The Third Level Of Faith

Common Sense Commentary:  Where does "FAITH" come from? "Faith comes by hearing ... the word of God." Rom.10:17.  That would be, from reading "the word of God", or "hearing" it read or quoted by someone else. "The word of God" is absolutely essential in the process of "FAITH" being born into a person's heart.

Bible definition of Faith:  "Now FAITH IS the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things NOT seen." Heb.11:1.  So "faith" claims "things HOPED for", before the fact, as real as if the thing "hoped for" was "substance" in hand and positive proof "EVIDENCE" of the thing ... yet UNSEEN. 

I.  Level One: FAITH for SALVATION... "Jesus Christ ...whom having NOT SEEN, you love; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." 1 Pet.1:8.   That is the kind of faith Jesus spoke of when he said, "Thy faith hath saved thee." Lk.18:42.   When Jesus came into the world and spoke the word of God, many of the hearers believed and were thereby saved.  "As (Jesus) spake these words, many believed on him." Jn.8:30.
The first level of faith is, "Faith in his word and in him to believe unto salvation."

II.  Level Two: FAITH for MIRACLES ... "And Jesus said ... if you have FAITH as a grain of mustard seed, ... nothing shall be impossible unto you." Mt.17:20.  He illustrated the fact of "faith healing" in Mt.9:29 ... Jesus "touched blinded eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you."
Jesus often said unto the sick , "Thy faith hath made thee whole."  This second level of faith is, "Faith to believe God for Miracles.

III.  Level Three:  FAITH to totally yield our WILL to His WILL.  We see this level of faith in the virgin Mary when the angel came unto her and told her she was about to conceive and bring forth a baby who would be the prophesied Messiah (Christ). She was soon to married; she loved Joseph; would he believe her?  What would people say?  Nobody would believe such a story.  How would this affect all that?  But she simply askedthe angel,  "how that could be" when she had never "known" (been with a man in that way)?  The angel explained that the child would be conceived by the Holy Spirit of God and would be the Son of God.  Most young girls would see all their plans evaporating  but Mary did not reject , complain or ask to be spared the consequences of such a calling. Her faith rose above the first and second levels all the way up to the third level.  In her transcending faith, she yielded her will to God's will and answered, "Behold  the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." Lk.1:38.  What great faith.   

By far the best example of this third level of faith is when Jesus was praying in the Garden Of Gethsemane.  He knew he had come into the world to redeem lost sinners from the consequences of their sins by taking their sins upon himself and carrying them to the cross and into death because there was no other way to save us from God's irreversible law, "The wages of sin is death...but... (so Jesus took the wages of our sins upon himself and died on that cross for our sins and by doing so, he became "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom.6:23.  Before he went to the cross, while he was praying in the Garden, he asked God, "... O Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.... Jesus knew, in order to take away our sins, he had to be "made to be sin for us, him who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 1 Cor.5:21.  It is my opinion that Jesus was not afraid of dying but knowing the awful wicked filthiness and offence to God of sin, he was asking if there was any other "possible" way but being "made sin" and then to carry our sinful slime upon himself into death.  He had no sin of his own; it was totally against his Holy nature.  If Jesus had stopped praying right there with the words, "let this cup pass from me", I think a miracle of faith would have immediately delivered him from being made sin and his death on the cross .... but, he didn't stop there, he continued to the third level of faith .... "Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."Mt.26:39.

God's primary will and purpose for us is that we might be saved from the horrors and penalty of our sins, and begin, then to grow in Christlikeness.  Christlikeness is what the Bible is all about and Christlikeness is living in a state of total yieldedness to the perfect will of God.  We must not doubt or forget that God is omniscient, knows all things past, present, and future and what is best for us.  We do not know those things and resisting God, who does, is like stumbling in the dangerous darkness of life and refusing to let Him light up the path and lead the way before us.   God help us to walk in the footsteps of Christ and pray, "Not my will, thine be done" the third level of faith.

Pass it on. RB