“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
If you do not carefully follow this article you will not grasp the truth. This is a very unpretentious subject, but a wonderful truth of living by faith. This will be one of those thoughts that will be line upon line and precept upon precept.
EVERYTHING GOD HAS IS OBTAINED BY FAITH
Man does not receive things from God because he or she is separated from the world. Separation from the world benefits man. One will live longer and live better because of practicing the doctrine of separation. This doctrine will allow one to walk with God, but again let me reiterate man does not get things from God because he or she lives a separated life. Man receives things from God via faith.
Man does not get things from God necessarily by praying. The Bible does not say, “Praying shall save the sick” it does say, “The prayer of faith shall save the sick.” It is faith that gets a person things from God. Faith is the key that unlocks all of God’s cupboards.
Man does not get things from God because he or she is dedicated; though God’s children should be dedicated. Being dedicated will benefit you and yours.
Man does not receive things from God because he or she is faithful, though God’s children should be faithful. The truth is you will benefit form faithfulness by living longer and living better. Man receives things from God by faith.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT DEGREES OF FAITH
Matthew 6:30 mentions “little faith” while Matthew 8:10 gives us the term “great faith”. Luke 17:5 we have the term “increased faith” and Matthew 17:20 mentions faith like a grain of mustard seed. Acts 6:5 mentions “full faith” and all of this is underlined by Romans 12:6 where it speaks about our “proportion of faith”.
Please follow carefully. Some have “little faith” and if faith is the key to getting things from God then those will get little from God. Some possess “great faith” and if faith is the key to getting things from God then they will get greater things from God. Some have “full faith” and if faith is the key to getting things from God then they can get almost everything they ask for from God.
Matthew 9:29 says, “According to your faith so be it to you”. There is not a single person reading this article who does not want to receive things from God.
Someone has an ill child and you want that child returned to health by God. Some one has a financial problem and you want God to supply financially. Some one has a wife or husband who has left and filed for divorce and you want God to intervene and bring your spouse back home.
The truth is every one reading this article wants to get things from God and the way to get things from God is by faith.
Please take note of this statement? There are some Christians who are better Christians than others who do not get things from God. Those who are not as good of a Christian who get things from God is the result of faith not goodness.
Some are not as faithful, dedicated, or separated as others who get more things from God. Why, because man does not get things from God because he or she is a good Christian.
Wait, before you crucify me please do not misunderstand for you will live longer and better by being a good Christian, but not get as much from God as those who have faith in God. If you desire to get things from God and it is by faith, then I would pay attention to this article.
- Everything that God has is obtained by faith
- There are different degrees of faith
- Each of God’s children have different degrees of faith
- The degree of faith equals the degree of answer
Little faith equals little things from God, great faith equals getting greater things from God, and full faith equals getting almost everything you ask from God.
GOD PROVIDES THE FAITH
Habakkuk 2:4 says, “The just shall live by his faith” and Romans 1:17 says the same thing, but there is one more word added in Habakkuk 2:4 and that is the word “his”.
The Just shall live by “his” faith. The very faith we have has been given to us by God himself and it belongs to God for it is “his faith.”
In Ephesians 2:8-9 God says he provides the very faith that man can place back into God. Wait a minute does that mean that God chooses whom he will save and does God choose whom he gives the faith too? NO! The Bible is filled with the “whosoever will may come”.
How then can we reconcile all of this? According to the Bible no one can go to Heaven unless he wills to do so. Man chooses, decides, and wills to either trust the Saviour or reject the Saviour. So, how do we reconcile “our will” with “his faith”?
GOD GIVES TO ALL MEN THE SAME MEASURE OF FAITH
Romans 12:3, “…as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith”. God gives the same measure of faith to each of us at the beginning and we all start out the same.
When I was a boy and we went on a trip somewhere each of us would receive a dollar and we could spend it on whatever we wanted to. Hold it, I could do what I wanted to do with the dollar.
God has done the same thing to each of us with faith. The Bible says, “…the measure of faith” not “a” but “the.” It is the same at the beginning for all of us.
MAN CAN SPEND THAT FAITH WHERE EVER HE PLEASES
If God’s child is to get the greatest return on that faith he must place it right back into God himself. Man may squander that faith if he so chooses.
He can place it in his company where he works, or the government, or a retirement program, or a wife, or a husband, or a religion, or a priest, or a preacher, or Social Security. Man alone decides where to spend this faith that God has given equally to all of mankind.
God does not give man faith that he MUST place back into him. Man has an option of where to place that faith. God lets man decide for himself.
My mother and my daddy, when I was young, were on opposite sides as far as God was concerned. As a five, six, and seven-year-old boy I decided where to place my faith.
God gives each of us the same measure of faith and we become stewards of that faith. It is up to each of us how we invest that faith.
If a man goes to Hell it is because he or she has placed that faith in the wrong person or the wrong thing. If a person has Hell on earth it is because he or she has placed their faith in the wrong person or the wrong thing.
No man can generate saving faith or living faith. Faith is given to every man the same measure then it is up to each individual where he or she invests that faith as to whether or not it grows with returned dividends or not.
I often find myself thanking God for my godly mother for she encouraged me to place my faith in God, his word, his work, his program of finances, his place for marriage, and his plan for child rearing.
God gave me the same measure of faith and then my mother became a cheerleader for Jesus and encouraged me where to invest my faith. Man is constantly using faith in every area of his life.
WHEN YOU PLACE THAT FAITH IN GOD HE GIVES YOU MORE FAITH
This is a basic principle; you cannot out give God for he will be a debtor to no man. Romans 1:17, “For therein is the righteousness of Go revealed from faith to faith…”
God gives you faith and you place that faith back into his Son Jesus Christ to take you to Heaven when you die.
He gives you faith to be baptized and you place that faith back into God. He gives you faith to give tithes and offerings and you place that faith back into God. He gives you faith to go soul winning and you place that faith back into God by going soul winning. God gives you faith to walk with him and you place that faith back into God by walking daily with him. On and on it goes.
SUMMARY
- Everything that God has is obtained by faith
- There are different degrees of faith
- God provides the faith
- God provides the same measure of faith to all
- We may invest that faith where we please
- When we place that faith in God he gives us more faith
- Thus, if we receive less it is because we invested less
- If we receive more it is because we invested more