Kingdom Faith – Part 2

In the last post in this series we talked about how faith is not a stand-alone doctrine, but that it exists in the larger context of the Kingdom of God. We know that a kingdom must have a king, a territory over which the king has sovereign dominion, subjects or citizens who obey his laws and obey his will. Kings exercise all of the functions of government that are separated in modern democracies: executive, judicial and lawmaking.

One of the basic requirements of citizens of the Kingdom of God that does not exist in normal governments of the world is the thing called faith. I left last week with the question, what does it mean to “live by faith?”

This week we will begin answering that question by talking about what else a kingdom must have in order to function properly. Values, culture, lifestyle, and even an economy. A functioning kingdom will base all of those things on the nature of the king, his purpose and will, which will translate into laws and social values, lifestyle, etc. God’s kingdom has all of these things.

The process of extending the kingdom’s influence and culture to other distant territories is called colonization, a process not unfamiliar to Canadian citizens. Jesus’ own preaching centered on aspects of the Kingdom of God: how to become citizens, how to live as citizens in a hostile territory, etc. See Matthew 5-7, especially 6:33 (Seek first His Kingdom) and 6:9-10 (“thy kingdom come”).

We need look no further than the first chapter of the Bible to understand that God’s original will was to establish a colony on earth (Gen. 1:26-28). Notice the words “rule” or “have dominion” depending on the translation. These are not words you would find in a democracy.

How does faith fit into the Kingdom of God? Heb. 11:13-16 suggests that Kingdom people live in expectation of “a country of their own.” People live by faith because they long to experience living in the fullness of the Kingdom of God! But how does one “live bye faith?”

While Jesus was preaching and healing he seemed to demand faith from those who sought healing either for themselves or for others, such as in Matt. 9:27-29 and Luke 7:1-10.

So, what is this faith? According to Heb. 11:1-6 Faith is “the substance of things not seen.” Verse 14 identifies it as the substance that you live by as you long for the kingdom of God

James 2:5 suggests that the poor of the world are chosen to be “rich in faith.” In a sense, faith is the currency of the Kingdom of God. Without it, healing does not take place. Without it there is no pleasing God. Without it, there is no reward from God. On other hand, Mark 9:23 shows Jesus scoffing at someone who wonders “if” Jesus can help.

In John 4:46-53 Jesus does not bother going to the home of the afflicted child. The man simply takes Jesus at his word, and the son is healed. As Genesis 15:6 and Romans 4:1-8 testify, faith is believing God’s word, and is the basis for being accounted by God as righteousness! The key is to live in a way that demonstrates trust that God will do as He promises.

Getting back to the gospel of the Kingdom, Paul writes, “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” (Rom. 1:17)

The righteous will live by faith. Not by circumstances, or blessings, or prophecies, or miracles, or healings, or any other thing – but by faith alone. Don’t let anything or anyone else become the source of your faith; because if you do, whenever they fail (and they will), your faith willl also fail.

We find in 2 Cor 4:18 and 5:1-10 that Christians who believe Jesus know in their hearts and souls that an amazing future awaits them in a new body and a new world.

Kingdom faith is trust in God, and in what he has promised that results in living in a way that pleases him. Faith comes from God. Ephesians 2:8

Paul tells us in 2 Cor 4:13-14 that when we received the Holy Spirit we received a “spirit of faith.” Not only is the Spirit a spirit of faith, but He is also the “Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead” and the Spirit who testifies that we are children of God (Rom 8:9-11; 14-17).

Only Jesus offers eternal life as children of God. How can we not have faith in His Kingdom promises?