During His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ asked this penetrating question: “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).
He was referring to the time of His Second Coming. We are living in the end time; Christ’s return is rapidly approaching. So this is a prophecy for us.
Christ was criticizing the spiritual lives of some people in this end time. He is talking about our world having an absence of faith.
People today will readily admit they don’t have the kind of faith they would like and are not as strong as they would like to be.
We really need to understand how important it is to have faith in God. It is spiritually foundational!
The Faith of Christ
Revelation 14:12 describes God’s people as those who “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
Herbert W. Armstrong wrote of this verse: “Those in this Church have the faith of Jesus. Notice, the faith of Jesus! It is not just our faith in Him, but His faith—the very faith with which He performed His miracles—placed in us and acting in us” (What Is Faith?; we print this booklet and will send you a free copy at your request).
We need the very faith of Christ in us! Yes, it is possible to have that faith!
The Apostle Paul wrote, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ …” (Galatians 2:16). He referred here specifically to two kinds of faith: faith in Christ and the faith of Christ.
Nothing could be more important—because it is only by the latter, the faith of Christ, that we can be saved! Only this kind of faith will bring us salvation. This is a matter of receiving eternal life or not receiving it! Yet astonishingly, many people have never heard of such faith!
Paul also said: “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 …” (verse 20). This is one of the most powerful verses in the Bible!
This man lived “by the faith of the Son of God.” That means God will give us His own faith! Do you believe that?
How can you receive that faith? Mr. Armstrong answered, “Draw closer to God. Get to know God. Surrender all the way to Him, and do His will. And then pray. You get to know Him in prayer. We are too close to the material things” (ibid). God will give us that faith, but we have to do something ourselves. We must be close to God by praying fervently to Him every day! That is critical.
We must view this spiritually. Faith is a spiritual matter, and it has nothing to do with the five senses (Hebrews 11:1). We live in a materialistic world, and it is hard to find people who will simply surrender themselves to God. There are distractions here and there and all over! We must push those aside if we are to build God’s faith.
And like Paul, we must live by that faith. That faith enables us to do the very works of Christ!
When Christ was in human flesh, He possessed real faith. From where did He get it? He said, “[T]he Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (John 14:10).
Today Christ dwells in true Christians through the Holy Spirit. Faith is a fruit of that Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Thus it is His faith in us that does the works.
How powerful to have this faith inside you!
Faith to Overcome the World
1 John 5:4 makes this extraordinary statement: “For whatsoever is born [begotten, it should read] of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” That is remarkable! With this faith, you overcome the whole world. Our world is deceived by Satan (Revelation 12:9), and it is full of evil human nature that leads to terrible outcomes.
Look at the evils this world faces: immorality, lust, deceit, corruption, hatred, violence, murders, terrorism, wars. Oh, how evil this world is! But God says you can overcome the world through faith! How wonderful that God gives us that kind of faith! He says, That evil won’t overcome you! I will give you massive power to overcome this world through my faith!
That is a powerful statement. But most people don’t believe it! Only a “little flock” does (Luke 12:32). Even 95 percent of God’s own people today do not overcome this world through faith. They have turned away from God’s truth—a terrible tragedy.
Faith is required to overcome this evil world! Oh, what a difference that faith makes in our lives! It will bring joy, happiness, prosperity, healings and all the blessings you can imagine!
Does that seem practical to you? That ought to get our attention.
If we let God give us that spiritual power, then we will overcome our own human nature, Satan the devil and the entire world!
Overcome Human Nature
Jeremiah 17:5 says, “Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.” If you trust any man, you will depart from God!
Look instead to the Bible—the Word of God Himself! This is Jesus Christ in print—His way of life. It is the word of life!
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (verse 9). That is a penetrating description of human nature—something God says we must overcome.
Verse 10 says, “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” God tries our faith at times. He tests us. And He rewards us according to our works—according to the fruits we are producing. That is a promise from God. He cannot lie.
We must be producing spiritual fruit in our lives. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20). God expects you to overcome human nature, and He wants to see those fruits.
In Revelation 3:21, Christ tells His people, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” We must overcome Satan as He did.
The faith of Christ will enable you to overcome like Christ did. With this faith in you, you will overcome Satan, you will overcome human nature, you will overcome the entire world and its evil and wrongdoing.
If you overcome, Christ will let you sit on His throne, the throne of David from which He is going to rule! (Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:32). The firstfruits can sit on that throne with Him and rule for eternity! That is the awesome reward He is offering us—the greatest reward you can imagine. Stop and think about that, and pray about it. If that is real in your mind, surely that will make you think deeply about the power of faith.
Living vs. Dead Faith
This is not a faith you are born with. It truly is a gift from God. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). God has to give you the kind of faith that leads to salvation. If He didn’t, you could boast that you saved yourself—and you could have faith in your own works. No, this faith is not anything we can work up—it is the gift of God! That is a wonderful promise.
But to be living faith, it must be paired with our works. The Apostle James made this important point: “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? … Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (James 2:21-22, 24).
We are saved by faith—but it must be faith with works. Faith without works is dead! God wants to give you faith that will bring works into your life, the very works of God.
Only the blood of Jesus Christ can wash away our sins. But we also have to be doers of the Word (James 1:22-25).
Some may ask, is it really possible to keep God’s commandments? Matthew 19:25-26 give Christ’s own answer: “With men this is impossible ….” It is utterly impossible to really keep His commandments! But He continued—and here is the blessed truth: “… but with God all things are possible”—even the keeping of His commandments!
Your diligent effort coupled with faith makes faith perfect. Likewise, faith coupled with your effort makes perfect obedience! The two go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other. We must have faith and works if we are to have the power of God that brings miracles into our lives.
Faith and Humility
Jesus Christ taught another invaluable lesson about what it takes to possess the power of faith. His disciples asked Him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And Jesus took a small child, and answered them, “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:1-3).
To receive this faith, you must humble yourself like a little child and let God teach you. You must relax and trust God and what He says in His Bible. Very few people do that. Just listen and be teachable! God has so much to teach all of us. What a wonderful way of life it is! You can’t even imagine it unless you are living it. God wants to teach us!
Christ continued, “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe [or have faith] in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (verse 6). He’s talking about His people who walk by this faith. Look how God will protect them! He says, If they’re going to believe me, I am going to watch over those little ones. If anybody begins to deal with them evilly, they are going to wish they hadn’t. God is going to save and protect His own people! In this violent and evil world, you don’t know what might happen. But God says He’s going to watch over His people! What is that worth?
This is a power God gives you!
Remember, Paul said: “I live by the faith of the Son of God.” We too need to be able to say that. If we do so, it will bring joy and excitement, prosperity and health, healing and every wonderful imagination that you might have. God is our Healer! He heals us spiritually and physically if we will trust Him and have faith in Him, the faith to overcome our carnal nature. He helps us in miraculous ways! What a wonderful way to live!
When Christ returns, shall He find faith on the Earth? Do all you can to receive, develop, practice and live by this faith so you can receive salvation—and the answer to Christ’s question will be a resounding yes!