By Ladi Ayodeji
Hi, everyone. It’s a great day. We give thanks to the Almighty God in Jesus name, Amen.
Today,we shall be looking at the different kinds of faith as seen in the Bible.
Faith,if you ask me,is the most important factor in our Christian walk. Without it, there’s no salvation; no one can please God.
Heb 11:1 gives us a standard definition of faith.
It says,’Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’.
This is precisely what faith is all about,in the context of Christian doctrine.
We are told that without faith nobody can please God, according to Heb 11:6.
Now, the question, how is this faith attained, how can you apprehend it?
Paul tells us in Rom 10:7-‘Faith then comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God’.Hallelujah!
You can only have faith when you hear the word of God.You have to hear it before you can believe it.
There are, however,different types of faith, which is the basis of this teaching.
The Different Dimensions of Faith
The Bible teaches us that there are different kinds of faith. No one single scripture outlines this fact; we get to know by studying the Bible diligently.
1: Saving Faith of Salvation
In John 3:16,we are told that: ‘For God so love the world that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life’.
How does it work? Everyone is a sinner. So, God,in the abundance of His mercies decided to send Jesus,His only begotten son to the world to die for the sin of mankind.
Therefore, whosoever believes that Jesus came,died on the cross,was buried and raised on the third day shall not perish but have eternal life.
This belief is all anyone needs to get saved, nothing more.
You only get saved once, not twice.This point has to be made clearly.Your sin is remitted only once upon the exercise of the saving faith at one moment.
You don’t get saved every time you sin, it’s only once as far as the saving faith goes. You become a Christian believer only once, for all,not several times. But if you then commit a sin as a believer, you ask for forgiveness and in the name of Jesus you will be forgiven. I will teach on this subject of forgiveness next week.
Saving Faith is unique and is the core of our salvation as Christians; it makes you Born again by the spirit. Physically, you’re born once,so also spiritually, you’re are only born once. This is the reality of our salvation. It is not attained by works of personal righteousness, it’s a gift of God, according to Ephesians 2:8,Hab 2: 4, and many other scriptures.
You have to study the Bible carefully to come into full understanding of this subject of faith.
2: Living or Active Faith
James the Apostle taught that once you’re saved, you need to put your faith to work,he said this in Jas 2:17: ‘Faith by itself,if it does not have works,is dead’.
In this context, you have to demonstrate your faith.For instance,if you pray for a job and you don’t go looking for a job, your faith won’t produce because it is not active, it’s dormant.
You have to show that you expect to receive what you believe by acting on the word, that which you have prayed for, and you will receive an answer. In summary, this faith is a partnership between you and God. You do your part by praying, God does His part by giving you an answer. You believe and you act to receive that which you have prayed for.
A barren women who is praying for the fruit of the womb, like Hannah in the Bible,must mate with her husband to get pregnant.
A sick person who is dying of a terminal desase has to believe that they can get healed, otherwise they will die. A serial loser has to believe that they would win, otherwise, the failures would continue.
You require faith to break a pattern that could be haunting you for years. Regardless of the status you have attained in Christ, and no matter the current level of your faith, whether it is small like a mustard seed, or great like a huge tree,a moment of powerful exercise of faith can deliver you!
3:Little Faith
Many have faith but their faith is little. In Math 8:26, Jesus rebuked the disciples because of fear. If you have faith, but that faith is shaken by worry,or fear,your faith is little and you will receive no answers.
In Matt 14:31, Peter was sinking in the river because of fear;his faith was little at that moment.
Fear clearly shows that your faith is little.But when Jesus intervened,Peter walked on water in faith to meet Jesus in the boat without sinking, because his faith received power and assurance of the presence of Jesus at that moment.
4: Abandoned or Shipwrecked Faith
Some people have faith initially,but when they face grueling hardship,severe test, storms or frustrations, they quit the struggle or abandon the faith altogether.This normally happens to new converts,or poorly groomed believers who are not well instructed.
Paul mentioned this in 1 Tim1:19.
I want you to read it by yourself to be able to understand the context.
5: Small But Powerful Faith
Again, faith could be small but powerful. This is the lesson Jesus taught in Matt 17: 20:
He said,’If you have faith like a mustard seed, nothing will be impossible for you’.
Faith may be small in a moment, but powerful in real demand when faced by dire, and present circumstances.
The story was told how a lady fell into a ditch in a car accident. In the pitch, she found a huge python.Frightened and embarrassed,it reacted instinctively, like any other animal would.The snake bore its fang, ready to strike, but at that moment, the lady shouted, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. The snake immediately recoiled and crawled away,as if charmed. That’s small but powerful faith, the mustard seed faith in action at this auspicious moment, and the woman of faith was saved, hallelujah!
6:Great Faith
This brings us to another kind of faith called Great Faith.Jesus used these words during His encounter with a Roman centurion or soldier in Matt 8:10-‘I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel’.
Great faith is rarely seen in people of faith. That’s why a veteran Christian could bring an unbeliever to a church program and the unbeliever, because they exercised great faith for a present need, would receive a miracle,yet the person who brought them to the program would go home empty handed because of their own unbelief.
These things happen.
I want to stop here today because I want you to digest this teaching, continue to study and meditate on what you have read till we meet again next week for the second and concluding part. Remain blessed in Jesus name, Amen.
Ladi Ayodeji is a Bible -based Motivational Speaker, Author, Counselor and Journalist. You can reach him on 09059243094, WhatsApp only.