Dr Rajan poses quite another point of view. He does this by a comprehensive presentation of what the scriptures say about faith, about people who exhibited it, and about how God designed that it would be communicated.
Early in the book he presents from the scriptures narratives about Peter, a well-known Bible figure that show he was at one time without faith, and at a later time, through the work of God in his life, with it.
He notes that the Word of God says without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), and that if someone comes to God, He requires them to believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
He demonstrates by a Bible narrative how faith in God as described above will enable a person to call upon the supernatural power of God to achieve a supernatural result, as in the case of Elijah and the widow's son when he prayed for life to be restored to him. Dr Rajan gives a personal testimony to show that this kind of faith and this kind of result is not to be relegated to the days of scripture, because men and women of faith in God are achieving supernatural results today in the very same way.
And he shows from the scriptures that it is not for a special few, but for all who will please God by taking Him at His Word. Referencing the supernatural results Elijah had on another occasion when he prayed believing prayers (that is, prayers which held out for what God promised and did not give up), he quotes James 5:17-18 from the Amplified Bible to show that the scriptures say Elijah was not different to any other person:
Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have [with feelings, affections, and a constitution like ours]; and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and no rain fell on the earth for three years and six months. [1 Kings 17:1.] And [then] he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain, and the land produced its crops [as usual]. [1 Kings 18: 42-45]
Having established that faith as exhibited by Elijah is possible for any person, and that without it, it is impossible to please God, Dr Rajan demonstrates the grace of God when those so praying find it difficult to believe the results of their prayer. He presents the scripture narrative of the supernatural escape of Peter from prison, and the inability of the church that was gathered praying for him, to believe it when he came to the gate of the house where they were. He points out that only one person among the many gathered, believed Peter was at the gate – and she was the servant girl who
had gone to answer the knocking at the gate and been so excited when she heard Peter's voice that she raced back into the house to let the others know, instead of opening the gate to Peter.
Dr Rajan says faith cannot be appropriated by any human means, but comes as the Bible says it comes, through hearing the Word of God. (Romans 10:17). And this, he says, is because the Word of God is more than words on paper or words spoken – the Word of God, he establishes, is a person, the person of Jesus Christ.
Here he calls the first chapter of the gospel of John to witness:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
He points out that just as the rest of that chapter establishes that Jesus is the Word made flesh, so the first chapter of the first of John's letters to the churches reiterates that theme, calling Him the Word of Life.
Dr Rajan further calls upon John's testimony in Revelation 19:13 where Jesus is spoken of as the Word of God clothed in a robe dipped in blood.
Dr Rajan points out what a difference it makes to understand about the Word of God being Jesus, when one reads a scripture like Isaiah 55:11:
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Referencing the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life, Dr Rajan points out that it is the Holy Spirit's role to take the things of Jesus, the Word of God, and reveal them to those who willingly receive the Holy Spirit as their Comforter, Counsellor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby – as the Amplified Bible describes Him in John 15:26.
Thus the reader is led to acknowledge that God's Word is supernatural, and that the person who seeks faith must seek it from God's Word as administered by the Holy Spirit; that it is in the hearing of that Word that faith will come, and that faith WILL come to those who hear it.
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)
And in Jesus' own words:
The Spirit of Truth Who comes (proceeds) from the Father, He [Himself] will testify regarding Me. (John 15:26 b AMP)
And:
He will honour and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you. (John 16:14 AMP)
These are important principles regarding faith, Dr Rajan says. Faith comes not by human agency but through the Word of God and the Spirit of God.
Prayer that is not accompanied by faith will not touch the heart of God, Dr Rajan says. But the prayer of faith can change the course of nature.
He tells of one such incident in which Joshua changed the course of nature after he had been encouraged by the Lord Who told him He would fight for Israel in a battle against the kings of the Amorites who had come against them and that "there shall not a man of them stand before thee" (Joshua 10:8 b). Having seen the Lord make good on his words by routing the enemy before Joshua's army and sending down large hailstones which killed more of them than were killed by Joshua's army, Joshua spoke to the Lord full of faith and said in the sight of Israel:
Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies.
Is this not written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hastened not to go down for about a whole day. (Joshua 10:12b-13)
Part II can be read: here
Faith Without Struggle can be purchased at www.koorong.com and www.lifeinthespirit.info
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version.