Faith in God - Part II
11).. WAVERING FAITH
(James 1:5-9). This is faith doubting God and refusing to believe. Truly to believe and to have faith is to act on the Word. It means taking what is already yours. To believe on Jesus means to take Him for all that the Bible declares Him to be. It means that you take salvation from sin, healing for the body, answers to your prayers and all that He died to bring to you. Believing is an act of the will. When you really believe you have acted. You have taken the necessary step to get what you want from God. Faith is action in counting those things that be not as though they were (Romans 4:17; Mark 11:22-24). Doubting is refusing to act on the Word. Unbelief is either refusing to act according to the knowledge that you have, or it is a manifestation of ignorance of the Word of God. IF you do not know, you cannot act because you do not understand. If you do not understand you are afraid to act because you do not know how to act. The cure for all unbelief is a thorough knowledge of the Word and consecration to obey it to the letter, regardless of how impossible it may seem at the moment.
A wavering faith is called double-mindedness, a constant change of the mind as to what you wanted or whether the thing asked for is wanted or not. It is the attitude of yes-no, yes-no and yes-no, until God Himself cannot tell whether it is yes or no. One minute it is decided that a thing is wanted, and it may be wanted with some real desperation, but the next minute it is not so important. People who have wavering faith do not really make up their minds that they are going to see the fight of faith through to an answer. They would accept the answer if it would come without any hesitation or effort on their part, but to take the necessary steps to get an answer or to fight in the least for the thing that is asked, is another question.
12).. UNWAVERING FAITH
(Hebrews 10:23; 11:6). This is faith taking God at His word without any question. God commands us to "ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:5-8). We are told to "Hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)" (Hebrews 10:23). Again, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6).
This is faith refusing to doubt, wonder, question or reason about one detail of what one has asked for from God. It has absolute confidence that what was asked is according to the Word of God, and therefore it knows that prayer is answered. It rests upon the promises as the basis of that answer, instead of upon feelings and things seen. It refuses to act contrary to what it has asked or to question in the least any delay in an answer. It counts the thing done regardless of all outward evidences to the contrary. It laughs at impossibilities and goes on in utmost confidence that what God has promised He is able to perform. It gives thanks for the answer from the moment it asks and looks forward in child-like expectation of getting it.
13).. HUMAN FAITH
(Mark 11:22-24). This is simply the exercise of having the confidence and conviction that he can believe God, and that God is true to all that He has promised. All man are capable of faith in themselves and faith in anyone else that makes any statements of promise to them. Faith is an attribute of man's created being. It was natural for man to believe God before the fall. There was no such thing as a doubt, a question or any unbelieving reasoning on the part of man before this time. It was the devil that injected doubt and unbelief into man's moral and spiritual makeup. And since man's fall and because of the almost total depravity of his being, it becomes one of the greatest struggles of his redemptive career to have that same simple and unwavering faith that was natural before the fall. It was doubt and unbelief that caused the fall, and it is of the greatest importance to get rid of all such in redemption.
14).. DIVINE FAITH
(Hebrews 11:3; Galatians 2:20; I Corinthians 13:14). Faith is not only a natural attribute of man. It is an attribute of God. It is God's absolute confidence and conviction in His own Being and Word. The first passage listed above teaches that the ages were planned by faith through the Word of God and that things were brought into existence that never existed before. God had faith in Himself when He planned the worlds. He believed that He could do what He commanded, and He counted those that were not as though they were (Romans 4:17). The second passage listed above speaks of "the faith of the Son of God," thus proving that He also has faith as does the Father. In fact, He is the author and finisher of faith (Hebrews 12:1-2). The last passage mentioned above speaks of "faith" abiding along with hope and love, which means that these three qualities are eternal as attributes of God.
Men will have to exercise faith in the infinite throughout eternity, for there will always be the necessity of having confidence in God and His eternal plan concerning those matters that the finite has not yet comprehended of the infinite (Isaiah 32:17). If faith will be necessary in eternity, how much more is it needed now when we do not know as we are also known. This life is the probationary period of the eternal existence of human beings, and it is necessary to learn faith and obedience to carry out the plan of God for man both now and forever. Faith is acting on the Word of God, and this will be necessary throughout eternity because God will eternally give the saved His Word and make known His will concerning all things to come.
Thus it is clear that God has faith, Christ has faith, the Holy Spirit has faith, angels have faith, demons have faith (James 2:11) and men must have faith in order to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is absolutely necessary in the carrying on of moral government. If moral agents cannot have faith in the Moral Governor of the universe, they will not trust Him. Lack of faith on the part of subjects in human government tends to create anarchy and rebellion. When doubts, questionings, unbelief, dissatisfaction and lack of confidence are manifest in subjects of a government of any kind it cannot long endure. Faith is an absolute necessity. Childlike faith and confidence in God with utter abandonment of self-interests, trust in Him to leave everything in His hands for the common good of all, is not only demanded by God but it is the only reasonable attitude to take on the part of man.
The history of mankind and of angels and demons proves that God has been good, merciful, loving, kind and consecrated to the best good of all creation. Not one person in moral creation can point a finger of accusation that God has dealt with him unjustly. No one can today testify that God has been unfaithful to him if he has done the will of God and conformed to the Word of God in faith. Not one free moral agent can accuse God of the least degree of unfaithfulness in any dealing. Not one will be able in all eternity to accuse Him of being a respecter of persons. God has been and always will be good to all. He longs to bless all men today. He will heal of every disease, save from every sin and bad habit, deliver from failure and poverty, and answer every prayer that is prayed in faith in the name of Jesus Christ. He longs to do what He has promised to do. He desires to supply all needs of men, but He will not break His own law by blessing those who do not have faith. He has laid down plain laws of faith whereby any and every man can get what he wants in life, and He is going to hold man to obedience to those laws before He grants the desires of man. If man wants the benefits, then let him intelligently obey the laws of God to the letter, and by so doing he will get what God has promised. If the benefits are not worth the price, then let him not complain that he is not supplied. If they are worth the simple effort to get them as God has made clear, then don't doubt or waver one moment as to the outcome. It is already settled that the benefits are garanteed and sure if true, simple, childlike faith is exercised. There is no longer any question about this if we believe the Bible; so let this be settled forever.
CONCLUSION ON FAITH
The Bible definitely declares that faith is ALL-IMPORTANT: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that DILIGENTLY seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6); "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1; "But let him ask in faith, NOTHING WAVERING. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord" (James 1:5-8); "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" (Ephesians 6;16); "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward... Now the just shall LIVE BY FAITH; but if any man draw back, My soul shall have NO pleasure in him" (Hebrews 10:35-39).
These Scriptures and many more, clearly set forth the importance of faith, and need NO interpretation. They plainly promise all men that they can get whatsoever they have faith for. There are NO limitations or qualifications concerning known needs of this life or the life to come; so DO NOT limit them. They are clear that faith is ABSOLUTELY necessary to get what is desired in life. No man should except to get anything from God if he refuses to have faith. There is no such thing as the impossibility of having faith, so the fact that one does not have faith is his or her own CHOICE and RESPONSIBILITY. Jesus commanded men to "Have faith in God", and such IS possible, or it would not be mandatory.
It is all-important to have faith, because no prayer will be answered without it. God cannot be pleased without; man will not get anything from God without it -- and he wll be disobedient to God without it. If faith is commanded, then not to have faith is to break the law of God and commit sin. If believers would realize this fact they would become desperate about this law-breaking, as much as they are about breaking other laws of God. If they could only realize that it is sin to have unbelief and to doubt God they would at least become moved to the point of action against such law-breaking. The trouble all along has been that most men consider unbelief and doubt as part of human nature and something to be expected and not to be changed. The attitude has been that of being indifferent about it. When it is easy to believe there is no problem, but when it becomes a struggle and hard to believe it is passed off as something that cannot be helped at all. This is where the devil has got the upper hand of men who pray. He makes them think that not all men can believe God and that if one cannot do so, then it is perfectly right to live in unbelief and to doubt and waver all that one pleases.
If prayer is not answered, most men take it for granted that it is not the will of God to grant an answer. They are quickly turned aside from the purpose of obtaining an answer and are satisfied to be defeated. Blame for such defeat is laid upon God and is considered the will of God without any question, while the truth is that this attitude is surrender to the devil and evil spirit-forces who oppose the answer to prayer. It is such a habit for the average Christian to be defeated that he gives little thought to it. It is taken for granted when the prayer is offered that its not being granted will be all right, and that this failure of God to grant the answer reveals that it is His will not to answer.
This condition in the lives of praying people has been created by wrong teachings in the churches for years upon years. The average preacher, if he reads our arguments, will be quick to defend such failures and such teaching of failures as being perfectly Biblical and the best will God. This proves that we are right in stating that the preachers are largely to blame for such a condition of unbelief and such resignation to defeat in prayer. If each preacher would wake up to acknowledge truth and wage aggressive warfare against satanic forces, Satan would soon be defeated. If they would teach the truth as it is plainly written in Scriptures, faith would soon be built up so that people would not take no for an answer to prayer. At least it would stop all defense for unbelief and failure. If all men could only be honest enough to refuse to excuse their unbelief by such failures the Christian world would be better off.
Too many times such failures are taken to prove that it is not God's will to answer. The plain Word of God is entirely ignored as proof of anything. The failure to get an answer is the main proof for everything, it seems, although the truth can be found by means of more diligent search of Scripture and more humility in acknowledging defeat to be of satanic and human sources instead of from God. The truth is that because of unbelief and doubting God, prayers remain unanswered and that such a result is never the true will of God.
Suppose God does not answer prayer; does this do away with His promises and make null and void His Word, or does it prove that man failed to have faith? What does the Bible say? If it says that God will always answer faith, then the lack of an answer simply shows unbelief. When the disciples asked Jesus, "Why could not we cast him out?" The answer was, "Because of your unbelief!" (Matthew 7:14-21). Not one Scripture says that unanswered prayer indicates any other cause. When we try to excuse our unbelief and blame God for the failure, we sin against Him.
In Hebrews 12:1-2 we are told, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a could of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, AND THE SIN, which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." Unbelief is the sin that so easily overthrows the saints. It is not the major sins of the flesh that we permit to dominate us, but it is the win of constantly doubting God. If no man would doubt God there would be no failure to get an answer to prayer every time one prays for anything that is covered by the promises of God.
BASIC FACTS ON FAITH
FAITH CAN
grow (2 Thessalonians 1:3), lead to utterance (2 Corinthians 4:13), work through love (Galatians 5:6), clothe the naked (Matthew 6:30), heal the sick (Matthew 8:1-17; 9:2, 22, 39; James 5:14-16), dispel fear (Matthew 8:26), make whole (Mark 10:52), save from sin (Luke 7:36-50 Ephesians 2:8-9), fill believers (Acts 6:5-8), purify the heart (Acts 15:9), sanctify (Acts 26:18), impart revelations (Romans 1:17), justify (Romans 3:28-31; Galatians 3:24), give access into grace (Romans 5:2), produce righteousness (Romans 9:30-32; 10:6-10; Philippians 3:9), give security (Romans 11:20; 2 Corinthians 1:24), bring blessings (Galatians 3:9), impart the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3;14), make men children of God (Galatians 3;26), bring hope and salvation (Galatians 5:5; Ephesians 2:8-9), make conscious of Christ (Ephesians 3:17), quench fiery darts of Satan (Ephesians 6:16), produce works (Philippians 1:17; James 2; 1 Thessalonians 1:3, II Thessalonians 1:11), edify (1 Timothy 1:4) produce inheritance (Hebrews 6:12) and keep one true to God (1 Peter 1:5).
FAITH CAN BE