Wednesday, 29 November 2017

Fruit of the Spirit - Faith

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The next (seventh and last of Galatians 5:22 - there are 2 more in Galatians 5:23) fruit of the spirit is pistis in transliterated Greek (faith in English). It derives from a Greek word meaning to "be persuaded" or "come to trust".

Faith is God's divine persuasion. It is given by God and not something worked up by man. God leads each of us by giving us faith as we submit to His will. It is also tied in secular Greek writing contemporary to NT Scripture as a guarantee or warranty. Faith, then, is the guarantee that was God has promised will come to pass.

Then there is the classic Biblical definition. Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of realities not seen." 1 Corinthians 13 is the "love" chapter. Hebrews 11 is the "faith" chapter.

Then there is this ... Hebrews 11:6 "Now without faith it is impossible to please God." Many Bible teachers want to convince us there is no such thing as "pleasing God". If that is true, why would the Bible say this?

Trust God = Demonstration of Faith For all of us our earthly fathers were imperfect men. Not so with our heavenly father. We relate to Him on the basis of His perfection, not ours. When we trust Him, He takes delight in us. May we all rejoice to hear Matthew 25:23 "His master said to him, 'ell done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a little, so I'll put you in charge of much. Enter into your master's joy!'"

R. Michael