From Faith, and into Faith
With all the controversy that can be garnered in one place, the issue of faith is not the least in the controversy. The Word of Faith Movement has made the faith of God an issue that need not be, but unfortunately faith does not go unscathed in the false doctrine arena. Habakkuk is quoted in three different passages, by Paul in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11, and the author of Hebrews in Hebrews 10:38. This is a marvel as the passage quoted the just shall live by faith has great importance on understanding this complex issue of faith.
Hebrews gives us much information about faith as we know that there is a Hall of Faith which is found in Chapter 11, also in that same Chapter we have the commonly used definition in the first verse, and we have the declaration that we are unable to please God withour faith. These passages give us much information concerning faith, yet we have the Word of Faith movement which has presented this issue in a light that seems to be twisting Scripture and at the very least leaving the details of Hebrews out of the defining area.
Let's take a look at the Scripture that most use for faith. Hebrews 11:1 ¶ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Notice that first of all, faith has a future eyesight: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for! Faith doesn't possess the item, faith sees the item in the future. Abraham never possessed the land of Israel nor did Isaac nor did Jacob, but they all walked through it, and they saw it in the future, but they saw it in a present way by faith. Notice what the author of Hebrews says about this. Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Notice their faith was in Yahweh, and the result of their faith bolstered in Him, they saw thr promises given to them from Yahweh, but from afar. Notice this, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, this is faith.
Let's go back to the first verse of Chapter 11 for more insight into faith. Hebrews 11:1 ¶ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Look at the word, substance. This word in the Greek adds clarity to the issue of faith.
From Thayer's Dictionary
5287 upostasiV hupostasis hoop-os’-tas-is
from a compound of 5259 and 2476; TDNT-8:572,1237; n f
AV-confidence 2, confident 1, person 1, substance 1; 5
1) a setting or placing under
1a) thing put under, substructure, foundation
2) that which has foundation, is firm
2a) that which has actual existence
2a1) a substance, real being
2b) the substantial quality, nature, of a person or thing
2c) the steadfastness of mind, firmness, courage, resolution
2c1) confidence, firm trust, assurance
4102 pistiV pistis pis’-tis
from 3982; TDNT-6:174,849; n f
AV-faith 239, assurance 1, believe + 1537 1, belief 1, them that believe 1, fidelity 1; 244
1) conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it
1a) relating to God
1a1) the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ
1b) relating to Christ
1b1) a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God
1c) the religious beliefs of Christians
1d) belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same
2) fidelity, faithfulness
2a) the character of one who can be relied on
Because faith has a foundation that is in Yahweh, Yashua haMashiach, the Lord Most High, faith is validated; and when it is validated being seen as faith, it undergirds, underpins, supports like the butresses under a bridge that person who is utilizing it. This is why Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob could walk through Israel, and look for that city built by non-human hands! Their faith is founded in Yashua, and the result of such faith is the aquirement of sight, spiritual sight, so much so that these great men of God were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth! Here lies the problem that the Word of Faith Movement has in their false defining of faith, they reject this passage! Hebrews 11:13-16 In faith died all these, not having received the promises, but from afar having seen them, and having been persuaded, and having saluted them, and having confessed that strangers and sojourners they are upon the earth, for those saying such things make manifest that they seek a country; and if, indeed, they had been mindful of that from which they came forth, they might have had an opportunity to return, but now they long for a better, that is, an heavenly, wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for He did prepare for them a city.
These godly men did NOT receive the promises they had faith to believe, they saw the promises afar off, and they had their faith in Yashua, but they didn't have a mishapen idea of faith, their faith was what we must have, the faith of Yashua to live for Him each day in the midst of a crooked generation. Believe God!
The Word of Faith Movement has made faith the scapegoat while looking at people and telling them, "You didn't get that prayer answered because you didn't have enough faith," or perhaps this, "God must do what His Words tells us, therefore since He didn't do it, you must not have any faith!" If something doesn't happen it is faith's fault, and since faith is at fault and faith is the substance of things hoped for, then the person just doesn't have faith. They describe and define faith as if they have faith in faith whereas to this point we see that faith is underpinned by the foundation which it is placed in, Yashua haMashiach. Faith isn't at fault, it is the incorrect usage of prayer that is at fault. Faith was never given by Yashua for temporal things in the way the Word of Faith Movement uses it. They descibe faith in such a way as to make Yashua into a red suited fat man who must give us what we demand, that is not my Lord!
When we stand on what Jesus has revealed to us in the Word and to our spirit, this is evidence, evidence because it is in Jesus, and for things not seen! It would not be faith if we had those things, it would be self, and God works in faith as we have already quoted, without faith it is impossible to please the Lord!
With this Scriptural understanding of faith, let's go back to that OT verse that is quoted three different times in the NT. Habakkuk is quoted in three different passages, by Paul in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11, and the author of Hebrews in Hebrews 10:38. Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. Now notice how Paul writes that verse in Romans 1:17, For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Now look at Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And finally let's see Hebrews 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. Let's do one more thing, let's look at the Greek syntax of that statement and get the literal understanding as well. From Galatians 3:11 o dikaioV ek pistewV zhsetai That is: o dikaios ek pisteos zesetai in transliteration of the alphabet, from Romans 1:17 o de dikaioV ek pistewV zhsetai, and from Hebrews 10:38, o de dikaiov ek pistewv zhsetai. Literally: the righteous one, he will live out of faith, in other words, the just one or the one made just by God will practice the Word of God, live it daily, doing this because it is His Word, this is "his faith" in action for without practice, it isn't faith, it is mere mental assessment or acknowledgement.
Many people have been destroyed because of those who have come from the influences of the Word of Faith Movement, and told them that they didn't have faith. Every reason someone doesn't get what they asked for was because of faith according to the elite of this movement. They blame the person's faith, it is never any other reason. Ask for a million dollars and when you do not get it, it is your faith that doesn't allow God to give you. This movement has made the Lord into that fatman in a red suit, it has reduced faith into a means to get wealth after their own individual lusts, it has made a mockery of God and faith by which He works. Time and again the likes of Ken Copeland and Marilyn Hickey and Creflo Dollar will give an example of seeing something their hearts desired, then they demanded God to honor His Word and give them the desires of their heart, and they got that specific temporal thing they had lusted after. This isn't faith. Faith works through righteousness and into righteousness, from the Word we read His promises, and as He makes His Word rhema to us individually, then that planted Word must be accepted from Him by faith. As it is written, I must practice the Word: Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. What we believe is our faith, yet what we believe many times is in error, therefore what Paul reveals here is that in the Word we will mirror our belief systems, and we change what we believe to align with what the Word says. As we align with the Word, we practice applying the Word daily, this practice then takes our faith to faith. The preposition here is important.
From Thayer's Dictionary
1519 eiV eis ice
a primary preposition; TDNT-2:420,211; prep
AV-into 573, to 281, unto 207, for 140, in 138, on 58, toward 29, against 26, misc 322; 1774
1) into, unto, to, towards, for, among
++++
"For" (as used in #Ac 2:38 "for the forgiveness...") could have two meanings. If you saw a poster saying "Jesse James wanted for robbery", "for" could mean Jesse is wanted so he can commit a robbery, or is wanted because he has committed a robbery. The latter sense is the correct one. So too in this passage, the word "for" signifies an action in the past. Otherwise, it would violate the entire tenor of the NT teaching on salvation by grace and not by works.
This passage speaks clearly when contextually considered and from the subject point of the entire Epistle to one issue, faith, not faith progressive, but faith that is yours from the beginning and from THAT faith flows faith, the practice of faith as Paul quotes from Habakkuk must be a way of life else the meaning of that passage is lost and the quote meaningless. This is the prime issue in dealing with his countrymen, the Jew who does not accept Yashua haMashiach as Lord. Does faith grow when exercised? Yes, but the essence of Paul's work in this Epistle is not from that view, but from the perspective of lifestyle. A person who has a right relationship with the Father came to the Son, all whom the Father had were given to the Son.
Lu 10:22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.
John 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Notice what Jesus has shown us! All who had faith in God came to Him seeing that He is Messiah, unbelievers, game-players, all who were building their little kingdoms and NOT the kingdom of God, they were the ones who assassinated His character, destroyed His Word for their own usage, they crucified Him justifying themselves and crediting it to God's will.
From J-F-B
17. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed—that is (as the whole argument of the Epistle shows), GOD’S JUSTIFYING RIGHTEOUSNESS.
from faith to faith—a difficult clause. Most interpreters (judging from the sense of such phrases elsewhere) take it to mean, "from one degree of faith to another." But this agrees ill with the apostle’s design, which has nothing to do with the progressive stages of faith, but solely with faith itself as the appointed way of receiving God’s "righteousness." We prefer, therefore, to understand it thus: "The righteousness of God is in the gospel message, revealed (to be) from (or ‘by’) faith to (or ‘for’) faith, " that is, "in order to be by faith received." (So substantially, MELVILLE, MEYER, STUART, BLOOMFIELD, etc.).
as it is written—(#Hab 2:4).
The just shall live by faith—This golden maxim of the Old Testament is thrice quoted in the New Testament—here; #Ga 3:11 Heb 10:38—showing that the gospel way of "LIFE BY FAITH, " so far from disturbing, only continued and developed the ancient method.
On the foregoing verses, Note: (1) What manner of persons ought the ministers of Christ to be, according to the pattern here set up: absolutely subject and officially dedicated to the Lord Jesus; separated unto the gospel of God, which contemplates the subjugation of all nations to the faith of Christ: debtors to all classes, the refined and the rude, to bring the gospel to them all alike, all shame in the presence of the one, as well as pride before the other, sinking before the glory which they feel to be in their message; yearning over all faithful churches, not lording it over them, but rejoicing in their prosperity, and finding refreshment and strength in their fellowship!
(2) The peculiar features of the gospel here brought prominently forward should be the devout study of all who preach it, and guide the views and the taste of all who are privileged statedly to hear it: that it is "the gospel of God, " as a message from heaven, yet not absolutely new, but on the contrary, only the fulfilment of Old Testament promise, that not only is Christ the great theme of it, but Christ in the very nature of God as His own Son, and in the nature of men as partaker of their flesh—the Son of God now in resurrection—power and invested with authority to dispense all grace to men, and all gifts for the establishment and edification of the Church, Christ the righteousness provided of God for the justification of all that believe in His name; and that in this glorious Gospel, when preached as such, there resides the very power of God to save Jew and Gentile alike who embrace it.
(3) While Christ is to be regarded as the ordained Channel of all grace from God to men (#Ro 1:8), let none imagine that His proper divinity is in any respect compromised by this arrangement, since He is here expressly associated with "God the Father, " in prayer for "grace and peace" (including all spiritual blessings) to rest upon this Church (#Ro 1:7).
(4) While this Epistle teaches, in conformity with the teaching of our Lord Himself, that all salvation is suspended upon faith, this is but half a truth, and will certainly minister to self-righteousness, if dissociated from another feature of the same truth, here explicitly taught, that this faith in God’s own gift—for which accordingly in the case of the Roman believers, he "thanks his God through Jesus Christ" (#Ro 1:8).
(5) Christian fellowship, as indeed all real fellowship, is a mutual benefit; and as it is not possible for the most eminent saints and servants of Christ to impart any refreshment and profit to the meanest of their brethren without experiencing a rich return into their bosoms, so just in proportion to their humility and love will they feel their need of it and rejoice in it. 17. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed—that is (as the whole argument of the Epistle shows), GOD’S JUSTIFYING RIGHTEOUSNESS.
The conclusion must be foundation when looking at our faith, it must be the Word correctly defined and applied to our daily lives else we are not practicing our faith, and the faith that we say we have is mere hotair. Notice that this is Paul's conclusion when he goes into what most miss when reading Romans! Romans 12:1-3 ¶ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. We are far too busy justifying why we can sin, have the lives we desire, living our way, and claim God on our side yelling, "Do not judge me, I am fine with my God!" God is holy, without His holiness we will face eternity with Gehenna fires burning hotly around us instead of Yashua and the Godhead in eternal bliss. I ask all of us who name Yashua as Lord to examine ourselves and see if we are in the faith, HIS FAITH!