Let’s look at several other statements Jesus made about faith. Well, since faith can grow, it can be either strong or weak-developed or undeveloped. Second Thessalonians 1:3 says, “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your FAITH GROWETH EXCEEDINGLY.” God is saying that faith can grow. The person who does nothing with his faith will have weak faith. But another person may not do anything with his faith. You can feed and exercise it so when the storms of life come, you will have strong faith. For example, you can cause your faith to grow. Remember, it’s up to you what you do with the measure of faith God has given you. Therefore, one person’s faith may not be as developed or as strong as another person’s faith. There can be a measurable difference! You see, the Word of God tells us that our faith can grow. One person’s faith may not be the same as another person’s faith. But in another sense when people say that, they are implying that every believer has faith in every respect the same as another believer. You’re either a believer or a non-believer. One person said, “You either have faith or you don’t.” In one sense, that’s true. So we know that the measure of faith we’ve received can be increased by doing two things: by feeding it on God’s Word and by putting it into practice (or exercising it) in everyday living. God’s Word will build assurance, confidence, and faith in your heart. He called the Word of God the word of faith, because the Word will cause faith to come into your heart (Rom. In Romans 10:8, Paul called the message he preached the word of faith. But you also need to exercise your faith to develop it and cause it to grow. You can feed your spirit on God’s Word and thereby feed your faith, because God’s Word is faith food. They won’t be able to do much spiritually when it comes to moving mountains in your life. But you also need to exercise your faith, because if you don’t, your faith muscles will be flabby. In much the same way, you need to feed your faith on God’s Word. Yet if you eat right but don’t exercise, all you’ll do is get flabby and out of shape. You know that if you eat food regularly, it will build you up physically. He’s saying to us that what bread (or food) is to the body, the Word of God is to the spirit, or the heart, of man.
Jesus is using a natural human idea to convey a spiritual thought. …Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. For example, this is how Jesus taught in His earthly ministry, as we can read in the Gospels. The Bible very often uses natural human terms to teach spiritual thoughts. But you increase your faith by doing two things: feeding it on the Word of God and exercising it-or putting it into practice. Certainly God furnishes the means whereby faith can be increased. But you’re the one who increases it, not God. So the second thing I want you to know is this: This measure of faith can be increased. It’s up to you what you do with the measure of faith God has given you. They’ve just wrapped their faith up in a napkin, so to speak, and hid it. Then your faith grows according to what you do with it.Ī lot of people have done with their faith what the fellow in the Bible did with his one talent (see Matthew 25:25). He gives to every man the measure of faith. He doesn’t give one person more faith than He gives another. You see, God gets everyone started off the same way. Every believer already has a measure of the God-kind of faith. 12:3) it’s not something that He is going to do.
He has given to every believer the measure, or the same measure, of faith. It is the “gift of God.” But He has given it to every believer. Ephesians 2:8Īccording as GOD HATH DEALT TO EVERY MAN the measure of faith.
So the first thing I want you to know is this: Every believer has been given a measure-the same measure-of the God-kind of faith.įor by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves: IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD. Folks often see someone prospering according to the Word, whether in his health, his finances, his family, and so forth, and they get the mistaken impression that God must have given that person more faith. In teaching on the subject of faith, it is important to show people from the Scriptures that God has not blessed one person with more faith than He has blessed someone else.