Faith Comes by Hearing

Paul the apostle wrote, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Rom. 10:17) Note that faith must COME – faith must come to be IN ME. This means that faith is not in me as a dimension of my natural life. It must come to be in me. And the only way in which faith can come to be in me is by, “hearing,” the Word of God.

The Word of God is simply the Truth. Indeed, the Word of God is a Person, Jesus Christ. This is why the writer of Hebrews is able to say, “Today God is speaking to us in His Son.” (Heb. 1:2) We are being told that it is through an inward revelation of Jesus Christ that God is speaking to us. Christ is the Word God is speaking. And it is by hearing God’s revelation of Jesus Christ that faith comes to be in me.

Paul is simply stating that as Christ is revealed IN US – and we hear or remain open to Him – the faith of Jesus Christ will come to be in me. Or, as the Psalmist states, to the degree that we KNOW God, we will trust Him. If you see and embrace the Truth of Jesus Christ, faith will emerge.

Note that faith is not something we muster up out of ourselves up to God. Real faith is NOT generated from out of ourselves as the source. Thus, faith is not emotion or intellectual – we might react emotionally or intellectually once we see Jesus Christ – but the essence of faith is not of a human source. Faith COMES to be only if God takes the initiative to speak His Word – reveal Christ in us – and we hear, that is, embrace the Truth He reveals. This is the faith of Jesus Christ – it is faith that is the result of an inward revelation of Christ.

Many believers struggle to, “have faith,” and often ask God, “to give us more faith.” God knows our heart, but there is a prayer that is more in line with scripture: Instead of asking God for more faith, we ought to ask God for a greater revelation of Jesus Christ. Then faith will come. For they that know His name will put their trust in Him.