Faith: What is it? (Manna) Part 2

Greeting Everyone,

Well Friday was our last day of the school year here. It’s now officially in summer vacation. The rain has been coming down pretty much daily. PTL! Before too long we’ll be looking at those long hot summer days here in Texas! We’ll be completing the message on faith this week in fellowship. Here’s just a part of the notes for Sunday fellowship.  

As you might be coming to see how so many of us can used these words so interchangeably. What we think we are saying is not always what it means by word definition. Surely when we use the word faith is might not mean the same every time we use it. So, where do we get our faith from? Is it something we possess and control? Does everyone have faith or is it something that only a lucky or blessed few? It is just for the believer or does the non-believer have also? Paul tells us this about faith and humankind.

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. Rom 12:3

According to Paul, God did something with faith. He dealt or bestowed, imparted, distributed and divided (split in to factions) this thing called faith to all of humankind. That means we all have faith but it is not complete faith. Our faith is incomplete in itself and we need something or someone to complete it for us. We must possess a new complete faith to operate in full assurance of our faith! Think about it from the time we were created we’ve had all the faith we needed. Yet from the beginning it was incomplete!

The faith of Adam

As we read Genesis 2:16-27; 2:19-20; 3:9-11. We see Adam have his own knowledge operating within him. This was his faith or knowledge in operation! He operated in the full measure of the knowledge he was given.

Adam’s measure of faith from these verse.

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Gen 2:16-17

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought [them] unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that [was] the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. Gen 2:19-20

And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I [was] naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou [wast] naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? Gen 3:10-11

Where was his knowledge or faith limited? In the following areas.

He didn’t know what “die” was. He didn’t know what fear was. And he didn’t know they were naked. Limited knowledge means incomplete faith! Let’s talk about it!

Love in Christ,

David & Katherine