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How God Gives Us All the Faith We Can Handle
It has come to my attention that some people look at the following verse and think that God gives more faith to some, less to others.
Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.
First of all, take a look at the words of himself. They are italicized (in the King James version) because the translators added the words, to more accurately portray what they thought the verse was saying. Thus, these words are not in the original text. I suggest that we leave them out. Each man is not to think more highly than he ought to think. Many translations indicate this means thinking about yourself with pride and/or egotism. But this is not exactly true.
To help us understand what “thinking more highly than we ought to think” means, let’s take a look at ….
II Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations (logizomai – logical reasonings) and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge (gnosis – experiential knowing) of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
Since you have been a believer, and come to love God, have you ever gotten to the place in your mind where you think you ought to be doing something for God, and so, even though God has not directed you, you have decided to do something as though it was God’s will for you to do it?
For example, I think I ought to be telling others about Jesus, so I try to get all my friends into it, round them up, and go witnessing at the mall. Everyone does it, maybe out of guilt, or duty, or whatever, but no one has a good time, and no fruit ever comes of it. This is an example of thinking more highly than you ought to think. To think “more highly” is to attribute your own thinking as being from God.
It’s not so much thinking pridefully as thinking vainly. I’ve seen this in Church Youth Groups, where the emphasis is put on getting more people to come. Why? The few that are there aren’t having that good a time anyway…..but the thought is, if we get more people, there will be more excitement. There may be more excitement, but is there more of Christ, more of God’s love? According to God, we are to cast down this thinking, this reasoning….put it in the place it deserves….. Instead….
Instead, we are to think soberly. This means to think practically, aware of the consequences. I look outside and see 6″ of new-fallen snow on my driveway, and I think “Oh great, now it’s got to be shoveled.” This is not thinking soberly. When I realize I am going to have to shovel it, and make a plan as to when I’m going to do it, this is thinking soberly.
Our practical thinking about what we do and how we live for God is to be according to the measure of faith God has dealt to us.
Now many have come to believe this means that God gives X amount of faith to me, but Y amount to someone else, and Z amount to someone else. So I look at some great evangelist, thinking, “Yeah, well, God gave them a large amount of faith, but He hasn’t given that much to me.”
This is erroneous thinking.
Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
The error in our thinking concerning God dealing faith to each of us, is that we think this dealing is a one time deal. It is not. It is ongoing and it is everlasting. God deals, we hear, understand, and walk in it. Then He gives some more faith, then more, and more and more and more and more and………………
Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
There are five different Greek words translated “hearing” in the New Testament. The word in this verse for “hearing” means to get it. Let’s say that your parent is chiding you, and they end their tirade against you by saying, “Do you hear what I’m saying?” Of course you hear the sounds coming out of their mouths, but do you get it?
Faith comes by hearing to the end of getting it. And we get it by means of the word (rema) of God.
This word “word” is not logos, with which many of us are familiar. Rather, it is the word rema, which is a response or command directed at a specific individual. It is where the logos of God connects with you!
Simply put, faith comes by hearing God speak to me, and then getting it when He does. This can happen while reading the Word of God, and all of a sudden a verse or passage jumps out at you, like it was written directly to you. That is God speaking to you. It can happen while you’re in prayer, deep in thought, walking down the street, sitting watching TV……it can happen at any time.
Of course, this does not (necessarily) mean a physical sound. God speaks by words, by pictures, by simply causing you to know, among other things.
What is important is that we get it when He speaks. And when we get it, faith has come.
There, God has just dealt to us a measure of faith. Now, walk in it!
I have a child, say 2 years old. I don’t sit back and just expect him to walk in my will. I see him as an individual. I speak to him specifically, according to his abilities and proclivities, in order to teach him so that he can grow in his abilities, in his enjoyment of his life, in his fruitful endeavors. I don’t pull his strings like a marionette. I know he’ll be making a lot of his own choices, using the things I have taught him to be able to enjoy the benefit of those choices. So is God with us.
Ephesians 4:15 But speaking (expressing, by thoughts, words and actions) the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things who is the head, even Christ.
We grow up into him in the “all things” taught to us by his spirit within us.
Colossians 2:6,7 As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him; Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
We walk in Christ Jesus the Lord only to the degree we have received unto ourselves that which is offered by his spirit within us.
Hebrews 12:2a Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith….
“Author” is the Greek word archegos, the root of which is arches, meaning beginning or first. Jesus is the beginner of our faith. But he is also the “finisher.” This word is teleiooten, the root of which is teloi, meaning end or completion. Jesus isn’t simply the one who gets our faith started, he is the one who keeps working on it with us, to bring faith into greater and greater completion in our lives.
Faith is not a one time deal. It’s ongoing, and it keeps getting bigger and better! God is always dealing faith to us. The more we soberly walk in that which He has dealt to us, the more He gives us. He is in the faith-dealing business. So open your hearts, open your (spiritual) ears, and get ready to to be taught of God!!! And then walk in what He teaches you !!!!!
God doesn’t tell us to live like a millionaire. He offers us money and says, “Go spend it on what you will.” Along the way, He’s got lots of good ideas, but the choice is always ours.
God is so good.
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Other studies that may interest you:
Old Man, New Man … A Comparison
How Christ is Building His Church
The Manifestation of the Spirit
The Form of our Doctrine
