SUBJECT:  Faith, the fruit of the Spirit in us

QUESTION:  Please explain the fruit of the Holy Spirit known as Faith.  How does God test this faith?  How do we invoke faith.  How did faith work in Rahab?

ANSWER

Let me use a analogy...

During the Vietnam War, I was drafted (before I was called) into the U. S. Army.  They drafted me.  They trained me.  I was trained by their standards and truths and not mine.  They gave me an M-14 rifle.  It was their rifle, not mine.  They trained me with this rifle.  I was tested with this rifle.  If I failed to produce a high enough shooting score with THEIR RIFLE, I was not allowed to advance to further training, called "Advanced Infantry Training" or "Advanced Individual Training".  The rifle was designed to put holes in targets at 25, 100 and 150 yards.  I could not personally put holes in those targets but I could use their rifle coupled with their training to put holes in that target.  If I was successful in putting holes in the center of that target, good enough to pass the course, THE ARMY took the credit and not me.  Clearly I felt confident in using the M-14 and I had no fear in facing the target but it was the Army and the M-14 that actually produced the results.  I could not take ALL the credit.  I HAD TO acknowledge the Army and the fine, precise design of the rifle.

It would have been absurd for me to:

a) bring my own weapon.

b) train myself.

c) test myself.

I did NOT draft myself.  They were the authority and I did things according to their desire and will.  I had no say.  I either trained or deserted or died trying either.

Such is the case with God and Faith.  God is likened to the Army in my analogy.  The M-14 rifle is the Spirit of God.  God drafted (called) me and gave me something powerful called the Spirit of God.  He trained me by giving me a "field manual" called The Bible.  Reading and listening to that word, which is Spirit was part of my training.  It was not ALL my training but a part of it.  When the Bible says that faith comes by hearing, it is NOT saying that this is exclusive of all other means.  Faith gained by hearing is still stagnant.  Satan reads the Bible (Matthew 4).

I can read the Army Field Manual about the M-14 all I want and I will gain good knowledge but I still have to take that M-14 to the target range.  I must still shoot holes in the target to pass the training.

God gives those He calls the Holy Spirit (after repentance, baptism and laying on of hands).  The Holy Spirit CAN produce fruit IF IT IS INVOKED.   The M-14 in my hands means NOTHING until such time as I aim it and pull the trigger.

Regarding those in the Old Testament, there was no baptism but God still gave His Holy Spirit to those He chose.  By comparison, He did not call many.  God CAN DO ANYTHING HE WANTS with His Holy Spirit.  It is very powerful.  It was used to create an entire Universe.  If Jesus can open His mouth and say, "Let there be light!" and the Holy Spirit floods the heavens with light, that same Spirit can perform anything He wants in or around a human being.

Regardless of Old or New Testament and regardless of God's Spirit IN a person OR working with a person, fruit can and WAS produced.  Such was the case with Rahab or any other of God's servants in the Old Testament.

Faith is not invoked by HEARING.  Faith is learned about by HEARING.  Faith must be invoked to produce fruit.  It can be invoked with a thought, a meditation, a prayer or an action but ONLY BY THE PERSON HAVING THAT HOLY SPIRIT.

God is NOT testing the world right now.  There is NOTHING to test.  He is NOT going to test our human nature or our human mind to reason.  How do we know this?

1 Corinthians 2:14

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

In New Testament times including the year 2000, God calls certain people by the power of His Holy Spirit.  This Holy Spirit works with the person as the person is led towards repentance, baptism and the laying on of hands.  THERE IS NOT MUCH TESTING GOING ON AT THIS TIME.  The testing starts out on a small scale.  Abraham was NOT asked to sacrifice his own son on the first day God called him.  Moses was in training 80 years before his real testing.  Clearly, he was tested in those 80 years but the big tests took place AFTER he got his mission to take the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Rahab DID NOT get all her training in one minute or one hour or one day.  Notice...

Joshua 2:7-14

7 And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

8 And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;

9 And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

12 Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token:

13 And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.

14 And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.

Note:  Verse 10 is ABSOLUTELY CLEAR.  Rahab had been worked with by God for as many as 40 YEARS!!!! 

The crossing of the Red Sea had taken place 40 years before.  Plenty of time for her to learn about God.  Rahab is absolutely faithful here and the spys saw it clearly, verse 14.  God had plenty of time to work with her mind and test her faith within her mind AND in her life.  She had God's Holy Spirit and she invoked faith by her actions.  The New Testament DOES NOT talk about her HEARING of the Word but HER ACTIONS ON THAT FAITH produced by the Holy Spirit of God.

Now let us be very clear here.  In the above paragraph, I typed, "...test her faith..."  By that I am saying that God tested the fruit of the Holy Spirit that was within her, that is...faith. He tested Rahab's use of that Faith which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Just like the Army tested me WITH THEIR M-14.

I can speak for myself here:  I was called.  I repented.  I was baptized.  I received the Holy Spirit of God by the laying on of hands (Hebrews 6).  At first I learned about God and His truth and His laws and His principles (fruits of the Spirit).  I used God's Spirit through 40 years of my life to produce Godly fruit.  His Spirit, His fruit.  All I do is CHOICE to apply that power and/or fruit.  I CANNOT in any way boast for what is produced.  The Spirit produces the fruit.

Once you have the Spirit of God, you have two choices:

1) Allow the Spirit to produce fruit.

2) Smother or quench the Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:19

Quench not the Spirit.

This does not mean that I can kill the Holy Spirit, THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE.  It means, not using it.  It means not producing Godly fruit with that Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

So HOW does one "allow the Spirit to produce fruit"?

Answer:  Overcome sin, move toward perfection (Hebrews 6), put on Christ and become like Christ.

Galatians 3:27

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Ephesians 4:24

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Ephesians 6:11

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Colossians 3:10

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Colossians 3:12-16

12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

RECAP:

Again to make sure we are completely clear on this, I am going to recap using specific verses.

1) God is Spirit.  John 4:24

2) Jesus Christ is Spirit.  1 Corinthians 15

3) The Word of God is Spirit.  Ephesians 6:17

4) The Law of God is Spirit.  Romans 7:14

5) The Principles of God (fruits of the Spirit--Gal 5:22-23 to list some) are Spirit.

6) The Spirit of God is the power of God and is Spirit.

7) Faith is Spirit because it is a fruit of the Spirit.  Faith is the fruit of the Spirit.

8) Hearing or reading the Word of God will "get" you Faith.  That is, it will get you instruction in what faith is.

9) It takes more than just Hearing or Reading to obtain or have Faith.  (read Galatians 3)

10) You must have the Holy Spirit in you to have real Godly Faith.

11) You may only obtain the Holy Spirit IN YOU by the laying on of hands after repentance and baptism.

12) The Holy Spirit cannot die.

13) A human may "quench" the Holy Spirit by not using it.  It does NOT die however.

14) A true Christian must invoke the principles of God (the fruits of the Spirit).  To invoke mean to apply the principle or fruit in your thought process and in your actions.

15) A person WILL NOT attain the Kingdom of God by their own works.

16) A person must show his or her faith by the works OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD (James 2:18)

17) Rahab was a human.

18) God "called" Rahab by means of His Holy Spirit.

19) God placed His Spirit in her.

20) Rahab had her faith (actually the fruit of the Spirit faith) tested only after that Spirit was in her.

21) God worked with her for as long as 40 years before she performed her foremost act of Faith that we read about in both the Old and New Testament.

22) Rahab will be in the Kingdom of God.

23) The only Faith that God tests is the Faith which is produced in a person BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD.

24) Love, Joy, Faith, Peace and Longsuffering (to mention a few) are principles of God.  They are Spirit and fruit of the Holy Spirit.

25) When a principle of God is invoked (a Spiritual Work--James 2:18) people see Christ (Spiritually).  In other words, you are being a light.  The "light" is NOT you but God.  God is glorified whenever you invoke a principle of God; when you are being a light (which happens when you invoke a principle of God).

Matthew 5:16

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Note:  "your good works" here mean the works of God through you by means of the Holy Spirit---fruits of the Spirit, invoking the principles of God which are the same thing. (two ways of saying the same thing).

 
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