The definition of faith is a mental assent to God’s word.

With this being understood, we can define faith in context of the gospel already finished and the promises therein. In the finished atonement, I am already forgiven, and I am already healed, and I already have the blessing of Abraham, and my poverty has already been taken away. This was done by God’s work and has already been given to me as grace. I don’t beg God to do something to forgive me, because I am already forgiven. I do not beg and ask God to do something to heal me, because Jesus already carried my sickness away and by His stripes, I was healed. I assent to these truths and thank God for them.

When you ask God to forgive you and you thought you needed to provided something, or be sinless for a particular period of time and needed to pray in perfection, then no one would be forgiven. This misses the entire point of Jesus’ finished atonement. It is already done, and you already have these benefits. There is no begging, or gimmicks, its already yours.

Thus, I do not need perfection or need to pray in perfection, to cause God to forgive me, because Jesus already lived perfectly in my place and prayed perfectly for me as high priest. The whole point of the substitutionary atonement and unmerited favor, is that Jesus does this for you, you simply believe it. The same with healing. You do not need to act in sinlessness for 4 and a half days and then pray in perfected faith to get healed, because Jesus already carried your sickness to the cross, and already exchanged stripes for your healing. Faith believes this. That is it.

For example: Faith is not my love to God, but God’s love to me.

Faith is not me doing something for God, but God having already done something for me.

Faith is not me earing forgiveness by my actions and perfected prayers, but Jesus having already forgiven me by His atonement.

Faith is not me earning God’s favor to get healed, rather, faith is that Jesus has already earned my healing by His stripes.

I remember Andrew Wommack giving the example of Adam in the Garden and how God already provided them food. When God created the garden, God had already provided the food. Adam did not need to ask or beg God to give him food, for God had already provided it. How insane would it be for Adam to beg God for food surrounded by fruit? But this is how many relate to God, when they do not believe what He has already given us in Jesus Christ. This is how it is with forgiveness, healing and Abraham’s blessing. God does not peel the banana and then shove it down Adam’s throat. God as already provided the food, but Adam has to reach his hand to grab a cherry and eat it. Adam does not do something to earn a pear, it has already been given to him. This is the same with gospel benefits and faith. Faith grabs hold what is already been provided.

This benefits are like a person who was born without hands and God heals them so that they have arms and hands. Faith, is the person using theirs hands to grab and use them in normal activities. Many beg God to do something when they already have new hands but do not realize they have them.

I heard Andrew Wommack define faith as, “our positive response to what God has already done.” If this is used as the foundation definition for faith, then it is wrong. Faith is simply a mental assent to God’s truth. Andrews’ definition is a subcategory and narrow definition of faith, when applied to believing the finished benefits of the atonement. It is more like a combination of faith and the correct work or response to God’s given gospel benefits. In the context of Jesus’s power, authority and healing having already been given to us, our positive response is to believe God and then command the demon or sickness or mountain to get out. Our response is to grab the pear and eat.