Greetings once more from Dallas, Texas!
Why is the saving faith of Jesus given to man? I said this in one of my posts on the subject (“The Faith of Jesus,” July 26, 2014), “Human faith is incompetent for spiritual matters. So what is the answer to this faith question? It is clear man was not born with this saving faith. Paul makes the answer plain to the Roman Christians, “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ to all and on all them that believe.” (Rom.3:22, AKJV) Yes, the answer is Jesus’ very own personified faith! You may have heard it said, “Believe in yourself.” My message to you today is, “Believe in your true self” – in and by Jesus’ faith! So, your faith-scale has to be reversed and tipped in favor of the faith of Jesus over your human faith. People may and can believe Jesus with human faith alone, but ultimately they will find it incapacitated in situations requiring deeper spiritual discernment, especially as it concerns God’s will and personal destiny for them. Jesus is not for mere intellectual inquiry, but for a far more deeper spiritual infusion of living faith.
Brooklyn Museum – Jesus Heals the Blind and Lame on the Mountain (Wiki Commons)
“The human mind is not for cerebral activity alone, it possesses a transcendent quality with infinite capacity. The difference is like night from day. Science today continues to be baffled by the complexities and mysteries of the human mind. We may see Jesus through mere human faith as a historical figure, a great moral teacher, a miracle worker who went about doing good. One faith is activated by mere human intellect and physical capacity, while the other is produced by the miraculous life God promises those who receive Jesus as Savior and Mediator. Where the divine and physical intersect, miracles happen. Paul said, “For the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power.” (1Cor.4:20) Faith in the spiritual brings the miraculous activity to life in the believer which the five senses or mere cerebral response has no answer. This is the spiritual aspect of the mind where the Spirit of God moves.” (Quote from “The Faith of Jesus,” posted July 26, 2014)
In that post I tried to differentiate human faith from the spiritual faith of Jesus to help understand how to live the life God has called us to live. Now that we understand what’s needed in terms of human and spiritual faith, let’s answer this question: What ought to be the principal focus of the faith of Jesus which we are given as a gift from God? This is a legitimate question to ask because too many people believe in faith as a tool for their own manipulation. Whether it is for some material desire, or for something they have dreamed to have, even for healing and wellbeing. When we use faith for that purpose we get disappointed because when we don’t receive what we ask, we say our faith is weak, or faith does not work at all. It’s not that, we still have the human faith, and our focus is in the wrong direction.
So what is the purpose of faith?
We must understand the one and only reason faith is given, and when everything fall into their place for this one reason, we’ll see miracles happen. If it doesn’t, then our understanding of the situation is lacking. So, here is why faith is given, and for no other reason: FAITH IS GIVEN PRIMARILY FOR MAN’S SANCTIFICATION IN THE SPIRIT’S POWER. If we lose sight of this basic purpose of the miracle-working faith of Jesus, then we are using faith for the wrong reasons, and we will be disappointed with the results.
Listen to how Jesus lays out the Spirit’s work of sanctification in the believer, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear (still babes, needing maturity). But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth (act of sanctifying man). He will not speak on his own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come (reveal the will of God). He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you (enhancing the faith of Jesus). All that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from Me what He will make known to you.” (John 16:12-15) Before this Jesus explained the Spirit’s work of sanctification moves in three areas of man’s life: the conviction of sin and righteousness; the conviction that sin is essentially not believing in the Savior God has provided for man’s forgiveness and redemption; and the conviction that the enemy and his lawless work has once and for all been defeated by Jesus. (John 16:8-11; Mat.4:1-11)
The Bible says, “We walk by faith, and not by sight.” (2Cor.5:7) Sanctification is not a ‘sight’ thing, it is a ‘faith’ thing. Paul explains what faith does, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Heb.11:6) The faith of Jesus enables a believer to live a life pleasing to God. Therefore, a life pleasing to God cannot be other than a sanctified life. Therefore, only the faith of Jesus has the power to sanctify man for God’s pleasure and use.
People are told to have faith. But whose faith, and have faith in what? Faith is not to use for the material gain we seek. Faith is not for physical healing, either. Faith is not to make our ‘wish list’ come true. That’s how our human faith is inclined, and so misguidedly we apply the faith of Jesus the same way. Human faith when it’s blended into Jesus’ faith has a singular focus. It’s singular focus is to sanctify man for God’s pleasure – period! And God’s pleasure is to see His self-giving, self-sacrificing Love press forward in the life of all who have received Jesus’ faith! God, by nature is not self-seeking and a egocentric- He is self-giving and self-sacrificing in His Loving nature, and wants mankind to live the same way.
Thereby, every request we make in prayer enters through the validating path of Christ’s saving faith which brings sanctification to man. That is to say, only when a prayer request is not self-centered, but Love-centered, and other-centered, for the purpose of sanctification, will our words become authentic and valid before God. God will not compromise His holy Love which demonstrates His glory. The prophet Isaiah quoted God as saying, “I am God; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.” (Isa.42:8) His glory in His holy Love which He will not sacrifice to our human faith that’s founded upon our fallen depraved self and self-egotism. So, when we ask according to His Love-destiny for each of us, Jesus says this about our prayer request, “I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son (‘s faith). You may ask for anything in My name, and I will do it.” (John 14:13-14) Many of us read this promise from Jesus and we wonder why His words does not find reality in their prayers. The answer is simple, we are using our human faith, not the faith of Jesus. Our human faith must surrender to the faith of Jesus. (Rom.3:22; Gal.2:20)
Jesus said, “According to your faith, your life will be lived” (Matt. 9:29-30). But what faith does He speak of? I said in my book, “The Miracle of Triune Living,” God does not give us material wealth, healing, or our ‘wish list’ to be consumed in our selfish ambition; rather it is an outcome and consequence to our primary gift in the Spirit and our personal calling in Jesus (Jam. 4:3). A man cannot fully and completely express himself in his gifts and talents to reach his destiny unless he has the faith of Jesus. Material things comes as an outgrowth of the believer’s Love-destiny in Christ.
Think about this for a moment: God wants those He has gifted with music to have the “best” pianos, guitars, and any other instrument so the person can cultivate those talents to the fullest potential. Without the “best” instruments to do it, man’s talent cannot be fully realized. God will give a person the “best” there is to fulfill his divine purpose. Therefore, the material enhancement that comes to the person is through his “life-gift” or purpose and is given primarily for his calling, and for God’s glory. His calling comes from God’s Love, and the fruits of love are the currency of abundance. Money is not the currency of abundance, God’s Love is!
The Proverbs tell us, “Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom! Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding! Throw your arms around her – believe me, you won’t regret it; never let her go – she’ll make your life glorious. She will garland your life with grace, she will festoon your days with beauty.” (Pro.4:7-9, The Message) Wisdom and understanding means to find God’s purpose for your life. For God’s blessings in your life (not what you imagine your life ought to be) will come to you as an outgrowth of your destiny in Christ. Your gift and calling in His divine purpose is the road map of our life-journey, not the destination. The destination is the foregone conclusion based upon how we live our lives, whether by human faith or the faith of Jesus!
Blessing:
Until we meet again in my next post, may the blessing of the God who ceaselessly expresses Himself in His dependable Triune Love, be with you today and give you strength for authentic creative “Triune Living” as a Bula man-river.*
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write me in the space provided below, or email me on bulamanriver@gmail.com.
Kiang (Your Servant in Christ)
*The “Bulamanriver” is the metaphor describing the union of man with the Love of the Triune God flowing in humans, making possible the “Triune Life” – the source of the miraculous life in man. Man is the “riverbed” and the Spirit is the “living waters” that cover him and flows to all in his valley (destiny). (John 7:37-39)
To read the many facets of life of the “Bula man-river,” go to my website www.bulamanriver.com where you can order a copy of my book. Remember, when you purchase my book you lend a hand in Jesus’s Work, for all the proceeds go towards dispensing the Gospel worldwide. (Mark 9:41; Matt.28:28:18-20; Eph.2:10). Thank you for your support.