PRINCIPLES OF KINGDOM LIVING
LESSON 3
FAITH TOWARDS GOD
Faith towards God is the essence of the entire Christian life. Initially, it has to do with our access to God and our standing before God. It is by faith that we are justified and brought into right standing with God. To be “justified” means that we are declared righteous, or pronounced or treated as innocent. When a man is justified by God, he is not
acquitted on the grounds of his innocence, but by God’s mercy and love through His Son, Jesus Christ. Faith is a gift of God and not something that we earn by our own ability (Ephesians 2:8) – “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God.”) Faith in God gives us the ability to believe His Word and appropriate it in our lives.
(1) What is faith, what does it mean?
It means: belief, faithfulness, reliability, trust, confidence, firm persuasion, assurance, or firm conviction.
a. Faith (noun) – faith, belief, firm persuasion, assurance, firm conviction, honesty, integrity, faithfulness, truthfulness. b. Believe (verb) – to trust in; put faith in, confide in, rely on a person, or thing; have a mental persuasion; to entrust, commit to the charge or power of.
“Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of things (we) do not see and the conviction of their reality–faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to his senses.” (Hebrews 11:1 Amp).
“For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus (the leaning of your entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom and goodness) and of the love which you (have and show) for all the saints (God’s consecrated ones, (Colossians 1:4 Amp.)
(2) The second word of the Gospel is “Believe”:
a. Jesus preached repentance and faith. (Mark 1:15).
b. Paul preached repentance and faith.(Acts 20:21).
c. The second principle of the doctrine of Christ is faith toward God.
(Hebrews 6:1).
(3) Is faith important?
Faith is the foundation of the entire Christian life.
“He that cometh to God must believe…” (Hebrews 11:6).
“The just shall live by faith“.(Romans 1:17); (Habakkuk 2:4). Nothing can be known or received of God unless man first believes in His existence; and secondly, that God has revealed Himself in His Word, the Bible.
(4) Where does faith come from?
The only source of true Biblical faith is the Word of God.
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”
(Romans 10:17).
There are several ways that we can receive the Word of God:
A. Preaching the Gospel. (Titus 1:3); (Romans 10:8); (I Thessalonians 2:13).
B. Through the written word. (Luke 24:44); (II Timothy 2:15); (Psalms 119:105).
C. In times of Prayer. (II Corinthians 12:8 and 9); (Isaiah 65:24); (Jeremiah 33:3).
D. A word of exhortation by another Christian. (Colossians 3:16); (Malachi 3:16).
E. In dreams and/or visions. (Acts 2:17).
F. Audible Voice of God. (Acts 9:4-6).
Read in connection with this the faith chapter, Hebrews 11, and see how each of these faith heroes received a word from God. Example: (Hebrews 11:8-12); (Romans 4:16-22).
(5) The manner in which Abraham manifests faith is the manner in which we must
manifest faith:
A. He heard the word.
B. Hope concerning the future was a result of his faith in the present.
C. He refused to accept the evidences of his senses.
D. He did not waver in his commitment.
E. He rejoiced in the word as an accomplished fact. Scriptural faith is a condition of the heart, not the mind. It is in the present, not the future. It produces a positive change in the behavior and experience. It is based solely on God’s Word and accepts the testimony of the senses only when it agrees with the text of God’s Word. It is expressed by confession with the mouth.
(6) There are different levels of faith: A. Little faith – 30 fold. (Matthew 6:30); (8:26); (14:31). B. Great faith – 60 fold (Matthew 8:6-10); (15:28). C. Perfect faith – 100 fold. (James 2:22). “But he that received the seed into the good ground is he that heareth the Word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some in hundred- fold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matthew 13:23).
(7) Just how important is faith?
A. We are saved by faith. (Acts 16:31); (Ephesians 2:8); (Romans 5:1).
B. The just shall live by faith. (Hebrews 10:38).
C. We are to walk by faith. (II Corinthians 5:7).
D. Kept by faith. (I Peter 1:5); (Romans 11:20); (I John 5:4).
E. We are children of God by faith. (Galatians 3:26).
F. We are healed by faith. (James 5:15).
G. We overcome difficulties by faith. (Romans 4:18-21): (Mark 9:23); (I John 5:4).
H. We cannot please God without faith. (Hebrews 11:6).
Faith is the key that opens the door to pleasing our Lord.
(8) Action must be the expression of faith.
A. Noah, by faith, moved with fear and built the ark. (Hebrews 11:7).
B. Moses, by faith, was hid by his parents. (Hebrews 11:23).
C. By faith, 120 believers received the Holy Ghost. (Acts 1:14); (2:1-4).
D. The lame man was healed when Peter had the faith to reach down and pull him up. (Acts 3:1-8).
E. Woman with the issue of blood was healed when, by faith, she touched Jesus
garment. (Mark 5:25-34).
(9) The centers of faith in an individual are:
A. The mouth;
B. The heart.
“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:10).
(10) How do I appropriate God’s Word in relationship to faith?
A. Locate the promise in God’s Word that fits the need. (Philippians 4:19); (II Corinthians 1:20); “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.”
B. Fulfill all the conditions attached to that need. (Isaiah 1:19-20); (Psalms 37:5), “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.”
C. With patience accept the trying of your faith and God’s testing of your faith in the Word. (Hebrews 6:12-15); (Psalms 105:19); (James 1:3-4 Amp). “Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith brings out endurance and steadfastness and patience–But let endurance and steadfastness and patience
have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be (people) perfectly and fully developed (with no defects), lacking in nothing.”
D. We must firmly and positively claim the fulfillment of the promise. (II Peter 1:3-4). Our confession should always be in harmony with God’s Word. (Hebrews 3:1); (I John 5:14), “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us.”
(11) I believe in feelings, but put them last.
A. God’s Word comes first.
B. Faith in God’s Word comes second.
C. Feeling comes last.
(12) There is a natural walk.
A. We do have to go by our physical senses. For example, if we are crossing a street and our eyes tell us there is a car coming, we must wait until this car passes.
B. In many instances, we have to walk by natural faith. Faith in our sight, faith in our senses of smell, faith in our feelings.
C. Too many people try to believe in God with physical or natural faith. If their physical senses tell them it’s not so, then they believe it’s not so. But our physical senses have nothing to do with the Bible. God’s Word is true whether we feel that it is or whether circumstances appear that it is or not.
God’s Word is true. “For ever, O Lord, thy Word is settled in Heaven.” (Psalms 119:89).
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STUDY QUESTIONS:
1. What is Faith?
2. How do we receive faith?
3. Is it necessary to have faith to know God?
4. What does it mean, “faith by my works”?
PRINCIPLES OF KINGDOM LIVING
LESSON 3—STUDY SHEET
FAITH TOWARDS GOD
Please fill in the blanks and bring this sheet to next class.
1. To be “_________________” means that we are declared righteous or pronounced or treated as innocent.
2. When a man is justified by God, he is not acquitted on the grounds of his __________ but by God’s mercy and love through His Son, Jesus Christ.
3. Please write out Ephesians 2:8: ___________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________
4. What does faith mean? It means: belief, faithfulness, reliability, trust, confidence, ____________________________, _________________ or firm conviction.
5. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is ______________________ to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that _______________, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
6. Where does faith come from? Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by___________, and hearing by the Word of God.
7. List five steps in which we must manifest faith. (In the same manner of Abraham).
a.__________________________________________________________________
b.__________________________________________________________________
c.__________________________________________________________________ d.__________________________________________________________________ e.__________________________________________________________________
8. How important is faith?
a. We are ___________ by faith. Acts 16:31 “And they said, __________________ on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
9. ____________________ must be the expression of faith.
10. Romans 10:10 “For with the _______________ man believeth unto righteousness; and
with the ___________________ confession is made unto salivation.
11. How do you appropriate God’s Word in relationship to faith? List the four mentioned in section 10.
a.___________________________________________________________________b.___________________________________________________________________ c.___________________________________________________________________ d.___________________________________________________________________
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