The secret to having great faith and what voids faith

Jesus described only two people as having "great faith" in the four gospels: the centurion with the paralyzed servant (Matthew 8:5-13) and the Canaanite woman with the severely demon-possessed daughter (Matt. 15:21-28.)

Let's look at the centurion's story. How come he had great faith? Our thoughts could go to how he was a man of authority with soldiers under his command. But what about the woman of Canaan who acknowledged herself as being in the category of little dogs that eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table? She wasn't commanding soldiers or anything like that. How did her own great faith come to be?

Believers, the centurion and the Canaanite woman had one thing in common: THEY WERE NOT UNDER LAW (they were Gentiles.)

Galatians 3:12 says "Yet the law is not of faith, ..." You cannot have faith if you are of the law aka trying to get God's blessings by keeping the law/doing good things. The law is not of faith.

Just to be clear, doing things like washing church toilets and helping the needy so that God will see how hard you are working for Him and thus bless you because of what you have done is to be under law. Giving gifts to little children so that God will bless you with yours is being under law. And the law is not of faith. There is no faith here and "without faith it is impossible to please God."

This is great faith: the centurion and the Canaanite woman seeking Jesus without the filthy rags baggage of points earned through law-keeping and righteous works that many in the church lug about proudly today. Isaiah 64:6 calls these things "menstrual rags"-

"We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight."

The focus of these two Gentiles was not on what they had done or not done or how well they had kept the Ten Commandments. They were not conscious of their ability to keep the law or their disqualifications. They were ONLY conscious of Jesus power to save. And save He did.

Believers, the law voids faith. Keeping the law in order to "get right with God" only cuts one off from Christ says Galatians 5:4-

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."

Believer, the greater your revelation of Jesus, the greater your faith. By His grace, like the centurion and Canaanite woman, come to Him empty of all of your own righteousnesses; see Him in the fullness of His grace:

- He has paid the full price for our past, present and future sins (Hebrews 10:12-14)

- He made us righteous without us obeying the law (Romans 3:28 "So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.")

- with Him God gives us ALL things FREELY and not because we kept the law (Romans 8:32)

So much more undeserved, unmerited favour, including our being caught up with Him at the Rapture. When you see Jesus in the fullness of His grace, He sees in you great faith. Jesus calls this great faith.

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.

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