Breathing Faith

Breathing Faith

This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. John 6:29, ESV

THE CROWDS SAW JESUS doing the works of God and wanted to know how they could do them too. Jesus’ answer can be read with two different meanings: (1) believing in Jesus for salvation is a work of God in itself; or (2) believing in Jesus is the means of doing his works. Both are supported by other passages, even within John. No one comes to Jesus unless the Father draws him (John 6:44), and those who believe in Jesus will be able to do the same works he did (John 14:12). In spite of our tendency to emphasize faith for salvation and separate the Christian life into compartments, Jesus’ answer is entirely reasonable when taken as a whole. Do you want to do the work of God? Then believe in Jesus, follow him, learn his ways, embrace his faith as your own, and the works of God will have already begun flowing through your life and will continue to do so. We do the works of God by fully identifying with Jesus.

Your faith is not divisible into salvation faith, prayer faith, promise faith, empowerment faith, works faith, and so on. Your entire experience with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a life of faith, not a series of faith acts. Yes, there will be times when you respond to life with faith and other times when you don’t, and you will likely have doubts along the way. But God is calling you into an identity, lifestyle, and way of seeing. By faith, you don’t just enter into the Kingdom. You become a Kingdom citizen, live in Kingdom ways, and see Kingdom realities. And the way to do Kingdom works is to be clothed in the identity of the Son and filled with his Spirit.

Live, pray, and work with that understanding. You don’t just believe in Jesus as the Savior. You live in Jesus like a branch on a vine or a new creation wearing new clothes. That comprehensive faith changes everything, and you don’t have to muster it up when you pray. Your prayers flow from it naturally.

You may as soon find a living man without breath as a living saint without prayer.