When do you produce the fruit faith? We often say, that we believe in Jesus Christ and that we believe God, but do we really believe in Him? Do we really walk in faith and bear the fruit faith? Do your actions line up with what you believe and what you confess with your mouth? Or is your faith some kind of ‘imagination’ that you have created by yourself? Do you believe because your parents and grandparents believed? Does your faith consist out of some rules and regulations, that you try to keep and obey? Do you believe, in order to ease your mind? Do you walk by faith, or do you walk by what your senses tell you? The fruit faith is a fruit of the Spirit and not of the flesh. That being said, what does the Bible say about the fruit faith?
What is faith?
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb 11:1 KJV)
Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses] (Heb 11:1 Amp)
Faith is the assurance of the things hoped for and an evidence (the proof) of things not seen.
Let’s have a look at the word ‘hope’. Hope is translated from the Greek word ‘elpízõ’ and means; to expect or confide: – (have, thing) hope (-d) (for), trust.
Hope means that you are confident, and that you trust, that something is coming to pass. You expect it to happen.
There is no doubt in hope, but there is an assurance in hope; an expectation that ‘something’ is going to happen. Hope is an expectation.
Therefore, faith is an assurance of the things that you expect to happen. It is the evidence of things not seen.
“Call those things which are not, as though they were”
Faith is to call those things which be not as though they were (Rom 4:17). The first time, that the fruit faith became visible, was during the creation. God had faith that when He spoke the Word (Jesus), that by His power (the Holy Spirit) it came into being. It wasn’t visible yet, but God knew the power of His Word. He had this creation in His mind and spoke this creation into being. He called those things, which be not, as though they were.
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (Heb 11:3)
What does the word faith mean?
Faith is translated from the Greek word ‘epistis’ and means: persuasion, that is, credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly constancy in such profession; by extension the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself: – assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.
You are persuaded, you have credence. You are certain that ‘something’ is the truth and you stand and keep on standing on that truth. Yes, you stay faithful and loyal. Nothing and no one can take you away from that truth. You don’t back down and you don’t doubt.
When does your faith begin?
Your faith begins, when you are convinced that ‘something’ is the truth. You have heard, read, or seen something, and you believe, that what you heard, read or saw is true.
God has given a free to every man. Therefore every man has a free will to make their own choices in life. Every man has a choice, to believe in the Word of God or not believe in the Word of God.
Their actions will show, whether they believe in the Word of God or not.
People, who walk after the flesh, always need some kind of proof and/or a sign, before they will believe. They are sense oriented and they will only believe, if they’ll see it with their own eyes.
It often happens, that when they get some kind of proof or a sign, that they will still doubt (read also ‘first see then believe’).
We all know that doubt is the opposite of faith, and is the fruit of the old man; the carnal man. Therefore if you doubt, you will not be able to walk in faith.
Four steps of faith
But the new creation, will not walk by what they see in the natural realm and will not walk after the flesh anymore. But the new creation will walk after the Spirit, and therefore they will walk in faith. Because they walk in faith they will bear the fruit faith. They will abide in the Word of God and call those things which are not as though they were. They are not moved and ruled by their senses, feelings, emotions etc., but they are moved by the Spirit. There are 4 steps of faith in the process of regeneration.
First step
The first step of faith is to believe in Jesus Christ; that He is the Son of God, that He came in the flesh and by His sacrifice at the cross; by His blood, He dealt with the sin nature and reconciled man back to God.
You will repent of your old life as a sinner and make Jesus your Saviour and Lord. That’s the first step you take in faith; to believe in Jesus Christ, and His work of redemption, and repent of your sinful life.
Second step
Now comes the second step, which is to crucify your flesh; your self, your lusts, your desires, your opinions, your thinking, sins, etc. You’ll be baptised and will lay down your life (the water Baptism is a symbol of the death of your flesh). You believe and therefore have faith, that you have buried your old man in the water.
Third step
You will arise from death into eternal life. Your spirit will become alive, by the baptism with the Holy Spirit. You are born of the Spirit of God and the Holy Spirit will dwell in you. You have become a new creation; a son of God, and His nature will dwell in you. You believe that you are a new creation; born of the water and the Spirit.
Final step
You believe, that you have become a new creation, that the old you is gone, and that the new you, who is created after the image of God, has been born. Because you believe that you have become a new creation and that the past is gone, you will also walk as the new creation. You will be confident in Jesus Christ; the Word and shall walk after the Spirit. The Bible will be your compass in life.
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving (Col 2:6,7)
How do you develop faith?
Your faith will be developed by hearing the Word of God, applying the Word of God into your life and by doing the Word of God.
Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom 10:17)
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost (Judas 1:20)
By hearing the Word of God and by renewing your mind with the Word of God, you shall develop your faith.
You shall build yourself up in your most holy faith and shall walk according to what the Word says. You shall pray in the Holy Ghost, that is praying in other tongues.
The Spirit knows exactly, what you need and what the obstacles in your life are, He helps your infirmities, and therefore He makes intercession for you.
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered (Rom 8:26)
The Word revealed by the Spirit
Before you became born again, you didn’t know, what was written in the Word of God. You didn’t know Jesus, and who God is and walked in darkness. Or maybe you did read the Word of God, but you didn’t understand what was written.
But now, that you have received the Holy Spirit, and have entered into His light, you shall read His Word by His Spirit. You shall understand what is written, because the Holy Spirit shall reveal the Word of God (which is Spirit) for you.
The Spirit is the key to understand the Word of God; He is your Teacher. You don’t need all kinds of teachers. The Holy Spirit shall teach you into all truth and guide you. He shall raise you up in His Word, so that you will walk in faith.
You shall do, what the Word tells you to do, and shall live according to what the Word says, instead of what the world system, people or your senses say. You shall walk in Him and walk in truth.
The works shall follow you
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also (James 2:26)
Faith without works is dead. By reading the Word of God, applying the Word and therefore doing the Word of God, you shall walk in Him. You will keep His commandments and obey Him.
You shall speak and live according to the Word. When you do the Word, the works shall follow you, just like the works followed Jesus, because He walked after the Spirit. As long as you stay in Him; the Word, the works shall follow you.
Quench all the fiery darts by faith
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (Eph 6:16)
You shall not always receive a warm welcome and maybe the people around you shall dislike you, and persecute you.
The devil shall try everything he can, to bring you back into the flesh, so he can reign over you again, instead of you reigning over him.
He shall accuse you in your mind, he shall raise thoughts in your mind which are against the Word of God. It’s up to you, what you do with these thoughts: do you feed them, or do you take them captive in Jesus Christ and cast them down. He not only uses your mind, but he shall also use other people to attack you.
The devil has one goal and that is to destroy you. He shall do everything he can and shall use everyone he can, in order to accomplish his goal.
But when you stay in Him; the Word, then by faith you can quench all the fiery darts of him, not some, but all. Faith is your shield, but you have to hold it up, no one else can do that for you. Therefore it is important to build yourself up in your most holy faith.
What can destroy your faith?
As long as you stay in the Word of God and walk according to His commandments, you will stay in the faith. But you must stay awake and watchful at all times, and never let your guard down. Guard your mind against the knowledge of this world, and stay faithful to the Word. When you feed your mind with the knowledge of this world, then doubt will arise. Because the knowledge of this world goes against the knowledge of the Word.
Therefore faith can be destroyed by doubt. This doubt can come from the inside of you, or from the outside:
- Doubt from the inside; doubt can enter if you have not renewed your mind with the Word of God. It may be that in certain area’s of your life, you have not renewed your mind with the Word of God, in those area’s your human reason still reigns, instead of the Spirit. This will ensure that you will keep living after the flesh.
- Doubt from the outside; doubt can also enter from the outside, by false teachings, by wisdom of the world etc. . Paul warned the believers many times about false teachers and philosophies of man, who will lead them astray, away from the faith in Christ Jesus.
Stay in Him
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been tauht, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily (Col 2:6-9).
As long as you stay in Him and walk according to the Word, then you shall not be moved, and shall stand and walk in faith. But if you do not walk according to the Word, but according to what the world says (philosophies, science etc.) you shall obey the world and shall not be able to walk in faith. Because the world is enmity against God and His Word.
The fruit faith
The fruit faith is a fruit of the Spirit. When you have received the Holy Spirit, your spirit shall come alive and shall live in unity with the Holy Spirit. Your spirit shall reign over your flesh; soul and body.
You shall not live by what your flesh; your senses tell you anymore, but you shall walk by what the Word and the Spirit tells you, and therefore you shall walk by faith, and bear the fruit faith.
Keep the faith
Therefore keep the faith, bear the fruit faith, and fight for the Word. Let no one steal your faith, even if people turn against you.
There is so much more to write about the fruit faith, because the whole Gospel is about faith in Jesus Christ. The walk of a born again Christian is all about faith. I would like to end this post with the following question:
When it’s your time to go Home, can you say, what Paul said?
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith (2 Tim 4:7)
‘Be the salt of the earth’
