All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others
WHAT IS FAITH?
I posted this question on one of Amanda's Topics and decided to post it for all. The question is out there. What is faith? Do we know and understand.....really understand what the word means? Do we have it? Do we use it?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Rita Cullimore on
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Char,
I see your growth in faith every time I read one of your posts. You are growing tremendously in Christ. Keep up the good work!
Blessings....
Rita
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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on
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Rita-
It would be helpful to also identify which "faith" we are talking about. There is a difference in what "saving faith" is and what faith that can be increase in degrees is, as well as the gift of faith.
Faith is believing God and ACTING on that belief, without yet having what we are believing God for. In the Hebrews 11 context.
Saving faith is a gift of God unto salvation.
The gift of faith is the ability God gives some to believe the impossible at a greater degree than others. However we can all attain such degrees by acquiring more believe in God's word (faith), by abiding in the word, which comes to us through the preaching of the word and our own personal study.
The word Faith can also be use to describe our beliefs as a whole. We use the word faith as a word that can envelop our entire belief system in God.
The one thing we definitely know is that faith will get us into action. By faith Moses, Noah, Abraham... went, built, followed...
This is an important topic because the word faith is given many different meanings. Sometimes it is used in the sense of trust. Other times, it has more to do with hope. Too often it is used to mean belief in something apart from rational or empirical support.
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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on
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Rita,
I will post three articles I wrote several years ago on this topic they may be of benefit. The posting will be long, but this is a deep and wide subject.
Again, hopefully this helps.
Lord Bless,
LT
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Where Did My Faith Go?
March 6, 2007
I want to address the strength of our faith over the next three articles. Faith is not a one time receiving of Jesus and then we are good to go. Faith is measurable. Faith is either growing or shrinking. It is never stagnate. If you are like me there have been, and may be now, times when you feel as if your faith has failed you. You feel as if somehow you have lost your faith or are so weak that the next trouble which may be as weak as a soft breeze will break you. There is hope for those who fall into this trap. It is a trap that I believe we all experience from time to time in our lives. A time when God seems distant and we feel weak. A time when tomorrow appears to be without hope.
There are three important areas regarding faith that I will address through this and the next two articles. 1) Can I lose my salvation? 2) The measurable degrees of faith. 3) Multifaceted faith.
Can I lose my salvation?
I once believed that a person could lose their salvation. In the Scripture there are some verses that would initially lead a person to accept that as I had. After examining the whole counsel of God on the subject I have come to the conclusion that it teaches that you cannot lose your faith. Let’s look at some of the reasons why.
- You cannot be separated from the love of the Son or the Father.
Romans 8:35 tells us that we cannot be separated from the love of Christ by stating the following “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” As we go through these things Jesus still loves us. He knows that these events will wear on us and cause us to struggle like the Church in Smyrna where Jesus says to them “I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
How does this prove that you will not lose your salvation? It is a love never ending. It is a love that endures with us as we go through the battles of life. It is a love that brings a promise. Paul said earlier in Romans chapter 8 verses 28-34 the following that gives us assurance “and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”
The last part of Romans 8 seals the deal. Paul writes “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We are conquerors. That means we will win the race and overcome the battle. That means we cannot lose. This victory is not dependent upon you, but God.
Some would argue that nothing can separate you from the love of God, but you can walk away. I will refute that shortly when we examine “saved by grace.”
- You cannot be snatched from His hand.
Jesus makes it clear that once you are given to Him and become one of His sheep you cannot be snatched from the Father’s hands in John 10:27-30 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."
You are forever His. The love and protection of God are not dependent on you. The troubles we face in life come as refining fire, discipline, or our battle with the enemy. Even in the darkest hour God is there and ready to put a stop to the events when the time is right. The key is learning to trust God through the storm instead of always wanting to be removed from the storm. The disciples taught us this lesson when the storm rose and they feared for their lives they called out to Jesus Who was sleeping. He was asleep because there was nothing to fear. He awoke and calmed the storm. Before calming the storm Jesus told the disciples the following “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" (Mat. 8:26).
You and I are secure in the Father’s hands. Trust in the heart and power of the Father. Once you are His He will not let you go.
- If you were able to fall away there is no sacrifice left to bring you back.
The idea of losing our faith and then returning is not acceptable according to the teaching of God. <st2:bcv_smarttag>Hebrews 10:26-27 states “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” This verse is not an example of what will happen, but what would happen if it were possible. You see we are saved by grace, not works. We cannot fall out side of the love of God, nor can we be removed from His hand. If we were to be judged under sin we would deserve condemnation, but the Bible says that there is no condemnation for those found in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1).
The verses are teaching us that if you could fall away there would be no redemption. We can learn from God’s treatment of Israel in the Old Testament and His future treatment in the end times. Israel disobeyed God on countless occasions and chased after false gods. God brought judgment upon them time after time in the form of discipline. When they would cry out He would restore them. Did they lose their relationship with God each time? Were they renewing their relation with God each time? No! Through it all they were, and are, God’s chosen people. They did not become un-chosen and then chosen, and un-chosen and then chosen. The core relationship did not change. The surface issues altered their relationship, but not to the point of exclusion from God. The nation of Israel will be dealt with in the future. We, the body of Christ, are not dealt with as a nation. We are dealt with individually. Our relationship with the Father is through the Son. Once that occurs the core relationship cannot change. You cannot become a child of God and then not a child of God. When a person experiences being “born again” it is the beginning of a new life. That new life is in Christ. As Nicodemus stated that he could not go back into the mother’s womb we cannot reenter the spiritual birthing phase. We are or we are not a child of God. We cannot be born again and become unborn to be born all over again. And we certainly do not lose our salvation once to be lost for eternity. If that were the case the grace, mercy and love of God would be silenced and inoperable.
The apostle Peter denied Jesus three times and was yet embraced by Jesus Himself. Was denying Jesus a sin? Did Jesus die for Him again? Then the sin didn’t remove Peter from the family of God. The fact that Peter denied Jesus three times is important. The number three in Scripture carries an emphasis of fact or meaning. Three denials would qualify as “continuing to sin” therefore according to some he would be lost and need salvation again, but there is no sacrifice left. Therefore, Jesus could not have embraced Him, unless he was never lost, just wayward.
- You are saved by grace.
I have taught through the years that “we are saved by grace and maintained by grace.” Few dispute the teaching brought forth by Martin Luther that state's it is by “grace alone” that we are saved. Some churches have attached works. Some disguise this, but their teaching of salvation requires some form of works to be saved. The Bible says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9). The fact that salvation is by grace and not works is clear in the Bible.
The problem arises when we take the next step. What about after a person is saved? Then what? How does a person
stay saved? Too many today teach either by design or in error that it is by works. They will not word it that way. They point you to the 10 Commandments. If you want to be saved you must live up to these. Come on! I could not get saved trying to live up to these. I surely will not remain saved if I have to live up to these. Same problem as before I got saved. My sinful flesh and my human weakness will fail again. Some will create a list of dos and don’ts. If you break this list you are a lost sinner. None of this makes any sense. Why would God save us by grace and require us to live under the law to maintain that salvation? He doesn’t. The whole Book of Galatians speaks to this issue. We are free from the law and live under grace. We live under the grace of God. We are saved by grace, and this not from ourselves. We are maintained, kept in salvation, by grace, and this not from ourselves. Anything else would make no sense and be inconsistent with our understanding of God and His Word.Summary:
- You cannot be separated from the love of the Son or the Father.
- You cannot be snatched from His hand.
- If you were able to fall away there is no sacrifice left to bring you back.
- You are saved by grace.
I believe the Scriptures teach clearly that you cannot lose your salvation. Whether I am right or wrong, because this debate will not go away this side of heaven, is not the issue. The key is that if we are hungering after God and seeking to get closer to Him we will never be testing to see if there is a line in the sand that goes to far and then “oops” I’ve crossed over and am lost again. I think many ask “Can I lose my salvation” because they want to know how close to the fire can they play and still be saved. Stay away from the fire and draw near to God. In Him you find comfort, safety and love.
Lord Bless
Leonard Traina
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Permalink Reply by Colby on
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LT makes a great point here about the quality of faith.
Faith is measurable. Faith is either growing or shrinking. It is never stagnate.
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Measurable degrees of faith
March 7, 2007
Today we will look at the measurable degrees of faith and what effect they have in relation to man and the power of God working, if any, in a situation. Before we get to the degrees I want to address two topics that impact the degrees of faith. 1) The origin of faith and, 2) How faith is expanded.
The Origin of Faith:
Faith is a gift from God. We do not wake up one day and set our minds in the direction of God and state that today I will believe in Him. Faith comes from hearing the Word (Rom. 10:17) and this Word makes an impact because of the illumination given man by the Holy Spirit. He opens our eyes and minds to the truth. We are led to believe in Jesus by Him. This is beyond our human will and capabilities. Our part in the origin of faith is responding to the truth as revealed by the Holy Spirit. He brings the convincing and conviction. We in turn are free to embrace or reject that which the Holy Spirit, not man, has revealed.
How Faith is Expanded:
Once we have come to the point of accepting the truth we now play a greater part relating to the growth of faith in our lives. When we accept Jesus as Savior we do not all-of-a-sudden have great faith. We do not instantaneously have a faith that trusts God in every area of our lives. We must set out to grow. This idea of growth, whether plant or animal, follows a plan set in order by God. In order for all living things to grow they must be fed.
There are two aspects to this feeding. Often one or the other is neglected. We need both to be well balanced. These two aspects are intellectual growth and experiential growth. I am to grow in knowledge and I am to grow in depth and breadth of my experience of Jesus in my life. My faith grows when I experience Jesus working in me and around me. The disciples were taught by Jesus and witnessed His miracles. The disciples proclaimed to the people that they were witnesses to the things Jesus had done. They were fed intellectually and experientially. Though Jesus is in heaven He is no less active today through the workings of the Holy Spirit.
If you are not being fed the Word of God you will struggle to grow. If you are not experiencing the presence of God you will struggle to grow. There are no short cuts. Your faith cannot grow because your spouse is on fire for Jesus. You may be influenced and indirectly fed, but that is not the same as pulling up to the table and partaking of the living bread of life personally. I would not expect my life to be sustained by watching my wife eat supper. I must also eat if I want to live. Your spiritual growth is directly related to receiving the Word (reading and hearing) and walking in the Spirit, living for God. I can assure you that if you have neglected the Word of God your faith is weakening. Weakening to the point that the storms you once could have withstood can now move you. Get into the Word.
Degrees of Faith:
There are degrees or depths of faith. You may envision a thermometer. The hotter the temperature the higher the mercury rises. The colder the temperature the lower the mercury drops. Our degree of faith will affect how we stand up to life’s challenges. Will we stay the course or like Peter start to sink into the water he was once walking on and called out to Jesus “Save me?”
1. No faith
No faith relates to one being empty and unable to trust God for the outcome of the current situation. This person will shrink back every time. I am not referring to an unbeliever. The unbeliever will have no faith in any area of life until salvation comes. This relates to the believer. Yes, he trust’s in Jesus for salvation, but what about protection or provision (We will discuss this idea more tomorrow).
At times the disciples exhibited faith so small that Jesus had to ask them if they still had “no faith.” He wasn’t asking them if they knew Him, but why didn’t they trust Him. In Mark 4, where Jesus made the comment, Jesus had told them “Let’s go over to the other side.” He did not say “let’s try.” He gave the command and they started out. Then the storm came as it so often does in our lives. Jesus was asleep. He was not worried. He knew the outcome. The disciples, due to the size of their faith and the size of the storm cried out for Jesus to save them. He did. What disappointed Jesus is that they felt fear for their lives. Jesus knew they were going to make it to the other side. They lost sight of the command/promise “Let’s go” and focused on the storm. This occurred because they had no faith.
2. Little faith
Little faith relates to one having some faith, but not enough to overcome the problem. We start out strong when the wind against us is weak. As the tempest begins to blow against us it begins to affect our headway. Eventually the storm becomes greater than our strength, that is our faith to proceed, and we shrink back. We call out to Jesus for help and again Jesus comes to our rescue amazed that such a storm could stall us once again giving evidence to our little faith.
Matthew 14 illustrates a good example of this weak faith relating to protection. Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water. The storm rages, he loses sight of Jesus and begins to sink. The storm didn’t overtake him. His little faith let him down.
Matthew 16 illustrates this weak faith relating to provision. They were worried because they had not brought any bread. Their little faith caused them to miss the point of Jesus teaching. Jesus reminds them of the feeding of the 5000. Why would they worry if only a few would have enough to eat if He could feed the thousands?
Little faith opens us up to the working of God in our lives, but limits Him in the fact that we are too weak to follow Him the whole way. We stop short or shrink back. We allow the circumstances to dictate rather trusting God to guide us through to victory and through to the blessing He intended for us.
I remember in the movie “Cool Running” a picture example of starting well, but stopping when you face the storm. In the movie the group had just flown to Canada. They are proudly walking through the airport following close behind John Candy. Then we see the exit door leading to the outside. John Candy comes walking through alone. The camera pans in to the airport through the exit door and there they are frozen in their tracks. We are often like that. We follow God closely until the climate changes and then we tend to freeze in out tracks.
3. Great faith
Great faith relates to one trusting Jesus and expecting great things from Him. There is no fear, but simple trust that He can do it. The Bible gives us two illustrations using the term “great faith” as proclaimed by Jesus.
The first illustration is found in Matthew 8 where the centurion comes to Jesus seeking help for his servant. He so trust’s in Jesus that he proclaims that Jesus doesn’t have to come to his house. He believes that Jesus need only say the word. Jesus is amazed by such great faith and grants the centurion’s request. He trusted Jesus for healing.
The second illustration is found in Matthew 15:28 where a woman comes to Jesus on behalf of her daughter. She refuses to be silenced by the disciples. Her response to Jesus amazes Him and here too He proclaims that this woman has great faith. He grants her request. She trusted Him for healing.
Summary:
The apostles and other Christians down through the years have exhibited little faith at times and great faith at others. You have probably experienced times when you felt as if you could move mountains and other times doubted that you could face tomorrow. If you looked back on your life I believe two things would be revealed. The strength and weakness will align with how much you were in God’s Word. The second thing leads to tomorrow’s article. What areas in your life did you stand strong and which areas did you shrink back or feel defeated? You are stronger in some areas and weaker in others.
Our faith affects the working of God in our lives. It does not limit His power or authority. It limits His ability to bless us because we stop short of where the blessing was to be received. When Jesus returned to His hometown He was limited in the miracles He could do for them. He was limited because of their lack of faith (Mat. 13:58). He had much more for them, but they were not ready to receive. Their faith kept them from going to where the blessing of God was going to meet their need.
It should be the goal of every believer to grow in the faith. This growth benefits the believer and glorifies God.
Ultimately we cannot judge the depth of faith that another person has. Only God knows for sure the depth of another’s faith. This is not about others. It is about you or, in my case, me.
Lord Bless,
Leonard Traina
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What Are Areas of Faith?
March 8, 2007
We have examined the issue of eternal security and the degrees of faith. Today we will look at the areas of faith. I use the following term “multifaceted faith” when referring to these areas. Multifaceted faith simply means that we have degrees of faith in many different areas of our life.
This is true of our trusting in worldly things to function. This trust is a level of expectation. When I turn on the light in my kitchen I expect it to illuminate the room. The frequency of failure is rare and therefore I believe the switch will work every time. I don’t have the same success with my computer. There are times my computer acts as if it has a mind all its own. I don’t have the same level of faith in my computer to perform its functions as I have in my kitchen light to perform its. Don’t miss this next part. I cannot transfer my trust in the light over to the computer. Because I trust the light will function does not ensure the computer will function better. They both require electricity, but have different functions and purposes.
In our Christian walk with Christ we may have great faith in one area, little faith in another and no faith in another. This doesn’t mean that I am not saved. I have great faith in Christ for my salvation. This faith in Christ for salvation does not automatically transfer to the other areas in my life. Just like the computer and light require electricity the various areas in my life that require faith require Jesus, but the function and purpose of those areas vary one from the other. The failure is never Jesus, but in our trust of Him on our part. When that trust is weak we can expect less activity in us and through us regarding that area. The example of Jesus in His hometown where there was little faith and He could do only a few miracles illustrates this for us today.
It is our faith that stops short of the blessing God intended for us if we but stayed the course.
What are some of the areas?
I chose six to look at. There are more.
I need to preface this section with the following understanding. There are three factors to successfully experiencing God’s hand in the following areas. Faith, obedience and God’s will. If you are not obeying God even if you trust in Him do not expect Him to bless you. If God’s will is set on a subject you cannot change it. You can trust that God knows what is best for you.
1. Salvation:
This area is critical to all the others. For without salvation you cannot have faith in the other areas. Faith starts at salvation. This one is unique. There are no degrees. You are either saved or not. The reason for this is that in salvation you are either born again or not. You are either a new creation or not. There is no middle ground.
2. Protection
This relates to you trusting Jesus in the time of trouble. The protection can be a simple as walking down the street to going to Iraq and fighting as a soldier. You may have no faith and are afraid of almost everything, or little faith that enables you to do the only basics in life, or great faith that enables you to go to war trusting Jesus or travel to third world country as a missionary. The depth of your faith will determine how free you are to act when Jesus calls.
3. Provision
This relates to trusting Jesus to meet your needs. These needs can be broken down into subcategories. We have needs in the area of housing, food, bills, and autos to mention a few. Our degree of faith will determine how we respond to situations in our life. Situations like the loss of a job, your house burning down, or a car being stolen. All of these things are temporal and replaceable. The depth of your faith will determine how you respond in the midst of the trial.
4. Relationships/Marriage
This relates to trusting God to guide you to the right mate or circle of friends. Often people tire of waiting on God and jump regarding a spouse. Then they are saddle with the outcome of the decision they made. We can trust God to bring godly people into our lives. This may seem like a stretch. You may ask “Why should I have faith for friends?” Because when we do not involve God we accept less than what He has for us. How many people have you known chosen the wrong crowd to run with? How many lives have been damaged or destroyed by choosing the wrong circle of friends? Trusting God in this area is just as important as trusting Him in the others.
5. Healing
This relates to health and not just healing once health is failing. I will not go into depth today on this subject. It is a complex subject and one that causes pause and concern for many, especially if they have lost a godly loved one.
I will address it this way today and save a more expanded teaching for another day. I can assure you that if you have no faith for healing you will have no expectation of being healed. God can in His great love and mercy heal despite one’s lack of faith. The same principle applies to the one whose faith is little. That person will have little expectation of being healed. The one of great faith has expectations of being healed. The faith is in place, but that alone will not assure the healing. There are two other factors which include obedience and God’s will.
Direction
This relates to walking in God’s will today trusting Him to unfold His plan for your life day by day. He rarely reveals the distant future to us. Our lives are in the here and now. Living for Him now is the key. If you submit to Him today the result will be a tomorrow that God is ready for you to go through with His help and guidance.
Summary:
We have seen that there are many areas where faith is required in order for us to operate fully for God. For each of us our strengths and weakness vary. You may have great faith for protection and weak faith for provision. The key is that we must be seeking to grow in the areas we are weak while not neglecting our areas of strength. We need to be walking in obedience to God and trusting His will for today. Examine your life and see where you need to work on expanding your faith. Then embrace God to help you grow as you study His Word and walk with Him.
A humble person recognizes that there is work yet to be done in them. The arrogant person believes they have arrived.
Lord Bless,
Leonard Traina
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It is my belief that all people are born with *the measure* of faith. I believe that we are all born with the same amount of faith. This is easily proven by watching a small child. If it is your child, he/she trusts you for everything he/she gets. If you throw that child into the air, that child knows you will catch them. We don't start out with different amounts. We all have the same amount.
As we grow from childhood, our faith can either grow or shrink...depending on what we are being taught. If we are taught by the basics of the Bible, we will continue to grow in them. I don't mean that we all will believe in Christ, because some of us aren't taught that way so we don't have the faith nourished to believe in Him....but we will believe in something. Some people have been raised to believe or have faith in the evil that surrounds them. Some will have faith in only themselves.
We are taught, as Christians, to have faith in God. We're taught it, but has it sunken in or are we still believing in ourselves or believing in the evil that surrounds us? Are we putting our faith in an ordinary person or our we putting our faith in Christ?
Christ has told us if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can say to the *mountain* jump into the ocean and it will do exactly that. Have you ever considered the *trees* that you told to jump into the ocean and having them obey? On a scale of 1-10, where does your faith lie? I don't need to know the answer, but YOU do!
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Rita,
"It is my belief that all people are born with *the measure* of faith. I believe that we are all born with the same amount of faith. This is easily proven by watching a small child. If it is your child, he/she trusts you for everything he/she gets. If you throw that child into the air, that child knows you will catch them. We don't start out with different amounts. We all have the same amount."
Only born again Christians have biblical faith. What babies have is not faith, is trust, an unbiblical trust, but a trust that is God ordained in us, but is not faith. Where in the bible do you find that a person without a belief in God can have faith?
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David,
You are talking about biblical faith. I, on the other hand, am talking about my belief, that one is born with faith (the measure of). First, in MHO, one needs to study what faith is, before one can talk about biblical faith, faith in self, faith in someone else.
*Faith* is a large subject. I am interested in studying from the beginning to end.
Blessings.....
Rita
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Rita,
A mesure of faith -
Romans 12:3
For through the grace given to me I say to every one among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgement, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
According to Romans 12:3, God gives varying measures of faith to his people. Paul says that we ought "to think so as to have sound judgement, as God has alloted to each a measure of faith" (emphasis added). In the context, this is not a limited reference to the unique spiritual gift of faith which only some believers have (1 Corinthians 12:9). For Paul says, "I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgement, as God has alloted to each a measure of faith. (emphasis added). "To each" refers back to "everyone among you." God has given all Christians varying measures of faith. This is the faith with which we receive and use our varying gifts. It is the ordinary daily trust of the Son of God (Galatians 2:20) by which we live and minister. J. P.
The world does not have faith, not the Christian faith. What they have it's extremely different than the measure of Faith God has given us. I believe we do better not calling what they have faith, but belief/believe. "Worldly faith" is not transformed into Godly one, so it our faith does not begin as we are in the world.
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