Abraham’s position as the ‘Father of faith’ is a fact spelt out clearly in the 4th chapter of Apostle Paul’s epistle to the Romans. His faith has been touted as the ultimate example of the kind of faith that pleases God; a faith that was credited to him as righteousness. In this present time, we are called to realize that this declaration of righteousness on Abraham is for our benefit too, assuring us we will also be declared as right with God if we believe in Him who engineered the resurrection of Jesus.
So what exactly is this type of faith that pleases God? When we say we are men or women of faith, what do we mean in concrete terms? Can faith even be measured in any way? I would like to think that it is only the Author of faith that can determine anyone’s level of faith because of His access to the workings of everyone’s minds. Having said that, perhaps we should attempt to compare our faith to this ultimate example of faith.
Abraham’s faith in Romans chapter 4 is described as:
- Belief in the God who gives life to dead circumstances and situations
- Belief in the God who brings into existence what did not exist before
- Belief in utterly impossible promises: e.g. Becoming the father of many nations; to have descendants as numerous as the stars despite the (obvious to all) physical impossibility of this given his age at 100 years and Sarah’s barrenness
- Never wavering in believing God’s promises, if anything after hearing all illogical promises, Abraham’s faith grew stronger. AND this level of faith brought glory to God.
- Absolute conviction that the God He served could do ANYTHING He promised (Absolute is emphasized here, that is, 100% conviction. Even 90% does not cut it.)
Because of this type of faith highlighted above, God declared him righteous.
Wow! What a tall order!! I know I have a long way to go to get to this type of faith. But God in his faithfulness has made righteousness more accessible than ever by sending His begotten son to die for us, so that we can become adopted sons and daughters of God. Belief in the death and resurrection of Christ makes me righteous in the presence of God, qualifies me for eternal salvation and makes me a co-heir of God’s promises along with Jesus. I thank God for this saving or justifying faith.
But I want more. I do not just want a basic faith in God which is only a belief in the nature and essence of God and His everlasting love. That puts me on the path of the saving/justifying faith described above which I have accepted by my baptism. But that is not enough. Neither do I just want an intellectual faith which has not made a connection with the real power of Jesus and therefore cannot produce fruit. (James 2:19) No, I want the supernatural faith that gives God the opportunity to move mountains in my life – just as He did in Abraham’s life.
A faith like this demands risking being looked upon as foolish sometimes. The ability to believe in God breathing new life into dead circumstances goes against popular grain and all logic. I have come to believe that this supernatural faith is a spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit that comes from asking and faithfully studying (as opposed to reading) the Word of God. Growth in the knowledge of who God is by dynamically studying scripture and intimacy with the Spirit of God opens up endless possibilities. (We must keep in mind that this type of faith is not a very common faith even among Christians. That is not strange, we read in Acts 19:2 that there were disciples among the early Christians who had never even heard about the Holy Spirit. And still, they were deemed disciples. This is still happening today on another level, where many Christians know and talk about the Spirit but have no intimate connection with this third part of the Trinity)
This is not to mean that one sits on one’s oars while expecting the impossible to become a reality. The same guidance of the Holy Spirit gives the inspiration and strength for one to think out and do what is humanly necessary to be done. It is a partnership with God but only God is allowed to get the glory. That makes sense, because at this level of faith, it is understood that even one’s actions are inspired by the Spirit of God. And sometimes we are made to wait till we get to that level of humility where we will be certain to give ALL the glory to God. As we all know, this waiting phase can be a challenging period.
What I have learnt to do as I pick up this type of faith is to keep quiet about the impossible thing I am asking God to do. I am always more than happy to share a testimony that brings glory to God’s name when the evidence is there for all to see. There is no need to tell my colleagues at work that I believe God is going to do a ridiculously impossible thing. I will do my part, wait and then give a testimony that brings people to a closer relationship with God. In that way, God is glorified in every situation.
The truth is, we might as well not waste our time or God’s time praying for big things if we don’t have the faith required for God to answer such prayers. We might as well just continue trying to always figure it out on our own, so we can beat our chests when things get done. Who knows, we might just succeed, or we might get exasperated and then run to God. He doesn’t mind that but is probably amused at the foolishness of that route. After all, patience, the ability to wait upon God is in itself a fruit of the presence of the Spirit in one’s life.
There are too many examples in the Gospel where Jesus points to the pre-requisite of faith as the ingredient for the miracles He worked. There is no need to re-visit them here. One other scriptural verse I love to lean on however, is the point that Apostle Peter made in his letter to the Ephesians (Eph. 3:20) “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,”…..God’s ability to do great things in our lives is based on the portion of the power within us. Where does this power come from? His Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”
‘Dear Father, I want to have a faith like Abraham’s, a faith that pleases you and brings glory to your name alone. Please bless all who read this with a portion of your Holy Spirit and empower your word within us; accompanying it with miracles, signs and wonders in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.’
P/S: Pentecost Sunday is around the corner-6/4/17. How are you getting ready for this commemoration of the birth of the Church by the power of the Holy Spirit?
Hilltop Thoughts, Valley Strengths 