faithfruit

We are continuing in our series on the fruit of the Spirit and I find it very appropriate and fitting that our look at the fruit of faith should coincide with the celebration of the birth of Christ. Faith is such a large and grand topic that a mere article addressing it seems far from sufficient to do it justice. However, we have the seed of this fruit planted within us and it does us a good turn to water, cultivate, and harvest its product in our lives.

Jesus told his disciples in person, and he tells us through the vehicle of Holy Scripture, to “have faith in God.” (Mark 11:22) The effectual working of the will of God in our lives is activated by faith.

FAITH UNLEASHES THE OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD IN OUR LIVES and the power of God is actuated within us through faith. The Apostle Paul sheds some light here when he says of himself, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16) Initially, we receive the gospel message through faith because something has happened (Romans 10:17) within us to convince us of its validity. We realize firsthand the power of God to change our hearts and to set us on a course of perpetual spiritual renewal as he remakes us into the image of his Son.

Faith in Christ secures our salvation and grants to us the promise of eternal life. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

FAITH IS THE FOUNDATION FOR OUR HOPE IN JESUS CHRIST. The writer to the Hebrews tells us that “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1) This writer further tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) The entirety of Hebrews chapter 11 talks about faith and the example of faith in the lives of our spiritual ancestors.

It’s important for us to realize that our faith can never be stronger than the object of our faith. It’s easy for modern believers to allow the objective of our faith to become our primary focus. It’s easy to affix our focus on gifts that we desire to the point that our desire for gifts obscure our vision of the Giver who desires to bless us and longs for us to enter into unbroken communion with him. When this happens, we exalt our need or desire to the point that it becomes inordinate. We must ever “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2) lest we find ourselves walking in the realm of idolatry.

FAITH IS A ONE-WORD SUMMARY OF THE CHRISTIAN WAY OF LIFE. The prophet Habakkuk in 2:4 tells us “the righteous will live by his faith.” The Apostle Paul makes use of this verse from the prophet in several places and because of its repeated use we can only conclude that faith in the life of believers is an imperative that must be attended to.

The greatest of all prophets, the Lord Jesus, made it evident that we receive blessings from the Father according to our faith. An often quoted verse comes from Mark 9:23 where we find the disciples unable to cast a demon out of a boy. "If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." In numerous places we find Jesus saying, "According to your faith will it be done to you."

Saint James tells us that faith is an integral and interior ingredient in prayer. In 1:5-6 we find him saying, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”

Much is being made these days of collecting and cataloging biblical principles. This is good and appropriate. We need to know and apply what the Bible teaches about certain themes relating to the issues of life. However, there is an inherent danger found herein.

It’s easy to set up standards that we use to judge the faith and walk of other believers. Where there is lack in some corners of the Church there is abundance in others and in love we need to work toward harmony and health within the Body of Christ. (Galatians 5:6) Considering the many sharp lines of division that have separated the Church into a maze of denominations, non-denominations, and para-church ministries, this is likely one of the most difficult things for the Church to do. But we simply must work toward this unity and leave behind the disunity that mars the otherwise beautiful image of Christ’s Church.

Thomas Merton wrote, “Too often our notion of faith is falsified by our emphasis on the statements about God which faith believes, and by our forgetfulness of the fact that faith is a communion with God’s own light and truth. Actually, the statements, the propositions which faith accepts on the divine authority are simply media through which one passes in order to reach the divine Truth. Faith terminates not in a statement, not in a formula of words, but in God.”

He went on to say, “If instead of resting in God by faith, we rest simply in the proposition or the formula, it is small wonder that faith does not lead to contemplation. On the contrary, it leads to anxious hair-splitting arguments, to controversy, to perplexity and ultimately to hatred and division.”

FAITH SEES BEYOND CIRCUMSTANCES, BELIEVES FOR THE WILL OF GOD (HEBREWS 11:1), AND BECOMES OUR SHIELD TO PROTECT US AGAINST THE DARTS OF DOUBT. The Apostle Paul tells us to “take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Ephesians 6:16)

Our enemy loves to accuse us of being unworthy of our high calling in Christ. In his condemned state he knows that our acceptance is one conditioned by grace. (Ephesians 2:8-10) In his anger and jealousy he attempts to make us doubt our position as children and heirs of the grace and blessings of God. He comes to tell us that we can’t accomplish the will of God when we know Holy Scripture tells us that we “can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

Through the eyes of faith we accept and profess as our confidence where the Apostle Paul says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) When seeds of doubt are sown by the our enemy or by those who don’t understand the plain teachings of Scripture, we refuse to be pulled down into the deep and dark waters of despair because we know that “we live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7) We don’t have to see the fulfillment of a thing to believe for it (Genesis 18:14) and, like Abraham, we may have to wait some length of time until we see the promise manifested before us.

It is important for us to realize that faith is the vehicle that carries us into the realm where we are resting in the presence and grace of God. Here we discover the perfect will of God in our lives. In faith we accept who we are in him and align ourselves appropriately toward his desires for us. Here, as well, we find the peace to let go of all our hostilities toward others and of the anxieties created by our own insecurities and personal ambitions. Here we move beyond merely memorizing principles but are finally able to internalize the Truth that we find contained in Holy Scripture.

The Fruit of Faith

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
Galations 5:22-23

©David Kralik Ministries, Inc. 2003
Email: matthewfivesix@hotmail.com