On Faith, denouncing the anthropological view of faith, as constructed by man for his own glory and reviving the biblical model of faith that relies on God and gives Him the glory.
What is faith? Faith is a philosophical construct representing the work of God in our lives. It is the term used to represent the all-encompassing work of God in our lives. If we think of it in terms of logic we would say that it is the “unsubstance” or “idea” we hold that represents all that God worked in us, therefore it necessarily flows from God, is under His control (in reference to when and how and how much faith we have) and is purposed for His purposes (which Scripture says is His glory) and is therefore outside the control of man.
When we say that faith is the “unsubstance” or “idea” we are describing it in terms of human logic. Let us say that a bottle of water sits on the table in front of us. This bottle is a substance to be perceived. It has mass and is composed of collected, formed matter. It has essential attributes and defining properties. Now let us remove the bottle of water. After it is gone we are able, if necessary, to recall the image of the water bottle. This recollection in our mind is the idea of the bottle, an idea which has no substance. It is wholly without mass or matter, so we refer to it as an unsubstance, yet it still has essential attributes and properties, which can be referred to in our mind, within, or concerning, the idea.
So I propose that faith is not a “thing” to be had or held or claimed. It is a representation. It is the comprehensive definition, or idea we hold that refers to all of the work of God in our lives and in creation. It has no substance, and is therefore an “unsubstance”. “But faith is belief,” you might say. What is belief? Is it not a philosophical construct in and of itself? Belief is the idea we use to represent the position we take due to some impacting outside force or concept. It is “confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof”. It is vague. It is a term we have interchanged with faith because the “confidence” exhibited by belief is what is at the heart of faith.
Faith in its simplest form is the recognition of the work of God on our behalf (a recognition that can only be had due to the work of God, through the Holy Spirit, in our lives. This recognition cannot be had in and of ourselves, apart from God). This recognition is enabling. The past work of God in our lives enables the future work of God in our lives, this is how He ordained it. When scripture says, “have faith,” it is saying, “rely on the past work of God in your life, recognize what He did in the past and know that He will do more” (a knowledge that flows from His past work, and therefore from Him, still not of ourselves).
What have we done to the idea of faith to bring it to its present state? We have turned faith into an object to be acquired, an item that is quantifiable and able to be hoarded. We use terms like “have” more faith, or “grow” your faith, when in all reality all we have the power to do is reside in the grace of the Father in His previous work in our life, which in and of itself enables His further work, which is what most people refer to as having more faith. But this is where the concept of faith falters, for this act of recognition enabling the future work of God comes from God and resides in God, not in us. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9, therefore we cannot “have” more faith or “grow” faith, we simply receive faith, and use it. As it says in Romans 12:3, "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." (emphasis mine). You can see clearly from this verse that the amount of faith you have is determined by, and provided by, God.
What of the amount of faith that we have? Scripture teaches us that the amount of faith is not the key issue, but simply the having of it at all. In Matthew 17:20, “20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief;[a] for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” What is a mustard seed in this illustration if not the smallest item of relevance that He could use to speak of the power of faith? We as people speak in terms of how much faith it must take; all the while Christ speaks in terms of simply having faith. The mustard seed in this illustration is Christ’s way of saying that you don’t need much at all, He is saying that little is necessary. It is not the amount of faith that is important, because as I have already said, faith is not a substance and is therefore not quantifiable (some may object here and refer to Hebrews 11:1, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" and argue that it is "substance". This passage uses the term "substance" philosophically to define the "foundation" of hope, I refer to the term "substance" materially in its use regarding the "physical properties pertaining to matter" and as such the two ideas are not in conflict), it is merely an idea, which you have or have not received. That is not to say that the idea does not drive you to greater and greater works to the glory of God, or to say that you cannot rely more and more fully each day on the idea, on the past works of God in your life, it is merely to say that we cannot quantify the idea or it’s presence in our life. All we can say is that it is present and we are relying on it. The statement “have more faith” merely means to rely more fully on faith, to walk in a more complete reliance to it. What about Matthew 8:26 where Christ asks the disciples, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Doesn’t this mean that we must have more faith? According to the hermeneutic principle the “analogy of faith”, we interpret scripture with faith that all of scripture is in agreement and never contradicts itself. That said, Christ says in Mt 8:36, “you of little faith” in regards to their fear, yet in Mt. 17:20 Christ says, “if you have faith of a mustard seed…and nothing will be impossible.” In one verse Christ says that with even the smallest amount of faith you can do anything, but in the next he reprimands the disciples having “little” faith. If we take the meaning of Christ’s words to refer to the amount of faith you “have” then these verses contradict each other, which goes against the analogy of faith I described earlier. What we must do is find an interpretation of these verses that keeps them in agreement with each other and in agreement with the whole of scripture. I propose that Christ is not talking about the amount of faith you have but the amount in which you exercise faith. In Mt. 17:20 Christ is saying that you need only have faith, period. In Mt. 8:26 Christ is reprimanding the disciples for not exercising their faith, not because they have to little. If we adopt this interpretation then we will maintain the unity of these verses and their agreement with the rest of scripture. To back up my interpretation further I will look at Mt. 14:31, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Here Christ connects the two concepts for us. In Christ’s words, “you of little faith” He makes clear that faith was present in Peter. At the same time, by His words, “Why did you doubt?” He makes clear that it was not an issue of too little faith but an issue regarding the lack of exercising said faith. From this we can surmise that faith is not something you have more or less of, it is something you have or have not, and then if you have, it is something you exercise or do not. Let's not forget the truth of Romans 12:3, that God determines the amount of faith you have and provides it for you.
Why have we done this to the concept of faith? Two main reasons stand out to me for the creation of this false concept of faith. First, we did this to offer God a scapegoat. As the world cries out for a loving God and as we cry out for a loving God to relieve us from our suffering and shame, when He doesn’t, we can blame it on a lack of faith. Instead of wrestling with the soul shaking concepts of the sovereignty of God and His purposes in receiving glory, we simply blame it on a lack of faith in the person, thereby letting God off of the hook. The second reason we have done this is to retain control. With the false concept of faith it is up to us to “have” and “grow” our faith. We are in control of our spiritual walk. We decide without needing to rely helplessly on the “gift” of God. We did this because deep down, when God didn’t heal and didn’t relieve the suffering and we wrote it off as a lack of faith, we began to question God, having a basic knowledge of His sovereignty, and we asked ourselves, “is He really a loving God”, and we became afraid to let go of the control, just in case He is not. We fail to trust Him fully. We fail to look away from our desires and focus on His, once again showing our inability to “have” faith as the modern world has defined it. We cannot let go of our desire for our own glory, a glory we receive by the successful "having" or "growing" of faith.
Where does faith come from? “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”, Romans 10:17. Why must faith come by hearing? Because there must be some thing, some prior work on which to rely, or if God has moved in our lives there must be some means by which we connect the work in our lives to the God in heaven. Why must hearing come from the “word of God”? In order for faith to be true, in order for our concept of God’s work to be reliable it must be premised from truth, which is defined by and dependant on the word of God. What we recognize to be the work of God and how we relate that to Him all flows from the teaching of scripture. God defines the unsubstance of faith in His word. Therefore we can premise that faith comes from God, indirectly because it is defined by Him and without Him it would have no definition, and directly because He has given it to us, or from Him we receive it.
What are the implications of this concept of faith? This concept of faith reassures the believer of the work of God in their life. It is a sweet relief whereby we say, “thank you for this God, for I am not able”. We let go of the responsibility (one we were never able to bear in the first place) and allow God to have control. We recognize His work (which is faith) and His sovereignty, letting that become the framework, from which all else in our life flows, which in turn magnifies His glory (which scripture says is the purpose of faith). It forces us to reconcile our understanding of God with His sovereignty as Scripture explains it, because it removes the scapegoat. This causes us to formulate a new understanding of a “loving God” that is in complete agreement with a God who doesn’t always heal, which is the actual God of scripture.
This concept of faith as an “unsubstance” or perceived idea of all God has done in our lives requires complete and total dependence on Him, a dying to the flesh and living to the Lord.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:20-23
24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:24, 25
