Faith is a gift from God, so we should pray for God to increase our faith (see Romans 12:3). Material riches tend to diminish our faith. Rich people tend to trust in wealth rather than trusting in God. God has chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith (see James 2:5). Often, the poorest people respond more readily to the Gospel. So those of us who are poor can consider ourselves blessed if our poverty moves us to be rich in faith. When we believe in Christ and receive him as our Lord, we are adopted as sons of God orb children of God (see John 1:11,12). Stringfellow writes that such adoption is greater than legal adoption. When parents legally adopt a child, they assume responsibility for the care of the child, but they cannot give the child their genetic qualities. But when God adopts us, we are made new by the power of the Holy Spirit. 13 So after salvation, we are not the same. Notice that we become adopted sons of God, but we are not equal to the unique or only begotten Son of God. Christ is always superior to us. 2. Repentance Closely related to faith is the doctrine of repentance (see Acts 20:21). To repent means to change one’s mind—to reconsider. It means to turn from sin and follow Christ (see Acts 3:19). When we experience true heartfelt faith in Christ, we change from following the ways of Satan to following the ways of Christ.
