A friend just asked me, “how can someone build their faith ?”
It seemed quick, easy, and doctrinally correct to quote from Jude saying “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.” Go for it just pray in the Holy Spirit and you will build up your faith.
Sadly, I have many charismatic acquaintances who seem to pray frequently in the spirit but seem at the same time to be very lacking in the faith that brings them to an abundant spiritual life.
What is faith ? Yes, Yes, I know, it is the substance of things hoped for . . .
That is fine for a definition at the meetings; but, what is faith out on the street ? Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. That makes a couple of things clear. First, it shows that righteousness arises from our relationship with God not from our following all the right rules. Second, it shows that believing is central to faith. But, as you have heard me ask before, believe ? Believe what ?
Believing in God has nothing to do with ascribing to a proper and correct set of doctrines. We can recite the Apostle’s Creed twice a day every day and it still will not actually bring about our believing in God. Not in the Father; not in Jesus, the Son; and, not in Holy Spirit !
This concept of believing in God revolves around our having confidence in His character. It involves becoming so intimate with Him that we know how someone who identifies Himself as Love whose glory includes a commitment to absolute justice will react and interact with us. It involves becoming so intimate with Him that we know how a man who willingly gave up all of His power, prestige, and prerogatives as God to become our servant and chose to voluntarily die for His Bride will react when we cry out for undeserved grace. It involves becoming so intimate with Holy Spirit that even while we are actively insulting Him, He will continue to reveal in our spirits how deeply and completely we are loved and accepted as part of the family of the Creator God of the Universe.
Whether we are talking about our relatives, our friends, or God, the fundamental essence of believing in a person is having confidence in his character. To have such confidence we must experientially come to know his true character. If we look at military men we can order them to obey their officers. But they only trust and believe in an officer after they have gotten to watch him in action.
The answer to my friend’s question: You build your faith by building your intimate relationship with each of the Trinity so that you have seen each of them in action and know that you can trust Him and trust all of Them in God.
His, thus Yours,
Stuart
His-Family 