Literacy International: Faith Is A Gift From God - Scripture-based reflection

Jul 17, 2026

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A scripture-centered reflection explaining that faith is a free gift from God rather than something earned through human effort. Drawing on passages from Luke, Matthew, Ephesians, and other books, it contrasts fear and doubt with Jesus’ willingness to strengthen trust. Through examples such as calming Peter during storms and providing temple tax through a fish, the text emphasizes opening to the Holy Spirit, obeying God, and fixing one’s eyes on Jesus to grow faith.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

Faith as a Gift from God

Faith tested by fear and doubt

Where faith comes from

Growing faith through the Holy Spirit

Jesus as provider and problem solver

Obedience and focusing on Jesus

Literacy International: Faith Is A Gift From God Copyright © 2018 Literacy International [info@LiteracyInternational.net](info@LiteracyInternational.net) English Spiritual Literacy International: Faith Is A Gift From God Copyright © 2018 Literacy International [info@LiteracyInternational.net](info@LiteracyInternational.net) English Copyright © 2018, Literacy International [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) You are free to make commercial use of this work. You may adapt and add to this work, but you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one. You must keep the copyright and credits for authors, illustrators, etc. After Jesus quieted the storm on the Sea of Galilee, He said to His scared followers,“Where is your faith?”(Luke 8:23-25) At another time, Peter tried walking on the water of the stormy sea to Jesus, and started to sink. Jesus reached out His hand and caught Peter.“You of little faith,” He said to Peter,“Why did you doubt?”(Matt. 14:25-32) Later when Jesus hung on the cross, dying for the sins of the world, John was His only follower there with Jesus. Where was the faith of the others? Why were they afraid to be there? Many have asked the question of where does faith come from. It doesn’t come from our own efforts. The apostle Paul told us where faith comes from. He said,“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this (faith) is not from yourselves. It is the gift of God, not by works.”(Or people might be too proud of themselves.) (Eph 2:9-10) Faith, like salvation, is a free gift from God. To see our faith grow, we need to be more open to the Holy Spirit. Jesus, in calling men to follow Him, said that He would make them into something very different and much better. Paul said,“We are His work, created in Christ Jesus to do good things, which God prepared in advance* for us to do.”(Eph 2:8) (*Before we even knew and believed in Jesus.) When a sick man asked Jesus if He was willing to heal him, Jesus replied,“I am willing.”(Matt. 8:3) Jesus is willing to make our faith in Him stronger. But we must be willing to trust more in Him. Let’s think of how Jesus handled a problem that Peter brought to Him. (Matt. 17:24-27) Peter came to tell Jesus that the temple tax collectors asked them to pay the tax. Peter knew that they had no money at that time. What happened next? “Jesus was the first to speak.” Jesus already knew what Peter was going to say. Jesus knew of what seemed to be a problem, but Jesus was not upset. He calmed Peter down. He told Peter to go out to fish, then to look in the mouth of the first fish he caught. Peter obeyed Jesus, though it seemed strange to be told to go fishing. That fish Peter caught had a piece of money in its mouth, the correct amount for the tax! Jesus was the problem solver for Peter and is the problem solver for us. The Savior is the Provider for those obey Him. Knowing this leads us to say,“We can’t do anything without Jesus.” That is what He told His followers: “Without me you can do nothing.” In Hebrews 12:4 weare told to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author (creator) and perfecter of our faith (the one who makes our faith perfect) .” Ephesians 6:23 tells of “Peace, and love, with faith from God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 12:3 tells of “the measure of faith God has given to you.” In Acts 14:27, it is Jesus who “had opened the door of faith also to Gentiles (those who are not Jewish) .” So it is God who gives the gift of faith, and His Holy Spirit, and our obeying God, that makes our faith stronger.

FAQs

Where does faith come from, according to the text?

Faith does not come from human efforts. It is given by God through grace and is described as “the gift of God.”

How does the text suggest faith grows?

Faith grows as believers become more open to the Holy Spirit and trust more in Jesus. Obeying God also strengthens faith.

What example does the text use to show Jesus solving problems?

It describes Jesus calming Peter and providing money for the temple tax through a fish’s mouth. The example shows Jesus as a problem solver for Peter and for believers.

Jul 17, 2026

Upload by Aria