We all know the faith chapter within Hebrews which is chapter 11. But I want to go a step or two further because faith is required of us all. Jesus called faith a grain smaller than all grains so small that it is almost invisible, a mustard seed. But in His parable it grew to be counted among the largest of trees. Faith knows no religion or denomination known to man because it is a fruit of GOD's presences within us. I want to look at a few general Bible references before tackling faith being enjoined.
General References to Faith,
Luke 17:5 of 1-4, 5-10; 18:8 "Jesus said to His disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."
The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" And the Lord said, 'If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and recline at table?' Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink?' Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"
Luke 18:8 of 1-8 "Jesus told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, 'In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'" Then the Lord said, 'Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry out to Him day and night? Will HE delay long over them? I tell you, HE will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find {His} faith on earth?"
Romans 10:17 of 13, 14-15, 16-17 "For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Joel 2:32)
How then will they call on Him in Whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe Him of Whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news (by Isaiah in 52:7)!"
But they have not all obeyed this gospel. For Isaiah says (in 53:1), "LORD, who has believed what he has heard from us?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the words of Christ {received within our heart, Spirit to spirit}."
Romans 14:23 of 10-23 with 2Corinthians 5:7 "Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of GOD; for it is written (by Isaiah in 45:23), "As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue will confess to GOD." So then each of us will give an account of himself to GOD. Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother (but rather reprove, rebuke and then exhort, 2Timoty 4:2). I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of GOD is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ (in his brother and sister) is acceptable to GOD and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual up-building [exhortation]. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of GOD [in another]. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and GOD. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin."
2Corinthians 5:7 of 1-5, 6-10 "For we know that if the tent (our flesh) that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from GOD, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by immortality in Life. He Who has prepared us for this very thing is GOD, Who has given us the Spirit as our guarantee.
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the LORD (physically speaking, because a spirit knows no time or distance), for we walk by {His, the supreme Spirit's} faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the LORD. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him (in us). For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done (while) in the body, whether good or evil."
Galatians 5:6 of 1, 2-6 with 1Timothy 1:5 "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of (religions and political) slavery.
Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the (whole of the Mosaic) Law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by (works) the Law; you have fallen away from grace. For through {by} the Spirit, by (out of His) faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of {are of His} righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love."
1Timothy 1:5 of 2, 3-7 "To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from GOD the Father and Christ Jesus our LORD.
I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from GOD that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the Law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions."
Hebrews 11:1 of 1-2 and 39 of 39-40 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation...... All these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since GOD had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect."
James 2:17 of 14-17 "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have (love that) works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have (love) works, is dead."
1John 5:4 of 1-4 "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of GOD, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we (posses GOD's) love GOD and (we as in automatic) obey His commandments. For this is the love of GOD, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of GOD overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."
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