Topic: Faith increases with knowledge
Reading: Romans 10:16-21
Introduction and Overview
One of the questions you will hear among Christians is: How do I increase my faith? In fact the disciples of Jesus asked that very same question (read Luke 17:5). Jesus made the point that you don’t need a lot of faith, but what is important is to have faith in the first place.
But as we read here in Romans, we find that it is both possible and valuable to increase our faith. What we will find is that faith increases with knowledge.
Think for a moment about the great men and women of faith: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Noah, Job, Ruth, Esther, and so on. All of these men and women were attested for having great faith. They believed God and believed in God in powerful ways, and God worked with them. The one thing they all had in common was a powerful and immovable faith in God. They had a knowledge of God and the things of God that ran deep within their hearts and lives.
If you read the Psalms of David we see his love and respect for God. We also see that he was a man who studied God’s word. He often spoke about meditating or praying on God’s word, and how he delighted in God’s words. David mentions his delight in God’s law and God’s word. He starts the very first Psalm by stating this fact.
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalms 1:1-3)
Faith increases with knowledge, and when we learn, study, and meditate on God’s words, we grow in both faith and knowledge because we believe what we know. Therefore, the more we know, the more we believe, and the greater our faith. So, today we will look at this a little more and see both how faith increases with knowledge, and also how those who do not seek the knowledge of the truth miss the point.
Key points from reading:
- Faith increases with knowledge and comes from the preaching of God’s word
- Not all who hear will grow because they do not seek the truth or do not listen
- God is ready and willing to open His word to those who seek it, but we must take the first steps and approach God
Discussion:
- Scripture: Romans 10:16-17
- It is not enough to just hear the word of God. We must hear it and then do something about it. We have to hear and believe, then act upon the word of God. The problem that was prophesied by Isaiah is that many would not believe the words of God. They would ignore or reject His words. But we do not want to be part of those who reject the word of God.
- God’s word should guide every aspect of our life. We ought to learn how to live in the knowledge that God is standing beside us every minute of the day, and He sees everything we do, even what we think. If you are about to do something that you think God would not approve of, then don’t do it. But how can we know of what God would approve or disapprove?
- We can know these things by reading, studying, learning, and meditating on God’s word. When we increase our knowledge of God and His will and ways, we increase our faith. Faith increases with knowledge, which is what this verse (vs. 17) is telling us. Do you want to increase your faith? Then increase your knowledge of God and the things of God. And God has given us the information we need and the example to follow in the Bible. In Jesus we have the perfect example of what God wants for all His people. By listening to the words of Jesus, we are listening to the will of God.
- Scripture: Romans 10:18
- But some may say they have never heard the word of God. Some are looking to hear the voice of God speak to them. What they fail to realise is that God speaks to His people in many ways. He speaks through the scriptures, through insights from others, through the things around us in His Creation. He speaks to some in dreams and others through prophetic utterances. Not every person hears the voice of God in the same way. But God does speak to everyone in ways that they can learn.
- This verse talks about the fact that the word of God has been preached throughout the earth. And it has been preached as the word of God was known and heard from the days of Adam and Eve. Sure, they did not have the Bibles we have today, but even prior to the writings of the Old Testament people could learn and understand the will of God. They knew right from wrong. Consider some of the early people of God such as Noah, Job, Abraham, Enoch, and others. All of these men preceded the writings of Moses, but they all knew the will of God.
- So, it is evident that the word of God has gone out through the world. Today it is preached throughout the world through televised evangelism and preaching, missionaries, local churches and house churches, and online ministries. Bibles are often freely available online or in hard cover books due to the generosity and work of many Christian people.
- There is no excuse today for anyone not to be able to find and hear the gospel of Jesus Christ that leads to salvation. I am aware that there are many false doctrines in the church today, but equally there is the promise of God that if anyone is seeking His truth, then they will find it. A person who wants the fullness of the truth from God will receive it. They just have to ask and He will lead those people to His servants who will speak the truth. And I would add that every church has the basic ministry of salvation. All churches preach Jesus as Saviour, and if a person accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and if they believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, then they will be saved (Read Romans 10:9). But to go beyond that initial point of salvation, we need knowledge because our faith increases with knowledge.
- Scripture: Romans 10:19-20
- In these two verses we see the problem faced by the Jewish nation. They became so wrapped up in works of law that they failed to see the truth of God. The truth is that righteousness and salvation are not about doing the works of the law. They are certainly useful in living a good life in accord with the will of God, if the laws are followed strictly. But the law does not change the heart and mind of a person. The law will punish us for falling prey to temptations of the flesh, but it will not change our flesh so that we are no longer driven by the passions, lusts, and desires within all humanity.
- Many of the Jews did not understand this, and so God offered the ministry of the New Covenant to the Gentiles. God offered this great salvation to all peoples everywhere. Your genealogy doesn’t matter. Your lineage doesn’t matter. And your status in life or past history doesn’t matter either. Everyone is accepted and acceptable to Gos under the New Covenant.
- And in the scriptures we saw that the Jews were jealous. So much so that they put the Christ to death and did not even recognise that He was the Messiah they were and still are waiting for. And they did become jealous of the mighty works done by those who accepted Christ, and Christians were pursued relentlessly and even today Christians are the most maligned, rejected, and persecuted people on earth.
- But for those who accept Christ, we learn there is a kingdom we can enter now. The kingdom of God is here now and when we increase our knowledge of these things we learn there is peace to be found despite our suffering and persecutions. We know that this world is temporary and this life will come to an end. But there is a better life awaiting those who hold fast their faith in God. This is an example of how faith increases with knowledge. When we accept and know these things, our faith increases and we find peace.
- Scripture: Romans 10:21
- God is waiting for all people to come to Him. This scripture says that He has His hands held out for all people to join Him, but they remain disobedient and contrary. They will not obey His words and find salvation and life.
- And then there are those who are contrary. There are many people who want the benefits of Christianity, but are not prepared to do what is needed to walk as Christians. There are those who want to continue to live lives of sin and sinful ways, but want to know Christ as well. Others seek the riches of this world and believe Christ is a means of earthly prosperity. And the scripture tells us there is great gain in Christ in godliness, it is not about money or wealth though. (Read 1 Timothy 6:3-10).
- The point is you cannot sit on the fence. You cannot have one foot in the world and one foot in Christ. The two are like oil and water; they do not mix. Disobedience and contrariness will not lead to life. Commit to Christ and forget the ways of this world, seeking the truth that is there to be found by obeying the word of Christ and you will find the way. And the more you learn, the more your faith will grow because faith increases with knowledge.
Key Takeaways:
- Seek the Lord and study His word to grow in faith because faith increases with knowledge
- Do not try to be a part time Christian. You can’t be a Sunday morning Christian because Christ wants you ALL of the time. Beware of disobedience and contrariness as they will lead you astray.
- Seek the truth through reading, studying, and meditating on God’s word in the Bible, especially in the New Testament as that is where we find the words and life of Jesus and the truth of the New Covenant.
Prayer Points
- Pray and ask the Lord to help you understand His word and to lead you to where you can find the truth of the gospel of salvation.
- Pray and ask God to help you recognise false teaching and false doctrines so you can reject those and that the knowledge you gain is based upon His truth, not the lies of men.