We will learn about the second level of faith. This is the level where a person tries to act by the Word, but the truth in the heart and the untruth in the heart still fight strongly. Because of this inner struggle, this stage feels the most difficult.
Reading Scripture:
“…I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of the Lord God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members…” (Romans 7:21–25, NASB)
When a baby is born, its name is recorded in the family register. In the same way, when we accept the Lord Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit, our names are written in the Book of Life in the Kingdom of Heaven. We receive the right to become children of the Lord God. This is the first level of faith. But because the person does not yet know the truth well, the person cannot live a life separated from the world. The person’s life may not look much different from life before believing. Only when the person listens to the Word of the Lord God and tries to act according to what is learned can the person reach the second level of faith.
1. The Second Level of Faith: Trying to Act by the Word
The second level of faith is “the faith that tries to act by the Word.” At this level, a person tries to follow the truth, but sometimes the person succeeds and sometimes fails. For example, the Word says to “keep the Sabbath holy.” But when something happens at home or at work, the person sometimes fails to keep the Lord’s Day. The person wants to obey the Word and pray without ceasing, but when busy situations arise, the person stops praying. When facing trials or hardships, the person tries to rejoice and give thanks, but at some point the person reaches a limit and begins to complain. When meeting someone whose thoughts or actions disagree with one’s own, the person tries to understand at first, but then suddenly becomes angry and argues. This inability to cast away the works of the flesh is the sign of the “faith of little children” (1 John 2:14), which is the second level of faith.
The Lord God does not judge faith by years of Christian life or by church positions. He judges faith by how much a person acts according to His Word. But a person with the second level of faith should not be discouraged. If the person does not give up and keeps trying, the Lord God will surely lead the person to greater faith. Even if the person cannot fully act according to the Word right now, the Lord God is pleased when He sees the effort to be changed.
When a person prays fervently and seeks the power of the Lord God, and keeps trying to act by the Word, the person can feel the heart changing. A person who used to commit sin ten times may commit sin nine times, then eight, then five, then three, then one, and finally no longer commits sin. As this change continues, the person grows toward the third level of faith.
2. The Second Level of Faith: The Most Difficult Stage in Christian Life
Believers in the second level of faith often feel that Christian life is very difficult. They have learned the Word of the Lord God and understand sin, righteousness, and judgment in their knowledge. But in their hearts, the world still feels pleasant, and they still want to act in untruth. The desire to live by the Word and the desire to commit sin are equal in strength, so this becomes the hardest stage in the life of faith. When the desire to commit sin becomes stronger, the believer cannot act according to the Word even though the person knows it. The fullness of the Holy Spirit decreases little by little. The heart becomes weary, and the person begins to neglect Christian life. But the Holy Spirit does not give up. Even for a weak soul like this, the Holy Spirit prays with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. This is what the Scripture says in “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26, NASB)
At the first level of faith, a person does not even know that sin is sin. Even after committing sin, the person does not feel sorrow or the groaning of the Holy Spirit. But after entering the second level of faith, when the person commits sin, the heart becomes weary, the fullness decreases, and the person feels pain. The person feels, “I should not do this,” and senses the groaning of the Holy Spirit. At this level, when the person obeys the Word, the person does not yet obey because of spiritual understanding. The person obeys the Word as a duty because the truth has been learned.
For example, a person who understands the meaning of the command “keep the Sabbath holy” does not find it hard to keep the Lord’s Day. Worshiping the Lord God, praising Him, and having fellowship with believers is joyful. Even if someone invites the person to a movie on Sunday, the answer is a clear “no.” But a person who has not understood the meaning of the Sabbath still hesitates when feeling tired. The person wants to rest at home and wonders, “Can’t I worship online?” When friends invite the person to travel on Sunday, two thoughts conflict: “I must keep the Lord’s Day,” and “Maybe I should go on the trip.”
At the second level of faith, the desire of the Spirit to follow the Word of the Lord God fights against the desire of the flesh to follow the world (Galatians 5:17). If the desire to follow the world is stronger, the person is more likely to break the Lord’s Day. If the desire to follow the Spirit is stronger, the person can keep the Lord’s Day. The struggle becomes the hardest when the two desires are fifty–fifty and equal in strength. When one side is much stronger, the heart naturally leans toward that side. But when both sides are equal, Christian life feels extremely difficult.
Romans 7:22–24 says, “For I joyfully concur with the law of the Lord God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” (NASB) This means that the heart of truth wants to do good, but the heart of untruth wants to commit unrighteousness and lawlessness. Because of this fight, the person feels weary and troubled.
The way to overcome quickly is to pray without ceasing and try hard to live by the Word. As much as the person practices the truth, the desire to follow untruth becomes weaker. Keeping the Word becomes easier, and Christian life becomes joyful. When this growth continues and the person can fully act according to the Word, the person enters the third level of faith. If the first and second levels of faith are like “milk-drinking believers,” then the third level of faith is like “solid-food believers” who can live by the Word of the Lord God.
Memory Scripture:
“Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 9:25, NASB)
Reference Scripture:
“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26, NASB)
“Thanks be to the Lord God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of the Lord God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.” (Romans 7:25, NASB)
