"And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs." (Mark 7:28) "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith...perseverance..." (2 Pet 1:5) The Bible clearly warns that without faith it is impossible to please. So naively many christians assume that faith is all you need to please God or receive from God or walk with God! The scripture in Hebrew 11:6 clearly states that He who comes to God must "first" believe. Belief (faith) is the first step, the primordial factor - after which we must add other things as the Apostle Peter and Apostle James clearly teaches in their respective epistle. The truth is that faith alone will not work. With faith must come other things, that is why we want to study about the faith that works..
In one of the most controversial stories in the Bible, Jesus greatly tested, in the most unlikely manner, the faith of a woman who had clearly come to make a prayer request for her ailing daughter. The Syro-Pheonician woman came to Jesus with faith, believing that Jesus alone will rid her daughter of the demon that troubled her, but Jesus shocked her with this reply:
"it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs." (v. 27)
Now if it were me, I would immediately start having second thoughts about Jesus. I will start questioning if He was really the Messiah, or if He was even sent by God. How could He call the woman a dog...A DOG! Hmmmmmm, But this woman was not going to be deterred by some cynical comment because her faith had come equipped. People who have just their faith will stumble in the face of adversity and opposition. This is why the Apostle Peter said to add to our faith - virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness - quite a whole lot to add to our faith, if you ask me.
And it is seemingly so, because without those additives our faith will not work. Little wonder Jesus exclaimed to her afterwards:
"O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish" (Matt 15:28)
Make your faith great today, make your faith work - to your faith, add perseverance!