Christians are always speaking about Christians having faith. So did Jesus only heal and deliver only Christian believers who had faith?... Or does faith work for everyone, and God brings forth the fruits of faith through anybody whether they are saints or sinners? In other words, does faith also work for sinners who do not believe, or just for Christians who believe?
Faith is a result of man hearing the word of God, and then believing what he has heard, whether he is yet Born again or not.
Mt 13:15 For this people�s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mt 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
� My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
Pro 4:21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
� A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Ps103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle�s.
Mt 9:22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
Mt 15:28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Lu 17:19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Lu 18:42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
While it is true faith does exercise a power of it's own for sinners and believers alike, it should be noted when Faith is mentioned it is the object of Faith that is of supreme importance. It is the equivalency of self dependence verses God dependence, and we all know how that works out.
Thunder, you are right, no one who was helped, healed by Jesus was a Christian. In fact, we find only a few who were Christians in the Bible who received the fruit of their faith.All the healing done by Jesus was done to those who were not Christinas, but they believed that Jesus had the power to do as they had asked of Him.
However, and in response to 2sparrow, God's principles of how faith works in HIs word never fail, and whether or not a person is a sinner or a saint respodning to Jesus, or just having faith to believe whatever he/she is doing will happen, because God has SAID it would happen if a person believes by faith without doubting whatever you ask, shall come to pass.
PJ, you have posted some great scriptures about faith, and many apply to the kind of faith that bring salvation... The working of faith has more than one meaning in its useage as pointed out thoughout the Bibles in both the Old and New Testament.
God says that faith is the substance of THINGS hoped for, and the evidence of THINGS not seen. Therefore, this lets us know that faith has works either for salvation, healing, or for THINGS for everyone who believes in whatever it is they are hoping for, whether saints or sinners, and whether or not it comes to pass as we had desired... FAITH does work, and without work (substance) faith is dead, which means it does not work only becasue there are no works as James says.
Many Chritsians believe that faith only works for them,and that only Christians have faith, but faith is not just a Christian thing, its a God principle that works for everyone who believs in whatever they are doing or seeking.
