The 2 Kinds of Faith

"Unanswered prayer stands between the individual and a faith life."

That is the opening sentence of a booklet by E.W. Kenyon titled The 2 Kinds of Faith.

I have spent a considerable amount of time reflecting on that supposition. How many, I wonder, are involved enough in their Christian walk to have this kind of thought rise to the surface of their consciousness? In our society today there is such an excess of plenty that one can obtain an acceptable level of living purely by osmosis. It is easy then to say, "Praise the Lord!" because it is obvious it came from Him and, after all, they DID pray for it.

There is a division at that point in life, however. On the one hand there are those as above who get what they are satisfied with in a reasonable amount of time and simply go on living as always. These are the same people that populate the "Success" seminars and make all the positive thinking preachers (religious or secular) rich.

The other side of the split is those who do not obtain what they want or need. Out of the many, many books dealing with the subject of unanswered prayer the overwhelming majority present the solution as some form of sin correction rather than dealing with the root of prayer- faith.

This booklet provides one of those light bulb moments in understanding the workings of faith. In it is presented the contrast between mere "Mental Assent" and "Faith."

The most basic point of relevance regarding these two reveals itself in the Bible teaching about Jesus. How many people give mental assent to the truths regarding Jesus, yet never truly exercise faith in Him for their personal salvation?

Such a person will always be separated from God-

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "but the righteous man shall live by faith." (Rom 1:16-17)

Wretched Man That I Am

Many people relate to the teaching on prayer from Luke 18 where the publican "standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner." (Luke 18:13)

Mistakenly taking the teaching of Jesus regarding the publican and the Pharisee, "I tell you, this man [the publican] went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." (Luke 18:14) They add to this the teaching of Paul "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" (Rom 7:24)

Why do I say mistakenly? Isn't that what both Paul and Jesus intended us to feel?

In a word, NO!

So many Christians are stuck at Romans 7:24, unable to move on to Romans 7:25! How is it this horrible, condemning verse is so well known, and the next verse is forgotten? For it says,

"Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin."

What of this next verse? And how could that be "thanks be to God"?

Unfortunately, a long time ago verse and chapter numbers were added to the Bible. (Unfortunate only in the fact that some divisions occur where they disrupt a thought.)

Thus Romans chapter 8 begins (as we all know) "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!" (Rom.8:1) (We all know this verse, but we have learned it in isolation, not relating it to the two verse right before it.)

Why do we condemn ourselves when God has said there is now no condemnation? The better question would be, "Why have we been taught to condemn ouselves?"

There is now no condemnation.

How can anyone call themselves "wretched" when they know this truth: ^"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor 5:21)?

Righteous or Wretched? What has God said?

What then about, "standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven" (Luke 18:13)?

Please! "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." (Heb. 10:19-22)

Yes! Draw near to God with confidence! Having faith in the rightousness bestowed upon us in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

^"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:23-25)

Consider this my attempt to "provoke" (literal translation) you to love and good deeds, and especially assembling together in fulll assurance of our righteousness in Christ and our standing before God with no thought of condemnation.

What God has declared righteous, who are we to call "wretched"?