Treasures New and Old
Treasures New and OldThe Faith Delivered unto the Saints: Kinds of Faith
“. . . the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” Jude 1:3
Jude, perhaps frustrated that so many believers of the Way now being called Christians by the world, would be enticed and deceived to fall back into both the ways of the world and old failed religious practices, has penned a short, and to the point, letter. Look whom he addresses:
“Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called. Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
– Jude 1:1-3 (bold added)
So far we have looked at several topics related to the faith once delivered to the saints.
Various Kinds of Faith
This article will explore some of the different kinds of faith.
First a few sections of the definition of faith from Noah Webster’s First Edition of an American Dictionary of the English Language:
1. Belief ; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting on his authority and veractiy, without other evidence ; the judgment that what another states or testifies is the truth. I have strong faith or no faith in the testimony of a witness, or in what a historian narrates.
5. The object of belief ; a doctrine or system of doctrines believed ; a system of revealed truths received by Christians.
7. An open profession of gospel truth. . . .
(Webster, 1987)
So let’s summarize these for a moment and look at these three kinds of faith.
- Loyalty/allegiance to a person or duty. Narrow that down to loyalty to Christ for our purposes.
- Trust and obey and believe in something that has no tangible proof – the Hebrews 11 kind.
- A body of convictions/doctrines in which one believes – the Statement of Faith kind.
When we review verses with faith in them, we sometimes see a use that crosses the boundaries of these three definitions. Consider the phrase that appears in four verses: “The just shall live by faith.” It can mean “the just shall live by loyalty of Christ”, or “the just shall live by trusting and obeying a promise or truth that has no earthly proof as yet”, or “the just shall live by an adherence to the body of doctrine he/she has learned from God’s Word”, or all three, or a combination of them. I have taken just a few verses that mainly fit into the three areas above to give you a sample of these uses of the word faith.
Faith as a body of truth upon which we stand
Jude 1:1-3 (bold added): “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
Mark 11:22: “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.”
Luke 17:5: “And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.”
Luke 22:32: “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”
Acts 20:21: “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 3:22: “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:”
Romans 3:25: “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;”
Galatians 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 3:22: “But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.”
Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
Walking in the body of truth of God’s Word – sound doctrine: trusting in the promises of Christ
Acts 14:22: “Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
Acts 14:27: “And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all the God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.”
Acts 16:5: “And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.”
Romans 1:5: “By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name;”
1 Corinthians 16:13: “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like man, be strong.”
Philippians 1:27: “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;”
Colossians 2:7: “Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”
1 Timothy 3:9: “Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.”
1 Timothy 4:6: “If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou has attained.”
Trusting in the promises of Christ
Habakkuk 2:4: “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.”
Matthew 8:10: “When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”
Matthew 9:2: “And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith and unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”
Matthew 9:29: “Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.”
Matthew 15:28: “Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”
Mark 10:52: “And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.”
Luke 5:20: “And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.”
Luke 8:48: “And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.”
Romans 10:17: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Romans 12:3: “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
2 Corinthians 5:7: “(For we walk by faith, not by sight;)”
Consider this last verse – as potentially meeting all three definitions:
2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:”
Is this one of your goals?
I hope to continue to share principles, truths, tidbits concerning the “faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” The goal? To, therefore, put you in remembrance!
Maranatha Emanuel!
May God bless you all!
Bro. Joe
References
Webster, Noah. Noah Webster’s First Edition of an American Dictionary of the English Language Facsimile Fifth Edition. San Francisco, CA now at Chesapeake Bay, VA: The Foundation for American Christian Education. 1987. (Original work published 1828)