In all my reading of Luther, Calvin and the Puritans on union with Christ, I have NEVER come across an application relating to mountain-moving miraculous faith. Luther is a “cessasionist”. You will discover this when you come across his belief that the miracles ceased in his Galatian commentary when he comments on Galatian’s chapter 3 and verse 5 where the Spirit inspires Paul to write, “Does God lavish His Spirit on you and work miracles among you because you practice the law, or because you hear and believe?“

I like the Berean translation version for using that word, “lavish“. It speaks abundantly of God’s abundant grace in Christ. It reflects Romans 5:5 perfectly, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”

Such abundant grace! Again, in Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?” What more and what else can God give us than He Himself, in Christ, through His Spirit?

Back to union with Christ and mountain-moving faith. I take my cue from Jesus’s teaching on mountain-moving faith in Mark chapter 11. It is good to know the narrative of this passage, and then, the whole context of the gospel of Mark.

In Mark chapter 11, you will find Jesus visiting the temple in Jerusalem, and going in and out of it from Bethany at least twice. In one of His visits, Scripture records that Jesus is “hungry”. He spies a fig tree from afar and approaches it with anticipation for fruit and discovers none. He then curses it. True to Jesus, He never does something extraordinary without having a lesson to teach His disciples.

The following day, as Jesus and His disciples approach Jerusalem again, Peter comes upon the fig tree and is startled, perhaps even shocked, that the tree has withered to its roots.

Jesus responds to Peter’s astonishment with a teaching moment. Here are the teaching points:

1. Every miraculous act, whether it be a speech act, or act act, begins with “faith in God”.
2. Faith speech acts requires a definite saying that must contain the outcome of that faith speech act, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again“.
3. Prayer to God must believe that God has already given the petition requested at that moment of asking Him, before the sought need materializes.
4. Doubt cancels out that prayer. God will only respond to faith in His people, as clearly stated in Heb 11:6, “Without faith, impossible to please God”.
5. Forgiveness is crucial as unforgiveness is a stumbling block to faith for moving mountains.

I have heard, and found it written, how quite a number of pastors, theologians, and “thinkers”, have written and commented on this passage in Mark, as referring to Israel as the cursed fig tree. I have been in a Sunday worship where a Presbyterian minister, approved by Presbyterians, attested to by Gospel Coalition leaders, preached this point during his sermon.

I am still trying to figure out how he worked out this point of Israel as the cursed fig tree from the passage, and from the whole gospel of Mark.

Mark is unusual from the three other gospels in that the Inspired Writer of Mark is unusually passionate, and even in a hurry, to describe and write of Jesus’s works of miracles on behalf of the Jewish nation. Funny how others see that as Israel being cursed. I for one believe Greg Beale from his latest book, Union with the Resurrected Christ, that Jesus IS the new Israel, and all those whom God has called through the gospel to be saved and put their trust in Him, are part of the new Israel.

Coming back to Mark chapter 11, the whole point of Jesus’s teaching is that He is the Word Incarnate, and that faith in God means that what God says will come to pass. Jesus taught, “Have faith in God”. How can we understand Jesus’s words?

He is saying, “Have faith” “in God”. In God, we His believers, can exercise faith. It was by faith we were saved, not faith that is below, sensual and devilish (James 3:13-18), but at the moment of regeneration, the Word was made flesh in us, sparking faith to call upon the name of the Lord for salvation.

We see this in the Abraham narrative of Genesis chapters 12 until 22. God called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees. Such is the power of God’s Word that in the Calling, His word produces faith to energize and enable obedience to the call. It is what Augustine is famously remembered for stating, ““Give what you command [O Lord], and then command whatever you will.”

Such is the power of the Word of Christ that Christ Himself says in John 5:25, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” This verse fits so well with Ephesian’s narrative of the dead coming to live in chapter 2, verses 1 to 8. Whilst we were still “dead”, Christ died for us. Our dead hearts, our hearts of stone, hears the gospel of the word of the truth of Christ, and the power of God through the Spirit ignites faith in Him.

And this is the pattern throughout the life of the believer of Christ. He now has the “seed of God” (1 John 3:9). He is able by grace and faith to continuously “drink” of the Holy Spirit, or as Eph 5:18 puts it, “Be continually filled with the Spirit.“

And in the Spirit, and only in and by the Spirit, the believer who now has “faith in God”, can potentially move mountains! This mountain-moving faith is intrinsically connected to the words of certainty and faith which comes out of our mouths.

All throughout the Scripture we will find that Faith precedes a miraculous act. Abraham and his receiving the land of inheritance, and the child of inheritance. David and Goliath. David clearly spoke forth the outcome of his duel with Goliath before the outcome was realized or materialized. Abel by faith, offered a better sacrifice than Cain. Again, and again, all throughout Scripture, we read of God’s heroes of faith, took Him at His word, thinking and speaking His word, and acting in alignment with His word, and receiving the outcome of it.

God has blessed us with His Spirit who brings us by the word, into union with the Godhead. In Christ, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge is contained. And that passage in the Colossian epistle, chapter 2, from verses 1 to 10 makes it clear that “you have been made complete in Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”

Will we believe and act upon God’s thoughts of us? Will we let the Holy Spirit shape us according to God’s perspective contained in God’s Word, the Living Christ, out of the written word, instead of listening to sources that are earthly, sensual and demonic?

Or will be choose again and again, to “abide in Him, and let His words abide in us”? He that is joined to the LORD is one with Him in Spirit, 1 Cor 6:17. May we continue to walk in the Spirit who unites us with Christ, and engage in mountain-moving faith, not for our selfish and sensuous demands, for the sake of Him who loved us, and gave Himself for us, so that we can be salt and light to the world, so that the world may see the good works we do, and glorify our Father in heaven.