With God all things are possible. (Matt 19:26)
All things are possible to him who believes. (Mark9:23)
In each of these statements, we find the words "all things are possible." In the first passage, they are applied to God; in the second they are applied to those who believe. It is not too difficult, perhaps, to believe all things are possible to God. But can we equally accept that all things are possible to those who believe? But Jesus said they were.
In practical terms, what does this mean? It means that, through faith, the things that are possible to God are made equally possible to those who believe. Faith is the channel that makes God's possibilities available to us. It is no wonder the Bible, from beginning to end
consistently emphasises the unique & supreme importance of faith.
It is helpful to know that a linguistic misunderstanding that often causes difficulties in understanding faith. In English, we have two different words for faith: a noun, faith, & a verb believe. The connection between these two words is not always obvious. As a result a preacher sometimes makes the distinction between "believing" & "having faith." However there is no basis for this distinction in the original Greek of the New Testament.
In Greek, the word for faith is pistis, & the word for believe is pisteuo. We see that the verb is formed directly from the noun. The stem of each word is made up of the same four letters—pist. As far as the Bible is concerned, believing is exercising faith, so exercising faith is believing.
When we look at the words that express the opposite of faith, we again find a difference between English & Greek. In English, the opposite of faith is unbelief. We have no such word as "unfaith." But in the Greek, there is a direct connection between faith & its opposite. Faith is pistis; unbelief is apistia. (In Greek, the negative prefix "a" corresponds to the English prefix "un.") The same four letter stem pist occurs in both Greek words: faith, pisits; unbelief, apistia.
Also connected with this four letter stem pist, we have the adjective pistos, which means faithful, believing. From this the negative prefix "a" gives the opposite adjective apistos, which means unfaithful, unbelieving.
For clarity, I have set out these five words side by side in two parallel columns.
Greek. English.
Noun pistis faith
Noun apistia unbelief
Adjective pistos faithful, believing
Adjective apistos unfaithful, unbelieving.
verb pisteuo believe
So we see that all five Greek words are visibly linked by the stem pist occurs in each of them. Altogether, these five words occur almost six hundred times in the original text of the New Testament. On this basis alone, it is clear that these words represent a theme that is central to the Bible's total revelation.
Hebrews 11 deals exclusively with the theme of faith. Its opening verse provides us with a definition of faith as the terms used in the Bible.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (N K J) Hebrews 11:1
The writer of Hebrews supports his encouragement to steadfast faith by reviewing the triumphant experiences of the Hebrew hero’s. First he provides not a definition but a description of how faith works. Faith is the established conviction concerning things unseen & settled exception of future reward. The Greek word substance literally means "a standing under", & was used in the technical sense of "title deed". The root idea is that of standing under to the claim to the property to support its validly. Hence faith is the title deed for things hoped for. Throughout the chapter the writer emphasises the assurance rests on God's promises. Faith is so real that it is actually called a substance.
The Greek word for substance is hupostasis & means that which stands under something else or provides a basis for something else as I have just explained. The word hupostasis occurs in Hebrews 1:3 where we are told that Jesus is the exact representation of His nature. The Word here translated nature is hupostasis. Which means that God the Father is eternal, invisible, underlying reality of which Jesus Christ the Son is the visible expression. By applying this meaning to Hebrews 11:1 we may say that faith is the underlying reality of things hoped for. Faith is real; faith is substance.
Second faith is the evidence of things not seen. The New American Standard Bible says "The conviction of things not seen." Regardless of the translation we prefer; the vital point is that Faith is, deals with things we cannot see. Faith relates to the invisible. In Hebrews 11:3 the writer again stressed faith's relationship to the invisible. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
We see that our belief concerning God's creative act exemplifies the evidence of things not seen. Faith relates to two eternal, invisible realities: To God Himself & to His Word. Biblical faith has only these two objects. In secular speech, of course we speak of faith in many contexts. We can talk about having faith in the economy, in medicine, or in a political leader. But faith is not used that way in the Bible. In Scripture faith is related solely & exclusively to two realities we cannot see with our natural eye: to God & to His Word. Paul brought out the opposition between faith & sight in 2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
We must live according to the truth of God's Word & the testimony of His Spirit. Faith chooses to believe God’s Word above the evidence of the senses, knowing natural circumstances are to be kept subject to the Word of God. Faith is not denying the circumstances; rather it is believing God's testimony & living in agreement with it. This is contrary to our natural way of thinking. The world says "seeing is believing". But the Bible reverses the order: First we must believe, & then we will see.
This principal is so important that we will look at some passages of Scripture that illustrate it. David says in Psalm 27:13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believe That I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living (NKJ). Which came first seeing or believing? (Yes) Believing. What was true for David is true for all of us. If we cannot believe that we will see the goodness of the Lord, we will despair. The thing that keeps us from despairing is not what we see but what we believe. This agrees with the statement made about Moses in Hebrews 11:27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. This probably refers to the night of the Exodus. Only Godly faith can see the invisible.
Now we will turn to John 11-39-40 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” It is vital that you understand that the glory of God is only revealed to those who believe.
The key word in John's Gospel is believe. Faith unlocks our understanding of the Scriptures & releases the Spirits activity in our lives. Faith like love evidences itself in obedience. Finally faith approaches God boldly to receive from Him the things it needs. What Jesus asked of Martha, He asks of all of us who desire to see the glory of God. We must believe that we will see. We do not see first then believe. We believe first; then as a result of believing, we see. Faith comes before sight. The basic conflict between the old nature & the new is, the old nature demands to see, since the old nature lives by senses. God has to deliver us from that old nature & that old way of life & bring us to a new nature & a new life. Then we will say, I am content not to see. I do not walk by sight, but by faith.
In 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 we are challenged once more by the contrast between the visible & the invisible. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. We must focus on the unseen & eternal. Consider & dwell upon the glory that follows this life. Know the inward man is being renewed. Paul's language in these verses contains a deliberate paradox. He spoke about looking at things that are not seen.
How can we do this? There is only one way by faith. I would like to point out that there is a great significant in the word "while": while we look not at things which are seen." It stresses the same lesson that Mosses learnt in his test of endurance. What he learnt was that the providence of God's affliction serves a useful purpose for believers. It forms & strengthens our character & prepares for the eternal glory that lies ahead. But the lesson that the word "while" teaches us is this: Affliction serves only while we keep our eyes on the invisible realm. If we lose sight of it & become preoccupied with the world of time & senses, we are no longer able to receive the benefits that affliction is intended to provide for us. So we are caught between two worlds; the temporal & the eternal. The temporal is what we can see; we contact it with our senses.
But the eternal is the world God wants us to be at home in. & we can be at home in that world by only one means: Faith is the only thing that connects us to the unseen realities of God & His Word. Faith lifts us above the realm of our own abilities & makes God's possibilities available to us. Faith connects us to two unseen realities: God & His Word. & we maintain a relationship with God through faith, through faith we are able to endure & overcome the tests & the hardship that confront our daily lives. These, in turn become opportunities for God to reveal His goodness & glory.
There is an ongoing tension between faith & sight. Our old nature is at home in the world of senses, & it demands to see. As Christians, we need to cultivate the new nature, which is able to trust God & His Word without demanding other evidence.
We have just looked at the difference between faith & sight, between believing & seeing. Now we are going to examine the difference between faith & hope. Here lies one of the greatest sources of misunderstanding among Christians today. Many Christians are disappointed & frustrated with prayer because they do not receive what they think they should. Often it is because they are praying in hope, but not in faith. The results promised by God to faith are not promised to hope.
The first essential difference is that faith is in the heart, while hope is in the mind. In Rom 10:10 Paul said For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Oral confession declares, confirms & seals the belief in the heart. This is the most
foundational lesson in the importance & power of faith's confession found anywhere in the Bible. The principal is established at the very beginning of our life in Christ. Just as salvation (God's righteous working on our behalf) is appropriated by heart belief & spoken confession, so His continuing working in our life is advanced by the same means.
True biblical faith originates in the heart. In this verse, it is expressed by the verb believe, & it is followed by the preposition "unto", which indicates the result that it produces: "Righteousness." The word unto implies motion of transition of some kind. Faith is never static. It always expresses itself in motion, change & activity. A person who truly believes will be changed by what he believes. On the other hand, a person who merely accepts truth with intellect can remain unchanged by it. Mental acceptance of truth is not faith. To produce faith, truth must penetrate beyond the conscious mind into the inner centre & source of life, which is called the heart. Truth received intellectually by the mind may be sterile & ineffective, but truth received by faith into the heart is always dynamic & life changing.
Proverbs 4:23 Solomon warned us, Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. To keep your heart is to value & protect your mind, emotions & will. (Me thinks Solomon should have profited by his own advice). Everything that finally decides the course of our lives proceeds from our hearts. True biblical faith proceeds from the heart & determines the way we live. It is not a mere intellectual concept, entertained by the mind; it is a real, active force at work in the heart. However God does not leave the mind without its proper provision. Faith at work in the heart produces hope in the mind. We see this definition of faith that we have already examined in Hebrews 11:1 "Faith is the substance of things hoped for." Faith in the heat is the substance, the underlying reality, this provides a valid scriptural basis for the hope we entertain in our minds.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:8 Paul mentioned the difference areas of personalities that are affected by faith & those that are affected by hope: But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. Faith & love is the breastplate & the breastplate protects the heart. Hope is the helmet & protects the head or mind. In distinguishing faith from hope I do not mean to belittle hope, in the biblical sense hope is a confident expectation of good-a steady persistent optimism. Hope protects our minds. Every Christian should wear the helmet of hope twenty four a day. If we lay aside the helmet & begin to dwell on negative thoughts & gloomy forebodings, our minds are vulnerable to satan's subtle attacks.
In Romans 8:28 we are told And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. We learn from this that when Christians suffer in hardships, bitter disappointments or wrongly treated know that God will work amidst such situations to fulfil His good purpose in His children. The situation may, or may not be directly changed by God, but even if situations stay difficult God guarantees good results, including maturation of character to those who are called.
We must note the certainties of this verse must be kept in union with the responsible participation in to which we enter with the Holy Spirit. However in applying this verse to our lives, we first need to make sure we are meeting the conditions. Do we truly love God? Are we seeking to fulfil His purpose for our lives? If so then God is working all things-every event, every situation-together for our good. This leaves only one attitude of mind that can logically adopt: optimism. In the light of this, for a Christian to be a pessimist is in fact, a denial of his faith. This example confirms what has already been said: Faith is the only solid basis for hope. We must first truly believe what Romans 8:28 tell us: All things working together for our good. If we believe this, we have no alternative but to hope. But if we do not believe this, then our hope has no solid basis.
We see that there are two forms of hope. Outwardly they are similar, but they are different in one vital respect: One is based on faith, & the other is not. One form of hope is based on genuine faith within the heart, & is therefore valid. Its exception will, at the right time be fulfilled. The other form of hope is within the mind alone, lacking any basis of genuine faith within the heart & is therefore has no spiritual validity. More likely than not, it is doomed to disappointment. Until we learn to distinguish between these two forms of hope, we will always be in danger of entertaining hopes that will never be fulfilled. The first essential difference between faith & hope is that faith is in the heart, while hope is in the mind. The second difference between faith & hope is that faith is in the present, while hope is in the future. Faith is a substance, something that is already here; hope is expectation, something that of necessity looks toward the future. Now it is very easy to confuse folk who say they have great faith, they may be sincere but their desires will go unanswered because they have confused faith with
hope. We have learnt that hope is in the mind, while faith is in the heart. We usually know what is in our minds, but it is much harder to know what is in our hearts. If a person a strong expectation in his mind he may mistakenly call it faith, but it is really hope. Lacking the necessary basis of faith, he does not see the results that he expected.
Many people who say "I believe God will heal me tomorrow,” really mean "I hope God will heal me tomorrow." That is not faith, faith because faith is not tomorrow; faith is now. If we keep directing our exception toward the future, we are substituting hope for faith. When we apply this principal to petitioning God, it will revolutionise this aspect of our prayer lives. In Mark 11:24 Jesus says Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Faith that speaks first is faith that seeks. The Almighty God is the Source & Grounds of our faith & being. Faith only flows to Him because of the faithfulness that flows from Him. Faith is not a trick preformed with our lips, but a spoken expression that springs forth from conviction of our hearts. When did Jesus tell us to receive what we pray for? At some undetermined time in the future? No but at the very moment that we pray. We ask, & at the same moment we receive.
Thereafter, we know what we ask for will be given to us. Granting or giving still remains in the future, but receiving, by faith, takes place when we pray. Having received now by faith, we know, at God's appointed time, the things we received at the moment of praying will actually be granted to us. Faith to receive is in the present; the manifestation of what we have received is in the future. But without present faith, there is no assurance of future manifestation. In Hebrews 4:3 “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest, although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. Believing here is viewed as something already accomplished that does not need to be repeated. Having believed, "we enter that rest." There is no more struggle or anxiety. We know that what we have received by faith will be manifested. The receiving is our part of the transaction; the manifesting is God's.
Faith & hope are closely related, yet there are two important factors between them. First faith springs from the heart, but hope is entertained in the mind. Second faith is in the present, it is a substance-But hope is directed toward to future; it is an exception of things to come. Hopes that are based on true faith within the heart will not be disappointed. However, without this basis, there is no assurance that our hopes will be fulfilled. Hope is God's protection for our minds, but it will not obtain for us results that God has promised only to faith. The key to obtaining what we ask for from God is to receive it by faith at the very moment we ask Him. Doing this sets us free from continual struggle & anxiety, & brings us inner rest.
Acknowledgements Derek Prince.
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