M
Mailman
Guest
A beautiful answer to the question:
Faith is the substance – the marginal rendering says “assurance” – of things hoped for. So FAITH comes before possession.
Once you have received the possession, you no longer hope for it. But even before you receive it, you have it in substance; and that substance – that assurance that you shall possess it – is FAITH.
Then again, faith is an EVIDENCE – the “evidence of things not seen.” Faith precedes the actual receiving of what you ask for. And faith is the evidence you shall have it, before you even see it. It is the evidence of things not yet seen. You do not have it. You do not see it, or feel it – yet faith is your evidence that you have or shall have it. Faith is the substance – the assurance – of receiving that which you still HOPE for.
So when you hope for things or ask God for things, there is an evidence – a proof because, where God is involved, His evidence IS proof – that you shall receive what you have asked. And what is that proof – that evidence? Is it the actual receiving of the answer, so you see, or feel, or hear you have it? No!
Suppose, for instance, you were ill. Now Jesus healed the sick continually. And, He said, the works that He did – and this was one of them – we should do also. Now suppose you ask God to heal you. Naturally, you want some evidence that you are going to be healed.
So what is that evidence, that proof? Is it the evidence of the pain ceasing – or the swelling going down – something you can feel, and see? I know a man who said, “When I can see anyone healed by direct prayer, then I’ll believe in it.” This man wanted to believe in it – he wanted to have faith in it! He was looking for an evidence that he could see – and he died without ever seeing it!
Because what we see – what we feel – is not the true evidence. Having the thing – seeing it – is not faith. Faith PRECEDES possession because faith is confidence – ASSURANCE – you shall possess it. The human mind, naturally, can receive knowledge only through the five senses. These are five sole channels capable of transmitting knowledge, by natural processes, to the human mind. But that is not faith! Faith is a spiritual matter, and it has nothing to do with the five senses, which are physical.
Prayer is a spiritual matter. God is a spirit. And when we ask, for instance, for healing, we DO have an evidence – proof positive – that the healing will be done; but that evidence is not something seen, or felt, or heard – it is not a physical evidence – it is rather the spiritual evidence of FAITH. Faith is our evidence.
On man expressed it very well: “Faith is the assurance that the things which God said in His Word are true: and that God will act according to what He has said IN His Word. This assurance, this reliance on God’s Word, this confidence, is FAITH!”
When Jesus walked the earth in human flesh, He possessed faith. Yet, He said plainly, “Of myself, I can do nothing!”
Few realize that what He did – the miracles He performed – He did not do by any supernatural power of His own. Everything He did, every miracle He performed, was done literally through faith, setting us an example.
But how, then, did He perform His miracles, accomplish His works?
“The Father that dwelleth in me,” explained Jesus, “He doeth the works.”
Faith is the substance – the marginal rendering says “assurance” – of things hoped for. So FAITH comes before possession.
Once you have received the possession, you no longer hope for it. But even before you receive it, you have it in substance; and that substance – that assurance that you shall possess it – is FAITH.
Then again, faith is an EVIDENCE – the “evidence of things not seen.” Faith precedes the actual receiving of what you ask for. And faith is the evidence you shall have it, before you even see it. It is the evidence of things not yet seen. You do not have it. You do not see it, or feel it – yet faith is your evidence that you have or shall have it. Faith is the substance – the assurance – of receiving that which you still HOPE for.
So when you hope for things or ask God for things, there is an evidence – a proof because, where God is involved, His evidence IS proof – that you shall receive what you have asked. And what is that proof – that evidence? Is it the actual receiving of the answer, so you see, or feel, or hear you have it? No!
Suppose, for instance, you were ill. Now Jesus healed the sick continually. And, He said, the works that He did – and this was one of them – we should do also. Now suppose you ask God to heal you. Naturally, you want some evidence that you are going to be healed.
So what is that evidence, that proof? Is it the evidence of the pain ceasing – or the swelling going down – something you can feel, and see? I know a man who said, “When I can see anyone healed by direct prayer, then I’ll believe in it.” This man wanted to believe in it – he wanted to have faith in it! He was looking for an evidence that he could see – and he died without ever seeing it!
Because what we see – what we feel – is not the true evidence. Having the thing – seeing it – is not faith. Faith PRECEDES possession because faith is confidence – ASSURANCE – you shall possess it. The human mind, naturally, can receive knowledge only through the five senses. These are five sole channels capable of transmitting knowledge, by natural processes, to the human mind. But that is not faith! Faith is a spiritual matter, and it has nothing to do with the five senses, which are physical.
Prayer is a spiritual matter. God is a spirit. And when we ask, for instance, for healing, we DO have an evidence – proof positive – that the healing will be done; but that evidence is not something seen, or felt, or heard – it is not a physical evidence – it is rather the spiritual evidence of FAITH. Faith is our evidence.
On man expressed it very well: “Faith is the assurance that the things which God said in His Word are true: and that God will act according to what He has said IN His Word. This assurance, this reliance on God’s Word, this confidence, is FAITH!”
When Jesus walked the earth in human flesh, He possessed faith. Yet, He said plainly, “Of myself, I can do nothing!”
Few realize that what He did – the miracles He performed – He did not do by any supernatural power of His own. Everything He did, every miracle He performed, was done literally through faith, setting us an example.
But how, then, did He perform His miracles, accomplish His works?
“The Father that dwelleth in me,” explained Jesus, “He doeth the works.”