THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF FAITH! (1)

Just as there are different kinds of vehicles, we also have different kinds of faith. Today, we want to look at the different kinds of faith. There are different kinds of FAITH and these include:

• General or little faith (Rom. 12:3).
• Weak faith (Rom. 4:17-18; Rom. 14:1-23).
• Great Faith (Matt. 15:28).
• Saving faith (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 10:17; Tit. 2:11-14).
• The fruit of faith (Gal. 5:22-23).
• The Gift of faith (1 Cor. 12:7-10; 1 Cor. 12:28).
• The natural human faith, Sense knowledge faith, Mental Assent or Thomas’ kind of faith (Jn. 20:24-29).
• The Supernatural faith, Real faith, Heart faith, Bible faith, Strong faith or Abraham’s kind of faith.

1. General faith. If you are Born Again, you already have what we call general or little faith. All believers have this type of faith.

In Romans 12:3 the Bible says, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who 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 dealt to every born again believer the measure of faith. The Bible did not say ‘a measure of faith’ but ‘the measure of faith.’ This means that it is the same measure (size, quantity) of faith that every believer receives from God at salvation. Now, that deposit of faith is given to you small, but God expects you to make it grow.

It is your responsibility to increase that very measure of faith that God has given to you. The only way to do that is by (i) diligently learning more of God’s Word because faith begins where the will of God is known, and the Word of God is the will of God.

Your faith will increase as you study/hear God’s Word, “…..for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

The reason fear grips many people in the face of adversity is because their faith is little. 

The Bible says, “If you faint in the day of adversity [misfortune and hardship, trouble], thy strength [faith] is small” (Prov. 24:10).

Here, the Bible is not talking about your physical strength or muscles; it is referring to your faith!   When your faith is little you will faint, [give up] in the day of trouble.

With general faith we can receive answers to prayers. Mark 11:24 says, “Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you desire (ask) when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

In Matthew 21:22 the Bible says, “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." Believing God is believing His Word!

In 1 John 5:14-15 the Bible says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

2. Weak faith! Weak faith is the result of non-exercise of faith. When you hear the Word of God and don’t act on it, your faith will become weak because you have not proved God. Weak faith is therefore the result of not acting on the information that you have received.

Little faith is the result of insufficient information from God’s Word but weak faith is the result of not acting on the Word of God you have received. This is just the difference!

Weak faith will cause you to stagger when trouble strikes, and as a result, fear will grip your heart, and you will be defeated by the crisis of life. Look at what the Bible says about Abraham (Rom 4:17-22).

“And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

When your faith is weak you will waver or stagger at the promises of God through unbelief when trouble comes. Shedrach, Meschach and Abed-nego were not weak in faith when trouble showed up (Dan. 3). Daniel was not weak in faith when he came under the cross fire of affliction (Dan. 6).

When your faith is weak, you’ll begin to ask for proof before you can believe whatever God has said in His Word.

In Romans 14:1-4 Paul says, “Accept Christians who are WEAK IN FAITH, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2 For instance, one person believes it is all right to eat anything. But another believer who has a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3 Those who think it is all right to eat anything must not look down on those who won’t. And those who won’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to condemn God’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him tell them whether they are right or wrong. The Lord’s power will help them do as they should.”

Here Paul is speaking about IMMATURE FAITH that has not yet developed the muscle it needs to stand against external pressures. For example, if a person who once worshiped idols became a Christian, he might understand perfectly well that Christ saved him through faith and that idols have no real power.

Still, because of his past associations, he might be badly shaken if he unknowingly ate meat that had been used in idol worship. If a person who once worshiped God on the required Jewish holy days became a Christian, he might well know that Christ saved him through faith, not through his keeping of the law. Still, when the festival days came, he might feel empty and unfaithful if he didn’t dedicate those days to God.

Paul responds to both weak brothers in love. Both are acting according to their consciences, but their honest convictions do not need to be made into rules for the church. Certainly some issues are central to the faith and worth fighting for, but many are based on individual differences and should not be legislated. Our principle should be: In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in everything, love.

3. Great Faith! To the woman of Canaan, a Syrophenician by birth, Jesus responded in Matthew 15:28, “O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” Great faith is a faith that will not give up in spite of opposition.

It is faith that responds with knowledge. This type of faith is based on the amount and quality of information that you have received, accepted and endorsed. 

When Jesus told the woman that she could not get what she requested for, she responded with knowledge. She spoke back the words of faith (Matt. 15:22-28). When Jesus heard her informed answer, He said to her, “…woman, great is thy faith.”

Jesus said the same thing to the Roman Centurion (Matt. 8:5-13), and can say the same to you today.

The more accurate the information you have is, the better your faith will be. When you don’t have enough information from the Word of God concerning a particular issue, your faith will be little. The cure to this kind of faith is simply to learn what God has said in His Word concerning that issue. Keep listening to tapes; keep studying the Word of God in that area until your thinking, ideas and perspective change!

4. Saving faith. This is imparted to us through the Word of God. You get the faith for salvation in any area of your life by hearing the Word of God.

In Ephesians 2:8-9 the Bible says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

In Romans 10:17 the Bible says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

Titus 2:11-14 says, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

We know that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. But how are we to get the faith to get saved?

Romans 10 tells us. Romans 10:8-14 says, “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation….13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 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?”

Men are saved by hearing God’s Word because the Scriptures say, “…faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). You can never believe and have faith in God without hearing His Word.

In Acts 10 and 11 we read about Cornelius, who although devout, had not yet been saved. He was not saved because he has not heard the Word of God [the Good News] yet. Cornelius was not saved until he heard Peter preach the Word. An angel from the Lord appeared to Cornelius (Acts 10:3) and told him where to go to get someone who could preach the Gospel to him (Acts 10:13). And if he believes that Gospel, he will be saved.

Acts 11:14 reports that the angel said that Peter would preach the Gospel to Cornelius: “Who shall tell thee WORDS, whereby thou and all thine house shall be saved.”

This verse therefore tells us that men are saved by hearing words - the Words of God. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

Therefore you can never believe in God without hearing words about God.

5. The fruit of faith. In Greek it is called “the fruit of faithfulness.” It is for the development of the Christian character. Faithfulness is the fruit that grows in the life of a Christian to establish him in spiritual character. 

In Galatians 5:22-23 the Bible says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

6. The Gift of faith. In 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 the Bible says, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another FAITH by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.”

This gift is a supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit to receive a miracle. By this gift one does not work a miracle, but passively receives a miracle. One can supernaturally, and against all odds, believe God for a miracle. By this gift one is given a supernatural ability to receive a miracle from God. By this gift God honours your word [your pronouncements] as He honours His own Words.

In Jeremiah 1:12 God said, "You have seen well, for I am watching over My Word to perform it." God watches to see that His Word is fulfilled.

In Isaiah 55:11 the Scriptures say, “So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

The gift of faith is not imparted to all but as the Holy Spirit wills. In 1 Corinthians 12:28 the Bible says, “And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.”

If you therefore want to experience God’s uncommon favour in every aspect of your life, then you must choose to obey God.

In Job 22:21-23 the Bible says, "Submit to God [agree with God – Amos 3:3; acquaint yourself with God] and be at peace with Him; in this way prosperity will come to you.

I therefore, challenge you to stop considering the magnitude of your problem, but consider the magnitude of your God. Stop considering your condition, but consider what God has promised you in His Word concerning that situation, and then rest in His power and faithfulness. Rise and be healed!

Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!

• Your friend: I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor)                             30^th, 2019!

Promise of God: “He [God] shall increase your greatness, and comfort you on every side” (Ps. 71:21).