We can boast of our faith, but faith progresses in natural states: from no faith at all to defying faith--hatred of God at least admits His existence; from little faith (actually no one really has no faith, they just suppress the truth they know and the God revealed to them); next they go to doubting faith--we all have doubts, an element of faith; to rebelling and/or independent, even rogue faith; to misunderstanding but sincere faith; to misdirected and ignorant faith; to accepting faith; to acknowledging, understanding and comprehending faith; to open-minded and learning faith, to saving faith; to eager, zealous, obedient faith; to expressing faith; to seeing and discerning faith; to confessing faith; to witnessing faith; to overcoming faith; to following faith; to sacrificing and loving faith; and finally, to serving and a disciplined faith in one's calling and gifting--but note that the faith should always be a growing, forward-looking, and advancing faith--it is never inert or stagnant!
(Note I am not dogmatic about the order of my list of progressions of faith per se, since it may vary in individuals.) That's why Romans 1:17, NIV, says we progress through faith all the way "[I]n a righteousness which is by faith from first to last." God doesn't insist on perfect faith, but sincere, unfeigned faith is what's a prerequisite for salvation (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:5)).
We must not boast of the size of our faith, for we shouldn't boast of something we received from God and didn't conjure up (1 Cor. 4:6)--faith is given not achieved or viewed as a meritorious work, but a pure gift of grace (cf. 2 Pet. 1:1; Phi. 1:29; Eph. 2;8-9; Acts 14:27; Acts 16:14; Acts 18:27). Though it's a gift we must exercise it for good and prove it by good works. And we should always pray for bigger faith as long as it's in the right object, which is Jesus--we want God-confidence, not self-confidence! God may just reveal a bigger Personhood to us with resultant, increased faith. Faith is only as valid as its object: It's the object of our faith, Jesus Christ, that matters and saves not our faith; i.e., faith doesn't save, Christ does. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone! Faith is merely the channel and means! Grace is the source and justification, faith the channel and method, and Christ the means and reason via the sacrifice.
We can have a lot of faith in the wrong Jesus or false god or idea of God, and that will not save; we must reject those who teach another gospel, a different Spirit, and the wrong Jesus, as Paul admonished us in 2 Cor. 11:4 and Gal. 1:7. Every religion thinks highly of Jesus, but we must accept Him for who He claimed to be--the Son of God. Muslims have great faith in a false imposter of a prophet and a god named Allah. You could say that it matters not how big your faith in the long run (and it only takes the faith of a mustard seed to be saved) but how big our God. Our God cannot be put in a box or labeled by our criteria or standards, and certainly not limited or confined by our definitions or conceptions.
William Carey, the father of modern missions, had the right idea of faith in stepping out of our comfort zone into the domain of faith. He preached a famous sermon and motto: "Expect Great Things from God, Attempt Great Things for God." It goes without saying that too many of us think small and have little expectation from our God. Think Big! We can go no further than our dreams and only in the direction of our purpose and calling in life with God's approval. Saint Theresa set out to build a convent and when asked about her resources at her disposal, she replied she had 12 Pence. They tried to make it clear to her that even Saint Theresa couldn't build a convent on 12 Pence! But her comeback was that she "and God can do anything!' If God is in it, He will provide the resources and means--you can bank on that according to Paul in 2 Cor. 9:8 and in Heb. 13:21! Our God is the God of possibilities, for with Him nothing shall be impossible (cf. Luke 1:37, KJV; 18:27; Matt. 19:26! Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 32:27 (cf. Jer. 32:17), "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" (Cf. Gen. 18:14). Never count God out, nor leave Him out of the equation!
NOTE: THIS IS A LONG PARAGRAPH BUT ONLY DELINEATES DIFFERENT MANIFESTATIONS OF GOD TO US IN CHRIST. Christians too often limit their God by putting Him a box like preferring to think of Him merely as their Father, their Savior, or even man upstairs, believe it or not! But we are really committing idolatry if we fall short in our idea and conception of God. He reveals Himself in manifold ways; such as these personifications: as our Lord of all, Author and Finisher of our faith, Enabler for God's will, Teacher that inspires us to learn, Wisdom to apply to every situation, Redeemer to fellowship with Him and other believers, Friend (even Confidant), Lover of our soul especially when we feel alone, Judge that is fair and understands our case, Justifier when no one understands our case, Advocate when the facts and status quo seem counterproductive to peace and we need Him on our side, Healer of all our diseases, Balsam for every sore, Balm for every wound, Defender when attacked, Protector from the onslaught of Satan, Reconciler in broken, estranged relationships, Banker who forgives our debts and writes credits not debits to our divine account, Peacemaker during quarrels, Holy One who convicts us, Glorious One that is worthy and shares His glory and makes us awe and amazed, Sanctifier who makes us holy and doesn't give up on us, Go-between (Intercessor, Mediator, or Middleman) when we are alienated, Maker or Creator to whom we are accountable and find our purpose, Farmer who sows good seed, Potter Who makes us for a purpose, Sustainer of the universe down to every last molecule, in whom we live and move and have our being, Substitute for our sins at Calvary, Exemplar to emulate, Shepherd to lead us to green pastures and feed us, Lawgiver to give us a sense of law and to rely on, King over all the earth and its kingdoms, Orderer and Organizer of our life putting everything in its place and priority, Designer (or Architect) of the intricacies of life, Planer of our goals to make sure we're with the program because He has no Plan B, Artist that we admire and expresses Himself so beautifully, Answerer to all our questions and doubts, Light at the end of the tunnel, Explainer in Chief when we just wonder why, Illustrator of our life situation, Purposer that gives us purpose, a mission, and calling to fulfill, Counselor in lost causes or crises (Life Coach if you will), Umpire calling all the shots, Referee looking for foul play, Coach calling the plays of the game of life, Comforter when we are in need of someone being there for us, Consoler in time of need and bereavement, Provider when we are needy, Director of all minutia in our life even as a micro-manager of the cosmos that shows us the Way), Producer of the show of a lifetime financing His will, Author (of the Word, our predestination, election, and salvation), Disciplinarian when we need to learn a lesson in the school of hard knocks and get back with the program, Sovereign One that we can trust will do the right thing for "in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28) for all things are under His control and sovereignty (cf. Eph. 1:11), Pilot who guides us to keep us on course, de facto Leader that shows us the way, Inspirer to God's will, Convicter to show us our wrongdoing, Motivator to energize us from our inertial and lethargy, and even Benefactor, for whom it pays to serve and gives fringe benefits and perks, et al., and this list isn't complete, exhaustive, or definitive--He is everything we need Him to be (that's why His name is I Am Who I Am...).
There is a reason God has no predicate in His name and we cannot describe Him fully or exhaustively but can know Him personally and experientially. When we have a need, God is there ready to meet it, saying, "I Am ... here to aid you for all your needs!" He foots the bill of our needs and has the right job description and domain or authority to fulfill them. Indeed, He's the Great King of the universe that doesn't just reign but rules, He's the dependable Rock we can truly rely on, Captain of our soul, and Master of our fate--worthy of all our trust and worship. In short. we don't just believe in God but in the One who is there and ready to come to our aid in any crisis, trouble, or time of need: He believes in us so we're never hopeless, He is on our side so we cannot lose, and He is with us so we are never alone.
As believers, we are the heart that God loves through, the hands that God gives a helping hand though, the listening and sympathetic ear through which God hears, and the voice through which God speaks--He uses us all in unique ways according to our election and calling, of which we ought to confirm according to 2 Pet. 1:10. In fact, when we start to realize how big God is and what He is capable of, our faith automatically increases exponentially and we realize how small and insignificant we are, especially how sinful we are in light of His holiness and justice. We utter with David in Psalm 8:4, "What is man?" [That God takes consideration of Him]. All in all, when we contemplate God, we are humbled and challenged intellectually, our minds are boggled and enlarged and blown away by His greatness, glory, and goodness.
People with small faith have a small God--though it may be enough to save, they will never be satisfied in God nor desire and enjoy Him. It is a good thing to say, "My God is bigger than your God!" if you get my drift. It isn't a matter of book-learning or of academics but of realizing who God is and knowing His capabilities and what He can do with us as part of His plan. Our God cannot be too big! God is infinite and we will never realize just how big He is in all eternity! God is whomever He chooses to be and whatever He chooses to be for us.
Cf. Dan. 11:32, HCSB, "The people who know their God will be strong and take action ["and carry out great exploits" in the NKJV]) these people see how God chooses to manifest and reveal Himself in such manifold manners. One example is the threefold office of Christ: As our High Priest He puts us right with God as the Sacrifice Himself; as our Prophet He makes us aware where we fall short, aware of our ignorance, and teaches us; and as our King He frees us from the dominion of slavery to sin, setting us free, and rules over us--in fact the more we let Him rule, the freer we are and all the more power over sin we have simply by letting Him be Lord. When He is Lord we are so glad that He is Lord, for He alone is worthy--this is meant as a comforting consolation.
By way of analogy, some people have small dreams or no dreams in life and end up in "nowheresville" as a "nowhere people" but some are satisfied with a small world with little impact or influence. We all ought to pray to God to increase our horizons and the size and significance of our orbit, so we can influence the culture for Christ and transform it by being a light in a dark world. The prayer of Jabez in 1 Chron. 4:9 is for God to make us a blessing and to have a greater outreach. It is notable also that Zechariah 8:13 says that we are saved in order to become a blessing as our cup overflows! Einstein considered a success by any standard, said that we ought not to strive to be a successful person, but one of impact! Mother Teresa, now canonized, and who wouldn't call this success? is known for saying that God doesn't call us to success but to faithfulness!
Mother Teresa lived in virtual poverty, having to take that vow for her church, but Habakkuk lost nearly everything and still praised God in Hab. 3:18, HCSB, as follows: "[Y]et I will triumph in Yahweh; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!" It should go without saying that we really don't realize we need God and how big He can be and is until we have come to the end our rope or thrown in the towel or even of losing everything. Then we find out that God is a big God and He is all we really need--all else is extra and we are stewards of. It should be of comfort to realize that God hears all our prayers: None are too trivial for Him because everything is trivial to Him, and nothing is too big for He is Almighty, and He cares because He loves us all as His children.
In conclusion, only as we see God for who He is are we properly oriented to reality and have a God's eye view on the world and its events. Since "all truth is God's truth," as Augustine maintained, and Plato said that in order to live in reality he must know what God is really like, so we have no excuse for God is expressed fully and personally in the person of Christ as His icon, express image, and personification--all we need to know of Him is in Jesus, in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells! In the final analysis, the faith you have is the faith you show and it's foolhardy to trust a small, ineffectual God--true faith always expresses itself and is shown not said: we prove our faith and demonstrate it because it's an abstract idea and concept.
CAVEAT: WE NEVER WANT TO BE ACCUSED OF HAVING TOO SMALL A GOD OR OF HAVING THOUGHTS OF GOD THAT ARE TOO HUMAN, WHICH PUT HIM IN A BOX AND LIMIT HIM. ALL THIS IS SO VITALLY IMPORTANT TO OUR SPIRITUAL WELLBEING BECAUSE WHAT WE THINK OF GOD IS THE MOST TELLING TRAIT WE HAVE. Soli Deo Gloria!
(Note I am not dogmatic about the order of my list of progressions of faith per se, since it may vary in individuals.) That's why Romans 1:17, NIV, says we progress through faith all the way "[I]n a righteousness which is by faith from first to last." God doesn't insist on perfect faith, but sincere, unfeigned faith is what's a prerequisite for salvation (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:5)).
We must not boast of the size of our faith, for we shouldn't boast of something we received from God and didn't conjure up (1 Cor. 4:6)--faith is given not achieved or viewed as a meritorious work, but a pure gift of grace (cf. 2 Pet. 1:1; Phi. 1:29; Eph. 2;8-9; Acts 14:27; Acts 16:14; Acts 18:27). Though it's a gift we must exercise it for good and prove it by good works. And we should always pray for bigger faith as long as it's in the right object, which is Jesus--we want God-confidence, not self-confidence! God may just reveal a bigger Personhood to us with resultant, increased faith. Faith is only as valid as its object: It's the object of our faith, Jesus Christ, that matters and saves not our faith; i.e., faith doesn't save, Christ does. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone! Faith is merely the channel and means! Grace is the source and justification, faith the channel and method, and Christ the means and reason via the sacrifice.
We can have a lot of faith in the wrong Jesus or false god or idea of God, and that will not save; we must reject those who teach another gospel, a different Spirit, and the wrong Jesus, as Paul admonished us in 2 Cor. 11:4 and Gal. 1:7. Every religion thinks highly of Jesus, but we must accept Him for who He claimed to be--the Son of God. Muslims have great faith in a false imposter of a prophet and a god named Allah. You could say that it matters not how big your faith in the long run (and it only takes the faith of a mustard seed to be saved) but how big our God. Our God cannot be put in a box or labeled by our criteria or standards, and certainly not limited or confined by our definitions or conceptions.
William Carey, the father of modern missions, had the right idea of faith in stepping out of our comfort zone into the domain of faith. He preached a famous sermon and motto: "Expect Great Things from God, Attempt Great Things for God." It goes without saying that too many of us think small and have little expectation from our God. Think Big! We can go no further than our dreams and only in the direction of our purpose and calling in life with God's approval. Saint Theresa set out to build a convent and when asked about her resources at her disposal, she replied she had 12 Pence. They tried to make it clear to her that even Saint Theresa couldn't build a convent on 12 Pence! But her comeback was that she "and God can do anything!' If God is in it, He will provide the resources and means--you can bank on that according to Paul in 2 Cor. 9:8 and in Heb. 13:21! Our God is the God of possibilities, for with Him nothing shall be impossible (cf. Luke 1:37, KJV; 18:27; Matt. 19:26! Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 32:27 (cf. Jer. 32:17), "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" (Cf. Gen. 18:14). Never count God out, nor leave Him out of the equation!
NOTE: THIS IS A LONG PARAGRAPH BUT ONLY DELINEATES DIFFERENT MANIFESTATIONS OF GOD TO US IN CHRIST. Christians too often limit their God by putting Him a box like preferring to think of Him merely as their Father, their Savior, or even man upstairs, believe it or not! But we are really committing idolatry if we fall short in our idea and conception of God. He reveals Himself in manifold ways; such as these personifications: as our Lord of all, Author and Finisher of our faith, Enabler for God's will, Teacher that inspires us to learn, Wisdom to apply to every situation, Redeemer to fellowship with Him and other believers, Friend (even Confidant), Lover of our soul especially when we feel alone, Judge that is fair and understands our case, Justifier when no one understands our case, Advocate when the facts and status quo seem counterproductive to peace and we need Him on our side, Healer of all our diseases, Balsam for every sore, Balm for every wound, Defender when attacked, Protector from the onslaught of Satan, Reconciler in broken, estranged relationships, Banker who forgives our debts and writes credits not debits to our divine account, Peacemaker during quarrels, Holy One who convicts us, Glorious One that is worthy and shares His glory and makes us awe and amazed, Sanctifier who makes us holy and doesn't give up on us, Go-between (Intercessor, Mediator, or Middleman) when we are alienated, Maker or Creator to whom we are accountable and find our purpose, Farmer who sows good seed, Potter Who makes us for a purpose, Sustainer of the universe down to every last molecule, in whom we live and move and have our being, Substitute for our sins at Calvary, Exemplar to emulate, Shepherd to lead us to green pastures and feed us, Lawgiver to give us a sense of law and to rely on, King over all the earth and its kingdoms, Orderer and Organizer of our life putting everything in its place and priority, Designer (or Architect) of the intricacies of life, Planer of our goals to make sure we're with the program because He has no Plan B, Artist that we admire and expresses Himself so beautifully, Answerer to all our questions and doubts, Light at the end of the tunnel, Explainer in Chief when we just wonder why, Illustrator of our life situation, Purposer that gives us purpose, a mission, and calling to fulfill, Counselor in lost causes or crises (Life Coach if you will), Umpire calling all the shots, Referee looking for foul play, Coach calling the plays of the game of life, Comforter when we are in need of someone being there for us, Consoler in time of need and bereavement, Provider when we are needy, Director of all minutia in our life even as a micro-manager of the cosmos that shows us the Way), Producer of the show of a lifetime financing His will, Author (of the Word, our predestination, election, and salvation), Disciplinarian when we need to learn a lesson in the school of hard knocks and get back with the program, Sovereign One that we can trust will do the right thing for "in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28) for all things are under His control and sovereignty (cf. Eph. 1:11), Pilot who guides us to keep us on course, de facto Leader that shows us the way, Inspirer to God's will, Convicter to show us our wrongdoing, Motivator to energize us from our inertial and lethargy, and even Benefactor, for whom it pays to serve and gives fringe benefits and perks, et al., and this list isn't complete, exhaustive, or definitive--He is everything we need Him to be (that's why His name is I Am Who I Am...).
There is a reason God has no predicate in His name and we cannot describe Him fully or exhaustively but can know Him personally and experientially. When we have a need, God is there ready to meet it, saying, "I Am ... here to aid you for all your needs!" He foots the bill of our needs and has the right job description and domain or authority to fulfill them. Indeed, He's the Great King of the universe that doesn't just reign but rules, He's the dependable Rock we can truly rely on, Captain of our soul, and Master of our fate--worthy of all our trust and worship. In short. we don't just believe in God but in the One who is there and ready to come to our aid in any crisis, trouble, or time of need: He believes in us so we're never hopeless, He is on our side so we cannot lose, and He is with us so we are never alone.
As believers, we are the heart that God loves through, the hands that God gives a helping hand though, the listening and sympathetic ear through which God hears, and the voice through which God speaks--He uses us all in unique ways according to our election and calling, of which we ought to confirm according to 2 Pet. 1:10. In fact, when we start to realize how big God is and what He is capable of, our faith automatically increases exponentially and we realize how small and insignificant we are, especially how sinful we are in light of His holiness and justice. We utter with David in Psalm 8:4, "What is man?" [That God takes consideration of Him]. All in all, when we contemplate God, we are humbled and challenged intellectually, our minds are boggled and enlarged and blown away by His greatness, glory, and goodness.
People with small faith have a small God--though it may be enough to save, they will never be satisfied in God nor desire and enjoy Him. It is a good thing to say, "My God is bigger than your God!" if you get my drift. It isn't a matter of book-learning or of academics but of realizing who God is and knowing His capabilities and what He can do with us as part of His plan. Our God cannot be too big! God is infinite and we will never realize just how big He is in all eternity! God is whomever He chooses to be and whatever He chooses to be for us.
Cf. Dan. 11:32, HCSB, "The people who know their God will be strong and take action ["and carry out great exploits" in the NKJV]) these people see how God chooses to manifest and reveal Himself in such manifold manners. One example is the threefold office of Christ: As our High Priest He puts us right with God as the Sacrifice Himself; as our Prophet He makes us aware where we fall short, aware of our ignorance, and teaches us; and as our King He frees us from the dominion of slavery to sin, setting us free, and rules over us--in fact the more we let Him rule, the freer we are and all the more power over sin we have simply by letting Him be Lord. When He is Lord we are so glad that He is Lord, for He alone is worthy--this is meant as a comforting consolation.
By way of analogy, some people have small dreams or no dreams in life and end up in "nowheresville" as a "nowhere people" but some are satisfied with a small world with little impact or influence. We all ought to pray to God to increase our horizons and the size and significance of our orbit, so we can influence the culture for Christ and transform it by being a light in a dark world. The prayer of Jabez in 1 Chron. 4:9 is for God to make us a blessing and to have a greater outreach. It is notable also that Zechariah 8:13 says that we are saved in order to become a blessing as our cup overflows! Einstein considered a success by any standard, said that we ought not to strive to be a successful person, but one of impact! Mother Teresa, now canonized, and who wouldn't call this success? is known for saying that God doesn't call us to success but to faithfulness!
Mother Teresa lived in virtual poverty, having to take that vow for her church, but Habakkuk lost nearly everything and still praised God in Hab. 3:18, HCSB, as follows: "[Y]et I will triumph in Yahweh; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!" It should go without saying that we really don't realize we need God and how big He can be and is until we have come to the end our rope or thrown in the towel or even of losing everything. Then we find out that God is a big God and He is all we really need--all else is extra and we are stewards of. It should be of comfort to realize that God hears all our prayers: None are too trivial for Him because everything is trivial to Him, and nothing is too big for He is Almighty, and He cares because He loves us all as His children.
In conclusion, only as we see God for who He is are we properly oriented to reality and have a God's eye view on the world and its events. Since "all truth is God's truth," as Augustine maintained, and Plato said that in order to live in reality he must know what God is really like, so we have no excuse for God is expressed fully and personally in the person of Christ as His icon, express image, and personification--all we need to know of Him is in Jesus, in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells! In the final analysis, the faith you have is the faith you show and it's foolhardy to trust a small, ineffectual God--true faith always expresses itself and is shown not said: we prove our faith and demonstrate it because it's an abstract idea and concept.
CAVEAT: WE NEVER WANT TO BE ACCUSED OF HAVING TOO SMALL A GOD OR OF HAVING THOUGHTS OF GOD THAT ARE TOO HUMAN, WHICH PUT HIM IN A BOX AND LIMIT HIM. ALL THIS IS SO VITALLY IMPORTANT TO OUR SPIRITUAL WELLBEING BECAUSE WHAT WE THINK OF GOD IS THE MOST TELLING TRAIT WE HAVE. Soli Deo Gloria!
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