Sometimes, in
Pentecostal/Charismatic circles, the claim is made that some people don’t
receive what they’re praying for because of a lack of faith. If they just
really believed God enough, they would see the healing, financial breakthrough,
salvation of a wayward child, or other miracle for which they are asking God.
Some people even treat faith as a spiritual “substance”—as though it had volume
and mass—that can somehow “tip the scales” in their favor, if only they have a
sufficient quantity of it.
A couple of verses from the
Gospels are sometimes used to support this idea.
And he did not do
many miracles there because of their lack of faith. (Matthew
13:58)
He could not do any
miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was
amazed at their lack of faith. (Mark 6:5–6)
The way these verses sometimes
get interpreted seems to treat faith as though it were a “power-up” in a video
game that increases the player’s strength. Faith, in this interpretation,
somehow increases God’s ability to work miracles.
