"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Mark 11:22-23
What is this faith that Jesus is talking about? Is it even possible to have this kind of faith?
As many of you know, I just completed a two week intensive course on United Methodist Doctrine. All in all it was an excellent course, perhaps one of the best courses that I have ever taken. (I will wait until my grade comes back before I say it was the best course) One aspect of the class which I especially enjoyed was the focus on the sermons of John Wesley, who is the founder of Methodism. In his sermons he takes on some very important theological issues one of which was this issue of faith. Allow me to share with you a few insights about faith that I learned from John Wesley.
First of all, it is important to understand what faith is not. Faith is not, to use Wesley’s word, the faith of the “heathen.” This would be someone who simply believes that God does exist and that God will reward anyone who seeks God. On the surface this sounds good, but in reality it is missing a couple of very critical components of faith.
Faith is also not the faith of Satan or in Wesley’s word “devil,” (I really love this one,) who not only believes that there is a wise, powerful and gracious God, who rewards those who follow and is also a just God. But in addition, believes that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ, and the Savior of the world. Even Satan would be in agreement with our Methodist Articles of Religion and consent to each one of them, He could even be able to recite the Apostles Creed and agree with everything in it, but that still doesn’t measure up to the faith that Jesus is talking about.
Wesley even goes a step farther in explaining what faith is not by saying that it isn’t even the faith of the apostles prior to the resurrection, who had the power to work miracles, heal the sick, and even cast out demons, but even the apostles were referred to by Jesus as a “faithless generation,” and as not having the faith of a mustard seed.
Faith isn’t speculative or even rational, nor is it a simply agreeing to a litany of doctrinal standards or confessions.
Faith according to Wesley means, “not only an assent to the whole gospel of Christ, but also a full reliance on the blood of Christ; a trust in the merits of his life, death, and resurrection; a recumbency upon him as our atonement and our life, as given for us, and living in us; and, in consequence hereof, a closing with him, and cleaving to him, as our "wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption," or, in one word, our salvation.”
(Wesley’s Sermon, Salvation by Faith)
Faith to Wesley was a confidence and a trust in God, a full and complete reliance upon God’s grace and mercy, knowing with a calm, confident assurance that Christ died for my sins, that he loved me and gave himself for me. But, in addition to this complete trust and confidence, one must also have a deep abiding love of God, Loving God with all of your heart with all of your soul with all of you mind and with all of your strength. This is the faith of a mustard seed and the faith that can move a mountain.
Blessings
What is this faith that Jesus is talking about? Is it even possible to have this kind of faith?
As many of you know, I just completed a two week intensive course on United Methodist Doctrine. All in all it was an excellent course, perhaps one of the best courses that I have ever taken. (I will wait until my grade comes back before I say it was the best course) One aspect of the class which I especially enjoyed was the focus on the sermons of John Wesley, who is the founder of Methodism. In his sermons he takes on some very important theological issues one of which was this issue of faith. Allow me to share with you a few insights about faith that I learned from John Wesley.
First of all, it is important to understand what faith is not. Faith is not, to use Wesley’s word, the faith of the “heathen.” This would be someone who simply believes that God does exist and that God will reward anyone who seeks God. On the surface this sounds good, but in reality it is missing a couple of very critical components of faith.
Faith is also not the faith of Satan or in Wesley’s word “devil,” (I really love this one,) who not only believes that there is a wise, powerful and gracious God, who rewards those who follow and is also a just God. But in addition, believes that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ, and the Savior of the world. Even Satan would be in agreement with our Methodist Articles of Religion and consent to each one of them, He could even be able to recite the Apostles Creed and agree with everything in it, but that still doesn’t measure up to the faith that Jesus is talking about.
Wesley even goes a step farther in explaining what faith is not by saying that it isn’t even the faith of the apostles prior to the resurrection, who had the power to work miracles, heal the sick, and even cast out demons, but even the apostles were referred to by Jesus as a “faithless generation,” and as not having the faith of a mustard seed.
Faith isn’t speculative or even rational, nor is it a simply agreeing to a litany of doctrinal standards or confessions.
Faith according to Wesley means, “not only an assent to the whole gospel of Christ, but also a full reliance on the blood of Christ; a trust in the merits of his life, death, and resurrection; a recumbency upon him as our atonement and our life, as given for us, and living in us; and, in consequence hereof, a closing with him, and cleaving to him, as our "wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption," or, in one word, our salvation.”
(Wesley’s Sermon, Salvation by Faith)
Faith to Wesley was a confidence and a trust in God, a full and complete reliance upon God’s grace and mercy, knowing with a calm, confident assurance that Christ died for my sins, that he loved me and gave himself for me. But, in addition to this complete trust and confidence, one must also have a deep abiding love of God, Loving God with all of your heart with all of your soul with all of you mind and with all of your strength. This is the faith of a mustard seed and the faith that can move a mountain.
Blessings
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