“to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit…”
to another faith by the same Spirit,
There is faith, and then there is the gift of faith. The gift of faith here is not saving faith but serving faith. The quality of serving faith varies greatly among believers. The gift of faith is not initial salvation or faithfulness after salvation. This gift is not a person who is optimistic about everything. It is a gift that believes God in an extraordinary way of doing ministry. It is the ability to see what God wants to be done and sustain unwavering confidence in God regardless of insurmountable obstacles.
PRINCIPLE:
Faith turns vision into reality.
APPLICATION:
All Christians have faith, but some have a special capacity to exercise faith. This is a gift associated with vision in ministry. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ was a clear example of this gift in his launching of the largest worldwide ministry in Christianity. This kind of person expresses faith in God and turns vision into reality. It would be a mistake to try to exercise Bill Bright’s faith without Bill Bright’s gift of faith. His faith was for a particular task or work. He had faith to launch out where there was little financial support for the project. Everybody seemed to be against it, and people discouraged him on every side. God’s work carried on in God’s way will never lack God’s support.
This faith does not produce the work of God but rather sets the climate in which God chooses to work. The person gifted with this faith is characterized by utter dependence upon God. This gift is the unique assurance that something we believe to be in God’s plan will definitely happen.
I appreciate your clarifying in such a clear, direct way of what this
verse is saying. It leaves a inspiring impact on me as I study my daily
devotionals.
Thank you Deb
Hi! in this verse not only we have the gift of faith, but also the gift of healing. Is there any reason why you did not comment on it too? I believe this is a very important gift that should be administer in the Church especially today.
Ed, just advance to the next study.
In answer to a question from messenger on the kinds of faith, here is my reply:
There are two fundamental kinds of faith: 1) faith as confidence in the testimony of another and 2) faith as a body of belief:
Faith—confidence in the testimony of another
Nature of:
Fruit of the Spirit
Gal. 5:22, 23
Work of God
John 6:29
God’s gift
Eph. 2:8
Comes from the heart
Rom. 10:9, 10
Substance of unseen things
Heb. 11:1
Kinds of:
Saving
Rom. 10:9, 10
Temporary
Luke 8:13
Intellectual
James 2:19
Dead
James 2:17, 20
Faith as a body of belief
Priests obedient to
Acts 6:7
Churches established in
Acts 16:5
Stand fast in
1 Cor. 16:13
Paul preaches
Gal. 1:23
Now revealed
Gal. 3:23
Household of
Gal. 6:10
Contending for
Phil. 1:27
Hold purely
1 Tim. 3:9
Denial of
1 Tim. 5:8
Some erred from
1 Tim. 6:10, 21
Reprobate
2 Tim. 3:8
Paul keeps
2 Tim. 4:7
Chosen of God
Titus 1:1
Common among redeemed
Titus 1:4
To be sound in
Titus 1:13
[from Nelson’s Topical Bible Index]