It’s so ironic isn’t it, how many of us seem to talk about faith with such certainty?
“If we only have enough faith, then miracles can happen”
“Faith can move mountains”
“You just need faith”
But faith has no certainty about it whatsoever. If it does, it’s not faith. Many people want certainty when it comes to God. They need a God who they can control. A God they understand. A God they know will deliver.
Scripture does say faith is being certain. But it’s being certain of only something we are not certain of. The unseen.
This God unseen is uncontrollable. A God of mystery. He is not fully known, and cannot be. And He is a God who doesn’t always heal – though none of us really know why.
But yet, He invites us to trust Him. He invites us into relationship with Him.
For me, true faith is not about believing in miracles. Jesus more than once becomes frustrated at people around Him constantly asking for signs – miracles – to prove He was who He said He was.
Not that He didn’t – and doesn’t – want to heal. Far from it. Jesus loves to heal. In fact, in many ways, healing was the heart of His mission. His purpose was the reconciliation and restoration of all things, the healing of the world through the cross.
But Jesus didn’t want faith in Him to be dependent, or conditional, on healing. And whether someone is healed cannot simply be a matter of faith.
Isn’t that a reward based faith?
We trust God and only then He heals? That’s not grace. That’s not a gift. That’s a reward. It’s like a contract. Faith = healing.
And anyway, God doesn’t always heal does He? The ‘unresolved sin’ argument holds no water either, because there isn’t one person in history outside Jesus Himself who doesn’t have unresolved sin.
So, the questions remains: What is faith?
Here’s my thoughts:
Faith is holding on to God when we have no reason to believe.
It’s trusting when hope seems to be gone.
It’s clinging on to what we believe is true even when our circumstances tell us it can’t be.
It’s believing in the truth of Jesus even – or especially – when He doesn’t heal the one we love. (you can tweet that here)
And it’s being willing to ask the questions we feel too afraid to.
Surely, if God is who He says He is, and we want real relationship with Him, then there is no danger in questioning. In exploring. In diving deeper beyond anywhere others have gone.
This, in my experience, is how we gain more intimacy with our creator. And as we go deeper, the challenges can become greater.
Because we don’t know all the answers. Only God does.
And we don’t fully know God. No one does.
There is mystery, unknown and unseen when it comes to God. Or He’s not God.
And the deepest faith we can have is when we trust and believe in God when He doesn’t answer our prayers. When life goes against us. When God seems absent.
Because He does sometimes doesn’t He?
It’s not always happy ever after. It doesn’t always work out how we hope. We all wonder why God allows such suffering in the world. Why He didn’t heal our loved one.
But if we can trust God when feeling Him absent from our lives, then we have found real faith.
And miracles? Well I believe in miracles. I believe God can heal. I believe He can raise people from the dead. But I don’t believe these are necessary for a life of faith, or for us to believe in God or His nature.
They are merely demonstrations of love, grace, mercy and power. Of a good and perfect God who wishes to lavish His love on His people. And they are signs of a great restoration which will come on Jesus return.
And that is something all of us can hope in.
What’s your definition of faith?
Have you ever doubted your faith?
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James Prescott
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I always wonder what the prosperity gospel movement thinks about someone like Joni Eareckson Tada. Or the less-famous but still fairly well-known by now Ian Murphy.
This reminds me of something I read on Charisma today – a guy who has chronic health problems, believes in divine healing with all his heart, has prayed for it many times, has friends praying for it…but can no longer work or even drive very much. He has actually been called “worse than an infidel” for his unemployment and accused of lacking faith. What started that whole idea of us being “entitled to” healing simply because we are Christian?
Lucie, a great comment and a really good point. We’re not entitled to healing just because we’re Christians.
Intriguing post that I am sure will stimulate discussion. I don’t disagree with most of what you said in the blog, but I am not sure I understand the statement “we’re not entitled to healing just because we are Christians.” Is that not one of the reasons Jesus died on the cross for us? Supernatural healing is in fact one of the greatest benefits for a Christian. Believers shouldn’t require signs and wonders to keep believing, nor should the seek the gift and not the giver of the gift. I think there is a lengthy list of reasons for why some people don’t receive healing. With that said, I think those who say someone e doesn’t have enough faith or has hidden sin are being judgmental and short sighted. We never know what is going on within another person. They may be confessing one thing all the while not believing a word they say – they are doing their best to sound spiritual so they don’t get criticized and/or perhaps they have head knowledge of God’s Word but not heart knowledge. For example, I have always believed God’s Word to be true and I had faith in that Word, but I had difficulty believing He would actually do those things for me that He said He would. To keep it simple, the inner man didn’t feel worthy to receive anything from God. With the soul of man battling our renewed spirit with the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us, it becomes very difficult to see manifestation. Through my own personal experience and through speaking with others, it is possible for junk to be operating at the subconscious level thwarting the plan of God for our lives. I have a deep passion for helping people expose inner thoughts in an effort to set them free to be all that God has called them to be, because I have seen it work in my lives and the lives of others. It is what I blog about and it is what my new business will be focused on. I know as I get deeper with my subject matter I will encounter many naysayers, but they can’t take away from the freedom that has been experienced by others that have tapped into this type of teaching/ministry. Just wanted to share another perspective. Kudos for taking a risk to put this out there! Hopefully it will stimulate some robust discussion
Pardon my typos – I did not proof, before I posted!
May I step it here? Many people take Isaiah 53:5 as talking about physical healing; however it context it is speaking of our Spiritual healing. “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.”
This is not to say that Jesus can’t (and doesn’t) miraculously heal at times. However, for the Christian who is not physically healed in this life, they are ultimately healed to spend eternity with the Savior.
Good discussion!
I can’t speak for everyone, but I don’t base my position on one verse. Examining multiple verses and the bible as a whole, I think it’s clear that Jesus died for spiritual healing, but physical as well. In the NT, Jesus didn’t deny healing of anyone who was seeking it and willing to receive it. It’s also interesting that in some cases faith didn’t play a role. For example the man at the pool of Bethesda. He didn’t even know who Jesus was when he asked him about wanting to get well. When I read the NT I see that it is God’s will to heal – to make people whole in every way.
Yes, I agree Stacie that it’s God’s will to make people whole – and sometimes this doesn’t occur right now. And none of us will be completely whole until Jesus returns. That’s when the major healing takes place.
Great discussion here, glad this post has sparked such debate!
Stacie – yes I agree that we need to take the Bible as a whole. I was merely pointing out one Scripture that people take out of context. Can Jesus heal miraculously? Absolutely! Does He do it every time? No. We don’t always (and never will in this life) understand the ways of God. Just yesterday I read about a nine year old child that was killed in a car accident. Some good friends of mine have a three year old that has battled a rare form of cancer for over a year. I don’t understand these things, but I know that God is in control.
Yes, totally agree Joan. To me the relatively small miracles we see now and Jesus performed are signs – in fact, in the gospel of John, they are called ‘signs’ – of a great healing, restoration and reconciliation which will come on Jesus return, and this passage in Isaiah I think speaks of this.
So even if Jesus doesn’t heal now, there will be a great healing when Jesus returns – and not just of physical illness.
Thanks for your comment Stacie, really appreciate it – good to see this is stimulating discussion. It’s good to get different perspectives. I honestly think if we believe individual healing here and now – as opposed to restoration and healing when Jesus returns – is our right as Christians now, there is a danger we make it a condition of our faith. And faith is about being certain of what we can’t see, not because of what we can see.
I believe healing now is simply a foretaste of the ultimate healing and restoration which will occur on Jesus return. There’s no guarantee of it now, and our faith should not be dependent on it.
Good discussion – really glad to be talking about this with you and again, thanks for commenting – don’t worry about typos either! 🙂
There are two kinds of faith: human and God’s. Human faith comes from within. It comes and goes depending on what we place our faith in. If I have been sitting in a particular chair most of my life, I have faith it will hold me. Without warning, it breaks. My faith in the support of the chair has now been destroyed.
God’s faith is different. It comes from him in the form of a gift. It doesn’t falter. It’s never destroyed. It’s eternal because it’s God’s. It’s freely given to anyone who places their trust in his word: repent (see ourselves as God sees us); and receive (through the blood of redemption).
New life in Christ IS a miracle. By his stripes I am HEALED. Too many people are chasing the works of Christ, the miracles, rather than trusting his word.
I totally agree with you Shelley – faith in God is not about the works, it is about the truth of Jesus and holding on to this when all else says we shouldn’t. Thanks for your comment!
Very good post, James. The definition for Faith I have always used is exactly what you are talking about.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
(Hebrews 11:1)
We may not be able to see God and what He is doing but we know He is there. We have evidence of it even if we cannot see Him ourselves.
Absolutely Anastancia – glad you agree. You get my point exactly! Thanks for commenting & your encouragement. 🙂
Well, another great post, James. When my husband was diagnosed with cancer 21 years ago, we were preparing for him to visit a well-known cancer hospital. As things tend to happen in small towns, such as where we live, word spread quickly about his diagnosis. We were in Wal-Mart one day and met a man whom John had known for several years. I spoke of going to the cancer hospital and that we would await their decision as to chemotherapy, etc. The man looked straight as John and said without batting an eye, “You won’t need chemo if you have enough faith.”
We were Christians, but not very strong in our faith at that time. Imagine how we felt when John did require chemo. Long story short, God did heal John, but He chose to do so through the hands of skilled physicians. And if He had chosen not to heal John in this life? It certainly would not have been because John (or me) lacked faith. It’s the object of our faith–Jesus Christ. Not the amount of our faith.
Absolutely Joan, I agree. Sorry about what you and your husband experienced. That to me is an prime example of the dangers of the ‘get healed then stop taking medication’ type of faith some have.
I have heard stories of people who stopped medication because they have been told they have been healed (and been told to because they must have faith they have been healed), and then died or suffered greatly as a result.
God heals through doctors and medication as much as He does supernaturally – and even if we are healed supernaturally it’s irresponsible simply to stop medication. We get a diagnosis from a doctor before we stop the medication.
And as you say, had John not been healed, it certainly wouldn’t have been due to a lack of faith. Thanks for sharing this with us.
While I do believe that it is God’s will to heal, I also have seen people who did not get healed and I believe God must have another purpose in that. While some did not require faith themselves, i.e. the man who was lowered through the roof to see Jesus. there was still faith exercised, by those who brought him to the Savior. I think it’s sad what was said to you and your husband Joan, but I also received unwise comments when my daughter was born underweight at 3 1/2 pounds and I was told, “Well, you said you never wanted to have a ‘big’ girl.” People often don’t think before they speak.
I remember a wonderful Bible teacher I had who was confined to a wheelchair. Some people had thought he was there because of a lack of faith. My opinion? They were mistaken.
Sometimes we can pray and the answer is “no.” It has nothing to do with our faith, but everything to do with what God chooses to do.
I like what you said, James about our faith being something we hold onto when we don’t understand. I know God can do anything. I’m not certain what he will choose to do.
Thanks for your comment & encouragement Anne. I totally agree with you – sometimes we pray and the answer is ‘no’. We don’t know why, but that’s how it is.
And I agree, the Bible teacher didn’t stay confined to a wheelchair because of a lack of faith. Just a cruel thing to say – they were most definitely mistaken.
Sometimes we pray & the answer is “no”. At least you had an answer! More often I pray & don’t hear any answer!
I know it’s his will to heal. I know God CAN heal. I believe he CAN heal & it’s his will to heal – no-one, in the Bible, who came to Jesus for healing,event away unhealed. No-one. If Jesus appeared before me now & I asked to be healed, I believe I would be & others that I asked for. 100%. Why would he want to leave anyone in a state of sickness?
But as I sit here now, praying, asking for healing for folk, as the Bible, as Jesus commands, do I really believe he’s going to heal them (me) now? This time?
I know he can. I believe he can. I know he does. I know he has, before. Do I really believe he will now???
As you say, we see too many instances where we don’t “see” healing come. Does that mean God doesn’t heal? Is seeing believing? Is believing & saying something happened that we didn’t see happen just “blind faith” or even delusion?
To others it may be. But, really, that’s their problem, not mine.
I believe God heals today. Will he heal others (me) today?? I hope so. So I pray; in hope; in faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. And boy will I celebrate when he does.
God is still God, he’s still good, that’s still the truth. Ultimately, as you say, we’ll be healed in heaven and there’s no sickness in heaven. For now, I love Him for who He is, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour, Lord. He paid for & forgave my sin & released the Glorious Holy Spirit, our helper, comforter to be with us today, now, so that we can relate to God now.
Yes, I long to encounter Him now. I believe that all those powerfully active in the lord have all, at some stage (& many regularly) had an actual encounter with Jesus.
I’m so longing for mine.
God bless.
On a similar theme to Joan’s ‘helpful’ friend, I was told that I had the
devil in me because my parents were not healed of cancer! They said I
didn’t have enough faith. I was blessed to know the truth and, although
it hurt, I was able to resist believing it. That kind of thing can potentially be
extremely damaging.
Thanks for sharing Lucy, just a shocking thing to hear & must have been awful for you, despite knowing the truth. Really glad to hear you though that you do know the truth & were able to resist the lies. Honestly, the things some Christians say are just shockingly unChristlike. Thanks for commenting & being so honest.
Apols for the delayed response. I just loved this post.
I was sick and God didn’t heal me, I’m alive and well but the illness I had left me childless and I believe it was God’s will for me to have this life.
I don’t like it but I do believe He is sovereign.
People kept saying “the answer isn’t no, it’s just not yet”
The answer turned out to be ‘no’…. and I have to work that stuff out with God.
Always remember someone saying to me, Faith isn’t believing that God will give you everything you want. It’s believing in the character of God, regardless of the outcome.
That’s the hard bit eh?
Very well done James 🙂 x
Hey Annmarie, no problem for the delayed response – really appreciate your kind words, so encouraging to me. I totally agree with you on faith, though I think we often doubt the character of God whilst believing He exists, and often suffer a felt doubt (rather than intellectual doubt). But totally agree, faith isn’t believing God will give you everything you want – and it is hard.
Thanks for your comment, really appreciate it. 🙂
This is an attempt to explain away why God doesn’t always do what the bible says He would. We’re called to do greater works than Jesus did, yet how many people do you know who do even half of what Jesus has done? I still have to see the first christian walk on water or turn that same water into wine.
Faith isn’t always easy. You have to be very carefully with saying something about it. I think a lot of people only believe in God when they need Him. For example, with the exams. That’s not good because God wants us to love and worship Him, although it’s difficult or when we don’t need Him. When someone we know is incredibly sick, we ask God for healing and if nothing happens, we can start doubting about God’s existence. But I’m convinced that everything that God does has a purpose. I think our faith shrinks year after year because there are a lot of people who suffer at the moment but if God didn’t exist maybe there was more suffering going on right now. I assume that God wants the best for everyone and that if we believe and have faith in Him, He will help us and make the world a better place.
Wow. This is now 2020 and people still try to push that it is always God’s will to heal. It is good to see that believers are reading the Word and are not basing their faith on healing. May I say that I do believe with all my heart that God is Almighty and can do anything, yet He does not always choose to heal – contrary to what we constantly hear. He knows why but we do not know but if our faith is in Him alone and not in blind faith, then we will remain steadfast in our faith and love and devotion to our Almighty God. My husband has had many health issues over the years and we both have asked the Lord and have thanked Him that He is able. We have seen small small steps forward and for each one we thank our heavenly Father for these healings. Throughout the years our faith in God has deepened and our trust in Him has abounded – all because we have acknowledged His sovereignty and power to do whatever He pleases. We cannot understand His ways because He is Lord of ALL creation. One aspect of faith is knowing that He has the power to heal. It has never been our “right” and never will be to “boss” our Lord God to “DO” this or that because He owes it to us. It is so dangerous & detrimental to take one verse from scripture and build an entire doctrine around it. Our primary purpose on earth is to win souls for Him and walking in obedience to His Word; being faithful in loving Him and all others and so much more. I could say so much more using all of God’s Word as evidence. Thank you James. I’m so glad I came to your blog because I once heard a man say that “faith heals us, not God.” That’s true to a point but we must be cautious of ever being guilty of bringing God down to our level. The world is full of His Majesty!
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