For the past few weeks, my articles in Coffee with the Cross have been focusing on the spiritual gifts of God that are manifested through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3-4). To date, I have posted articles on wisdom and understanding, and knowledge. Today, I will discuss the spiritual gift of faith.
What is Faith?
The Holy Bible defines faith in the New Testament in an epistle of the apostle, Paul. Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) says this about faith: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” In verse three, Paul continues discussing faith, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible”.
Wow! Think about that for a minute and let those two verses sink in. Paul defines faith in verse 1, but elaborates on this even further in verse 3. Your faith in God, which you cannot see, is a spiritual gift to see this world, which you can see. But notice how Paul does not just say world, he says worlds.
There is a spiritual world my brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, and it exists over our world, and within us. Some of you may have the ability to see the spiritual world. Others may not. For me, there have been a few times where I have seen or felt demons and angels, yet I mostly have not seen them, but felt them. Seeing them comes from the gift of “discerning of spirits”, which I hope to cover in another article.
What Faith Does:
The Holy Bible has many examples of servants of God having faith. Paul lists a few examples of faith in Hebrews 11: 4-12:
Abel offered a better sacrifice to God over Cain’s sacrifice. According to Paul’s epistle, this was done by faith. Abel and Cain were the sons of Adam and Eve. Cain was the oldest, and worked with the ground. Cain offered the “fruit of the ground unto the Lord” (Genesis 4:1-4). Abel gave God “the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof.” (Genesis 4:4). God had respect unto Abel’s offering, but He did not have respect for Cain’s offering (Genesis 4: 4 & 5).
Enoch was taken away by God so that he did not experience death, because he walked with God (Gen 5:24) . Paul states that it was by faith that Enoch was taken away. According to Hebrews 11: 5, Enoch had testified “that he pleased God” before he was taken by God.
Noah was warned of things to come that had not yet been seen on the earth, and by his fear of God, and by faith, he made the ark to save his family, but condemned the world, and he “became the heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Hebrews 11:7.)
Abraham had faith when he listened to God to receive the land as his inheritance. Abraham did not know where he was going, but dwelt in a foreign land in tents with Isaac and Jacob that would inherit the same promise. The promise to Abraham about the land can be found in Genesis 12 and 13.
Sarah did not have any children. When she was past child-bearing years, God told Abraham that she will give birth to a son (Genesis 18). Sarah had been in the tent and she overheard this, and she laughed. When God asked why she laughed, she denied it because she was afraid. By Genesis 21, the Holy Bible says that Sarah gave birth to Isaac, when Abraham was 100 years old. Hebrews 11:11 says that it was by faith, that Sarah was given the strength to conceive Isaac. From one man, as many as the stars in the sky were born (Hebrews 11:12).
Why is Faith Important?
These are some of the biggest (and more well-known) examples of faith in the Holy Bible. But why is faith so important? Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith, it would be impossible to please God, “for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV).
I have had a few times in my life when faith is what I needed. It was the call of Jesus that saved my soul, and the spiritual gift of faith given to me that allowed it to be so. The Holy Bible says, "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 KJV). It was faith that led me out of trying times in my life. But I want you to consider this in reverse.
Has God been faithful? I tell you, yes. It was His faith in Job, that God told Satan that Job feared the Lord and that Job was an upright man. Satan only thought this was the case because God has protected Job, and blessed him. God allowed Satan to touch anything Job had, except for Job himself (Job 1:12). Job lost everything he had, but by the end of everything, Job maintained his integrity, prayed for his friends in repentance, and God restored everything “twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10 NKJV).
It was also God’s faith in Abraham that he was called to sacrifice his son in the land of Moriah. Abraham went to the place where God directed him to go, and when he was about to sacrifice his son, an Angel of the Lord called out to him, and told him not to do it. In Genesis 22:12, the Angel tells Abraham “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” This is the foreshadowing for Jesus Christ. It was God’s faith that sent his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to be sacrificed for your sin! Hallelujah!
Now I ask you this: has God been faithful to you? Do you have faith in God? If you are reading this my brothers and sisters in Christ, I believe that God is trying to reach you. Where is your faith? In the name of Jesus, may the reader of this article be blessed, and have full understanding of it, and may they be given the spiritual gift of faith! May they walk uprightly and may You guide them in their lives forever, Lord. Amen!
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