In this discussion we need to keep in mind that faith is not a personal achievement. Faith is a gift we receive fro God, and is activateted by our acceptance of this gift.
Does this mean that faith is not innate but comes about, or to express it in Johann’s expression, is activated by some action out side of us that triggers acceptance or rejection of the action and/or the actor?
Most religions, including also many Christian, have a notion that faith is innate. This is rejected by Seventh-day Adventists, basing this on the teachings of Scripture. Faith comes to us as a gift from God, and is activated when we thank God for this gift and show our appreciation for it.
Or, is it existing in the individual but is dormant and not developed or manifest until we encounter Christ and decide for or against Him? Can we categorize faith into a sort that we have for the ordinary things of life and of a type that leads to acceptance or rejection of Christ as Savior?
Scripture teaches us that there is nothing good inherent in man. We are all equal sinners, and are in the dire need of grace which brings faith to us. Our own will is but like a rope of sand and accomplishes nothing for us. Our only hope is in Christ.
Can we have faith in the action but not in the actor? Does a lack of faith in the actor negate the action? (Please, folk, even the dull and ignorant have their story. I say this in hope that I may elicit a thoughtful response from someone.)
Any act of Christ is personal. The Ten Commandments as well as the teachings of Scripture deal with a personal relationship. No act has any meaning without such a personal relationship. This does not mean that you have to know the name of the person of Christ before He will bring you the first steps of faith, and yet there is no other name. . . But even in ignorance God works on the willing soul to bring him His grace.
I ask this because, going back to John 5, the impotent man, singled out by Jesus out of what John describes as a great multitude (vs3), when asked by Jesus, “Wilt thou be made whole?” (vs6), having no knowledge of who Jesus is, but responding in terms of the knowledge that he has, replies that he can not get into the pool fast enough to be healed (vs7). The man’s response demonstrates faith in the healing power of the water; not in the Christ: of whom, reading the text, there isn’t any indication that he knows anything about. His experience so far gives him certainty that if he can get into the water before anyone else he will be healed. One can describe that as an intrinsic faith in God, I suppose, if he believes that it is God, through the instrumentality of the angel, who is ‘stirring’ the water. So one may say Jesus recognizes that the impotent man has faith in Him, indirectly, as the God who instructs the angel to stir the water. But he still does not recognize Jesus as the healing Messiah or Savior. He can only describe Him as “He that made me whole” (vs11) or, the man who made me well. He discovers later that the Man is Jesus and reports that fact to the Jews - the enemies of Jesus. I do not mean to make a judgment about his motive.
I believe Ellen White refers to this when she said the man could have said,
- Yes, I will stand up and take up my bed if you will heal me.
In stead he acted on the word of Christ, grabbed his bed and discovered he had received the power to do it. Yes, that was the faith Christ had given him. it worked immediately, and yet this was no guarantee the man would be saved. He had the freedom of will to let go of his faith and trust in Christ at any time in the future. And that is just the way it is with us too. We can grab hold of Christ as long as we are surrounded with grace, and we are free to let go again. We do not know how many times we can do this, for there comes a time when it works no more.
(By the way, there is no indication in the text that Jesus healed any one else from that multitude. If all these people had been healed, they, like the impotent man would have had to make the ritual presentation of themselves to the priests. Consider how much more of an uproar that would have caused on the Sabbath; this would have been included in John’s report. Yea, I know I’ve opened myself to excoriation by Tinka and others but I call it as I see it.)
There is another instance when Jesus healed ten lepers, and only one returned his thanks to the healer. The others were healed but showed no gratitude. To me this indicates they let go of the grace Jesus had extended to them, so even if they werre healed they did not retain the saving grace and faith. We retain this by showing our gratitude.
But in contrast, the man born blind to whom Jesus puts the question directly, “Dost thou believe in the Son Of God?” expresses in his answer a ready desire to believe: “Who is he Lord, that I might believe on him?” Once Jesus reveals Himself to him he responds in faith and worship.
AMEN!
Friends, (presumption?) the fact that Jesus healed many of these people does not necessarily mean that before they were healed they had faith in Him as Messiah. For many people faith came about after or as a result of the miracles. As a matter of fact despite these mighty demonstrations of His power the majority did not accept Him as Messiah. Jesus Himself lamented that fact. Remember the purpose of the works (miracles) was to cause them to believe that Jesus was the long expected Messiah. But they would not believe.
Scripture teaches us that miracles are no proof. Satan is capable of performing miracles as well. We have to look for faith elsewhere.
John10: 36 Say ye of him, whom the Father has sanctified,
And sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said,
I am the Son of God?
37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works;
That ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me,
And I in Him.
39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped
Out of their hand.
There is no magic in these texts, nor in any other words of Scripture. Our understanding comes to us as we compare Scripture with Scripture which creates - through the Holy Spirit - a knowledge of Him, in Whom we belive. Justification is achieved as soon as we belive our sins are forgiven. Sanctification comes as we grow in grace and in the knoledge and daily relationship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Here there is no other Name. . .
The purpose of the healings and other ‘works’ were to create faith in Christ as Messiah and Savior but the majority did not believe.
Can Jesus heal Tommy? Yes, He can. After all, He is "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever" (Heb.13:8
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them (Heb.7:25)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1Jn1:9).
Wednesday and Thursday last week we visited Elmshaven, my wife and I together with an old friend, who is a Bible Scholar and teacher living in the area. As we went through this home of Ellen White twice, our eyes were often filled with tears as we saw the chair where Ellen wrote a number of her testimonies, we saw her kitchen, her bathroom, her bed where she died, and where she saw visions that were such a benefit to her Church.
Was this sight a magic which ensured our faith? To some people it might seem to be just that, and millions of people crowd the shrines of the world.
Faith is a personal relationship with God through Christ. Ellen White has told us, and emphasized it by quoting Scripture, that Faith is a gift that comes to us as we accept it in appreciation. It is in that connection she tells us that our will power is just like a rope of sand.
To those who would like to experience a deep faith in His saving power I highly recommend you spend at least three weeks in deep study and meditation over her book Steps to Christ.
One reason I am neither quoting her words verbatim nor the words of Scripture, is that there is no magic powers in the words themselves. But they deal with a divine power which must become a personal experience in the relationship with Him which is portrayed by the prohetic messages from God.
Try this, and you will never be the same.
