The Difference Phases of Faith

THE DIFFERENT PHASES OF FAITH

FAITH has never been given a “square deal” by the Church, yet it has given birth to all of man’s greatest achievements.
Woolworth had faith in five and ten cent pieces and left behind him a fortune of $60,000,000 and stores at every crossroad.
Ford had faith in a low-priced automobile that every man could afford to buy.
Faith is the greatest element in advanced civilisation.
As human faith gives birth to such achievements in the natural realm, so the believer’s faith in the Father and His Word gives birth to spiritual achievements.

The preacher who has faith in the message that he is giving, finds that the Word produces faith results in the hearts of the men who hear him.
He has faith in the Word, that God is in it and back of it.
He has faith in humanity, that it will respond to the thing he is giving.
He has faith in Love, the Jesus kind of Love. He believes it is the solution of every human problem, and the family that practices love produces the highest type of Christian character.
It was a great day in my own life when I discovered that God was a Faith God.
I knew He was a Love God. I Knew He was a Righteous God, an Omnipotent God, an Omniscient God; when I found He was primarily a Faith God I saw that it was natural for us, as His children, to walk by faith.

Creative Faith

Hebrews 11:3 “By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the Word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which appear.”
It was a fresh, new creation . . . not a revamped creation made out of worn-out worlds.
I discovered that it was ruled by Words. Heb. 1:3 “Who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
There are three great words used again and again in the first chapter of Genesis. They are “Let there be.”
Faith-filled words brought the universe into being, and faith-filled words are ruling that universe today.

Jesus gave us some illustrations of creative faith.
Matthew 15:30-31 records that the maimed were made whole.
“And there came unto him great multitudes having with them the lame, blind, dumb, maimed and many others, and they cast them down at his feet, and he healed them; insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb speaking, the maimed whole, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.”
I have known of several women who have had organs restored that surgeons had removed through operations.
Creative faith is just as real today as it was when Jesus walked in Galilee.

Dominating Faith

This is faith that rules circumstances.
In Hebrews 1:3 we see a picture of Jesus.
“Who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
Here He is not only a creator, but He also dominates what He has created.
He rules the universe by the Word of His power.
Here is an illustration of His dominating the forces of nature.
Matt. 8:26 “Then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”
Jesus ruled the wind and the sea.

How His authority staggered those who observed it.
They said, “What manner of man is this that commandeth the winds and the waves and they obey him?”
In Luke 5:1-11 we see Him ruling the fish of the sea.
He had used Peter’s boat for a little while as a pulpit. Then He paid for the use of it
He said, “Peter did you catch anything last night?”
Peter answered, “No, Master.”
Jesus said, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets.”
Peter said, “1 know Master there are no fish here, but at thy word, I will let down the nets.”
The nets were filled instantly.
That is dominating faith.

Mark 1:32-34 “And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were sick, and them that were possessed with demons. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick with divers diseases, and cast out many demons; and he suffered not the demons to speak, because they knew him.”
Jesus ruled demons and they recognized His dominion over them.
John 11:39-44 At the raising of Lazarus He was Master over death.
He said, “Roll away the stone.” Then He commanded Lazarus to come forth.
Jesus had dominating faith.
He ruled demoniacal forces. He ruled the works of the Devil. He was Master.
He commanded a tree to die and it died from the roots up.
He was the absolute Monarch of the laws that govern the Universe.

Religious Faith

Few of us realize what a mighty force religious faith is today.
Men have faith in Creeds, in Organizations, in their Church, in Medicine, in Doctors, in Medical Science and Surgical Science, in good works, kindly deeds, giving money, in repentance and penance.
It is amazing the faith the average man has in something that he or someone else can do.

Faith in Experiences

Perhaps the most delusive of all the different kinds of faith is faith in Experiences.

Men tell what they have felt, what they have heard or seen.
Someone said to me recently, “I am not healed, I have not been able to demonstrate my faith.”
Such people have Sense Knowledge Faith.
They must have physical evidence or they do not believe.

No delusion that has grasped the modern church is more deadly than this.
Some do not believe that they have received the Holy Spirit until they have had a physical manifestation.
They do not believe they are healed until the pain has left their body.
They do not believe God has heard their prayer until they can see some physical evidence of it.
We have seen in this type of faith that Sense Knowledge and Sense Evidence hold the place that the Word of God should hold.

In Revelation Faith, the Word holds the first place. It is not dependent upon physical evidence. Revelation Faith believes that no Word from God is void of power, and rests in quiet confidence in what God has stated.
It accepts the Word as final without any other evidence.
If the Word declares it, that is enough.
The sick one reads, “Surely he hath borne my sicknesses and carried my diseases,” and he cries, “Thank you, Father. Then I am healed.”
This is New Covenant or Revelation Faith.