Faith, For People Who Are Already Christians

The Grace of Faith


I began this looking at Galatians 5:22. I encountered a translation issue! The KJV says that "faith" is one of the fruit of the Spirit. All the current Bibles translate it as "faithfulness" -- NASB, NIV, NJKV, even the Catholic Bible. As often happens in message preparation, one truth leads you to another. Even though I could see that "faithfulness" is probably the preferred meaning, I wondered if faith is a work of the Spirit in the heart of a Christian, too. I began to look for examples of "faith" as a part of Christian character.

Barnabas' example tells me that faith reflects us.

I found a verse about Barnabas, Acts 11:24. Barnabas was "a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and faith." Faith was woven into the fabric of Barnabas' character. Faith wasn't just pushing a button or flipping a switch.

I think we often hear preaching like, "Faith is a decision". That's an action; something you do. I once heard the president of Walk Through The Bible compare faith to deciding whether or not to sit on a chair. But this verse says that faith in Christ is more than just deciding to sit in a chair. Faith shines out of who we are, It's how we approach life.

This tells me that we elders should aim at developing your faith, as a vital part of our total approach to Christian growth. The same way we want to develop doctrinal discernment, or their emotional self-control, we need to develop your faith in Christ. In fact, I'd say that we should develop your faith, so that any of those other things can happen. Because how can we do any of those things happen without faith?


Barnabas' example also tells me we differ in our faith.

· Luke says that Barnabas was filled with faith. So Barnabas was exceptional. His strength of faith was so pronounced that he was known for it. "Filled" is a figure of speech. It means that Barnabas' mind was controlled by faith in Christ. When, for example, a person is filled with wine, their perceptions and emotions are controlled by the wine. Barnabas was filled with the wine of his faith. Your emotions are caused by your beliefs. You interpret experience through the filter of your beliefs. So what do our emotions reveal about our true, controlling beliefs?

· Not every one of Jesus' followers was like Barnabas. Peter often had a floating faith. It floated up high or down low, depending on what he believed. When he focused on Jesus Christ, his faith would surge way up high, like when he leaped out of the boat and walked to Jesus on the water. Other times his faith would sink way down low, like when he looked down at the ocean storming and foaming all around his feet. He became terrified, and plunged down into the waves. He believed that water molecules could not be altered so that they would support his weight. At that moment Peter believed that Christ was weaker than water molecules. As a result, he fell in.

· Then you have people torn back and forth between faith and unbelief. There was a father of a demon-possessed boy who had a flip-flop faith. He cried out to Christ, "I believe, help my unbelief!" He knew he needed to trust Christ, in order for his little boy to be saved from the demon. The boy was violently thrown about by the evil spirit. But the father was also violently thrown about in his heart, torn between faith and unbelief. He begged Christ to save him from his own doubting heart!

So the Christian life is like a ice skating rink, and we can see all levels of skaters moving around on the ice. Some of us can do amazing moves. Some can skate backwards, do figure-eights, perform all kinds of cool tricks. Others of us are just poking along, in a giant circle. Some of us have our laces tied too loosely. so our ankles are twisting back and forth. We're constantly falling, and just stumbling along, clinging for dear life to the guardrail.


Why faith in Christ matters to someone who's already saved:


· Faith is how miracles happen. Galatians 3:5: "Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?" God is never under our control, and He often does things unilaterally. For example, God created the world because He wanted to. Christ healed the man born blind, even when the man didn't even know who He was (John 9). But God has sovereignly chosen to hinge some of His actions on our faith. So, if we never see God's miraculous hand active and moving among us, is this not an indictment of us? Faith is how the believers of the past conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight, and received back their dead by resurrection. (Hebrews 11:32-35a). Faith in Christ is how miracles happen.

· Faith is also how we figure out what to do. How many times in life are we left standing with our mouths hanging open, at a total loss? We cry out, "I don't know what to do!" James 1:5 gives the encouraging answer, but then 6-8 adds a warning. If you believe that God won't show you what to do, then... He won't. Think about it: what parent wants to help a child who's howling right in his face, "I know you can't help me! I know you won't help me!" Faith in Christ is how we get the divine guidance we need.

· Faith is how our "if it be Thy will" prayers get answered. There was a centurion who came to Christ, on behalf of his sick servant. Christ told him that He would come and heal the servant. The centurion humbly replied that he didn't deserve the honor of Christ entering his home, but he knew that Christ could just utter the command from that spot, and the servant would be healed. Christ was amazed by the man's faith in His power. So Christ said to the centurion, "Go, let it be done for you as you have believed." "As you have believed". What if Christ said that to us this morning: "I am right now doing for you as you believe." Would we be delighted, or depressed? Now bear in mind, Christ isn't handing us a blank check here. Some things are not His will. He already told the centurion, personally, that, yes, it was His will to heal his servant. We don't have any such personal, individualized promises like that. But what if Christ is giving us what we believe He can do? What if our family, or this church, or our nation, is the way that it is because that's what we think Christ is capable of doing?