The Kingdom Principle of Faith – Three degrees of faith
Faith, believing in Christ, believing he is able to save your soul, fill you with the Holy Spirit, answer prayer, deliver you, heal you, rescue you, and much more, is an essential kingdom principle, because the very foundation of the gospel and the New Covenant is, the just shall live by faith
I am persuaded that a study of the gospels reveals what I have come to call Three Degrees of Faith. I’m never really happy with the word degrees, so sometimes I call them the three levels of faith, but whatever we call it, I’m convinced they are there. Let’s look at them.
First Level – He is able
In Matthew 9:27-31 we read about two blind men who come to Jesus, asking for healing of their blind eyes. Jesus asked them, Believe ye that I am able to do this?
You would think every Christian always believes He is able, but this is actually where we often struggle. Think about it, they were blind! How many blind people have you seen healed? This is a big thing they are asking. Many of the situations we face or pray about are big, they are giants, and we are overwhelmed. I’m not judging or condemning anyone – they are genuinely huge!
So, when I am praying about a situation or for someone, the first question I need to ask myself is, Do I believe He is able to do this? And like these two men my answer needs to be, Yes, Lord, I believe you are able.
Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. Praise God!
Second Degree or Level – He will
In Matthew 8:1-3 a leper came to Jesus and said, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. That is, If you are willing, if you want to, if it is your will, I believe you are able to this. He believed He was able, but he didn’t know if it was his will.
Many times, when we are asking God for something, we believe He is able to do it, we just don’t know if it is His will. Is it possible to know the will of God and pray with more confidence?
1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Amen! It is possible to know and pray according to the will of God. In his most excellent book, How to Pray, R.A. Torrey wrote:
“Here is one of the greatest secrets of prevailing prayer: To study the Word to find what God's will is as revealed there in the promises, and then simply take these promises and spread them out before God in prayer with the absolutely unwavering expectation that He will do what He has promised in His Word.
But there is still another way in which we may know the will of God, that is, by the teaching of His Holy Spirit. There are many things that we need from God which are not covered by any specific promise, but we are not left in ignorance of the will of God even then. In Rom. 8:26,27 we are told, "And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered; and He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD." (R.V.) Here we are distinctly told that the Spirit of God prays in us, draws out our prayer, in the line of God's will. When we are thus led out by the Holy Spirit in any direction, to pray for any given object, we may do it in all confidence that it is God's will, and that we are to get the very thing we ask of Him, even though there is no specific promise to cover the case. Often God by His Spirit lays upon us a heavy burden of prayer for some given individual. We cannot rest, we pray for him with groanings which cannot be uttered. Perhaps the man is entirely beyond our reach, but God hears the prayer, and in many a case it is not long before we hear of his definite conversion.”
(ch 4 Praying In The Name Of Christ And According To The Will Of God)
Oh yeah, Jesus said, I will, and healed the man!!
Third Level – I Receive It / He Has Done It
This is the highest level of faith, it is pure faith. Jesus said:
Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
“No matter how positive any promise of God's Word may be, we will not enjoy it in actual experience unless we confidently expect its fulfillment in answer to our prayer. But how can one get this faith?
Let us say with all emphasis, it cannot be pumped up. Many a one reads this promise about the prayer of faith, and then asks for things that he desires and tries to make himself believe that God has heard the prayer. This ends only in disappointment, for it is not real faith and the thing is not granted.
How does real faith come?
Rom 10:17 answers the question: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing BY THE WORD OF GOD." If we are to have real faith, we must study the Word of God and find out what is promised, then simply believe the promises of God. Faith must have a warrant. Trying to believe something that you want to believe is not faith. Believing what God says in His Word is faith. If I am to have faith when I pray, I must find some promise in the Word of God on which to rest my faith. Faith furthermore comes through the Spirit. The Spirit knows the will of God, and if I pray in the Spirit, and look to the Spirit to teach me God's will, He will lead me out in prayer along the line of that will, and give me faith that the prayer is to be answered; but in no case does real faith come by simply determining that you are going to get the thing that you want to get.
If there is no promise in the Word of God, and no clear leading of the Spirit, there can be no real faith, and there should be no upbraiding of self for lack of faith in such a case. But if the thing desired is promised in the Word of God, we may well upbraid ourselves for lack of faith if we doubt; for we are making God a liar by doubting His Word.” (How to Pray, Torrey, ch 5 Praying in the Spirit)
I don’t know about anyone else reading this, but I am encouraged and challenged, and not a little convicted!
Next: Doubt
You can read How to Pray here
Faith, believing in Christ, believing he is able to save your soul, fill you with the Holy Spirit, answer prayer, deliver you, heal you, rescue you, and much more, is an essential kingdom principle, because the very foundation of the gospel and the New Covenant is, the just shall live by faith
I am persuaded that a study of the gospels reveals what I have come to call Three Degrees of Faith. I’m never really happy with the word degrees, so sometimes I call them the three levels of faith, but whatever we call it, I’m convinced they are there. Let’s look at them.
First Level – He is able
In Matthew 9:27-31 we read about two blind men who come to Jesus, asking for healing of their blind eyes. Jesus asked them, Believe ye that I am able to do this?
You would think every Christian always believes He is able, but this is actually where we often struggle. Think about it, they were blind! How many blind people have you seen healed? This is a big thing they are asking. Many of the situations we face or pray about are big, they are giants, and we are overwhelmed. I’m not judging or condemning anyone – they are genuinely huge!
So, when I am praying about a situation or for someone, the first question I need to ask myself is, Do I believe He is able to do this? And like these two men my answer needs to be, Yes, Lord, I believe you are able.
Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. Praise God!
Second Degree or Level – He will
In Matthew 8:1-3 a leper came to Jesus and said, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. That is, If you are willing, if you want to, if it is your will, I believe you are able to this. He believed He was able, but he didn’t know if it was his will.
Many times, when we are asking God for something, we believe He is able to do it, we just don’t know if it is His will. Is it possible to know the will of God and pray with more confidence?
1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Amen! It is possible to know and pray according to the will of God. In his most excellent book, How to Pray, R.A. Torrey wrote:
“Here is one of the greatest secrets of prevailing prayer: To study the Word to find what God's will is as revealed there in the promises, and then simply take these promises and spread them out before God in prayer with the absolutely unwavering expectation that He will do what He has promised in His Word.
But there is still another way in which we may know the will of God, that is, by the teaching of His Holy Spirit. There are many things that we need from God which are not covered by any specific promise, but we are not left in ignorance of the will of God even then. In Rom. 8:26,27 we are told, "And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered; and He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD." (R.V.) Here we are distinctly told that the Spirit of God prays in us, draws out our prayer, in the line of God's will. When we are thus led out by the Holy Spirit in any direction, to pray for any given object, we may do it in all confidence that it is God's will, and that we are to get the very thing we ask of Him, even though there is no specific promise to cover the case. Often God by His Spirit lays upon us a heavy burden of prayer for some given individual. We cannot rest, we pray for him with groanings which cannot be uttered. Perhaps the man is entirely beyond our reach, but God hears the prayer, and in many a case it is not long before we hear of his definite conversion.”
(ch 4 Praying In The Name Of Christ And According To The Will Of God)
Oh yeah, Jesus said, I will, and healed the man!!
Third Level – I Receive It / He Has Done It
This is the highest level of faith, it is pure faith. Jesus said:
Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
“No matter how positive any promise of God's Word may be, we will not enjoy it in actual experience unless we confidently expect its fulfillment in answer to our prayer. But how can one get this faith?
Let us say with all emphasis, it cannot be pumped up. Many a one reads this promise about the prayer of faith, and then asks for things that he desires and tries to make himself believe that God has heard the prayer. This ends only in disappointment, for it is not real faith and the thing is not granted.
How does real faith come?
Rom 10:17 answers the question: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing BY THE WORD OF GOD." If we are to have real faith, we must study the Word of God and find out what is promised, then simply believe the promises of God. Faith must have a warrant. Trying to believe something that you want to believe is not faith. Believing what God says in His Word is faith. If I am to have faith when I pray, I must find some promise in the Word of God on which to rest my faith. Faith furthermore comes through the Spirit. The Spirit knows the will of God, and if I pray in the Spirit, and look to the Spirit to teach me God's will, He will lead me out in prayer along the line of that will, and give me faith that the prayer is to be answered; but in no case does real faith come by simply determining that you are going to get the thing that you want to get.
If there is no promise in the Word of God, and no clear leading of the Spirit, there can be no real faith, and there should be no upbraiding of self for lack of faith in such a case. But if the thing desired is promised in the Word of God, we may well upbraid ourselves for lack of faith if we doubt; for we are making God a liar by doubting His Word.” (How to Pray, Torrey, ch 5 Praying in the Spirit)
I don’t know about anyone else reading this, but I am encouraged and challenged, and not a little convicted!
Next: Doubt
You can read How to Pray here
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