‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’
Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)
The word “Faith” appeared in the New King James Version of the Bible 389 times. To understand its use in Scripture it is important that the word is interpreted in context. In yesterdays’ article we considered faith in relation to the gospel and salvation. In today’s article, we will be looking at saving faith along with charismatic faith.
The Bible is replete with Scriptures that point us to the fact that salvation can only be received through faith (Ephesians 2:8, John 3:16). Saving faith is a conviction, brought about by the Holy Spirit, of the truth of the gospel, faith in Jesus and trust in the promises of God in Christ.
Faith in Christ and in the Gospel is continuous. As believers, we hold on to our beliefs until we see the hope of our salvation fulfilled. The Bible tells us in Galatians 1:7 that the Gospel can be perverted and it is our duty to keep ourselves from turning away from the Gospel of Christ.
Charismatic faith on the other hand is faith in the abilities of God “through” us and “in” us. The word “Charisma” refers to a divinely conferred power and in this context the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8).
Ephesians 1:3 also tells us of the spiritual blessings that we have been blessed with in heavenly places. Faith in what God has said concerning us opens us up to experiencing the fullness of the word.
Another aspect of Charismatic faith is the belief that God can meet our needs through miracles, healings, and supernatural interventions. We can see examples of this in the story of the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25-34), the centurion servant (Luke 7:7-10), Martha at the death of Lazarus and many other accounts of people who showed great faith in the abilities of Jesus Christ.
But there is a tendency for people to have faith that God would do great miracles but not believe in His power to save. We can see examples of this when Christ healed unbelievers.
John 6:26-29 gives an account of Jesus admonishing those who came to Him not for the bread that He is but for the bread that He gives. It means that those people were after Jesus only for the miracles and not necessarily for the salvation of their souls.
Both aspects of faith are important but it is of utmost necessity for us to beware of our motives so that we do not do the right things for the wrong reasons. There is so much provision for us as believers in Christ but our focus must be solely on the Bread from heaven who is able to fill us up.
Beloved, have faith in God! He is able to save and do much more.
Bible Reading Plan: Luke 3: 1-22