What Does the Apostles’ Request to “Increase Our Faith” in Luke 17:5 Teach Us About Faith and Responsibility?

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Faith Is Not a Matter of Quantity but of Active Trust and Obedience

In Luke 17:5, the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” This request arose in the immediate context of Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness. Just one verse earlier, in Luke 17:4, Jesus stated, “If he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” This teaching likely felt overwhelming to the apostles. The demand for such persistent, unconditional forgiveness appeared to require a kind of strength or capacity they did not believe they possessed. Rather than object directly to Jesus’ words, they responded by appealing for greater faith. But the Lord’s answer in verse 6 is striking: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.“

Jesus’ response indicates that the issue is not the quantity of faith, but the presence of genuine, obedient trust in God. The mustard seed was proverbially the smallest known seed in Jewish culture, used metaphorically for something very small (cf. Matthew 13:31-32). Yet even faith this small, when exercised properly, is effective. The request of the apostles was framed as a need for “more” faith, but Jesus redirects them to the nature of true faith—obedient reliance on God’s power, rather than a larger, more intense inner feeling.

The Greek word used for faith here is πίστις (pistis), which denotes trust, belief, or conviction, always linked with action. Biblical faith is never passive; it is a response to God’s revelation. The apostles already had enough faith to follow Jesus, leave their livelihoods, and endure persecution. What they needed was not more in volume but more in application. This is why Jesus rebuked His disciples elsewhere for having “little faith” (Matthew 8:26; 14:31)—not because they had too small a measure of it, but because they did not act upon what they already believed.

Faith Does Not Remove Responsibility for Obedience

Luke 17:5 must also be read in light of the verses that follow. In Luke 17:7–10, Jesus gives a short parable about a servant. He asks if a master will thank his servant just because the servant did what he was commanded. The obvious answer is no. Jesus then concludes, “In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we’ve only done our duty.’” (Luke 17:10). This parable immediately follows the request for increased faith and serves as a direct response.

Jesus is teaching that faith is not about mystical empowerment or emotional confidence; it is about doing what is required—faithfully and humbly. The apostles wanted a stronger inner force to help them forgive as they were told. But Jesus emphasized faithful obedience, not inward enhancement. The faithful servant doesn’t need more credit or spiritual feelings; the servant needs to obey. Therefore, Jesus shifts the focus away from an emotional or mystical view of faith and places it squarely on action-based obedience grounded in trust.

This aligns with James 2:17: “Faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.” The apostles, like all disciples, were not meant to wait for some inner transformation before obeying—they were to act on what they already knew. The ability to forgive repeatedly, as Jesus commanded, did not depend on increased faith but on applied faith—faith that expresses itself through concrete obedience to God’s will.

Misconceptions About Faith and the Holy Spirit

Modern theology often misapplies this passage, suggesting that faith is a gift infused by the Holy Spirit into the believer, growing mysteriously from within. However, such an understanding lacks biblical support. The apostles’ request was not for the Spirit to mystically increase their faith, but an honest desire for the strength to carry out what seemed impossible. Yet Jesus does not say that faith will be increased by the Spirit’s indwelling. Rather, He reminds them that even a small measure of true faith, when combined with obedience, is powerful.

Faith does not come from a supernatural event within the believer, nor from some internal stirring of the Spirit. Romans 10:17 is clear: “Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.” Faith is developed through engagement with Scripture, understanding God’s promises, and living in accordance with His will. There is no biblical evidence that faith is given as a mystical gift to be passively received; it is the result of exposure to and obedience to God’s Word.

When Paul wrote to Timothy, urging him to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12), he did not tell him to wait for more faith but to act with the faith he already possessed. Likewise, Peter encourages believers to “make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love” (2 Peter 1:5-7). Faith is the beginning of Christian growth, but it must be nurtured through deliberate action.

The Power of Faith to Accomplish the Impossible—When Rooted in Obedience

Jesus’ illustration about the mustard seed and the mulberry tree is hyperbolic but instructive. The mulberry tree, with its deep and expansive root system, was considered almost impossible to uproot. Jesus uses this image to demonstrate that obedient faith—even small in quantity—has great power because it relies on God, not on self. However, this power is not automatic. It is not the result of a believer’s internal feelings or their so-called level of faith. Rather, it is the outworking of trust in God’s Word and the alignment of action with that truth.

Throughout Scripture, those who accomplished great things by faith were not guided by mystical impressions but by God’s instructions. Noah built the ark because he trusted God’s warning (Hebrews 11:7). Abraham left his homeland because he trusted God’s promise (Hebrews 11:8). Moses chose to suffer with God’s people because he believed in God’s future reward (Hebrews 11:24-26). In every case, faith resulted in obedience, even when the outcome seemed improbable.

Therefore, the apostles’ request for more faith should not be seen as a model for passivity or waiting on divine empowerment. It is an honest expression of their struggle, and Jesus’ reply corrects their understanding. They didn’t need more faith—they needed to act faithfully with what they already had. That remains true for all believers today.

Luke 17:5–6 stands as a reminder that faith is not a mystical force that ebbs and flows within. It is a conviction grounded in God’s truth and expressed through resolute, humble obedience. The ability to forgive repeatedly, to serve without seeking reward, and to endure hardship in righteousness—all these flow not from an abundance of internal feeling but from a commitment to trust and obey the Word of God.

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About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).