Spirit of Faith

Text: 2 Corinthians 4:13

Paul compares his faith to that of the psalmist. Godly people have always had this type of faith in God, even if they were under a different law during the Old Testament. We need to have “the same spirit of faith” today.

Faith Enables Us to Endure Hardship

  • Paul had just discussed the suffering he endured for Christ (2 Corinthians 4:7-12)
  • The passage he quotes is from the same type of context (Psalm 116:3, 8-10)
  • Hardships are inevitable (1 Peter 4:12) – we must have faith that God will deliver us (1 Peter 4:19)
  • The point of persecution is to cause one to either give up or be silent about their faith (Acts 4:18-20; 5:27-29; 8:1-4) – do not give in

Faith Must Be Based Upon God’s Word

  • Paul makes this point elsewhere (Romans 10:17) – our faith must rest upon what God has said or done
  • Faith is not to be based upon what we wish to attribute to Him – this is an unstable & weak faith
  • How the word produces faith – reveals the perfect law of God (Psalm 19:7; John 10:35); tells of the undeniable miracles that produced faith (John 11:47-48); contains prophecies that could not have been coincidence (Psalm 22:7-8, 16, 18); shows that God will save those who are faithful to Him (1 Corinthians 15:20)

Faith Leads Us to Speak

  • As our faith is based upon God’s word (Romans 10:17), what we speak must be as well (1 Peter 4:11)
  • We must know the word to be able to do this (2 Timothy 2:15)
  • We must be ready to give an answer (1 Peter 3:15) – it is not enough just to study and know the right answers, we must be willing to share them

Faith Causes Us to Look Forward to the Reward

  • Why do we endure hardships, follow God’s word, and speak the truth? … because of our faith
  • Why does faith compel us to do these things? … faith looks forward to the reward
  • Paul was willing to speak because of the promise of the resurrection (2 Corinthians 4:14)
  • Despite the struggles & hardships of life, he knew he had a reward (2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1)
  • We need to have this same confidence today (1 John 2:28-29) – must live by faith to have this confidence