The Gift of Faith
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; TO ANOTHER FAITH by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
The nine manifestations or gifts of the Holy Spirit can be divided into three categories: Three spiritual gifts reveal something. Three spiritual gifts do something. And three spiritual gifts say something. The three spiritual gifts that reveal something include: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, and the discerning of spirits. The three spiritual gifts that do something, or the three power gifts include: the gift of faith, the gifts of healings, and the working of miracles. The three gifts that say something include: the gift of prophecy, divers kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.
Today, we will discuss the first of the power gifts: the gift of faith.
The Amplified Bible reads, “To another (wonder-working), faith . . .” (1 Cor. 12:9).
This gift of the Spirit is also called special faith. The Gift of Special Faith Is Not the Same as Saving Faith. Every believer already has general faith or saving faith, which is also a gift.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.
The faith that you are saved by is a gift of God, but it is not one of the nine gifts of the Spirit. Saving faith comes to you through hearing the Word.
Romans 10:17 So then faith[saving faith ] cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God .
Special faith is not the general faith by which we ordinarily receive answers to prayer. We are saved by general faith; we receive the baptism in the Holy Ghost by general faith. We receive answers to prayer by this general faith Jesus said, “. . . What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them”(Mark 11:24). But that is not this gift of faith as described in First Corinthians 12:9.
The gift of faith is special faith. It is something other than general faith or saving faith. It is a supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit whereby a believer is empowered with special faith, or wonder-working faith, and it is beyond simple saving faith.
The gift of faith is the greatest of the three power gifts. The gift of faith is a gift of the Spirit to the believer in order that he might receive miracles. The working of miracles, on the other hand, is a gift of the Spirit given to the believer that he might work miracles. One gift receives, the other does something.
Notice the Bible says, “To another the WORKING of miracles . . .” (1 Cor. 12:10). In other words, when you receive a miracle, you don’t work the miracle. But when you perform a miracle by the unction of the Holy Ghost, you are working a miracle by this supernatural gift of the Spirit, the working of miracles.
It is also important to note that all of the gifts of the Spirit operate by ordinary faith. In other words, a person must step out in faith and yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. This ordinary faith is the faith that comes by hearing God’s Word. Therefore, the gifts of the Spirit do not operate by the gift of faith, but they do operate by general or ordinary faith. Those who operate in special faith, the gift of the Spirit, can believe God in such a way that God honors their word as His own.
The Gift of Faith vs. The Gift of the Working of Miracles
The gift of faith is also distinct from the working of miracles, although both gifts produce miracles. One of them is active and the other is passive. The difference between the working of miracles and the gift of faith is that the
gift of working of miracles actively does, and the gift of special faith passively receives.
When Daniel was in the lions’ den, he received a miracle. There have been those who were thrown to the lions and the lions devoured them even though they were Christians or believers who had faith. Daniel received a miracle through the gift of faith.
Daniel:6:4-7, 10-12, 16-23 4: Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. 5: Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God. 6: Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever. 7: All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellers, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. 10: Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. 11: Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. 12: Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. 16: Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. 17: And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. 18: Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him. 19: Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. 20: And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? 21: Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. 22: My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. 23: Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
Why didn’t the lions devour Daniel? The Bible says that “. . . Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God” (Dan. 6:23). God gave Daniel special faith to receive deliverance. Daniel didn’t do anything. He just lay down and went to sleep. His faith was passive rather than active, yet he received a miracle.
Another example of the gift of faith operating in the book of Daniel is the story of the fiery furnace where the three Jews received a miracle.
Daniel:3:4-6, 7, 12-14, 16-26 4: Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 5: That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: 6: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 8: Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. 12: There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 13: Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king. 14: Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? 16: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 17: If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18: But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 19: Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. 20: And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21: Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22: Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. 23: And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 24: Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellers, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 25: He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. 26: Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
Notice the three men did not speak a word of faith before they were put into the fire.
Daniel :3:17-18: If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18: But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
So they were not working a miracle. But it is shown that they received a miracle. They were just walking about in a miracle. This is an example of the gift of faith.
Daniel :3:25: He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
When the gift of faith is in operation, it may be that nothing is seen at the time to confirm that the person has his answer. This gift of faith was manifested for supernatural sustenance in the time of famine. We can see this in the case of Elijah when he was fed by the ravens .
1 Kings:17:1-6 1: And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. 2: And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 3: Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 4: And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 5: So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 6: And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.
The gift of faith is a divine gift or enabling by the Spirit of God that causes what is spoken or desired by man to come to pass. Elijah used the gift of faith along with working of miracles to defeat the prophets of Baal.
1 Kings:18:31-39 31: And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: 32: And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. 33: And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. 34: And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. 35: And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. 36: And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37: Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 38: Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39: And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
Now let’s see where Jesus used the gift of faith to produce miracles.
Mark:4:35-41 35: And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36: And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37: And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38: And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39: And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40: And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41: And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
We see Jesus exercising this gift of faith as He slept in the back of the ship during a raging storm (Mark 4:38). Someone might argue, “Yes, but that was Jesus. He is the Son of God.” However, Jesus never did anything except by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus voluntarily stripped Himself of what power He had as the Son of God when He came to the earth. Jesus never worked any miracles prior to the time He was baptized by John and the Holy Spirit came upon Him. When Jesus was on the earth, He ministered only as a man anointed by the Holy Spirit. If He had worked miracles by some power that was inherent in Him as the Son of God, He would not have told us we could do the works that He did. But Jesus plainly said, “Verily,verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also. . .”(John 14:12).
While the raging storm swept the sea and threatened the safe journey of the disciples to the other side of the lake, Jesus was asleep in the hinder part of the boat. He wasn’t bothered by the storm. And while the lions roamed about in the den, Daniel lay down and slept in the face of danger in perfect peace and calm assurance. Why? Because Jesus and Daniel each possessed a faith beyond the simple general faith every believer can have through hearing the Word.
Peter, a man condemned to die, slept on the very eve of his execution, and he was delivered from death.
Acts:12:4-11 4: And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.5: Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
6: And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.7: And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. 8: And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. 9: And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. 10: When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him. 11: And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.
Throughout the Bible we see how the gift of faith worked primarily for people who were in danger. And through this gift of the Spirit, they possessed a calmness and quiet assurance that was supernatural.
Purposes of the Gift of Faith
In summary, we can say that by the gift of faith the violence of fire has been controlled as in the case of Elijah. By the gift of faith, the miraculous has been supernaturally manifested and a man was supernaturally fed and sustained. Angels have stood guard over the servants of God, protecting them because this gift was in manifestation; men have been delivered from the ferocity of beasts, such as Daniel in the lions’ den. The gift of faith brings an inward calm within the spirit of those through whom this gift is manifested. And by this gift, a raging storm was stopped that threatened to wreck a ship at sea and destroy human life. The gift of faith can expel unclean spirits from the bodies of men, which have been defiled by their presence. Notice how much greater the gift of faith is than the working of miracles because the working of miracles limited to what God can do through a human vessel, but the gift of faith is unlimited; It can call on omnipotent powers if you have faith and require their services. They will be at your disposal as you exercise the gift of faith.
Jesus said, “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53). Faith can expect the help of Heaven’s legions when required.
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