The God Kind of faith Part 2
Text:  John chapter 20:19-29

 

Introduction

It is very important for us to understand that our destination is highly dependent on how we exercise our faith.  Over the past lessons we have dealt with the topic of faith in different aspects and looked at it from various angles. Let’s take a look further by identifying two kinds of faith.

Human Faith – this is a sense-knowledge faith; the kind of faith that operates according to our five sense.  A faith that relies on sense knowledge and operates based on the five senses. These are seeing, tasting, hearing, smelling and feeling. 

19 Then on that same first day of the week, when it was evening, though the disciples were behind closed doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace to you!

20 So saying, He showed them His hands and His side. And when the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy (delight, exultation, ecstasy, rapture).

21 Then Jesus said to them again, Peace to you! [Just] as the Father has sent Me forth, so I am sending you.

22 And having said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit!

23 [Now having received the Holy Spirit, and being [b]led and directed by Him] if you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained.

24 But Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 So the other disciples kept telling him, We have seen the Lord! But he said to them, unless I see in His hands the marks made by the nails and put my finger into the nail prints, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe [it].

26 Eight days later His disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, though they were behind closed doors, and stood among them and said, Peace to you!

27 Then He said to Thomas, Reach out your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand and place [it] in My side. Do not be faithless and incredulous, but [stop your unbelief and] believe!

28 Thomas answered Him, My Lord and my God!

29 Jesus said to him, Because you have seen Me, Thomas, do you now believe (trust, have faith)? Blessed and happy and [c]to be envied are those who have never seen Me and yet have believed and adhered to and trusted and relied on Me.

The outcome of any faith base on the above features will and can only produce the ability of man.  The end product will always be a product of man’s natural abilities.

Supernatural faith:  This is the spiritual or God kind of faith which does not rely on the natural senses to decipher what God is saying. The end products are supernatural miracles.  It is absolute and resolute in its process.
 

Matthew 8:5-13

King James Version (KJV)

5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,

6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.

7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

From the above bible passage we confidently can say that the faith exercised by the centurion soldier was not based on his five senses rather on the super natural ability of God almighty.

 

Conclusion:

Are you one of those who say I wish my faith could be just like that other fellow or I wish my faith could be just like my pastors, or that brother?

The question is why do you need another person's kind of faith when you already have God's kind of faith?

Which is more superior?
Which is more potent?
Which is greater?

It is important we know who we are otherwise we will disregard the power of the faith that God has given us.

God has made His faith available onto us
He created the heavens and the earth and by faith He maintains them
By Faith we are all well created for His pleasure.

Ephesians 2:8-9 Amplified Bible (AMP)

8 For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved ([a]delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;

9 Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]

God gave us His faith so that we can be saved not by our power, not by our works but by His faith alone.  God has given us the same precious faith as stated in 2 Peter 1:1-8 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle (special messenger) of Jesus Christ, to those who have received (obtained an equal privilege of) like precious faith with ourselves in and through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

Also in Galatians 2:20
King James Version (KJV)

20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Finally, we are created by God in Christ Jesus. God created the universe with words filled with His faith and you have that same faith. Just confess what you believe today and see God kind of faith in action!

Contributor: Clem Roberts