Faith and Testimony

Faith is what we know. It is not wishful thinking or any kind of emotional state. It lives inside our souls and no one else can see our faith except God. Even Satan cannot see our faith, because he is not omniscient and cannot read our minds. I know what I believe and God does, too. You know what you believe and God does, too. Others don’t know, because it is not visible. Growing and advanced faith do, however, produce results that can be seen by others. There are four levels of Christian faith in the believer’s growth process:

Faith I:  (seed)  Salvation. What we believe. When we believe in Jesus Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit and are entered into God’s eternal plan of grace. This is done instantaneously and lasts forever. This is not a feeling, but a fact. The initial response of the one who has believed in the finished work of Christ on the cross: “who are you, Lord?” Second response: “what do I do now?”  

Romans 4:3 is the basis for Faith I. “…Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness."

Faith 2: (root)  Commitment. Priorities corresponding to what we believe.  After salvation we orient to the Christian Way of Life and begin getting acquainted with our new Royal Family. Some members of our new family are not wonderful people, but they are God’s people. We are to know them and love them, but they are not always suitable examples of the life of faith. Our example is Jesus Himself. We must learn His Word and absorb it into our souls in order to grow up.

Faith 3: (plant) Confidence. Confidence in Jesus Christ. Assurance of our eternal position IN HIM. Developing a mental attitude of grace toward all. Learning to reflect our Father’s character. Replacing human viewpoint with the Mind of Christ—Bible Doctrine.

Faith 4: (fruit) Virtue-love: agape. Christ formed in the believer. Thinking like Jesus Christ. (You are what you think) The fruit of the spirit is agape. God’s kind of love. God’s love is characterized by: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). This kind of love is produced in the Holy Spirit-filled, mature believer.

Our faith will advance in direct proportion to our intake and application of Bible Doctrine. Our faith will regress in direct proportion to our neglect and rejection of Bible Doctrine.  

Others may or may not detect in you Faiths I and 2. (seed and root)
Results of Faiths 3 and 4 are noticeable to others. (plant and fruit)

If you have hang-ups and frustrations, you are stalled at Faith I or 2.

Testimony is what we show the world of our faith. Our testimony is always visible, whether we mean it to be, or not.

Primary Testimony: (seed) Profession of personal faith in Jesus Christ. Our only testimony at the point of salvation. What we say we believe. What we say will be compared by others to what we do. It really isn’t fair to judge the personal habits of a new baby believer, but many folks do, and the new believer needs to be aware of it. Just remember, the folks watching you may not understand, but Jesus does. It is He who has provided for your spiritual growth.

Secondary Testimony: (root) Discipleship. Corresponds to commitment. What priorities we demonstrate. Habits reflect allegiance. Actions reflect thought patterns. Whom we love we grow to resemble. The more we take in of Jesus, the less capacity we have for the world.

Advancing Testimony: (plant) Ambassadorship. Corresponds to confidence. Manifestation of grace and love to others as we represent our Lord in the world. If we think grace, we’ll show grace. We are the foreigners here in the devil’s world. We must resolve to live in peace among the natives until the King calls us home.

Mature Testimony: (fruit) Friend of God status. Exercises virtue-love through total commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

1. In our marriages---the toughest test of all
2. In our families---parents set the pattern in the home
3. In our Church---love God, love His Church
4. In our community---we have something valuable to offer.

James 2:14-26 is the basis for testimony. If you are stalled at Faith I or 2, you probably do not have a testimony. Testimony is the natural result of advancing and maturing faith. We don’t have to think about it. It just is.

“…and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.” James 2:23

Others cannot see our faith. They see our testimony.

Abraham became a son of God in Ur of the Chaldeans, but it took at least 50 years-- from the implanting of the seed of faith in Ur to his total trust in God’s promise on Mt. Moriah-- for him to become the friend of God. His testimony at Ur was befuddled obedience to God’s call. His testimony at Moriah was solid doctrine.

Paul had to spend 3 years in the Arabian desert undergoing intense doctrinal training before he was equipped to take Jesus’ gospel to the Gentiles.

All believers,  as members of the Royal Family of God, have to undergo training. Our attitude toward the process of learning Bible Doctrine determines how long that training will take. It is a matter of personal volition. Positive volition toward doctrine will drive us to learn as much as we can as soon as we can. Negative volition will choose to ignore such teaching in favor of religion, emotionalism, mysticism or simple carnality. Those systems are dead-end. No growth = no reward.

"...If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" .John 8:31-32