How do I find the faith?

[Wired 4 Fishen]

If faith only comes from God... He must have a reason for giving so many people "little faith".
Why wouldn't He give them enough faith to accomplish some spiritual things?
( Matt 6:30; Matt 8:26; Matt 14:31; Matt 16:8; Matt 17:20; Luke 12:28; etc... )
It doesn't say they have no faith, it says they have little faith. Many of these people appear to be followers
of Christ... some are even his disciples. ( Matt 16:8; Matt 17:20; etc... ) Did his disciples have no faith?

Faith is an obedience... Rom 1:5; Rom 16:26;
God has alloted everyone a measure of faith... Rom 12:3; (yet everyone isn't saved).
If you have faith... but don't have love... you are nothing. 1 Cor 13:2;
In fact out of faith, hope and love... it isn't faith that's the greatest of these... it's love.
Of course... some have wandered away from the faith... 1 Tim 6:10; 1 Tim 4:1; Did God give them faith just for a little while?

I suppose it could be said the Lord gives and He takes away... ( Job 1:21; )
But does he take away faith?

The faith that is reckoned as righteous requires obedience.
Everyone who's faith was approved by God required an act of obedience in order to be approved ( Heb 11; )
Noah built an ark, Abraham was going to sacrifice his son,
Sarah had a baby, Joseph believed in the exodus, Moses left his royalty in Egypt, Rahab hid the spies, etc...

Faith has to be tested... Heb 11:17; 1 et 1:7; Rev 2:10; etc... )
Why would God test His faith?

When things happen or don't happen in the Bible... it's because of "your" faith.
Matt 9:22; - "your" faith.
Matt 9:29; - done according to "your" faith.
Matt 15:28; - "your" faith is great, it shall be done.

Matt 17:20; - because of the little of "your" faith, you were not able to cast out the demon. (Was God's faith too small?)

Mark 5:34; - "your" faith has made you well.
Mark 10:52; - "your" faith has made you well.
Luke 7:50; - "your" faith has saved you.

Luke 8:25; - Jesus asks the disciples... were is "your" faith. Did God take it away from them?

Luke 8:48; - "your" faith has made you well.
Luke 17:19; - "your" faith has made you well.
Luke 18:42; - "your" faith has made you well.

Luke 22:32; Jesus tells Peter, he prayed for him... so that "your" faith will not fail. (Is it God's faith that fails? Or ours?)

Over 60 times in the New Testament alone... it talks about "your" faith.

It may be that all faith initially comes from God.... but to say that God gives some faith, and withholds it from others
is a false demonic doctrine. It is God's will that all be saved. ( 1 Tim 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9; etc... )
It is not God who stops some people from being saved.... it is their choice... it is their faith... ( or lack of it )
that keeps people from being saved.

Everything with God starts as a seed. So if God plants a measure of Faith in us it must be as seed.
As you said - it is always said Ye of "LITTLE"Faith - well if Jesus gets on you about little Faith then there must be Big Faith or Faith that Has Grown and this is where Romans 10:17 -So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Where many miss it is they simply think if they heard the word taught then it is enough or propper.
NO! You need to stay in the word until you "HEAR" The word or another words until you can see it in your spirit - then nothing can hold you back. God tells us to NOT let His word depart from our mouths and to keep it in our eyes.

God Bless
James W

 

[Bendito]

You don't, you allow God to give you the faith, then everything falls into place.

I have given this some thought and, I know, many will disagree, but here are some verses and why I feel this way.

• Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. I know, this one has been quoted a many times, but this doesn't make it any less true. By God's gift ( which is free by the way), you have been saved. Both your salvation and faith are both given to you by God.
• 1 Corinthians 12:9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, the unique spiritual gift of faith
• Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. Grace has been given to you and, at the onset of your salvation, God gives you a measure of faith.
• Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Your faith is then enhanced and grows by hearing the word of God.

I see many that say they just don't have the faith. I think one of the issues is that they think faith is something they have to manufacture. The opposite is what is true, they don't produce anything, that would be a personal work work and they could brag about it.
Even, if you don't believe or have any faith right now you need to learn more about God / Jesus. You need to get involved, go to a church and hear the word of God, read the Bible more and allow God to do "His" work in you!

Good post....Did you notice?
Romans 12:3 (KJV)
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
God has given to each man (woman too of course..) THE measure of faith....One measure the same for each person....It takes faith to get saved...By Grace are you saved, through faith...
God has given each one of us the same amount of faith..Cool...What for? Why the same amount? Its our starting point..Nobody has an advantage over anyone else....From there we plant that faith..It'll grow...Use our faith....get more...as you said "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing

Thank you for this good post my friend

 

[RJ]

antimonianism

I know that antimonianism is often defined by some to be the theological opposite of legalism or works righteousness. An Antimonian is also define as one who rejects Moral law.
Under the New Covenant, I don't believe in works salvation but I believe in Moral Law which God originally established in the Bible and which I follow as best as I can.... of course, we all know that Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it inside us; he gets all the praise and the glory for everything!
Just because a person doesn't believe in the requirement of works for one's salvation , does not make them a Antinomian!

 

[B-A-C]

One of the things that has been discussed here, that often causes debate is...
"before" and "after"
Meaning.... "before" I got saved... there was nothing I could do to get saved.
I couldn't be good enough, righteous enough, give the church enough money, pray enough, give to enough
charities, ... or do anything in order to get saved.
So initially we get saved by grace/faith... we usually agree on that much at least.
But then comes the "after" I got saved, now there are things I can do or not do in order to stay saved.
This is why grace alone/typically goes with once saved always saved. I don't think it's possible to separate the two.

"Before" I got saved... I could have been a drunken, womanizer, child molester, homosexual, drug dealer, murderer,
thief, liar, slanderer, and wife beater. ( I was at least a couple of those things)

"After" I got saved... I quit doing those things, (for me it didn't happen all at once, it took some time)
But if I keep on being a drunken terrorizing child molester and wife beater who sells drugs to children, am I saved?
Am I saved just because I believe in Jesus? Even if I don't follow his teachings?

There should be a difference in the "before" and the "after". We should be a new creature, a new man, a new creation.
We should be different than we were "before". This should be a noticeable change.
But part of this change requires effort. It requires resisting the devil, fleeing from sin, feeding the hungry, clothing the poor,
taking up our cross "daily" and dying to ourselves daily. It requires praying even when I don't feel like it.
I requires going to church and being a part of the body even when I'm too tired to go.
It requires the conscious effort of choosing to refusing to sin every day.

It someone is the same person "after" they get saved, as they were "before" they got saved, are they really born again?
Are they really a new man?

 

[B-A-C]

If I quit lying about people, stealing from them, cheating with their wives, and quit murdering them...
I am in effect following the commandments.
Following them isn't what got me saved. But following them is part of what keeps me saved.
You can't separate good moral behavior from the law, it isn't possible. The law is how we know what is moral.

If it wasn't for the law... we wouldn't know what was moral.
Did you kill anyone yesterday?
Did you tell a lie about anyone yesterday?
Did you steal from anyone yesterday?
Did you have an affair with a married woman yesterday?
Did you sleep with an unmarried woman yesterday?
Did you make an idol to a satanic god yesterday?
Did you quit loving God/Jesus yesterday?
Did you honor your parent yesterday?
Did you take the name of the Lord in vain yesterday?

If the answer to any of these questions is "no"... you kept the 10 commandments yesterday.
Even if you didn't mean to. Now of course doing these things doesn't save you.
But NOT doing these things can keep you from staying saved.

 

[RJ]

"before" I got saved... there was nothing I could do to get saved.

No disagreement!

So initially we get saved by grace/faith... we usually agree on that much at least.

Well, sort of! Since God initially gives each their own measure of faith, I believe in Ephesians 2:8-9 actually says that both grace and faith are a gift of God.

But then comes the "after" I got saved, now there are things I can do or not do in order to stay saved.

Now, we have a deeper disagreement. Since "being Saved" means "Born Again". which in turn means that God / Jesus is in us and, (1) God says he will never leave you and, (2) Jesus says he will never lose who God gives him....I don't think it is a matter of staying saved, it is a matter of whether you were really :Born Again" in the first place.

"Before" I got saved... I could have been a drunken, womanizer, child molester, homosexual, drug dealer, murderer,
thief, liar, slanderer, and wife beater. ( I was at least a couple of those things)

Yes, and that would be emphasized by not having a repentant heart or conscience.

After" I got saved... I quit doing those things, (for me it didn't happen all at once, it took some time)

Yes, it takes time. It took @ 6 years to get free of Pornography. During the process, I hated the lust and had a repentant heart that was troubled. Before, I wasn't concerned or troubled about it!

But if I keep on being a drunken terrorizing child molester and wife beater who sells drugs to children, am I saved?

You will never be perfect until you die or Jesus returns but, doing any of this with no remorse or a repentant heart, is a clear sign you have not been saved yet!

There should be a difference in the "before" and the "after". We should be a new creature, a new man, a new creation.
No argument
We should be different than we were "before". This should be a noticeable change.

Perfect no, noticeable yes!

But part of this change requires effort. It requires resisting the devil, fleeing from sin, feeding the hungry, clothing the poor,
taking up our cross "daily" and dying to ourselves daily. It requires praying even when I don't feel like it.

Jesus is the Vine, we are the branch, we can do nothing with out him....he still gets all the praise and glory! Praise him first, then yourself!

It someone is the same person "after" they get saved, as they were "before" they got saved, are they really born again?
Are they really a new man?

They are not, that's what I believe also!