Those who study the Bible, could tell you that the above words are found in the letter written to the church at Rome, the first chapter, in verse seventeen; or that they are found in the book to the church at Rome; or that they could be found in one of the letters to the churches; or that they could be found in the New Testament; or that they could be found in the Bible. In other words, the words under which we write are so well known that they are quickly identified! However, there is debate as to what they mean; or how they should be interpreted. Therefore, let us tackle these four little words!
Context is the first place to start as this is always true! That these words are found in the New Testament makes them important to our faith, as to our belief system. It is important to our believing, as part of our faith. Believing is a verb, while faith is a noun. One is active, subject to change; as who among us, has never changed some point, be it large or small, what we believe, as part of our body of faith. Believing is an activity, as in on going; while faith is subject to change only after we have studied to some degree on the subject. When we have completed our activity of believing; it becomes a part of our faith. If you will, please notice the line of thought, we study, as we are in the learning business; thus, we are believing as we are forming a body of belief, faith! “Faith” is the result of believing!
However, in what Paul has written, the second word “faith” should only follow the first word “faith;” which is the of word of origin, as a body of faith, of truth! The Greek word Paul/the Holy Spirit used is “ek” is “A primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence motion or action proceeds)” (Strong). Just here, allow me to inject the thought, that if our “faith” does not come from the right “origin,” the “faith,” it can never be acceptable to God!
Therefore, as Paul wrote, “from faith to faith,” the first word “faith” denotes origin, and the second word “faith” is the result of the first! You can never have “faith” as in the second word “faith” without the word “faith,” as in the first word “faith!” The second word “faith” is our body of “faith,” which we have arrived at “from’ the “origin of faith!” Sadly, many people do not have their “faith,” which has come from the right source, divine origin but their “faith” comes from something written by man! The conclusion is, the words “from faith to faith,” is simply, that our “faith” must come from the right “origin, the faith!”
He is telling us, that “faith,” our faith, is giving thought to what you are reading, we must not forget the “from” in Paul’s phrase: “from faith to faith!” The “from” is most important in our study of the phrase, “from faith to faith!” The second word “faith” comes from the first word “faith;” as the action is “from faith;” as in that which is stational, to the another “faith” that has been formed!
Jude, our brother in Christ, in his one-chapter epistle wrote very powerfully: “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). The words that have our attention are, “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” Jude, in using the words, “the faith” is not our personal faith but the “delivered” faith!” The Greek expresses “once for all time deliver.” When the last word, or as we might say, when the last “period” written, or had been posted, inspiration in man ended!
Jude is addressing a point, that, at the time, were more needed than what we might call the plan of salvation itself! This is not to say, that the words he did write are not part of our salvation, but Jude is addressing the part of salvation, that ears are not always glad to hear, as in “earnestly contend”, which is the Greek, “epagonizomai,” and means that we are “to struggle for the faith!” It expresses effort, to keep “the faith” and is not just for ourselves but for all mankind!
Jude used the word “faith” in the same manner that Paul did, when he wrote “from faith.” The “from faith” is “the faith which was once for all time delivered unto the saints!” Meaning once “the faith” had been completed, totally delivered, inspiration in men ended and inspiration in the book and is where “the faith” is found! Therefore, it is “from faith to faith!”
Frank R. Williams