the tool or means of accessing “all graces” somehow just did not come into full understanding in our mind.
Again as we have stated, faith accesses grace. The best example in the natural to explain this spiritual principal is a person’s bank account and their checkbook. Your check from your checkbook is how you access your bank account. Faith is like your check and grace is like your bank account.
If you go into your bank, where they love you and know you because of the money you have deposited into your account, and say, “Hey I just want to get some of my money please”. What are they going to say to you? Okay! Just write me a check. One might say, “I don’t have my checkbook with me but just give me some of my money any way”. Ain’t gonna happen!
Our check accesses our bank account. Our “faith” accesses our “grace account”.
With this understanding we are more able to examine the different “graces” provided for us through the Lord Jesus Christ including as to what is it, what it is for and how do we use it.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spoke, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16 And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Jesus came full of Grace and Truth and there are many types of Grace, however all are accessed by faith. We have already looked at “saving grace”.
There is also “wisdom grace.”
There is also “peace grace.”
There is also “healing grace.”
There is also “wealth grace.”
There is also “giving grace.”
There is also “signs and wonders grace.”
There are many types if grace. Actually, everything Jesus brought with Him for the benefit of mankind was placed into “grace!”
We access each “grace” with the “faith” which each man and woman was dealt the measure of “faith.” We also remember from Ep 2:8 that the “faith” to assess “grace” is also a gift of God.
Ep 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.
A good study exercise is to take the Strongs Concordance and examine the “graces” listed in the scriptures, especially in the New Testament, knowing those “graces” are accessed by “faith!”
Grace and Peace multiplied in the name of Jesus.
Compiled by Jerry Thomas 01/27/2021
All scripture references are (KJV) unless otherwise denoted.
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