Faith

The ”name and claim” theology was important in that sense that it brought forward faith as an important component of the Christian walk. The movement unearthed principles which are imperative in the new dispensation. I made a search for the word faith in NIV and got 286 hits, and that was just in the NT.

What caused the “name and claim” movement to flounder was that their understanding of faith was based on separation. The whole issue became a matter of own works and not resting in Christ. Separation in our context is me doing. Union, however, is Him doing in me as me. In this perspective we “name and claim” not to fulfill our own desires, but His desires, which is me for others, i.e. agape.

To believe that we now live in union is an issue of faith, that is, His faith imparted to us. However, His faith can be of no benefit if it’s not received with faith. “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it”. (Hebr 4:2)

In this position of faith His wants become our wants. His desires become our desires. When we believe this our faith has grown to a mature level and we are enabled to acknowledge Ephesians 4:5: “There is one Lord, one faith,….” and Gal 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”. Notice: “…by the faith of the Son…..” Now we clearly see that His faith is our faith.

In other words we have the same faith as God. On what level does God’s faith operate? Rom 4:17 provides the answer: …….in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

Since Jesus was the firstborn of many sons and daughters we can with confidence state that He was an example of us. Jesus only did what He saw His Father do. How did He know what His Father was doing? He knew by faith. He had a profound understanding of and faith in that God perfectly expressed Himself through His son.

We also find Jesus exclaiming that He could do nothing of Himself, and further on, that He was in His father and His father in Him – evidently the union life. Trusting in faith in the indwelling life of the Father Jesus could do the most spectacular miracles without first having to go through a long period of ambivalence – is this just me, or is it you God?

Norman Grubb puts it like this:

As Jesus said, “Ask…seek…knock, and it shall be opened unto you” So to my asking I add taking and receiving. Indeed as I get used to taking by the word of faith, I hardly notice I’m asking – one is almost dissolved into the other. So I move right in and speak the desire into reality. How? By that word of faith which “calls the things that be not as though they were”, which is said to be God’s form of faith (Romans 4:17), and therefore mine. I speak that word. When it is on the mundane human level that I speak any such word, I then go on to fulfill it. This time I am recognizing that it is God speaking that word by me, and so He goes on to fulfill it – and it is precisely the same as when He brought the visible creation into being by the word of His Son. (Summit Living; Oct 27)