What is faith and who has great 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 that obeyed him 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?

Here goes: The centurion and the Canaanite woman had one thing in common: THEY WERE NOT UNDER LAW (they were Gentiles, not Jews.) They were not trying to keep the Ten Commandments in order to be righteous. They were not paying tithes in order to be blessed. They were not involved in annual 70 days fasts to get God to deliver their sick and demon-possessed. The Canaanites even worshipped idols. One thing they had in common: they both went to Jesus empty of all works done by human effort that should make them deserving of His salvation from their troubles. And did they receive! This is great faith.

The Pharisees and the Scribes who were bogged down with laws and things to do in order for God to bless them could not receive from Jesus. The law is not of faith.

The Pharisees could not receive from Jesus because they looked to their own obedience to the law to save them from their troubles and get God to bless them, much like what is going on in many places of worship today. Christ did a perfect work in saving us and with Him, God gives us ALL things FREELY - Romans 8:32:

"He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

But many are rejecting His grace (undeserved, unmerited favour.) Many are trying to earn God's Salvation with their puny efforts at keeping the law, doing good things and paying tithes to get God to rebuke the principalities and powers that Christ has already disarmed for us (see Colossians 2,) just like the Pharisees. No faith here.

The woman with the issue of blood broke the law by mingling with the crowd in her bid to touch Jesus’ robe. If a sharp Pharisee had spotted her as she did this, she would have been stoned to death. Jesus called her action faith. The “law is not of faith.” If one is keeping the law to get right with God, that one has no faith. And “without faith, it is impossible to please God.”

This is great faith: coming to Jesus expectant of His blessings while empty of our "menstrual rag" baggage of laws kept and good works done (self-righteousness,) just like the centurion and the Canaanite woman.

Galatians 3:12 says "Yet the law is not of faith, ..." You lack 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 being 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." Good works are EVIDENCES of our salvation in Christ; not CONDITIONS.

When you go to Christ in faith aka empty of all works of the law and good deeds done and looking to Him alone for salvation from whatever bugs you, He constantly fills you up to overflowing with the abundance of grace and His gift of righteousness so much that with what is constantly spilling over, you can't help but live right and be a blessing to those that you come in contact with. These are works of faith. 

You know the difference betweeen works of faith and works of the law because you are unable to take credit for or boast about faith works. Christ does it all. See Ephesians 2:8-9:

"God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it."

"Salvation" here encompasses deliverance from the power, pleasure and penalty of sin, sickness, disease, anxiety, oppression, depression, lack and everything else that plagues mankind as a result of Adam's disobedience. By Christ's obedience we are made righteous and free from these ills. See Romans 5:16-19.

But many who profess Christ are openly boasting about their works of the law (e.g. God blessed me because I obey the Ten Commandments and tithe) and how it is their own obedience and not Christ's makes God save and bless them. Notice no Jesus Christ our Saviour in their equation? Believers, let's not be found here. The centurion and the canaanite woman knew for sure that their salvation wasn't as a result of their good works or their obedience. They did nothing to deserve the good that they received from Jesus.

See the NIV of Ephesians 2:  8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

We are saved by grace through faith and not by works. Faith is believing that God saves and blesses you not because of what you have done but what Christ has done. We have nothing to boast about but Christ. Be wary of "men of God" who boast about how their law-keeping, various fasts, good works, dowdy clothes and religious tithe payment make God bless them/heaven-bound. These ones boast in their own effort and not in Christ. This is not grace (undeserved, unmerited favour.) There is no Jesus saving in their equation. They are their own saviour. Believers, let's not be found here.

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

"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 centurion and the Canaanite woman 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."

The greater your revelation of Christ and His unconditional love for you, the greater your faith. By His grace, like the centurion and the 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 with His "one sacrifice for sins forever" (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 of fasted (Romans 8:32)

-His “Neither do I condemn you” is what makes us “go and sin no more.” He saves us from our sins (Matt. 1:21)

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

Faith is a gift.