FAITH IS THE OPERATION OF GOD

Introduction

I trust you have diligently studied the first lesson in this series; if not, you will be at a definite disadvantage in your attempt to go forward. It is imperative that I take this opportunity to explain in more detail the term dispensational faith. For many years we have learned faith to be the simple English definition of “trust” and “belief.” As we discovered in Lesson 1 though, the Lord used the Apostle Paul to give us His definition of faith.

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.

This meaning goes a lot further than our ability to believe God. In fact, you will learn in a later lesson that it is faith which brings us to belief in the things pertaining to God. The Holy Ghost is the substance of the things we are hoping for and the only evidence of the things we have not seen. Our hope is alive because of His presence in us; He is our comforter. He is our witness of the faithfulness of the Father and our assurance that we are indeed the sons of God. Beloved, I have been full circle; I thought, taught and believed nearly every aspect of the Faith and Prosperity message taught by some of our heroes of ministry. There was not a faith book written that I did not dive into hook, line, and sinker. I was caught in the web of wantonness, striving to use my new birth to acquire all the things of this world that I could not seem to acquire before I met the Lord. I named it and claimed it, I confessed it, and sometimes I might have possessed it. For the most part though, frustration ruled my life. Many things that I named, claimed, confessed and quoted scriptures for never happened. This school of thought told us we either doubted or had secret sin in our lives. You and I both know that this was not always true. There were times when we lived holy and knew our walk was pleasing to God yet some of the things we believed and waited for never happened. Even more obvious is the fact that the Body of Christ is not wealthy pertaining to the things of this world.

I will admit that there are those who have seemingly prospered in the natural; however, much of the Body is still on welfare, food stamps and is unemployed. The Body is defeated in its situations, circumstances and relationships. Saints of God are experiencing depression, oppression and are committing suicide. This is definitely not the intent of the faith and prosperity message. I submit to you that much of the despair in the Body is due to a built-in driving force produced by the erroneous teachings on faith. This message has driven the saints to strive and hope for a lifestyle that is completely void of any suffering. This is ludicrous and an out-right lie; the Body of Christ is appointed to suffer. Please consider and meditate on the following scriptures.

2 Timothy 3:10-12

10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,

11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

1 Thessalonians 3:3-4

3 That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.

4 For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.

Romans 8:17-18

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Acts 5:40-41

40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

Philippians 1:29

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Philippians 4:12

I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

The Holy Ghost is the Faith of God

Let us examine very closely what faith is.

Colossians 2:10-12

10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

This is our base scripture for this lesson; from here we will travel to other profound truths. The key here is - faith is the operation of God. This is a very significant key, in that it unlocks the entire New Testament. Without a clear understanding of this principle, then you truly cannot understand what you are reading in the New Covenant.

Philippians 3:9

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.

Ezekiel 36:25-27

25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

God has dispensed His righteousness to us; the method by which He accomplished this was by faith. Let us now consider the following questions:

1. What is the faith of Christ that was given to us to make us holy and acceptable unto God?

2. Was this faith belief or trust in God?

3. Did merely believing the truth make us holy?

Belief in God is just the first step toward righteousness; the blood of Jesus must be applied to our lives before the Father can consider us holy. Consider that the faith of Christ is the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God the Father.

Philippians 3:9 would then read as follows: being found in him, not having my own righteousness, but the righteousness, which is of God, through and by the Holy Ghost. It is the Holy Ghost who provided us with the righteousness of God. The Holy Ghost is the Faith of God. Another thing to consider from this passage is that faith is of God, and by God. This has blessed me because it takes the stress out of trying to walk by faith. You simply walk by the dictates of the Holy Ghost, not by vain confessions, which are supposed to bring about earthly possessions.

Hebrews 12:2

Looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; . . .

Hebrews 12:2 tells us our faith began with Jesus Christ; He began this dispensation called faith, He is the beginning and the end of it. You will notice too that the word “faith” is mentioned only twice in the Old Covenant. In Deuteronomy 32:20 “ . . . for they are a froward generation, children in whom is no faith,” and Habakkuk 2:4 “ . . . the just shall live by faith.” These passages are both prophecies concerning “The Church”. This means the Dispensation of Faith (also known as the Dispensation of Grace) did not begin until Christ came on the scene. Dispensational faith refers to the universal method by which God is dealing with His people. If one is to know the Lord and escape the pollutions of this world, they must do so by Faith; the operation of the Holy Ghost.

The Coming of Faith

To get a clearer picture of the coming of faith, let us look at Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 3:21-27

21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

We are dealing with two dispensations in this passage: The first is the Dispensation of the Law and the second is the Dispensation of Faith. Paul clearly states that faith came after the Law, before faith we were kept under the law. What was this faith? Was it merely trust and belief in God? I say it was much more than that. There were those in the days of Christ who under the law were believing in God and devout in their religion. God’s method of dealing changed, however, when He nailed the ordinances of the law to the cross of Christ. He demanded that men be born again; this “born again experience” is the operation of faith and the application of the blood of Jesus in the lives of the people. Once again we see that God instituted faith, it is His salvation plan. Let’s look even closer at this plan of faith to determine its actual operation. To do this, we will go to a very familiar passage:

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.

The “born again experience” is the formation of a new creature.

It would help us here to discover the identity of this creature. To do this, we must go back to the very purpose of the New Covenant.

Hebrews 10:4-9

4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;

9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

Here we see the Lord grew tired of burnt offerings and sacrifices that could not take away the sins of the people. We have, too, the coming of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, to die for the sins of the world, once and for all. According to the 9th verse, His death was to establish the second covenant, or the New Testament.

Hebrews 10:14-17

14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,

16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

This is so very exciting! Remember in Lesson One, you learned that the Holy Ghost is the witness or proof of our salvation. Paul reiterates that fact to the Hebrew church. Read the 15th verse above carefully and note also the method by which the Lord will carry out the New Covenant. “I will put my laws in their hearts.” This is the new thing the prophets saw coming in the last days. The Word would be taken off the tablets of stone and placed in the hearts of men. Exactly where in the heart was this to take place? In other words, what part of man was actually saved and how was this to be accomplished?

Regeneration

Hebrews 10:19-23

19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

21 And having an high priest over the house of God;

22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;).

The passage above answers most of our questions but let us take one step at a time. There is now a new and living way to the Father. His law is written in our hearts and in our minds with Jesus as the overseer. It is His blood that sanctified us but how was this blood applied to our lives? Our hearts were sprinkled to take away the evil of our conscience. The conscience is the place of renewal; and He (conscience) is the principal recipient of the blood of Jesus.

Hebrews 9:13-15

13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

According to the 14th verse, the blood of Christ was applied to our lives by and through the Eternal Spirit; The Holy Ghost is that Eternal Spirit. In the “born again experience,” the conscience was purged from dead works that it might serve the living God. This is the operation of faith, because it is by faith or by the Holy Ghost that we are saved. I recall Paul saying to the Church in Rome:

Romans 8:9-10

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

If the Spirit of God lives in you, then you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit. If any man has not the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Ghost), then that man is not a part of the Body of Christ. The conscience had to be placed inside of the Spirit in order to inherit the promise of eternal life; this is the wisdom of the Father. This is the mystery of God, which was hid in Him until the New Testament was established. The mystery was then revealed to His holy apostles and prophets. This is the operation of faith, the regeneration of the conscience.

Romans 6:1-11

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Verse 3 says we were baptized into Christ’s death. This means we were consumed by His death and raised again by His resurrection power. What part of us was it that experienced this transformation? The answer is found in the 6th verse. The old man, the conscience, or as Peter calls him, the hidden man of the heart, was crucified with him. He is dead; the body of sin is destroyed; now the conscience is raised incorruptible and free from sin. The result is a new man, a new creature, who is ready and willing to serve the Father. When did all this take place? It all happened the day you received the Holy Ghost. There is no experience to compare with it and this explains why we felt so good at the new birth. The weight of sin was lifted off the conscience, He was made free from sin and given a new nature, that of the Spirit of God. He was placed in the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Ghost therefore, should anyone ask, “Where did the born again experience take place?” It all happened in the conscience, the inner man, the hidden man of the heart.” He is now a new creature, the Son of the Most High God.

Baptism of the Holy Ghost

In the “born again experience,” the old man (the body of sin, the old conscience) was crucified or slain in Christ. The old man is dead; the operation of faith purged the conscience from its dead works and regenerated it in the Holy Ghost. To be baptized in the Holy Ghost, then, is to be born again. It is the expressed operation of Faith and the baptism of which Peter speaks.

1 Peter 3:18-21

18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Verse 21 declares the baptism in Christ is the answer of a “good conscience” toward God. In other words, now the conscience can judge the deeds of the flesh righteously, because He is free and He is of God. The Lord says, “If your conscience does not condemn you, then neither will I.” Faith is the method by which God is dealing with the human race. In order to escape the pollution of this world and the wrath of God to come upon it, then you must be born again. You can only be saved by Faith, without Faith; the Spirit of Christ, you are none of His. You need to understand and accept these truths.

In Review, Faith, which is the Holy Ghost:

a. Created the new man.

b. Is the substance sent from heaven.

c. Is the witness declaring your salvation.

d. Applied the blood of Jesus to your life.

e. Is your only evidence of eternal life.

f. Is the operation of God.

Study the scriptures from this lesson carefully and research the references. See how many passages you can find that support faith as an operation of God. In the next few lessons we will come face to face with the old “faith and prosperity” poison, challenging it to create a sin-free, self-denying servant of God.