In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul lists down faith as a gift of the Holy Spirit. So if faith is indeed a Spiritual gift to some believers and not all, how in the world are we all supposed to be saved by faith alone? Are we all not supposed to walk by faith? Isn’t it also written in the Scripture that without faith it is impossible to please God?
To be clear, the Scripture talks about faith in three different ways. Firstly, there is the Saving faith – No one can go to heaven without saving faith in Christ. Secondly, there is the Walking faith – A daily living faith in absolute trust and confidence in the living God. And thirdly, there is the Gift of faith – A spiritual gift of the Holy Spirit to some believers.
So, what is that gift of faith? It is the Holy Spirit given ability to see something that God wants to be done for His glory before it happens (not afterwards). It is the ability to sustain unwavering confidence in the promises of God in the face of impossibility. It is the ability to discern the will of God and stand firm on that will of God regardless of the obstacles. It is the ability to believe and hold on to the promise of God for something that is honouring and glorifying to God, even when everybody else has given up.
This gift of faith is not a blind faith, but it is confident faith. It is not irrational faith, but it is an absolute God trusting faith. It is not wishful thinking, but God honouring faith. It is not a self-absorbed faith, but it is a self-emptying faith. For example:
- Jesus saw the resurrection even though He was hanging on a cross (John 2:19). In John 11, when Jesus went into the cemetery to raise Lazarus from the dead. He started praying saying, “Thank you Father that you already raise Lazarus from the dead.”
- When Noah was building a boat in the middle of the desert, he had to endure much criticism and ridicule, but he did not doubt the will of God, because it was revealed to him.
- When Nehemiah went on his mission to rebuild the broken walls of Jerusalem, his enemy tried to trick him, his people doubted him, his friends even tried to discourage him, but he went on building that wall anyway, knowing full well that the gracious hand of God was upon him.
- When Moses was dealing with Pharaoh who tried to persuade him to compromise and obey God only partially, Moses refused, and he departed from that land of slavery in Egypt with all the Israelites.
- Joseph’s dream was thrown into the pit, it was tempted by an immoral woman, shattered in the prison dungeon of Egypt, but the dream never died simply because he knew it was God’s dream.
- When David, the shepherd boy, faced Goliath, the champion, his confidence was in the Lord who delivered him from the paw of lions and bears. And so, David could confidently say to Goliath (1 Sam 17), “The Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel is on my side and He will deliver you Goliath into my hand.”
“Ezra on his mission to rebuild the temple could have asked for an armed escort, but knowing full well that God’s hand was upon him, he felt that a request for protection would dishonour the Lord in the eyes of the pagan king (Neh. 2:9). Fourteen years later, Nehemiah didn’t hesitate to request an armed escort from the king, and Paul was glad for the Roman soldiers who protected him during his journey from Jerusalem to Caesarea (Act 23)… Undoubtedly the Lord gave Ezra special faith for this journey because He knew that Ezra’s desire was only to glorify God. Here were several thousand Jews, inexperience in travel and warfare, carrying a fortune in gold and silver, led by a scholar, not a soldier, and planning to travel through dangerous territory that was infested with brigands, and yet their leader didn’t want an army to protect them! If anybody deserves the “Great Faith Award,” it’s Ezra!” – Warren W. Wiersbe
Faith is expressed in absolute unquestioned obedience to the word of God. And if we saw in Noah, the duration of faith, we see in Abraham the depth of faith. When God makes a promise, Faith has to believe it, Hope has to anticipate it, and Patience has to awaits it.
In Christ Alone 