By the Faith of the Son of God

“I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20 KJV).

In my opinion, many of today’s modern translation Bibles have done a disservice to this passage. Most have translated it “by faith in the Son of God” rather than “by the faith of the Son of God.” For me, knowing that I am sustained by the faith of Jesus and not just my faith in Jesus, is a source of great assurance. One might ask, “What is the difference?” Allow me to attempt an explanation.

In Mark 4:35-41, we read, “On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there a fierce gale of wind arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? How is it that you have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

In this instance, the faith of the Son of God and faith in the Son of God are both on display. The faith of the Son of God allowed Jesus to sleep soundly during this great storm, resting completely in the will of His Father. The disciples certainly displayed faith in the Son of God for they awoke the sleeping Jesus and cried out to Him for help, help that He gave by calming the storm.

The faith of the Son of God allows one to rest in the Sovereign will of the Father, knowing that He always has our best interests at heart. Through the Prophet Jeremiah, God said, “’For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Like the disciples who displayed faith in the Son of God, my faith too, has limits. But when I fix my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:2), I find my faith moving into a supernatural realm where my trust in Him finds great and blessed assurance. Allowing me, as it were, a place to find rest in the storms that rage around me.