Is Faith a Force?

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith,

gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law". (Galatians 5:22-23)

Since the mid 1970's there's been a lot criticism over the teachings of the Word of Faith movement. In the 1980's and 1990's there were books entirely dedicated to tearing it apart, many of which I read to see if the critics truly understood the Word of Faith teachings and truly had anything to say to it. They didn't.

After these many years it's been my desire to turn the coin over and give the other side of the story when it comes to Word of Faith teachings. Few people within Word of Faith have bothered to do this, choosing rather to ignore the criticisms and simply carry on. But I'm not satisfied with that.

By no means do I think I'm going to sway anyone's opinion who is dead set against the movement, but allowing the critics to stand unchallenged, leaves the narrative, of what they say Word of Faith teaches, the only perspective people have to go by in formulating their opinions about it.

And having witnessed what the critics of the Word of Faith movement did with its teachings, I don't think they deserve the privilege of having the last word.

In this article, I'm going to put my cyber pen to use in answering one of the great gripes of the critics of WOF when it comes to the subject of faith and see whether there is any biblical basis for viewing faith as a force? The critics of WOF are pretty sure that viewing faith as a force is simply a metaphysical concept separate from the biblical revelation? I say they're wrong.

To answer my question I'm going to examine the nature of the fruit of the Spirit. Why drag the fruit of the Spirit into this? Because most people read Galatians 5:22-23 very casually and with very little understanding of what must be true of the fruit of the Spirit in the light of its source.

You would be a rare Christian indeed if when someone asked you what the fruit of the Spirit is you didn't just rattle off love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self control, but instead explained to them exactly what the essence of these nine Greek nouns are, in light of the fact that they are produced by the Holy Spirit. If a person can answer the question of their essence, then they can answer whether faith is a force? Because faith is one of those nine Greek nouns.

If you look casually at the list in Galatians 5:22-23 the nine words that are put down as fruit are all typically used, in everyday life, to describe something within the human condition. But in Galatians 5 they are each one put into the context of the Divine. Their source is the Spirit of God and their manifestation within a Christian's life (indwelt by the Spirit of God) is referred to as fruit of the Spirit. The picture going back to John 15 where Jesus talks of His relationship with those who believe in Him in the context of Vine and branches. He the Vine (the source) and the believer the branches (the vessels of His manifestation).

If God is the source of the love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self control that is listed here (and He is) then we have to ask ourselves what is the real nature of this fruit as it comes forth from the infinite, all powerful Vine? The answer to that is each one of these nine Greek nouns are attributes of God. They are each qualities of His being. And when you begin to speak about God's attributes or qualities you are speaking of what God is not something God has.

One of the things listed as fruit of the Spirit is love. The Bible says God is love. He does not possess love, in the sense of love originally being something apart from Him which He had to acquire for it to become a part of His nature. It has always been His nature, as have the rest of the nine fruit listed in Galatians 5.

That means when the Bible says God's love has been "poured out" in the hearts of those who have experienced the new birth. the only way that was possible is "by the Holy Spirit who was given to us". Meaning, God's love is now within a Christian's rebirthed spirit because the Spirit of the God (who is love) is indwelling us. The only reason a Christian can exhibit God's love is because we have God abiding in our hearts through the Spirit (1 John 4:15).

Though not listed as fruit of the Spirit the Bible likewise says God is holy. Meaning holiness, like love, is His essential nature, and so when Peter says, "but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct", that command is not achieved by the Christian through futile struggle or imitation but by virtue of God's HOLY Spirit indwelling us and manifesting that quality of His life through the vessel of our lives.

In light of that reality, the fruit of the Spirit should not to be thought of as simply human emotional characteristics. They are fruit of the Spirit (Tou Pneumatos) set in the Greek Genetive case to communicate God's ownership of what follows in the list. That He, the infinite, omnipotent God of all creation is the possessor and origin of these nine expression of fruit in the believer's life by virtue of His indwelling Spirit. God allowing us to be partakers of His divine nature (1 Peter 1:4).

And because God is infinite and omnipotent, when any one of these attributes of God are in manifestation by the Spirit, within a believer's life, they can quickly take on a quality of force that makes a memorable impact on the receiver.

And it is from this very viewpoint, within Word of Faith, that the fruit of the Spirit is looked at as spiritual forces. Spiritual, because the fruit listed comes forth from God, who is spirit. Forces, because they can be experienced in a tangible, substantive way when in manifestation by the Spirit of God.

Including Faith. Which, ta da, is why WOF often refers to faith as a spiritual force. Now you may not agree with that perspective. It may not match what's taught in your particular Church but just because WOF sees the content of the text from a different perspective doesn't make it "biblically unsound". A subjective phrase that usually rests in the eye of the theological beholder.

To show you what I mean by the fruit of the Spirit taking on a quality of force, when in manifestation by the Spirit of God, allow me to give you two examples from Church history of when the fruit of love was experienced in such a way that the receiver found out he wasn't dealing with a rapturous human emotion but instead was touching upon the very forces within God's being.

Dwight L Moody, the famous evangelist of the 19th century who was the Billy Graham of his era, holding large evangelistic meeting in America and England. Moody was confronted one day by two women in his congregation who inquired with him as to whether he had been "baptized with the Holy Spirit". He assured the two women that he had and went his way, a little miffed that they had made such an inquiry of him at all. Later, while visiting New York, he had a deep encounter with God that he would hereafter call his "New York experience". He described the experience in these words.

"I was crying all the time that God would fill me with His Spirit. Well, one day in the city of New York, Oh what a day, I cannot describe it. I seldom refer to it. It is almost too sacred an experience to name. Paul had an experience of which he never spoke for fourteen years. I can only say that God revealed Himself to me, and I had such an experience of His love I had to ask Him to stay His hand."

What is Moody saying here? He's saying that he had an encounter of the love of God (one of the nine fruit of the Spirit) too such an intensity that he had to ask God to stop. Feeling he would come apart if the experience continued. The intensity with which Moody experienced the love of God warrants it being described as a force within God's being. Not just a rapturous or benevolent emotion. Not just experiencing God's selfless disregard. But a tangible force of love emanating from within God's being that Moody thought would break him apart if it didn't end.

Charles Finney was a famous revivalist of the 19th century who had a similar experience of God's love, earlier in the century. Finney describes his experience like this:

"But as I turned and was about to take a seat by the fire, I received a mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost. Without any expectation of it, without ever having the thought in my mind that there was any such thing for me, without my recollection that I had ever heard the thing mentioned by any person in the world, the Holy Ghost descended on me in a manner that seemed to go through me, body and soul. I could feel the impression, like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love; for I could not express it in any other way. It seemed like the very breath of God. I can recollect distinctly that it seemed to fan me, like immense wings."

"No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in my heart. I wept aloud with joy and love; and I do not know but I should say, I literally bellowed out the unutterable gushing's of my heart. The waves came over me, and over me, one after the other, until I recollect I cried out, “I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me.” I said, “Lord, I cannot bear any more”; yet I had no fear of death."

Here again Finney, like Moody, describes an experience of the love of God in manifestation that was so intense he cried out to God that he could not bear anymore within his human frame. Finney encountered God's love so powerfully (as a spiritual force) that he describes it as "Waves of electricity going through me and through me" A fruit of the Spirit described in a tangible and substantive way, and more than Finney felt he could bear.

And when God chooses to "ramp up" a manifestation of the essential qualities of His being, this becomes no less true of the other eight fruit listed in Galatians 5:22-23.

"...who for the joy set before Him endured the Cross" (Heb 12:2) for "the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10).

"...and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding..." (Philippians 4:7)

"...and the God of (that) peace be with you." (Philippians 4:9)

Fruit of the Spirit expressed in effects that supersede what is normally though of joy or peace. Rightfully so because there is more to them than what is experienced in the normal course of a human's life.

Faith is one of the Greek nouns listed in Galatians 5:22-23 as a fruit of the Spirit. Modern translators convert the word from faith to faithfulness for theological reasons, believing that God does not have faith but is only, ever, the object of our faith. But as much consensus agreement as there is to that idea, it is in error.

For now, let me round out this article in 1 Corinthians 12 where faith (vs 9) is listed as one of the gifts (vs4) or manifestations (vs 7) of the Holy Spirit. Quite obviously originating in and coming forth from God, in these terms. It is also where its best illustrated as being a force within God's Spirit as when it is in manifestation by the Holy Spirit it takes the form of an absolute assurance that is undissuadable to the person it is present in. God's own self assurance coming into play within a human being.

To show you what this looks like I'll recount an incident from the life of R. A. Torrey who pastored D. L. Moody's Church in Chicago in 1894. A man far from the realm of Word of Faith. In his book, "The Power of Prayer and the Prayer of Power" Torrey recounts a story of a time he prayed for a man who was dying of typhoid fever and not expected to live. While he prayed he found something very unexpected happening within him.

"There was a young dentist in my congregation whose father was a member of our Church. The Dentist was taken very ill with typhoid fever. He went down to the very gates of death. I went down to see him and found him unconscious. The doctor and his father were by the bedside and the doctor said to me, 'He cannot live. The crisis has passed and it has turned the wrong way. There is no possibility of his recovery'."

"I knelt down to pray and as I prayed a great confidence came into my heart-an absolute unshakeable confidence that God had heard my prayer and that the man was to be raised up. As I got up from my knees I said to the father and to the doctor, 'Eddie will get well. He will not die at this time'. The doctor smiled and said, 'That is alright Mr. Torrey from your standpoint, but he cannot live. He will die'. I replied, 'Doctor, that is alright from your standpoint. but he cannot die. He will live'."

"I went to my home. Word was soon brought to me that the young man was dying. They told me what he was doing and said that no one ever did that except when they were dying. I calmly replied, 'He is not dying. He cannot die. He will get well'. I knew he would. He did. The last I knew he was still living, and his healing took place forty to forty five years ago."

Regardless of being far removed from the Charismatic or Word of Faith movements, R.A. Torrey had a manifestation of the Spirit in the area of faith that produced an unshakeable assurance that the man he was praying for would not die but live. He experienced faith as a force coming forth from the Spirit of God, who indwelt him, and sustaining Torrey against all doubts and counter words that were coming from the doctor and those around the patient who were walking by sight and not faith.

Without the same manifestation of faith within them the bystanders could not do anything other than doubt. Torrey, having a Holy Spirit manifestation of faith within him could not do anything other than believe. And the force of faith released by the manifestation within Torrey, of absolute necessity for the man to live and not die, won the day by bringing physical healing into the man's body. Just exactly like the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5:25-34, who in absolute assurance that if she touched the garments of Jesus she would be healed, drew the power of the Holy Spirit out of Jesus (who did not even see her in the crowd) and into her body.

Torrey also exampled another aspect of faith which I will not elaborate on but simply point out.

He modeled 2 Corinthians 4:13 to a tee.

"And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, 'I believed and therefore I spoke', we also believe and therefore speak."

Torrey's mouth worked in perfect alignment with his heart as he declared the word of faith that the dentist would be healed, to the doctor and the father at the patient's bedside, and maintained a confession of his faith to all who came later to dissuade him that the man would live.

He could not do otherwise. "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" and Torrey's heart was abundantly filled with a Holy Spirit produced force of faith.

Selah.