The gift of faith: trusting when nothing supports it

Three young men stand before the most powerful man of their age. Behind him a furnace is burning. The order is simple: kneel before a statue, or be burned alive. They have no army, no advocate, no written promise that they will come out alive. And they answer:

“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”
Daniel 3:17-18

“Is able to deliver us… he will deliver us. But if not…” In those few words lies the whole of the faith this article is about: a certainty that does not arise from circumstances and does not depend on the outcome. Paul names it among the gifts of the Spirit: “to another faith by the same Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:9). This article is part of the series The nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. We will look at how this gift differs from the faith every believer has, how it appears in the Bible, what it is for, what it is not—and here we must speak plainly—and what to do when faith is small. At the end there is a prayer.

Three ways of speaking about faith

The Bible uses the same word for three realities, and confusing them has caused a great deal of pain.

Saving faith. This is the trust in Jesus Christ by which we are received by God. Every Christian has it, and it is already a gift:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9

Everyday faith, which is trust and also faithfulness. It appears among the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and grows with time, with trials and with the Word. “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Faith as a gift. This is the faith of 1 Corinthians 12:9, and Paul describes it in the next chapter: “all faith, so that I could remove mountains” (13:2). Not everyone receives it, and no one receives it all the time. So not having this gift does not mean “having little faith” or being a second-class Christian.

What the gift of faith is

It is a certainty the Holy Spirit gives to a person, in a specific situation, that God is going to act; a certainty so firm that it sustains them to pray, speak or act when nothing visible supports it. It is not optimism or a determined character. It is not manufactured by repeating phrases or “trying hard to believe.” It is received. Those who have experienced it usually describe it as a strange peace, an assurance that does not come from oneself and leaves no room for anguish, even though the problem is just as large as before.

Like a grain of mustard seed

“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
Matthew 17:20

Jesus chose the smallest seed his hearers knew. The strength of faith lies not in its size, but in the One it rests on. That is why, before speaking of moving mountains, he said: “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22). Not “have faith in faith,” nor in your words, nor in your ability not to doubt. A small faith placed in a great God can do more than an enormous faith placed in oneself.

In the Bible

Abraham “against hope believed in hope” and “staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform” (Romans 4:18, 20-21).

David, a boy with a sling, ran towards a giant saying: “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts… for the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Samuel 17:45, 47).

Elijah, on Mount Carmel, drenched the altar three times before asking for fire, and prayed: “let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word” (1 Kings 18:36). That phrase is the key: he was not acting on an idea of his own.

A Roman centurion said to Jesus: “speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” And Jesus “marvelled”: “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” (Matthew 8:8, 10).

Peter walked on water held up by a single word: “Come” (Matthew 14:29). Later, at the temple gate, he said to a man lame from birth: “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6). And afterwards he explained where it came from: “the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness” (3:16). The faith itself came from Jesus.

Paul, a prisoner on a ship that had been adrift for fourteen days, stood up before two hundred and seventy-five people who had lost all hope:

“For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Cesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.”
Acts 27:23-25

Looked at together, these accounts show a common feature: behind every act of faith there is a word from God. Abraham had a promise; Elijah, a command; Peter, a “come”; Paul, an angel’s message. The gift of faith is not a leap into the void: it is putting one’s whole weight on what God has said. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Read Abraham, David and Elijah.

What it is for

To hold others up in a crisis. Paul’s faith did not save him alone: it kept a whole ship on its feet. In a family or a church, a person with this gift is the one who does not collapse when everyone else does.
To undertake what seems impossible. Many works of mercy and mission were born this way. It is told of George Müller, in the nineteenth century, that for decades he supported orphanages for thousands of children without asking anyone but God for money.
To persevere in intercession when the answer takes years.
To accompany other gifts. In Paul’s list faith is followed by healings and miracles, and not by chance.

Like every gift, it is not for the one who has it: it is for building up. And without love it is worth nothing: “though I have all faith… and have not charity, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).

What the gift of faith is not

It is not presumption. The tempter took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and quoted a promise so that he would throw himself down. Jesus answered: “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (Matthew 4:7). Putting oneself in danger, abandoning treatment or making a reckless decision “by faith,” when God has not asked for it, is not faith: it is putting God to the test.

It is not a force we wield. Faith does not “oblige” God, nor does it work like a law set in motion by pronouncing the right words. “If we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us” (1 John 5:14). Faith trusts a Person; it does not operate a mechanism.

It is not denying reality. The three young men knew the furnace burned. Paul knew the ship would be lost. Faith does not shut its eyes: it looks further.

It does not guarantee the outcome we want. “But if not” is part of faith. The great chapter on the heroes of faith says of many of them: “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off” (Hebrews 11:13). And Habakkuk sang: “Although the fig tree shall not blossom… yet I will rejoice in the Lord” (Habakkuk 3:17-18).

It is not a rod for measuring anyone. Telling a sick person who was not healed, a mother who lost her child or a poor person who is still poor that they “lacked faith” is cruel, and it is false. Jesus never treated those who suffered in that way.

When faith is small

Most of us do not resemble Elijah, but the father who said to Jesus with tears: “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:24). Jesus did not turn him away: he healed his son. The apostles themselves asked: “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). And when Peter began to sink and cried “Lord, save me,” Jesus did not wait for him to recover his faith: “immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him” (Matthew 14:31).

Our security does not rest on the firmness of our faith, but on the faithfulness of the One in whom we believe: “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). Read God, never let me go.

How it is received and looked after

Listen to the Word. Faith comes by hearing. Those who do not feed on Scripture easily confuse faith with desire.
Ask for it. “Increase our faith” is a prayer Jesus does not despise.
Remember what God has already done. David before Goliath remembered the lion and the bear. Keep a memory of God’s answers in your life.
Obey in small things. Faith grows by being used.
Walk with believers. Faith is catching; so is discouragement.
Look to Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). He begins it and he completes it.

How to discern it

Faced with a great “certainty of faith,” one’s own or another’s, these questions help. Is there a word from God behind it, or only an intense desire? Does it agree with Scripture? Do mature believers recognise it? Does it seek God’s glory or the believer’s? Is it accompanied by humility and love? Is it willing to say “but if not”? Faith that comes from the Spirit rests; faith born of anxiety needs to shout.

Frequently asked questions

If I do not have this gift, do I have no faith? You have saving faith and everyday faith, which is what God asks of everyone. The gift is a particular grace for service.

Is it my faith that moves God? God acts because he is good and faithful. Faith does not force him: it receives him. It is the open hand, not the lever.

I prayed in faith and it did not happen. What did I do wrong? Probably nothing. Paul prayed three times and received the answer “My grace is sufficient for thee.” True faith also knows how to trust when it does not understand. Read Paul’s thorn and Where was God when this happened to me?

Is faith opposed to medicine, work or planning? No. Nehemiah prayed and set a watch. Paul believed the promise and also told the crew to eat and not to abandon ship. Faith uses the means God gives.

Series “The nine gifts of the Holy Spirit”: Introduction · previous: The discerning of spirits · next: The gifts of healing.

Prayer

Lord, my faith is small. You know it: there are days when it barely stretches to saying your name. I have believed my fears more than your promises, and I have sunk while looking at the wind. Stretch out your hand, as you did to Peter, and take hold of me. I believe; help my unbelief. Come, Holy Spirit, and put in me that faith which is not mine: the faith that rests on your Word when nothing around supports it. I do not ask for a faith to show off, or to demand anything of you; I ask for a faith that will hold my household up when the storm comes, that will not give up praying for those I love, that will dare to obey you. And give me also the faith of the three young men: the faith that says “my God is able,” and also “but if not.” Let my eyes be fixed on you, Jesus, author and finisher of my faith. Amen.