My previous blogpost, “Faith as Evidence” focused primarily on receptive faith—the gift of being able to recognize truth—which allows divine reality to manifest in its self-evidence. Today the focus is more on two additional forms of faith—the faith of being, and the exercise of faith. All three forms are intertwined in the wonderful mystery of God’s work with us.
The realization of truth
Once we realize the truth that liberates us from the major obstacle in our relationship with God, . . . once we enter the family of God by the faith and trusting dependence of a little child, . . . once we are born of the spirit,. . . then we have the faith-evidence on the basis of which to start reorganizing our way of living. We are on the path to a new way of being.
Receiving a new way of being
A living faith is a growing faith, and sometimes on the journey the next step is a big step. When we struggle with a big step, we need to exercise the faith that we have. We hunger and thirst for righteousness. And that hunger and thirst bears fruit.
- From the depths, prayer surges up and spontaneously cries out.
- The door is opened.
- The good gifts of the Father are there, goodness, truth, mercy, waiting for the child to come forward and personally appropriate them.
There’s where our hunger and thirst is satisfied.
Righteousness is anchored in the supreme desire to do the will of our Father in heaven. We see righteousness in the life of Jesus. And he said, “Be you perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” What does that perfection mean? Partly it means a beautiful wholeness on a spirit level that we will only achieve beyond this world. But Jesus gives his invitation-command in the present tense. Be. What kind of being is this?
As I was growing up, I wanted to know how to be. Sometimes I would imitate a friend or an inspiring teacher for a while. A few time, when my mother would observe this, she said, “Just be Jeff.” As an adult, I have found that in order to truly be myself, I need something more.
The prophet Isaiah writes, “My soul shall rejoice in the love of my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation and has covered me with the robe of his righteousness.”
Righteousness is the sense in which we can be perfect in this life. It is always growing; and this quality of being is a gift. Being in this way feels wonderful.
The receptivity of faith opens up. And the experience of being covered with the robe of righteousness brings its own evidence with it. This is like the evidence of any other recognition of truth. But being righteous also gives evidence of God to others.
The exercise of faith
On the basis of truth realized, and on the basis of the reception of the new way of being that is gradually becoming constant, we still struggle to hang in there with the twists and turns of the new life in God. We still run into resistance arising from our own material nature; and there are plenty of obstacles in our environment. But now, faith can act boldly. It uses spiritual force to break through all such resistance and all such obstacles to the life in God. This is active faith, the exercise of faith, and accomplishes the following things.
- It opens us to ever-new discoveries of truth
- It refreshes and sustains our way of being
- It helps our righteousness to develop further
Many years ago, I had a clear experience of the indwelling spirit of God; but in my immaturity, I was disappointed because I realized that love in the spirit was not all for me. It was for others, too. When I recall that episode now, it strikes me as comical.
When we proclaim truth in the spirit, we express the spirit within, and we feel love going forth through us. That is a wonderful feeling. And that feeling of faith in action gives evidence of the reality of divine love. But it is no longer answering a question about whether God’s spirit of love is within us. Rather, it mightily confirms what we believe wholeheartedly and know experientially; and it also gives evidence to others, which they may recognize.
When we receive God’s love, the divine affection is evident, and we recognize it immediately. This recognition, this act of receptive faith—a gift of God—assures us that this divine affection is of God.
When we start learning the ways of service, we make discoveries. We notice mistakes that we can correct, and find divine rewards from service well done.
As our quality of doing for others grows, when we are in the spirit, we bless another person . . . and go beyond the discovery that comes from the service that we do as a learner. We move into a higher level, the revelation that happens in ministry. That revelation gives evidence to others.
It is plausible that Jesus had several occasions to say, “O you of little faith!” Now faith is the gift of God, but Jesus was not protesting that God had given someone too little faith. He was protesting that someone did not exercise the faith he had. When we stumble because we do not exercise the faith we have, we may remember, that friendly diagnosis. “Jeff, Jeff, O you of little faith!” We return to the child-like faith of the beginner; maybe we need to hunger and thirst for righteousness again. But we are restored in our being as a member of the family of God. And then we can do the work that our Father has for us. And as we once again put faith into action, it brings a new quality of evidence for the one who is active and gives evidence to others.
