Faith: Part III

Mark 11:24 tells us that if we believe what we have asked for in prayer, it will be ours. Without proof, this implies that we must have confidence. If we believe the words for what we ask for in prayer, we can be confident that our prayers will be answered; on God's time, of course.

Paul was a man that exuded confidence without proof, an therefore can be a model for us with respect to faith. The following are three verses in the first chapter of his writings. All mention faith.

In Romans 1:8 he writes, "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world."

1 Corinthians 1:9, "God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

And in 2 Corinthians 1:18, 21-22, "But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No." Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

His confidence can be felt because he places his faith in Christ. Above in Romans, he mentions God and Jesus Christ; in 1 Corinthians, God's faithfulness to His people by a relationship with Jesus and in 2 Corinthians, the Holy Trinity and a guarantee that God's mission, through Jesus Christ, will be fulfilled.

He finishes his first chapter in 2 Corinthians 23:24 saying, "I call God as my witness -- and I stake my life on it -- that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm."

Again, his confidence is palpable as we see and hear in his writings where the power in his message comes from:  Faith in God. Faith in Jesus. Faith in the Holy Spirit. There is no error and no wavering in his mind or from his quill, he is confident in his faith.

The words confident and confidence are found many times in the Bible. There are many more if you look for the meaning within verses that are directly related to having confidence in God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. Again, let's look at just three.

In Philippians 1:6 Paul writes, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

In Hebrews 4:16, "Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Finally, undoubtedly one of my favorite verses in the Bible is found in Romans 8:28. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Paul was confident that God would finish His mission. By default, he was confident that God would allow him to finish the divine mission that God had placed in him.