Increasing Faith (6)

So then faith comesby hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10.17

Hearing without hearing
The Lord Jesus spoke about those who heard Him, but didn’t really hear Him (Mk. 4.11). They heard and understood the words coming from His mouth, but because they refused to obey Him, they didn’t really hear what He had to say.

It’s possible to hear the teaching of Jesus – about increasing faith, being His witness, and so forth – but not really hear what He’s saying. People who “hear” His Word but don’t really “hear” it so that they obey Him are not thereby excused. Rather, all who hear the Word of Christ but fail to understand and obey it remain in sin and do not know the forgiveness of the Lord.

Jesus said that only those who have been “let in on” the “secret of the Kingdom” can hear Him to understand His Word and obey what He commands. The “secret of the Kingdom” – or, we might say, the “key” that opens the door to the Kingdom, the “password” to the Kingdom – is the Spirit of God. All who have received the Spirit of God belong to God through faith in Jesus Christ. They possess the Key to all understanding and, thereby, all faith. They are the ones who hear with understanding and increase in full faith.

“Increase our faith!”
It seems likely that anyone who possesses the secret of the Kingdom of God will want to go as deeply into that glorious experience as possible. It takes faith to do that – hearing the Lord with real understanding and obedience. Such a person might earnestly desire to see his faith increase; he might even pray, “Lord, increase my faith!” every day of his life, hoping that the Lord will do something to help him know more of the mystery and secret of the Kingdom of God.

But faith comes by hearing and by hearing with understanding and obedience, as we have seen. And Paul tells us the way to increase such faith is to hear with understanding the Word of Christ as He speaks to us in the Gospel and in all the Scriptures (cf. Rom. 1.1-5). If we will not read, contemplate, study, and learn the Scriptures, we will not increase in faith, no matter how much we pray or how earnestly we long for the Lord to increase our faith. Indeed, we will be guilty of being disobedient to what we clearly understand concerning how faith increases by hearing the Word of Christ.

How would you describe your attitude toward the Bible? To Job, the Word of God was more important than the food he ate each day (Job 23.12). Jeremiah said that he devoured the Word of God, and it was the “joy and rejoicing” of his heart to do so (Jer. 15.16). Peter instructed his readers to “long” for the Word of God, like a baby longs for its mother’s milk (1 Pet. 2.1-3).

Does this describe you and your attitude toward the Word of God? Are you truly eager to hear the Word of Christ? And do you apply yourself to reading, contemplating, and studying the Bible faithfully, so that you might thereby increase in faith?

Read and run
At a time of great national crisis, the Lord instructed the prophet Habakkuk to write down the words God was telling him so that everyone who read them might run to obey (Hab. 2.2). Hearing with obedience, you see, leads to increased faith. But we must hear, we must come to the Word of God ready to feast on the spiritual banquet God has spread for us there. This means making the time for reading and studying God’s Word. If your time is already too full, then you’ll need to cut something back in order to make room in your daily schedule for feasting on the Word of God.

It also means learning how to read the Bible within and according to its own narrative. The feast which God has prepared for us in His Word is not like a smorgasbord, where you take what you want and leave the rest for someone else. It’s a full-course meal designed to nurture us in the covenant promises and Kingdom power of the Lord Jesus Christ. All Scripture is about Jesus (Jn. 5.39), Who fulfills the promises of God and brings the Kingdom near to us each day. If we don’t read and study the Bible through that lens, and with that objective in mind, then we won’t benefit from the nutritional value of Scripture as God intends.

Studying the Bible with a qualified teacher is also important, as all of Scripture testifies. Pay careful attention during the preaching of the Word. Resolve to hear something which you can immediately obey each time you listen to a sermon, participate in a Bible study, or meditate on the Word yourself.

Listen to hear the Word of Christ in Scripture. Read to run, and you’ll find that you will be hearing with understanding so that, as understanding and obedience increase, so will your faith.

For reflection
1.  How would you describe your approach to reading and studying the Word of God at this time?

2.  How could you improve that discipline in the areas of hearing, understanding, and reading to run?

3.  Spend a few minutes in prayer, listening for the Lord to show you any areas of your life where you are not hearing with understanding. Confess, repent, then run!

Next steps – Preparation: Do you have a study partner – someone with whom you read and study Scripture, or with whom you can share what you’re learning? Do you think having such a study partner might help you to read with understanding and obedience?

T. M. Moore

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This week’s ReVision study is Part 10 of a 10-part series, “Full Faith.” You can download “Increasing Faith” as a free PDF, prepared for personal or group study. Simply click here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.