According to the Scriptures, faith is….
- what comes from hearing the Word of God - ROMANS 10:17
- what believers are given “the measure of” - ROMANS 12:3
- one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit - 1 CORINTHIANS 12:7-10
- an expression of the fruit of the Spirit - GALATIANS 5:22-23
- God’s gift through which we are saved by grace - EPHESIANS 2:8-10
- the substance of things hoped for - HEBREWS 11:1
- the evidence of things not seen - HEBREWS 11:1
- necessary for pleasing God - HEBREWS 11:6
With these things being understood, we can see that Scriptural faith does not originate from us but it comes to us from The Lord, Who lives forever.
Understanding our eternal God as the source of our faith, we perceive that the faith He gives freely - from Himself to us - does not necessarily have to depend on the longevity of our lives to see the fulfillment of His promises.
In 2 KINGS 2:9 Elisha asked Elijah for a double portion of his spirit. Years later in 2 KINGS 13:20, Elisha died and was buried. It is believed that his ministry may have then been one miracle short of doubling the number of miracles in Elijah’s ministry. If there was ever any room for doubt, another miracle occurred in the next verse; which tells of a male corpse being resurrected after having been laid to rest on Elisha’s dead bones.
Paul - according to ROMANS 15:24-25,28-29 - had made plans to minister in Spain and yet there are no Biblical records he ever went. So, if he was executed before making such a journey - to take the gospel to Spain - it could be said that even though he died, his God given faith did not; because the gospel was preached in Spain; eventually fulfilling his desire.
There are many testimonies of international missionaries who have passed onward before seeing their faith fulfilled - after lifetimes of hard work - but now others are reaping the harvest of their hard labors and God given faith.
Why? Because genuine God given faith does not depend on the earthly lifespan of its recipients; since it comes from Himself to begin with. Therefore, God can use the faith He gives to us for His glory and not ours.
Should the Lord delay His return, present day believers will each die without having seen their faith fulfilled through experiencing His return during their lifetime; but one day soon, like those gone on before us, our faith shall be made sight and we will all get to meet The Lord, Who is the author and finisher of our faith HEBREWS 12:2.
So take heart, with the Almighty’s Lordship, there is more to us - with the faith He gives us - than meets the eye; at this present time and beyond.
Genuine Biblical faith is God given and will outlast our earthly lifespans.
