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Healing Doctrine - Crisis Checklist - How is your faith«Return to Healing Checklist | Crisis Checklist | Printer Friendly
One of the last things Jesus ever said to the
disciples was, "Have Faith in God." He says this in Mark 11:22.
What kind of faith is He talking about? Is He speaking of us
having a measure of faith or a little faith. Notice what the
commentaries give as the meaning of this simple statement:
Verse 22. [Have faith in God] Literally,
"Have the faith of God." This may mean, have strong faith, or have
confidence in God; a strong belief that he is able to accomplish things
that appear most difficult with infinite ease, as the fig-tree was made
to wither away by a word. -Barnes' Notes
The meaning here is profound. Our faith must transcend the idea of God
giving us a measure of faith by the power of the Holy Spirit by having
us see the situation through God's eyes and mind. This is how you "Have
the Faith of God". Your confidence must approach the confidence He has.
After all, God, through Christ is our example. We are to be like Christ
and like God. This is what Jesus is saying in verse 22.
Another commentary says...
Mark 11:22
[Have faith in God.] Echete (NT:2192)
pistin (NT:4102) Theou (NT:2316) is a mere Hebraism: have the faith of
God, i.e. have strong faith, or the strongest faith. -Adam
Clark
Jesus is uttering this admonition in the strongest terms the Greek
language will allow. "...The Strongest Faith."
Notice what He says in the very next verse:
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain,
Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in
his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come
to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. -Mark 11:23
Notice the commentary: Verse 23 -
Casting the Mountain into the Sea.
from the Jamieson, Fausset & Brown commentary...
Here is the lesson now. From the nature of the case supposed---that they
might wish a mountain removed and cast into the sea,-- a thing far
removed from anything which they could be thought actually to desire-it
is plain that not physical but moral obstacles to the progress of His
kingdom were in the Redeemer's view, and that what He designed to teach
was the great lesson, that no obstacle should be able to stand before a
confiding faith in God.
The commentary is stating that more than actually moving physical
mountains, Jesus is talking about moral obstacles to our progress in the
Salvation Process. After all, this is a guidebook to the Salvation
Process. Jesus uses the mountain as a physical image of insurmountable
obstacles or trials.
What are our greatest obstacles in the Salvation Process?
Sin would be one. Health, afflictions and the
possibility of death are also easily insurmountable obstacles in our
lives. If you have come to this checklist, it is possible that you
are facing an insurmountable obstacle right now. The strongest
kind of faith; the kind God has will move that "mountain" for you.
God has given you the power to have this kind of faith. Clearly
developing this kind of faith is a life long process and you may have
been in this process for some time since your initial calling. So
begin this way and take an admonition from the greeting card I sent to
those in your very situation:
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Don't
tell God how big your mountain is...
...tell the mountain how big your God is! |
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