Faith is a hot topic! What is true faith? Is it a matter of how much faith you have, or what kind of faith? Can it be grown? Where does it come from, and how is it initiated?
Your answers to such questions most likely have been developed by what “Christian” tradition you were raised around or in, and by your own experience.
As for me (Randy) personally. I will tell you there is not much mystery to faith for me. Issues surrounding such questions were pretty much settled for me years ago as I began to take a look at the difference between faith and presumption in the late 70’s and early 80’s. This was a time when I was in a more traditional leadership/pastoral role, and having to deal with several believers who had been wounded by other believers who saddled them with burdens and guilt for “not having enough” or ” a lack of”, etc, faith. These believers that wounded other believers, I think probably were well meaning, but had been caught up in the so-called “faith/prosperity” teaching movements where they were given formulas for supposedly “operating in faith”, that turned the scriptures into an instruction manual on how to “work” God. Not to get off into the weeds of doctrinal argument here but, We don’t work God! He works us, or I should say, works in, through, and with us.
I can remember one prominent teacher of the times being quoted as saying “God is a fool for His word! You quote and confess it and He has to perform it!” Well, may I say here, God is nobody’s fool! And, He does not perform at our whim, nor is He bound by our desires, no matter how good or perfect or noble they may seem to us. He is at work, in us, to will and to do His good pleasure. (See Philippians 2:13 where the apostle makes it clear that, even in the midst of trial and persecution, God is working IN us). I don’t know about you, but I have no desire to serve a God who is a fool for anything or anyone, and/or can be manipulated by me like He is my puppet if I just say or think the right recipe of abracadabra.
In ministry to many people/believers over those years, as well as searching the whole counsel of His word in the scriptures, I came to discover the difference between faith and presumption. Simply put, we might say: Yes, true faith is dependent upon His word. But it is initiated by what He speaks/reveals in the now. Not by what I speak or think. Presumption, on other hand, is based in and on me putting words in His mouth, by what I think or think I understand, and expecting Him to perform accordingly. Faith is not presumption. Faith is based on hearing Him reveal His will. Presumption is based upon presuming, or assuming, I know His will based on what I think, or think I understand, rather than what He has spoken/revealed. John’s instruction on prayer gives us some insight.
[1John 5:14-15 NASB95] 14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us [in] whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
John says here that if we ask according to His will…. we can know we will have what we have requested. This makes it clear that if we are praying His known will our petition will be effective. This does not mean that you can never petition Him based on your own desires. Even Jesus in the garden prayed “If possible, let this cup pass… nevertheless Your will, not mine”. But, it does mean you can have no expectation that what your desire will be manifested. To think so, or count it as accomplished because you asked, is presumption. Faith is based on knowing His will from having heard His voice/revelation.
As I have shared many times, Roman 10:17 tells us faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word (rhema/spoken revelation) of or concerning Christ. The outworking of hearing is faith. The outworking of faith is obedience. The outworking of obedience is seeing the fulfillment of that which He has promised or spoken to you about.
In Luke Jesus has just finished up the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) where the rich man in Hades begs Father Abraham to send Lazarus as a messenger to his brothers in a last ditch effort to save them from his agony and fate saying:
[Luke 16:30-31 NASB95] 30 “But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!‘ 31 “But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’“
Pretty poignant isn’t it? Here is Jesus who is the embodiment of the word of God in the Law and Prophets -“ Moses and the Prophets” – who is being rejected. And, Jesus who will also be rejected by most as the messenger who is risen from the dead –“rises from the dead”
You see God speaks! And, when He does, or has, there is faith initiated. But, if you will not/do not listen, even a miracle you see will not persuade or bring you to repent.
Going on in Luke 17 Jesus first addresses the seriousness of becoming a stumbling block to those that would hear and believe. He speaks of giving offense using the Greek term skandalon, or literally a bent stick. Something that people will trip over, or in that time (or even in our modern mousetrap) a bent stick that was used to set or to spring a trap. Jesus was a kind of skandalon in truth that the religiously self righteous could, and did, trip over. But, He was most likely warning of the danger of purposely misleading or dividing others by false teaching here. Then, He warns of holding on to resentment and unforgiveness against others that may have given us offense. In His instruction about rebuking (going openly and honestly) to those that stumble us/others or give us offense, and forgiving them, Jesus is showing how self destructive bottling up resentment is to us, and how broad our willingness to forgive must be.
Randy, you say, how did we get off into forgiveness, when we were talking about faith?
It is this: That is the context here. And, our faith is most often walked out in relationships and communication in them. First, with Him. Then, with and through others. The disciples’ response to this is “Increase our faith!” as they recognized great faith was needed to walk these instructions out. Getting along with people, serving people, loving people, not offending people, forgiving people that offend you, bringing people to repentance over and over, these are the works of the Spirit through a disciple and servant of Jesus. And they are seemingly tough tasks requiring the command, direction, and input from the Master and enabled by the Spirit. {Ephesians chapters 4-6 outlines the battlefield of spiritual warfare as relationships – other people & believers/husbands & wives/children & parents/employers & employee, ending up with(We wrestle not against flesh and blood -Ephesians 6:12)}
[Luke 17:5-9 NASB95] 5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you. 7 “Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’? 8 “But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and [properly] clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’? 9 “He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he?
In response to their request to increase their faith, Jesus gives them a story of a servant, and begins with an analogy of seed and trees.
When I first read this as a young believer it seemed an ill fitted answer. But, what became abundantly apparent, after considering His answer over time, was that what He was actually pointing out was that their ability to forgive was not based in the size of their faith, or even growing it larger or to be more. It was based in and on what He had spoken and commanded of them.
When he spoke of the mustard seed, the smallest of seeds, He was not talking of the size, but simply saying: if you have any faith at all you can do this. And, YOU CAN because I have spoken to you to do so. It is not the size of your faith, it is “have you heard Me speak?”. If He has spoken there is faith. If He hasn’t there isn’t. He enables you by His word.
It is also interesting to consider that a mustard seed, as small as it is, has been enabled to, comparatively, move mountains! Note He did not say if you have faith the “size of” (although that may have been implied), but “like a” mustard seed. This little seed is buried under the ground, a mound/mountain, comparatively, of dirt, and yet pushes its way up and out becoming a great bush. Just as the most difficult relationships, and restoration of them, is a great miracle coming from small beginnings and often through hard struggle and trial. Jesus indeed is a seed buried to bring restoration of relationship with the Father and bear much fruit.
In Luke 17 He speaks also of the Mulberry tree. I read in one commentary that the Mulberry is said to have strong and deep roots, and is hard to move. Much like the depth and strength of bitterness and unforgiveness we often harbor. And yet, the smallest degree of faith, in fact, any at all based on what He has spoken to us, results in enablement to rip it up and cast it to the sea of forgetfulness. Forgiving hurt, offense, wrongdoing, injury … Nothing is perhaps more difficult to forgive. But, it is what Jesus made an example of in Himself, and what He enables us to do by His word to us. He, as seed falling to the ground and dying , again, brings forth much and great fruit.
Faith initiated by the word of a great God accomplishes great things, great restoration, great relationships. Faith is focused on He that spoke to initiate it, not the servant who responds in obedience.
As Jesus continues turning to the story of the servant He speaks of slaves – those that are laboring for, with, and in service to, the Master. He speaks of plowing and tending sheep. This is hard work done to feed and clothe, provide for the needs of others, not himself. Great works given him by the Master to do. Note, Jesus is speaking to His disciples, about service, not about works unto salvation.
By indicating that the Master does not comfort or compliment the servant/slave when he comes in from the field or flock saying “come sit and eat” He makes it obvious the service he has done was only what the Master expected of the servant. And, He takes it one step farther showing that the Master’s expectation was that the servant would continue to serve the Master, as his first priority, as the Master speaks – “Prepare something for me to eat, and [properly] clothe yourself and serve me”. The servant is ever listening and ready to put the Master’s will and pleasure ahead of His own.
I don’t believe Jesus’ intent here is to make the Master out to be an ogre or hard taskmaster, but to make the point that faith to serve Him, and the Father, as Master is a matter of relationship and listening to His voice. He will enable and strengthen for the work He commands and gives to you to do. AND, He will provide a time and place to rest and eat as a part of His household, “and afterward you may eat and drink”.
Finally Jesus’ parable ends with: 9 “He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he?” His point is, again, faith is initiated in what He has spoken and its end is simple service from obedience based in love. We are not serving for compliments, reward, or to earn salvation or anything. Next to, or compared to, all He has done for us, all we have done has come from His empowerment and enabling, and out of His grace extended to us making us His own, and of His household.
This is particularly salient when taken in the context of faith for forgiveness and the enablement to forgive it at His word and command. There are still sheep to tend, fields to plow… relationships to move in, bringing forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration between ourselves and others, and others in relationship to our Master.
When Jesus wraps up this story and instruction regarding faith with vers10 “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done [only] that which we ought to have done.” He is not trying to run us, as His disciples, down, nor inspire us to some sort of worm like thinking of false humility. He is simply indicating that as He humbled Himself to serve the Father’s purpose, and serve us, in love for the Father and us, bringing restoration of relationship and forgiveness. So, are we now called and enabled to do the same in Him, in faith that is initiated by His word/command.
It is not a matter of how much faith. It is a matter of having any at all, by way of hearing His command and direction to us as our Lord and Master.