How to Have Great Faith

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Unshakable faith in the promises of God comes from being able to “rightly divide” the word of truth as we study the Word. For that to happen we need to get hold of Paul’s revelation concerning the New Covenant of Grace and Truth vs. the Law. That means keeping in mind whenever we read or study the Bible that God accomplishes His will and purpose through specific covenants and ages or dispensations, the chief division being the Old and New Covenants.

So much confusion and doubt about God's word comes from not grasping this. For example, consider the following passage:

"For thus says the LORD: 'David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; nor shall the priests, the Levites, lack a man to offer burnt offerings before Me, to kindle grain offerings, and to sacrifice continually.'" (Jeremiah 33:17-18)

God is so emphatic here that He will never break His promise, yet taken at face value it would appear that God's promise has been broken. Currently, there is no Temple in Jerusalem, no sacrifices, no descendent of David reigning as King, and no throne.

But believers of the New Testament understand that by the death of Jesus, God has put an end to the law of Moses for righteousness, and because of Jesus’ resurrection He now reigns as a priest in a different order. We know that Israel has been set aside for a special time called "the Church Age,", or "Gentile Age." We know that David’s throne will return to Jerusalem when Jesus Messiah returns.

Without accepting the New Testament, the Jewish person cannot comprehend the scripture with faith. He holds on with a vague hope, and is plagued with doubts concerning integrity of God’s promise.

In a like manner, many Christians are plagued with doubt and fear as we see the nations in turmoil around us and the Church apparently floundering. They think that the Church is destined to fall away or barely survive through the great Tribulation because they are not rightly dividing the Scriptures. There is a constant weight of woe that burdens, keeping them from the joy and hope of positive expectancy that should be theirs.

These grim-faced believers do read the verses that speak of a triumphant church, but those are eclipsed by others that seem to indicate the very Church of Jesus Christ will fall into apostasy at the end of the age. This creates in them a double-mindedness. Using their senses to interpret what they see in the natural, it seems fantastic to them that the Church could ever arrive at maturity and unity of the faith (Ephesians 4:13) even though it is clearly stated in the Scripture. They cannot properly interpret the Scriptures because they are not rightly dividing the covenants.

Paul is explicit in Ephesians 3 that he was given a new revelation to unravel the mysteries of Scripture that others in times past did not possess. It has been God’s intent along to merge Jews and Gentiles as a new spiritual entity called "the Church," which will exist as a buffer against the evil in this world. This "Church" will come to maturity, and being filled with the fullness of God, will assume a place of prominence in the earth to bring glory to Him in front of all principalities and powers.

When we understand and believe this it creates an excitement and expectancy that cannot be quenched, in spite of how the world may be shaking around us, in spite of how far the Church may seem to be from that glorious goal.

Are we living in the generation that will see this triumphant Church? Whether or not, if we hold that it is not just a possibility, but a promise, we can stand stronger in adversity. We can have peace in the storm.