Do You Have Faith Acknowledged by God? (1)
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June 14, 2026 |
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“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen.
For by it the men of old gained approval.”
Hebrews 11:1?2
That we are saved and enter heaven, and that we receive answers through earnest prayer, are only possible when there is faith. However, this faith refers to 'spiritual faith' that is acknowledged by God. No matter how many times a person confesses with their lips, "I believe," if it is not the spiritual faith acknowledged by God, they can receive neither salvation nor answers. Then, what kind of characteristics does spiritual faith have?
Faith of Creating Something Out of Nothing
Spiritual faith is a faith that believes entirely in the word of God as it is, even if it does not fit your learned knowledge or thoughts. Once you believe something, you hold onto it until the end no matter your reality or condition. Also, it is a faith that does not stop at mere knowledge in the head, but shows its proof through actions. If you have this kind of spiritual faith, you can receive answers through prayer even for things that seem utterly impossible for men.
The Bible defines faith as "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Here, 'the assurance of things hoped for' means that you are certain of the hope which will be fulfilled as if you have already received it. So, it is ultimately revealed as reality. For example, if a person suffering from a disease possesses spiritual faith, he will really have good health which he hopes for.
Also, 'the conviction of things not seen' means the spiritual faith and confidence by which we perceive what cannot be seen with physical eyes. With such faith, our fathers of faith actually experienced the power of God that creates something out of nothing, making the sun and moon stop, parting the Red Sea, winning in battles, or raising the dead.
A person with this kind of spiritual faith can also believe that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and all things by His word. Because it is something that happened before man was created, there is no one who witnessed it, but because they believe in creation out of nothing, they do not doubt even a little. That is why in Hebrews 11:3 says, "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." The universe and all things visible to our eyes were not made of some materials. However, most people have neither learned nor seen anything being made without any materials, so they cannot believe in creation out of nothing.
Faith that can be possessed only when God gives it
Spiritual faith is not something you can possess just because you want to have it. You can possess it only as much as the measure God has allotted to each person. "For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith." (Romans 12:3)
If a person could possess spiritual faith as they please and prayers like, “God, please keep customers from going to the shop next door and bring them only to mine,” or “Please let that person I hate get into a car accident,” were all answered, how chaotic would the world become? Therefore, the righteous God grants the faith of receiving answers only to those who possess the proper qualifications, and such people would not even utter evil prayers in the first place.
(To be continued in the next issue)
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