Expert: Marilyn - 9/29/2006

Question
The NT speaks of faith in Jesus, and the implication is close to a full hearted trust in him and who he is.  

But Do you think there's any other probable way to interpret it?  For instance if a person believed that Christianity and its claims were more probable than say, the claims of Judaism, but less probable than the idea that we dont really have a succinct hold on what's going on.  That's still faith, just not strong faith.  Is there any way you can get from the faith verses that this level of faith can suffice?

Can you list off some of the verses that have to do with faith?  

Answer
Hello Jeff;

Romans 10:9 - 13 says:  "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with the heart that you believe and with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  As the Scripture says, "Everyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame."  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, "Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved."  (New International Version)

People confess, "Jesus is Lord," and then spend the rest of their lives coming to understand what that means.  For others, making Jesus Lord is instant and complete.  

In modern times when we have very little concept of what it was like to live under a king's rule, we don't get "Jesus is Lord."  Americans will argue with everybody.  Look what the President gets on a daily basis, and he's the highest official in the land.  But if he were king, few would dare to argue and all would be expected to obey.

But the idea of Jesus equivalent to an earthly king falls short of this biblical concept.  The earthly king will make mistakes, he may fall to temptation, he may commit horrendous crimes abusing his power and especially Americans recoil from the idea of anyone having the kind of power that might let them make astronomical mistakes human kings could potentially make.  Jesus is different.  

He does expect us to obey Him, but the things He asks of us are good, even if they’re terrifying (terrifying because they rip us out of our comfort zones).  But, instead of His subjects having to bear up under His demands, He takes all burdens upon Himself.  He says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden light," Matthew 11:28-30.  The picture here is of a lead ox and a younger, weaker ox.  The lead ox actually takes the entire burden while the weaker ox, though yoked with the lead ox, merely walks alongside.  This image is another lost in late 20th century minds so far removed from the farm, but no less valid.

It is Jesus' responsibility to guide a person who confesses Him as Lord into the new life under His leadership.  It's Jesus' responsibility to bring that person to full wholeness, lacking nothing.  However, the person must believe Jesus can do it.  That is the beginning of faith, to believe Jesus can do it.

Everything God wants to give to every person on the planet, be it health, prosperity, joy, peace, comfort, whatever it may be, it can only be received by faith.  For most persons, confessing Jesus is Lord and believing He has been raised from the dead is the easiest part.  Jesus historical presence on the planet cannot be denied.  And the fact that His Apostles, save John who was exiled to the Isle of Patmos, all died preaching He rose from the dead is undeniable proof for the honest seeker.  The logic?  Persons will not die for something they know is a lie, they will only die for something they know to be truth.  All the Apostles said they saw Jesus raised from the dead and all but one died preaching that.

The real kicker for most believers and me is the next phase of faith.  The phase when, for example, you ask the Lord to heal your head cold.  The sneezing continues, the achy feeling continues, no immediate results are evident and the first tendency is to say, "Oh, well, I know He can heal, but I guess He's not going to do it right now."

Mark 10:22-24:  "Have faith in God (or have the faith OF God)," Jesus answered.  "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.  Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe you have received it, and it will be yours."

Several consecutive principles are at work in this passage.  1)  Have faith in God or alternately, have the faith of God.  2)  Believe what you say or alternately, you shall have what you say, 3)  Believe it's a done deal.

Point number one:  The faith of God.  Many don't think of God as having faith, however, if He didn't have any, where would humans get it?  Applying the three principles, look at Genesis 1.  "And God said," appears seven times in this chapter.  If something is repeated, you can bet it's important.  What's happening here?  God is using His faith to speak what He believes He shall receive--He's receiving what He's saying.  He already believes it's a done deal before the words even leave His mouth; He speaks them, and boom, it's a done deal sure enough.  That's the faith of God in action.  

Prophecy is another example of the principles Jesus discusses here in Mark 10.  For instance, Psalm 22 describes the crucifixion with surprising detail from the crucified person's point of view.  Jesus does cry out on the cross, "My God, My God why have You forsaken me," Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:46.  Verses 6 - 8, the Roman soldiers and onlookers mocked Him telling Jesus, "If You're really from God, then why doesn't He rescue You?"  Matthew 27:43.  Later in the chapter, David, the Psalmist says, "My bones are out of joint, My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me...my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth...They divide my garments among them as they cast lots for my clothing..."  All these things happened to the Lord Jesus.  The interesting thing for me is, God spoke them through David, He believed He received all these things and they happened.  God saw the crucifixion as a done deal.  There are many other Scriptures similar to this one where God's faith in action is evident.

Essentially the above passage in Mark is a short course in living by faith.  And without faith it is impossible to please God, Hebrews 11:6.

The good news, God isn't requiring that kind of faith from a beginner.  Faith is a process, a progression.  Abraham is called the Father of Faith, or the Father of All Who Believe, Galatians 3.  But in terms of perfect faith, no, not exactly.  His story is told beginning in Genesis 11.  God tells him repeatedly he's going to have a son.  Abraham believes God, but eh, there's a little doubt there.  If he hadn't had a kernel of doubt, he wouldn't have slept with Hagar!  But never in the whole time did Abraham ever say, "Oh well, I guess God isn't going to give me a son after all."  He kept saying he was going to have a son and eventually he did receive the promised son by his beloved wife Sarah as God had promised.

The lesson here for us mortals walking blind in our flesh is, point 2, you shall have what you say!  If you're going to get healed of that head cold you won't do it by saying, "Oh well, I guess God isn't going to do it today," even though deep down you think He can.  Alternately, even while sniffing and sneezing you could say, "Thank you Lord for your Word that promises by Jesus Wounds I have been healed," I Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:9.  Or simply, "Thank you Lord for healing me."  

Yeah, it might sound stupid while you wipe your red, raw nose one more time, but hey, part of faith is seeming to put yourself on the line.  In the end, it's not your reputation on the line, but God's!  He's the One Who's got to come through with the healing.

But, oh man, healing from a simple head cold can be a sure enough battle.  We're so wedded to our material existence we can hardly see the spirit realm around us where God and His angels battle evil on a moment-by-moment basis and demons whisper doubts in our unsuspecting ears.  It's still up to us, what we believe or don't believe, but it's all to easy to listen to the evidence of our sick bodies and the words in our heads, "You're not going to get healed."

Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the Word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."  The key here is to learn how to wield this Sword.

Romans 10:17 says, "...faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ (Messiah)."  Put simply, faith comes by hearing the Word of God.  If you want faith, read Scripture aloud to yourself.  If you're trying to learn how to be healed of the common cold, read the passages that promise healing aloud to yourself.  If you have to read them every few minutes, then do it.  Put God to the test; see if He doesn't keep His Word.  Challenge Him even as you build your faith and strive to wield that Sword.  God's not afraid of being challenged to keep His Word.  He actually welcomes that kind of test.  

Of course, the issue of faith raises its ugly head once again.  What if you doubt whether God will take up the challenge?  You shall have what you say!  Start with that.  Start speaking those promises that say you'll be healed and the faith will come.  As you read those Scriptures, start challenging God to keep His Word and the faith will come.

Remember, Abraham obviously had his doubts, otherwise he'd never have slept with Hagar, but he got what he said because he never changed what he confessed.  Ah, here's that confessing with the mouth again.  It all feeds back into, "You shall have what you say."

Looking at the evidence and saying, "Hmmn, I think the claims of Christianity have more going for them than the claims of some other beliefs," is a start.  Lots of great persons of faith started with that.  Heck, some started with, "I don't believe this nonsense and I'm going to prove it wrong."  The best-known example of this approach is C.S. Lewis.

What suffices is to believe Jesus was raised from the dead and confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord."  That’s what suffices.  If you can say that, then say it!  As long as you're honestly seeking, and some I've dealt with aren't actually honest, and you're doggedly digging--it's good.  God will be with you and when you look back, you'll see His Hand where you didn't see it before.

I've been fighting the battle of faith for a number of years now and have had moments when my faith was equal to my dreams.  I've laid hands on the sick and asked for healing and seen it happen.  I've prayed for my own healing and had so much internal conflict I ended up speaking my doubts.  Once I asked the Lord for a red mini-van, a few years later after I'd struggled getting around in a decrepit Toyota Corolla, He gave me a red Suburban.  I'd even completely forgotten I'd asked for the red mini-van.  We went to the car lot; my husband announced we could get a new vehicle--a Suburban.  They had only one Suburban on the lot, a stunningly beautiful thing with leather seats and a CD player.  He asked about ordering a new model with cloth seats and no CD player, but the salesman said, "Well, I don't think you want to do that, those are actually going to cost more than the one we've got out there on the lot because of new regulations."  So, we purchased that red Suburban.  We pulled into the carport and my daughter turned to me and said very quietly, "Mom, you got your red mini-van only it's better than any dumb mini-van could ever be."  That's when I remembered my prayer.  And that red "mini van" has been the most reliable car I've ever owned hauling six kids and towing numerous trailers and vehicles on our farm and still going strong after 250,000 miles.  That red "mini van" will do just fine until I receive the silver one I'm now believing to receive.  The Lord has done countless other things in answer to my faith and right now I’m believing Him for the biggest thing I’ve ever believed Him for yet.  Check back in a year and see if I got it, I’ll remember, because I’ve been believing for this one for a long time.

I want to encourage you to keep on grappling with this faith thing and keep on digging and keep on challenging God to keep His Word while you read it aloud to Him.  

Please, feel free to write again.  There are many more Scriptures dealing with faith we can discuss, this is just a starter course.  If you feel I failed to adequately answer your question, please write back and try again.

Sincerely,

Marilyn