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a better sacrifice than Cain (Heb 11:4); by faith, Noah builds an ark (Heb 11:7); by faith, Abraham, follows God’s mission (Heb 11:8) and gives Isaac up for sacrifice (Heb 11:17); by faith, Moses endures suffering for the Messiah’s sake (Heb 11:26), and so on and so on, culminating in Jesus’ faith as the “pioneer and perfecter of their faith” (Heb 12:2).
In the Synoptic Gospels, it is genuine, fervent faith in God that enables the paralytic to be forgiven his sins and healed (Mt 9:2, Mk 2:1-12), the hemorrhaging woman to be cured by merely touching the fringe of Jesus’ cloak (Mt 9:18, Mk 5:21-43, Lk 8.40-56), the blind men to be healed (Mt 9:27, Lk 18:34-43, Mk 10:46-52), and the “unclean” Leper to be made “clean” (Mt 8:2-4; Mk 1:40,45). Similarly, while Jesus commends the centurion for his ‘great faith’ (Lk 7:9; Mt.15:28), he also reproaches his disciples during the tempest for having fleeting faith (Mt 6:30, 8:26, 14:31) or none (Mk 4:40). Moreover, the disciples’ little faith also shows in their inability to exorcise a boy’s daemons (Mt 17:14,21).
Ultimately, Jesus’ steadfast faith brings about acts of power, that always culminate in good deeds (Phil 2:17; 1 Thess 1:3),4 for Jesus’ faith resembles opening a door to God (Acts 14:27) and also a warrior’s shield (1 Pet 1:5).5 As a result, Christian miracles and faith, combined, are as potent as the Tablet of Destinies, in that whoever holds them, threatens the status-quo
4 The Learning Company. Quick Verse, Bible Study Software. USA: The Learning Company, Inc., 1999.
5 The Learning Company. Quick Verse, Bible Study Software. USA: The Learning Company, Inc., 1999
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