Thread: where is the line?

Originally Posted by fuego

There is not a specific teaching on this. And faith being the substance of thing being hoped for...then hope is the starting point of receiving from God even before the faith. And if we have a damaged hope not in line with the Word, then the faith isn't going to work. Faith will only give substance to Godly hope, hope that is crafted from the Word of God.

I completely agree...

Originally Posted by fuego

I know what you're saying and I agree, but it's almost a little confusing how you're saying it. Someone might read that as 'God hasn't given me the faith for healing', and that's not the case. Every believer DOES have faith for healing, but not every believer has the knowledge of how to exercise that faith properly. Or if they do, they don't walk in the patience, tenacity, etc that it takes in exercising that faith in order to receive the healing, or they waver when they ask, etc.

Going back to the Paul in Lystra example you posted, Paul perceived he had faith to be healed. When Paul gave the command, the man could have chosen not to obey and would not have been healed even though he had the faith for it. So someone can actually possess the faith to be healed (all believers actually have the substance of faith to be healed) but yet not actually be healed because they don't know how to exercise that faith toward God for it.

I disagree that everyone has faith for everything. Faith for anything that is actually God's will is however available in and can be found in God. The man in Lystra did have faith for healing, not everyone has that. He could have failed to exercise it, that is true.

James 5:13-15 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.

Here we see clear instruction to submit to or access the faith of others in the Body.