FAITH
The next quality Paul discusses is faith. Paul speaks of faith as a fruit of the
Spirit and faith as a gift of the Spirit. God is so concerned about our having faith
that He does not leave it to chance, but He gives us different ways to obtain faith.
Faith as a fruit is faith in process. Because it is a fruit of the Spirit, it is produced
by the Spirit. Paul tells us that this "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the
word of God" (Rom. 10:17). As I hear the word of God and act upon the word of
God, faith comes into my heart and begins to mature until, finally, I have a
knowing, a witness, and I receive what I ask of God. This is the fruit of faith, a
faith that comes, grows, matures, and brings to fruition my desire.
Faith, as a gift, does not grow. The Spirit drops it in your heart, fully
mature. You may be driving down the street, not thinking of anything in particu-
lar, and all of a sudden, the Spirit drops faith in your heart for a need. It does not
grow. You might not even be thinking about God, but suddenly faith drops in your
heart. The end result is the same as with faith as a fruit; however, one is process
and one is an event.
It is very difficult to distinguish between faith and working of miracles. A
definition that may help is that faith is the ability to receive things from God, and
working of miracles is the ability to do things for God. Faith is the ability to
receive things from God. Working of miracles is the ability to do things for God.
Faith is a knowing, a conviction based on hearing the Word. Either way, whether
fruit or gift, faith comes. Whether it is a gift of the Spirit which God just drops in
your heart, or whether, as you act upon the word, faith comes. Faith comes.
The author of Hebrews wrote,
But without faith it is impossible to please him [God]:
for he that cometh to God must believe that
he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligent-
ly seek him (Heb. 11:6).
Since faith is necessary, the Spirit gives you two ways of receiving it. One is
through a process of living in union with Jesus Christ,
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you [faith
comes], ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be
done unto you (John 15:7).
The other is by a sovereign act of the Spirit implanting faith in your heart as
a gift. The Spirit gives you a knowing that God has done what you need to have
done (see discussion of faith as a gift under Gifts of the Spirit).
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