The
doctrine of faith
1. Faith is non-meritorious
thinking, a non-meritorious system of perception. it is in contrast to
meritorious systems of perception like rationalism and empiricism. Faith is
something that everyone uses. It is the basis for all of the knowledge, all of
the perception which you have right up to this moment. Everything that you have
ever learned is based upon a faith base.
2. In the Greek language we have
five words that are pertinent to the study of faith in the Bible. The first of
these is a noun called pistij. This means faith or
faithful or reliable, or that which is believed. With the absence of the
definite article with this noun would indicate the quality of the noun. The
definite article added to this noun defines it. So we have the difference
between the definition and quality. When the definite article comes with this
word is means that which is believed and/or doctrine. So this noun can mean
everything from the English word “faith” to the English word “doctrine.”
Context plus the use of the definite article or the absence of the definite
article will determine its exact meaning.
The second word is an adjective, pistoj. This means dependable, inspiring trust. It is also
used, in the sense of an adjective, faith, believing, the believing ones.
Next is the verb pisteuw. Pisteuw means to believe. It is a transitive verb. In
the Word of God the object of this transitive verb always has the merit. The
subject is non-meritorious. A transitive verb has a subject and an object
stated or implied. The subject, for example, in phase one is any member of the
human race. The object is Jesus Christ. Anyone believing in Jesus Christ, and
the result is salvation. Why? Christ did the work in salvation. He is the
object; He has the merit. There is no merit in the subject of this transitive
verb. The issue in phase two is a little different. This time the object of
faith is doctrine, the subject is the believer priest. The believing is the
second stage of GAP. It is doctrine believed
that is actually transferred.
The next verb, often translated
“faith,” is just a little off-shade from that. Number four is peiqw. It means really to obey. It has a little different
meaning in each one of the tenses. The present tense means to obey. In the
aorist tense it means to persuade. In the perfect tense it means to have
confidence. But in the present tense it means obedience. It generally what is
known an iterative present.
The fifth one is pistow and is rather rare. It means to show one’s self
faithful. It also means to have confidence.
3. The Hebrew etymology. The first
of all of the Hebrew verbs from Genesis 15:6 where we get the pattern of Old
Testament salvation — aman. The root
concept of this verb is a foundation, and it means, for example, in the hiphil
stem to use God as a foundation and therefore is a basic word for salvation in
the Old Testament. “Abraham had believed in the Lord [or had used God as a
foundation] and it was credited to his account for righteousness.”
There are several nouns that go
with this verb. In fact, the next three in our etymology are based upon this
verb. Emun which means faithfulness.
It means to be consistent in whatever you are doing as a believer. That is a
masculine noun. The next is a feminine noun, Emunah, and this word means truth, steadiness. The fourth is amen which means simply truth. Then
there is an offshoot of this, another noun built on the participle, omen, which means faithfulness. it is
often used of God’s faithfulness to us. The sixth means doctrine, though not
always translated that way. Sometimes it is just translated “truth” — emeth. These are all roots of amen, to believe. Number seven goes back
to the verbs — batach, the basic
faith-rest verb. This was originally a wrestling term - the body slam. From
that came the concept of slamming your problems on the Lord, and from that
faith in the sense faith-rest. It is also used in Psalm 37:3 and Psalm 91:2.
Generally you will find it in the King James version translated “trust.” Next
is found in Psalm 57:1 — cherish. It
is used of a rabbit fleeing from a larger animal in the desert. The rabbit
hides in a crack in a rock and because the larger animal cannot get in the rabbit
is safe. It really means to trust in the sense of taking refuge in. The ninth
is also a verb, found in Job 13:15; Lamentation 3:21,24 — jachal, which means to trust God in great pressure or in great
pain. The tenth, found in Isaiah 40:31; Lamentations 3:25, is the strongest of
all the words for faith — qawah. It
loses its strength in the King James translation because it is generally
translated to “wait”, like “they that wait upon the Lord.” However, the word means that we are
hopeless, helpless and useless, just like a piece of thread. You can take a
piece of thread in your hand and snap it. That is the way we are. But when you
wrap that thread or weave it into a great rope then it cannot be broken. So it
means to bind or to twist strands together. Hence, it becomes the strongest of
all words for faith and it is often used for faith in the supergrace status or
the celebrityship of Jesus Christ status.
4. The Bible itself occasionally
uses a descriptive definition for faith. We derive our definition from the
etymology of the Hebrew and the Greek. We also derive our understanding from
descriptive definitions, like Hebrews 11:1 or 2 Corinthians 4:18. Most of the
definitions, as these two, describe faith as reality in the unseen things. “We
look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are unseen. The
things which are seen are temporal but the things which are unseen are eternal.
Faith is the evidence of things not seen.”
5. In the verb to believe,
whether one of the five Hebrew verbs, whether pisteuw or peiqw, the verb that is generally
used is a transitive verb. Again, this means that it must have a subject, it
must have an object. Because of the differences in languages the subject or the
object may not be stated, especially the subject. The subject is often found in
the suffix of the verb. But whether stated or not there is a subject and there
is an object. Since faith is non-meritorious perception point 5 recognises the
principle from the transitive verb: the whole value or efficacy of faith always
lies in its object, not in its subject.
6. Classification of the objects
of faith. Since there is merit only in the object we need a classification of
objects.
a) Salvation. The object of faith
in salvation is Jesus Christ the only saviour - Acts 16:31; John 3:18, 36;
20:31.
b) In phase two the object of
faith is the Word of God or Bible doctrine. Promises under our basic study of
faith-rest are for babies, and sooner or later if you start taking in doctrine
you are going to grow up and the object of your faith will be the doctrine
itself, and the transfer of that doctrine will lead to the supergrace life.
Once you are in the supergrace life you are going to live like an adult
spiritually. So the object of faith is Bible doctrine — 2 Corinthians 5:7;
Hebrews 4:1-3; 11:6.
7. Out of the first six points
we develop a concept of faith.
a) All the believing in the
world secures nothing but condemnation from God. Having faith doesn’t mean a
thing because faith is the basic system of perception. The first things you
ever learned you learned by faith. Rationalism and empiricism came later.
b) However, the tiniest bit of
faith in Christ secures eternal salvation, but it must be in Christ.
c) Therefore the efficacy of
faith lies in the object of faith, not in the amount of faith. It is the
quality of the object not the quantity of the faith — Acts 4:12.
d) Since Christ did all the work
for salvation on the cross the only response to that work is faith in Jesus
Christ.
e) Therefore, faith is not
something we do but faith is a channel whereby we appropriate what God has done
for us.
7. The development of faith.
After salvation faith must take on muscle and strength. So how do you develop
faith?
a) The daily function of GAP begins to put strength in your faith — Romans 10:17. But why? Because
you have an object for your faith and you believe doctrine as it is taught.
This puts strength in your faith.
b) The filling of the Spirit also
produces faith — Galatians 5:22.
c) The function of faith-rest
produces faith — Hebrews 4:1-3, and, again, this is related to GAP.
d) Once you begin to develop a
little bit of faith it has to be tested. Suffering is designed to test faith —
1 Peter 1:7,8. Same concept as doing weight lifting. Testing is putting
pressure on your muscles to test them. The testing, when successful, develops
your strength.
e) The quintessence of faith
strength is occupation with the person of Jesus Christ - Hebrews 12:2.
8. The victory of faith — 1 John
5:4,5.
The doctrine of faith
1. Definition. There is no such
thing as blind faith, all faith has an object which can be seen by the
individual. Blind faith is a meaningless phrase that people have dug up. Faith
is never blind, it is always looking at an object. The object it sees and
trusts in may be good or may be bad but it is there. It is an object. So faith
is a non meritorious system of perception in contrast to rationalism and
empiricism which are meritorious systems of perception. it is the non
meritorious system that counts — faith; when the object is Christ, when the
object is Bible doctrine.
2. Greek etymology. There are five
words that have almost the same base.
a) Pistij — it has an active meaning and a passive meaning.
The active meaning means faith, faithful, or reliable. The passive meaning:
what is believed or doctrine. The body of doctrine. So pistij means both faith and doctrine, the context
determines. It is used technically in the New Testament epistles for doctrine
resident in the soul.
b) Pistoj, an adjective. It means dependable, inspiring
trust, believing.
c) Pisteuw, a verb. It means to believe, to be convinced of
something or someone.
d) Pistow means to show one’s self faithful, to feel
confidence in something.
e) Peiqw, a verb. Different meanings depending upon the tense.
In the present tense it means to obey. In the aorist tense it means to believe.
In the perfect tense it means to have confidence.
3. Hebrew etymology. There are ten
of them.
a) Amen, which is used in Genesis 15:6 and means to use something as a
foundation, to use God as a prop or a foundation is the meaning in the hiphil.
Its use in Genesis 15:6 is where Abraham’s salvation is declared. Abraham
believed in the Lord and it was credited to his account for righteousness.
From this root there are five other
Hebrew words:
b) Emun, a noun which means faithfulness.
c) Emunah, a feminine noun which means truth or steadiness.
d) Amen, meaning truth.
e) Omen, another noun, very close to Amen, which means faithfulness or dependability.
f) Batach, a wrestler’s term for a body slam, used for the faith-rest
technique — Psalm 37:3; 91:2, etc.
g) Chasah — a rabbit is being chased by a wolf and the rabbit runs
into a little crack in the rock and the wolf can’t get to him. So obviously
this means to hide in the cleft of a rock and take refuge from danger.
h) Jachal, found in Job 13:15 — “Though he slay me, yet will I trust
in him.” This means to trust God in pain, in pressure, or in disaster. It is
used in Lamentation 3:21,24.
i) Qawah, represents a little string that you can snap by grabbing it
with your hands and pulling. You can break it. But when you wrap that little
thread into a great rope then it can’t be broken. So it means to weave the
thread of our life, easily broken in itself, into a great rope which cannot be
broken. It means to bind or twist the strands together, it is the strongest
word for faith and is generally mistranslated “wait” — like “they that wait
upon the Lord shall renew their strength.”
4. Some biblical definitions of
faith as far as the word is concerned which means having revelation about the
unseen and believing that revelation, as in Hebrews 11:1 or 2 Corinthians 4:18.
5. The grammar of the verb.
Grammatically the verb to believe is a transitive verb. A transitive verb is
one that has a subject and has an object. The object is either implied or
stated. This means that whenever we believe in something there is an object.
When we believe in Christ there is the unique object, the only saviour, Jesus
Christ Himself. Since faith is non meritorious perception the whole value or
efficacy of faith lies in its object. For salvation, if you believe in Christ
you have eternal life. So the point is, there is only one saviour, Jesus
Christ.
6. Classification of the objects of
faith. The plan of God is divided into three parts: phase one, salvation; phase
two, the believer in time; phase three, the believer in eternity. Faith is only
involved in phases one and two. In eternity we will see Him even as we are
seen, we will know Him even as we are known. In phase one the object of faith
is Jesus Christ the only saviour — Acts 16:31. In phase two the object of faith
is the Word of God or Bible doctrine — 2 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 4:1-3; 11:6.
7. The concept of faith.
a) All the believing in
the world secures nothing but condemnation from God.
b) However, the tiniest
bit of faith in Christ secures eternal salvation.
c) Therefore the
efficacy of faith lies in the object of faith. For salvation, Jesus Christ; for
spiritual growth, Bible doctrine.
d) Since Christ did all
the work for salvation on the cross the only way we can respond when the work
is already finished is to believe because that is the only non meritorious
system of perception.
e) Therefore faith is
nothing we do but a channel whereby we appropriate what God has done for us.
8. After salvation faith develops in at least five ways.
a) The primary
development of faith is the balance of residency in the soul. The Holy Spirit
indwells the body of every believers. That is the escutcheon of the royal
family of God. We start out with the filling of the Spirit. We lose it
periodically when we sin. We rebound and we recover it. But we start out minus
doctrine and this minus must become a plus. Therefore the first key to
developing faith is the intake of Bible doctrine — Romans 10:17, “Faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
b) A second way of
developing faith is the filling of the Spirit. However, the filling of the
Spirit only produces faith as it has doctrine resident in the soul — Galatians
5:22, “The fruit of the Spirit is faith.”
These two together form the function
of GAP and the spiritual exercise which is necessary for temporal
sanctification. The filling of the Spirit plus the daily function of GAP
resulting in doctrine in the soul = experiential sanctification. Once you are
in progress — the filling of the Spirit plus the function of GAP — it is going
to be tested. You are going to have tests in your life. It is just like the
filling of the Spirit and the function of GAP is nourishment. We eat and we
have energy and are mostly very well nourished, but nourishment produces energy
and energy must be used in exercise. Even though you eat and eat you do not get
big and strong, you get big and fat! Therefore it is important to exercise, to
take nourishment and through the channel of exercise produce something that is
presentable.
c)
The function of the faith-rest technique. How do we put muscle on our faith?
How do we develop spiritual muscle? We take the doctrine we have learned and
use it in pressure, use it in adversity, use it in some disaster situation.
This is called the faith-rest technique — Hebrews 4:1-3. We find the charge of
the flea and we shoot down fleas with scripture — when we start. Every time a
flea charges us we whack him down with the Word of God. We don’t know much yet,
that is why our calibre is only for shooting fleas.
d) The testing that
comes as we take in large amounts of doctrine. But as we begin to take in more
doctrine and take in more doctrine then we get some real tests — the charge of
the elephant. To knock the elephant down we have to have a large calibre. When
the real test comes it takes the big chunk of doctrine to knock these disasters
down. So we have 1 Peter 1:7,8.
e) The principle of
occupation with Christ is the final manner in which we face every exigency of
life and demonstrate the greatest possible power. This is the principle that
belongs to the supergrace believer only — Hebrews 12:2. This is maximum faith,
faith in its greatest power.
9. The victory of faith — 1 John
5:4,5. The utilisation of doctrine in the soul under supergrace status is found
in Romans 4:17-21. Here is the amalgamation of non meritorious positive
volition with Bible doctrine provided for us by God in eternity past and
recorded under the ministry of God the Holy Spirit to human writers in time.
The doctrine of faith
1. Definition. There is no such
thing as blind faith, all faith has an object which can be seen by the
individual. Blind faith is a meaningless phrase that people have dug up. Faith
is never blind, it is always looking at an object. The object it sees and
trusts in may be good or may be bad but it is there. It is an object. So faith
is a non meritorious system of perception in contrast to rationalism and
empiricism which are meritorious systems of perception. it is the non
meritorious system that counts — faith; when the object is Christ, when the
object is Bible doctrine.
2. Greek etymology. There are five
words that have almost the same base.
a) Pistij — it has an active meaning and a passive meaning.
The active meaning means faith, faithful, or reliable. The passive meaning:
what is believed or doctrine. The body of doctrine. So pistij means both faith and doctrine, the context
determines. It is used technically in the New Testament epistles for doctrine
resident in the soul.
b) Pistoj, an adjective. It means dependable, inspiring
trust, believing.
c) Pisteuw, a verb. It means to believe, to be convinced of
something or someone.
d) Pistow means to show one’s self faithful, to feel
confidence in something.
e) Peiqw, a verb. Different meanings depending upon the
tense. In the present tense it means to obey. In the aorist tense it means to
believe. In the perfect tense it means to have confidence.
3. Hebrew etymology. There are ten
of them.
a) Amen, which is used in Genesis 15:6 and means to use something as a
foundation, to use God as a prop or a foundation is the meaning in the hiphil.
Its use in Genesis 15:6 is where Abraham’s salvation is declared. Abraham
believed in the Lord and it was credited to his account for righteousness.
From this root there are five other
Hebrew words:
b) Emun, a noun which means faithfulness.
c) Emunah, a feminine noun which means truth or steadiness.
d) Amen, meaning truth.
e) Omen, another noun, very close to Amen, which means faithfulness or dependability.
f) Batach, a wrestler’s term for a body slam, used for the faith-rest
technique — Psalm 37:3; 91:2, etc.
g) Chasah — a rabbit is being chased by a wolf and the rabbit runs
into a little crack in the rock and the wolf can’t get to him. So obviously
this means to hide in the cleft of a rock and take refuge from danger.
h) Jachal, found in Job 13:15 — “Though he slay me, yet will I trust
in him.” This means to trust God in pain, in pressure, or in disaster. It is
used in Lamentation 3:21,24.
i) Qawah, represents a little string that you can snap by grabbing it
with your hands and pulling. You can break it. But when you wrap that little
thread into a great rope then it can’t be broken. So it means to weave the
thread of our life, easily broken in itself, into a great rope which cannot be
broken. It means to bind or twist the strands together, it is the strongest
word for faith and is generally mistranslated “wait” — like “they that wait
upon the Lord shall renew their strength.”
4. Some biblical definitions of
faith as far as the word is concerned which means having revelation about the
unseen and believing that revelation, as in Hebrews 11:1 or 2 Corinthians 4:18.
5. The grammar of the verb.
Grammatically the verb to believe is a transitive verb. A transitive verb is
one that has a subject and has an object. The object is either implied or
stated. This means that whenever we believe in something there is an object.
When we believe in Christ there is the unique object, the only saviour, Jesus
Christ Himself. Since faith is non meritorious perception the whole value or
efficacy of faith lies in its object. For salvation, if you believe in Christ
you have eternal life. So the point is, there is only one saviour, Jesus
Christ.
6. Classification of the objects of
faith. The plan of God is divided into three parts: phase one, salvation; phase
two, the believer in time; phase three, the believer in eternity. Faith is only
involved in phases one and two. In eternity we will see Him even as we are
seen, we will know Him even as we are known. In phase one the object of faith
is Jesus Christ the only saviour — Acts 16:31. In phase two the object of faith
is the Word of God or Bible doctrine — 2 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 4:1-3; 11:6.
7. The concept of faith.
a) All the believing in
the world secures nothing but condemnation from God.
b) However, the tiniest
bit of faith in Christ secures eternal salvation.
c) Therefore the
efficacy of faith lies in the object of faith. For salvation, Jesus Christ; for
spiritual growth, Bible doctrine.
d) Since Christ did all
the work for salvation on the cross the only way we can respond when the work
is already finished is to believe because that is the only non meritorious
system of perception.
e) Therefore faith is
nothing we do but a channel whereby we appropriate what God has done for us.
8. After salvation faith develops in at least five ways.
a) The primary
development of faith is the balance of residency in the soul. The Holy Spirit
indwells the body of every believers. That is the escutcheon of the royal
family of God. We start out with the filling of the Spirit. We lose it
periodically when we sin. We rebound and we recover it. But we start out minus
doctrine and this minus must become a plus. Therefore the first key to
developing faith is the intake of Bible doctrine — Romans 10:17, “Faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
b) A second way of
developing faith is the filling of the Spirit. However, the filling of the
Spirit only produces faith as it has doctrine resident in the soul — Galatians
5:22, “The fruit of the Spirit is faith.”
These two together form the function
of GAP and the spiritual exercise which is necessary for temporal
sanctification. The filling of the Spirit plus the daily function of GAP
resulting in doctrine in the soul = experiential sanctification. Once you are
in progress — the filling of the Spirit plus the function of GAP — it is going
to be tested. You are going to have tests in your life. It is just like the
filling of the Spirit and the function of GAP is nourishment. We eat and we
have energy and are mostly very well nourished, but nourishment produces energy
and energy must be used in exercise. Even though you eat and eat you do not get
big and strong, you get big and fat! Therefore it is important to exercise, to
take nourishment and through the channel of exercise produce something that is
presentable.
c)
The function of the faith-rest technique. How do we put muscle on our faith?
How do we develop spiritual muscle? We take the doctrine we have learned and
use it in pressure, use it in adversity, use it in some disaster situation.
This is called the faith-rest technique — Hebrews 4:1-3. We find the charge of
the flea and we shoot down fleas with scripture — when we start. Every time a
flea charges us we whack him down with the Word of God. We don’t know much yet,
that is why our calibre is only for shooting fleas.
d) The testing that
comes as we take in large amounts of doctrine. But as we begin to take in more
doctrine and take in more doctrine then we get some real tests — the charge of
the elephant. To knock the elephant down we have to have a large calibre. When
the real test comes it takes the big chunk of doctrine to knock these disasters
down. So we have 1 Peter 1:7,8.
e) The principle of
occupation with Christ is the final manner in which we face every exigency of
life and demonstrate the greatest possible power. This is the principle that
belongs to the supergrace believer only — Hebrews 12:2. This is maximum faith,
faith in its greatest power.
9. The victory of faith — 1 John
5:4,5. The utilisation of doctrine in the soul under supergrace status is found
in Romans 4:17-21. Here is the amalgamation of non meritorious positive
volition with Bible doctrine provided for us by God in eternity past and
recorded under the ministry of God the Holy Spirit to human writers in time.