The Gift of Special Faith Is Not the Same as Saving Faith
Every believer already has general faith or saving faith, which is also a gift. Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."
The faith that you are saved by is a gift of God, but it is not one of the nine gifts of the Spirit. Saving faith is given to you through hearing the Word, because the Bible says, "So then faith [saving faith] cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17).
The faith which we are talking about, 'special faith' is something other than general faith or saving faith. It is a supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit whereby a believer is empowered with special faith, or wonder-working faith, and it is beyond simple saving faith.
The gift of faith is the greatest of the three power gifts. And this gift is miraculous just as the rest of the gifts of the Spirit are miraculous.
The gift of faith is a gift of the Spirit to the believer in order that he might receive miracles. The working of miracles, on the other hand, is a gift of the Spirit given to the believer that he might work miracles. One gift receives, the other does something.
Notice the Bible says, "To another the WORKING of miracles..." (1 Cor. 12:10). In other words, when you receive a miracle, you don't work the miracle. But when you perform a miracle by the unction of the Holy Ghost, you are working a miracle by this supernatural gift of the Spirit, the working of miracles.
These power gifts are very closely associated one with another and many times work together. The same is true of the revelation gifts; they also are closely related and work together as do the utterance gifts.
The Gift of the Working of Miracles
The gift of faith is also distinct from the working of miracles, although both gifts produce miracles. One of them is active and the other is passive.
The working of miracles is active; it actively works a miracle. The gift of faith doesn't work a miracle, but passively receives a miracle.
In other words, the difference between the working of miracles and the gift of faith is that the gift of working of miracles actively does, and the gift of special faith passively receives.
When Daniel was in the lions' den, he received a miracle. In those days as well as throughout history, there have been those who were thrown to the lions and the lions devoured them. Why didn't the lions devour Daniel? The Bible says that "...Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God." (Dan. 6:23)
There is no doubt that God gave Daniel special faith, a special manifestation of this gift of the Spirit, to receive deliverance. Daniel didn't do anything. He just lay down and went to sleep. His faith was passive rather than active, yet he received a miracle.
We see Jesus exercising this gift of faith as He slept in the back of the ship during a raging storm (Mark 4:38). Someone might argue, "Yes, but that was Jesus. He is the Son of God."
However, Jesus never did anything except by the power of the Holy Ghost. Jesus voluntarily stripped Himself of what power He had as the Son of God when He came to the earth (Phil. 2:7). Jesus was just as much the Son of God before the Holy Ghost came upon Him and anointed Him as He was after He was anointed. Yet because He stripped Himself of that power vested in Him as the Son of God when He came to the earth, Jesus never worked any miracles prior to the time He was baptized by John and the Holy Ghost came upon Him.
But if Jesus did the works as a man anointed by the Holy Ghost, then certainly under the inspiration and anointing of the Holy Ghost, believers could do the same thing.
While the raging storm swept the sea and threatened the safe journey of the disciples to the other side of the lake, Jesus was asleep in the hinder part of the boat (Mark 4:38). He wasn't bothered by the storm. And while the lions roamed about in the den, Daniel lay down and slept in the face of danger in perfect peace and calm assurance. Why? Because Jesus and Daniel each possessed a faith beyond the simple general faith every believer can have through hearing the Word.
Throughout the Bible we see how the gift of faith worked primarily for people who were in danger. And through this gift of the Spirit, they possessed a calmness and quiet assurance that was supernatural.
The working of miracles employs faith that actively works a miracle. But the gift of faith employs faith that passively expects a miracle as a sustained or continuous action. That means when it is necessary, there is a duration to the gift of special faith—it is ongoing in its action.
When the gift of faith is in operation, it may be that nothing is seen at the time to confirm that the person has his answer. Therefore, special faith may carry over a long period of time and be sustained or continued in its action of passively receiving a miracle.
For example, it was by the gift of faith that the patriarchs of old would lay hands on their children and pronounce a blessing or curse on them which would sometimes come to pass many years later.
We see this in the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This was the gift of faith in operation. By supernatural faith, special faith in operation, these patriarchs believed that what they said would come to pass, even if it took many years.
The gift of faith is a divine gift or enabling by the Spirit of God that causes what is spoken or desired by man, or spoken by God to ultimately come to pass.
The human or divine miracle, utterance, certainty, cursing or benefit, creation or destruction, removal or change, will eventually come to pass when it has been spoken under the inspiration of this gift of special faith.
As we appropriate the Word of God concerning the gifts of the Spirit, there shall come more manifestations of the Spirit of God in greater frequency than in the past. And there shall be great manifestations of God's power through the gifts of the Spirit. In this day and hour in which we live, these gifts of the Holy Spirit are necessary to bring about that which God desires to do in the earth.
by Kenneth E. Hagin.
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications
Rev. Hagin served in Christian ministry for nearly 70 years and was known as the "father of the modern faith movement." His teachings and books are filled with vivid stories that show God's power and truth working in his life and the lives of others.
