Growing Faith

[Bro. Robbins]

Originally Posted by HRea

Actually the account of the woman who was healed is an excellent example. It's also a good example of why there are multiple Gospels to compare. In Luke's account, it's the woman who declares to Jesus that she was healed by touching His garment, not the other way around. She knew she was healed because she stopped bleeding. Mark confirms this by recording that she knew what was done in her before she spoke with Jesus.

Luke 8:46-47
46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.
47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him and how she was healed immediately.

Mark 5:33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

However, what is really exciting about this is Matthew's account (Matthew 9:20-22), which by all indications lacks the detail of Mark and Luke's recording, but includes a very notable event based on the woman touching the hem of His garment:

Matthew 14:35-36
35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;
36 And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.

Jesus' fame spread, but it wasn't the pure, written Word; it was only tales and accounts. Based on these tales and account alone, the men of Gannesaret believed that Jesus could do for them (chapter 14) what He did for the woman back in chapter 9; by touching the hem of His garment, they were made perfectly whole.

I guess that would be a third way to increase faith - increasing faith based on someone's testimony - as we can see very clearly from the account of the woman with the issue of blood.

You've given some great Bible study, but not proved where faith is increased any other way than by hearing and hearing by the Word. Jesus' fame being spread has nothing to do with people's faith increasing. And you still didn't prove it with the woman and the issue of blood... sorry, just doesn't prove it. Relationship may increase, belief may even increase... excitement... zeal... but not faith.