This is only until the double lesson has been fully learnt: (1) that a living faith can rejoice in the Living God, even when feeling and experience appear to contradict the promise (Rom. 8:28, 29); and (2) that the divine life only predominates as the life of the flesh is held in the place of death, inoperative (Rom. 6:11a).
Knowing this, that the testing of your faith worketh patience (James 1:3).
This is only until the double lesson has been fully learned: (1) that a living faith can rejoice in the Living God, even when all feeling and experience appear to contradict the truth (Rom. 8:28, 29); and (2) that the Divine life only predominates as the life of the old man is held in the place of death, inoperative (Rom. 6:11a).
He was the example- the life-pattern for all who would become God’s children, by faith – they were not to copy what He did, but to live they way He lived – in submission to God.
God’s children became the Church, the new creation, which is His body - the Church, the fullness of Him” Ephesians 1:23. For 2000 years the church of Christ has been quietly growing into a corporate body, and God is bringing that new creation in Christ into His planned fullness: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: Ephesians 4:13.
Living by faith which comes from hearing and not by sight or signs or dreams – putting off the old man in Adam and putting on the new man in Christ – recognising our heavenly home is a greater reality that this sin-sick, cursed world. Many such writings have been on waiting – waiting God’s time and waiting God’s way.
By faith, Simeon knew that he would not see death, until…..
Faithful Men
Few have received such an astonishing promise, but those who did receive such a pledge, had to accept it, unquestioningly by faith..
by faith.
Elijah also knew, from the Spirit, that his transport awaited him – by faith.
And he was able, through the Spirit’s leading to grant his young disciples request.. for Elijah said: if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so.” 2Kings 2:10 your request shall be answered. By faith Enoch, Elijah, Simeon believed the promise and lived in expectant waiting. Enoch waited his translation. Elijah waited his transport and Simeon waited to see the Lord’s Christ. Enoch waited over 400 years and Simeon waited for the rest of his life. Their promise was given, accepted, believed and they waited – they waited in humble anticipation.
The Bible indicates that they were all men of prayer; men of praise; men of faith. Above all, it shows they were men who waited on God, and waited His timing.
To abide in ourselves is simply to try to do this living, and this working for the Lord, of ourselves; asking the Lord to help us to do it, instead of recognizing that a Life wholly pleasing to God has been lived and that faith appropriates that accomplishment in Christ.
That is available to faith, and faith says, Well, in myself the thing would be absurd, and to attempt the thing would be ridiculous; as to myself it would be folly to contemplate it.
You and I are brought into this realm of faith, wherein the simplest thing at the beginning, the taking of a first step, is sometimes fraught with horror for us.
Until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:13
for faith is a spiritual knowledge of Christ, which progresses into maturity.
As Son of God and Son of Man, He is the object of our faith – our expression of love.
Unity of the Faith
We are to grow in grace and in a knowledge of Him, until we all come to the unity of the faith..
until that wonderful day when “we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of Christ, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of His fullness of Christ.
Worthy Record
For thousands of years, such testimonials have affirmed the truth of God’s Word, and the Spirit of God has compiled this substantial witness into a worthy record – so that the Word of their testimony may bolster your faith and mine.
Great Stimulus
The witness of men and women of faith can be a great stimulus to our own trust, and these women and men who trusted God demonstrate what faith is all about. We live by faith and not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 – for without faith it is impossible to please Him.
Examples of Faith
As believers, we have been given a substantial testimonial, through a cloud of witnesses.
God wants us to trust Him; to believe in His Word; to have faith in Him alone, and so He gives an extended list of named saints and unsung heroes who exemplify faith.
Looking to Jesus
Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Faithful Stewards
The Holy Spirit calls to the witness stand a multitude of mighty men and women so that the church, which is His body, may be encouraged by their example. He calls to the podium examples of good and faithful stewards, who trusted God. He calls on church-age believers to unreservedly follow this example of faith – faith in the Son of God Who loved us and gave Himself for us.
Faith in God
Faith is the one element that unites this innumerable crowd that trusted their Lord.
Faith is the foundation that rivets together this mass of martyrs, so pleasing to God.
Faith is the component that is traced through the lives of this great cloud of witnesses.. for faith in God is what pleases the Father – believing His Word and trusting His faithfulness is what is demanded of each of us.
Testing of Faith
Now is a time of faith’s testing for the saints of God.
Life of Faith
The wicked ruled and seemingly escaped all the judgment they assuredly deserved..
But the Lord informed him far worse was to come and there was only one way to live: Faith – Faith – FAITH was the only answer he was given: but the just shall live by his faith.
Living By Faith
Habakkuk was to live by faith, in contradistinction to all that he saw in his surroundings.
Faith in God
Right in the midst of all the harsh and bitter judgment the Lord speaks.
Let us not fall to the enemy’s deceptive ploy of deep discouragement, but let us like Habakkuk become true prayer warriors – joining our intercessions with the prayers of the just of all the ages – who in the midst of great difficulties and mountainous trials, lived by faith in the Son of God.
Prayer of Habakkuk
Let us become like Habakkuk, an “Embracer of Burdens” – for right in the very middle of the most testing time when it seemed totally lost – in faith, Habakkuk sang his amazing sacrifice of praise: although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls... Hab.3:17-19
Many Religions, One God
There are many religions – but only one FAITH. There is only ONE God Who is faithful. There is only ONE God in Whom we can put our trust. There is only ONE God Who we can confidently love and be loved by. His ways are superior from the devised plans of man. His ways are unique and are disclosed to those that love Him. The one God Who is faithful can be reverently loved. He longs to draw men to Himself with His long, exquisite chords of love and He desires to woo His own into a privileged intimacy with Himself.
Paul tells us that: Abraham’s faith was counted to him as righteousness. We are His bond-slaves, and yet He is not only looking for servants… for His dear desire for you, is not just in getting the job done. We are His children, who delight to do His bidding..
Call of the Lord
He longs to tell you the precious thoughts of His heart… as He did with Abraham - shall I tell Abraham that thing which I do? But are we too busy to draw near in faith? Are we too fearful to open our ears – to hear His whispers of love? Happy is the one whom God chooses and draws into His counsel.
It is by deepening our faith in His promises that we can finally trust in His love.
Men of Faith
He would use the experience of Israel as an example for those that came after, and some Israelites chose to live godly and believe the Word of God, while other Israelites lived in unbelief and followed the ways of the pagan.
And many names and examples of men of faith are recorded in Hebrews 11.
These men of faith were exemplified by Abel; Enoch; Noah; Abraham; Jacob – and so the Seed of the woman was passed on and on.
Spiritual or Carnal
Some chose the spiritual way but many chose the carnal route. Some became men of faith but many chose to be faithless. Some were recorded in Hebrews 11 but many lost their opportunity.
Life of Faith
We are called to live by faith.. to live by faith and not by sight..
to trust in the One Who is to be trusted. We are also called to live a life of faith.. a life that relies on Him; a life that trusts in His love; a life that submits to His commands – a life that yields itself entirely into His keeping. When we look beyond the things of this life, heaven becomes more real than earth.
Oh, had we but faith to look through the lens of Him Who sees all; had we but ears of faith to hear His clear tones guiding our steps..
Confident Faith
When we can truly see Him Who is invisible, loss of worldly things count for naught.
Stand on these mighty scriptural truths in faith, and make these all-important truths from God an integral part of your life.
But while that life is in itself victorious, incorruptible, indestructible, the believer has to come, by faith, to prove it, to live by it, to learn its laws, to be conformed to it.
Heit was that needed to visit Jerusalem to rehearse these principles to the apostles. He was required to inform those who walked with Jesus three and a half years of new revelation, and throughout Paul’s epistles we see the great doctrines on which our faith rests.
And Paul challenges us in many different ways to examine ourselves: examine yourselves to see whether you be in the faith. 2Cor.13:5
Godly Focus
When Paul’s heart and soul and mind was set on the Lord Jesus, his life was one of victory, joy, faith and love... despite life’s circumstances.
It protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. `Galatians 3:24
The Perfect Law
The perfect Law became our tutor to lead us to Christ, so we may be justified by faith. It was Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a leader of the Jews who came to Jesus by night. Like all religious leaders he was a man who was separated unto legal righteousness. He knew every nuance of the Law and at this time he was the main teacher in Israel.
Search For Truth
Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher, for no one could perform the signs You do unless God was with him, were his opening words, that blessed night. Nicodemus was one of whom Paul spoke when he said that before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law – shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. But he was a man, searching for truth – and that night he found Truth incarnate.
Scripture is the sole authority on which our faith is founded and the singular guide to instruct us in our practical living.
We have the indwelling Holy Spirit and the Word of God to ensure our spiritual victory, if we will but yield to Him, walk by faith and appropriate all that God has provided, so that we can: abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
Redeemed by Faith
We started out dead in trespasses and sins, but Christ redeemed us by faith, in Him.
We were enemies of God but have been transferred into His kingdom by faith in Him.
By faith we have moved from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light:- from the kingdom of death to the kingdom of life; from the kingdom of sorrow to the kingdom of joy – from the kingdom of fear to the kingdom of love.
Faith Not Sight
Let us not rely on feelings, but on faith.. faith in His unswerving fidelity. And though we see Him not – and though His presence is shielded from our eyes, let us talk to Him and open our hearts to Him.
We are born again by faith, and we are to live anew by faith.
There are earnest Christians who are jealous for a free Gospel, with acceptance of Christ, and justification by faith alone.
While they firmly grasp the truth, justified by faith,' they have hardly noticed the larger truth, the just shall live by faith.' They have not yet understood what a perfect Saviour the Lord Jesus is, and how He will each day do for the sinner just as much as He did the first day when they came to Him.
They know not that the life of grace is always and only a life of faith, and that in the relationship to the Lord Jesus the one daily and unceasing duty of the disciple is to believe, because believing is the one channel through which Divine grace and strength can flow into the heart of man.
Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving (Col. 2:7).
He preordained that those chosen would be conformed into the likeness of His Son.. and God took the responsibility to save us body, soul, and spirit by grace – through faith. God Himself decided He would save us totally – for we could not save ourselves. And every promise of God is yours by grace, simply because you trusted His Word.
And Romans 5:1 tells us: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Preordained Acceptance
But God preordained that all who believe in Jesus are fully accepted in His beloved Son. The peace and love and acceptance of God is only through His beloved Son. Without assurance of this precious fact, many live a life of daily dissatisfaction. Without confidence in His Word, many spend their years in constant mistrust. If the failing beauty of a wife doesn’t influence the ardour of a devoted husband, how much more God’s never-failing acceptance is of the believer in Christ. God’s acceptance of you and His acceptance of me is based on one thing – the finished work of the Lord Jesus, on Calvary’s cross: being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.
God expects believers to respond to His word and His promises with faith.
God expects us to believe what He says and seek Him with our hearts – for without faith it is impossible to please Him.
Biblical Faith
Biblical faith is a confident trust in God’s character, ability, promises, and word.
Faith in His person, pledges, and revelation is the only response that God expects.
Faith is the only way we can appropriate all that God has given to us – His children..
Acceptance by God depends on faith in Christ – trusting His finished work.
God expects believers to respond to His word and His promises – with faith.
Confident Trust
Biblical faith is a confident trust in God’s character, ability, promises, and word.
Faith in His person, pledges, and revelation is the only response that God expects. And God Himself has told us in His Word that we are accepted. Now believe it… 'for it is to the praise of the glory of His GRACE, that we have been made accepted in the Beloved'.
It is a wonderful moment for the believer when we by faith occupy our standing in the favor of the Father - when we know that we are received by Him in all the acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We think of the Lord Jesus - His perfections, His suitability to divine favor, His infinite acceptance with the Father - and by faith, we have access into the favor of which He is so worthy. -C.A.C.
This is the way of certain triumph; to accept God's will, however painful it may be, and to trust Him in the certain faith that His will must triumph in the end.
The germ of faith will outlive the sternest winds and roughest seas.
Nature or disposition may have much to do with our external manner, but it is faith in our Father which stands the wear of years, and the sorrows of life.
Testing of Faith
God permitted Satan to 'smite' Job in this unseen realm of spiritual warfare... not because God was having sport with Satan… or Job; not because God was indifferent about Job’s bitter anguish; not because God was angry with Job or unresponsive to his torment.
Job was a man of faith – ..one that feared God. Job 1:1
Exemplary Faith
God permitted Satan to 'smite' Job in this unseen realm of spiritual warfare, because Job was a man of exemplary faith, within his generation; because Job was a man that was more deeply trusted by the Lord than most.
Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying AGAIN a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God…Hebrews 6:1
For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.Ephesians 2:8-10
Threefold Promise
Salvation is 100% God’s by grace through faith.
A believer who trusts God’s word in this matter will live his life the grace-promise-faith way.
The grace-promise-faith way is God’s way, but the law-works-merit way is the way of the flesh.
The one who doesn’t live grace-promise-faith way doesn’t negate his eternal security in Christ, but will live a defeated Christian life, for eternal security “kicks-in” immediately at rebirth, and each person of the Godhead guarantee their eternal security.
All-Embracing Guarantee
God’s guarantee of eternal and life is for all believers, whether they choose to live the grace-promise-faith way or ignore God’s word and live the law-works-merit way.
When we trust God’s promise of eternal life, it delights His heart: for without faith it is impossible to please Him,
With regards to the Christian walk (sanctification) a believer either lives the grace-promise-faith way or the law-works-merit way.
From the moment a sinner believes in Christ by faith, God undertakes to keep that believer eternally secure, and it remains God’s responsibility from that day forward, for we are all accepted in the Beloved – forever,
And let us seek to live by faith and not by sight and to live the grace-promise-faith way rather than the law-works-merit way.
Exercising Faith
‘My grace is sufficient”, is the truth of the Scripture, given to all believers.
If scripture is not trusted as God’s word, His grace will not be sufficient, for God requires us to trust Him, and to just take Him at His work: for by grace you are saved, by means of exercising faith.
Exercising Faith
And Scripture tells us why things go wrong and how to deal with them.
to take Him at His Word: for by grace you are saved – by means of exercising faith In Jesus..
by means of exercising that same faith in Him, and Jesus told us through Paul:-My grace is sufficient.
What of the faith that would remain fallow, but for the deep, chill of life’s bitterest waters?
Did you not cry out to Him:- 'Give me grace?' Did you never seek Him for a deeper faith? If this is what you truly desire, should you not consider how the jewels of grace are cut and polished? Should you not contemplate how the gold of faith is refined and purified?
His Refining Fire
Are these nothing but unconscious cries, to be tried in His refining fire..? An inner longing to be honed to His perfection, under the great Craftsman’s ‘tool’? Is not GRACE discovered through the crushings of life’s journey? Is not FAITH exercised as the storms of life assault our very foundations? Does not Faith flourish and Grace grow, through the Master’s sanctifying trials?
Growing Grace – Flourishing Faith
Grace when the sun is shining Lord,Grace when the sky is black.Grace when I get the unkind word,Grace then to answer back,Grace when I’m pushed into a nook,Grace when I get my turn.Grace when the dinner will not cook,Grace when I let it burn.
He must appropriate this triumphant, imperishable, enduring life – BY FAITH.
But while that life is itself victorious, incorruptible, indestructible – the believer has to come, by faith, to prove it... to live by it, to learn its laws, to be conformed to it.
They must be appropriated to work effectively in our everyday life – and this is done in the same way that we were saved – by FAITH.
Deposited Gift
In his 'Green Letters', Miles Stanford explains “appropriating” like this: How often we simply admire and talk about the truths the Holy Spirit reveals to us in His Word, whereas His primary purpose in giving them to us is that we might stand upon them in faith, waiting confidently for Him to make them an integral part of our life.
Time Element
By faith, we stand and seize hold of them.
By faith, we start to appropriate them.
It is by faith that we grow in them and it is by faith that we walk in them – until through simple trust these scriptural truths become inherent in our life in Him.
By Faith
May we all appropriate all that we have in Christ – by faith.. so that He may work through us be glorified in all we think and do and say – by faith
the promise of a relationship with Him through faith and prayer and worship.
If we went around rushing headlong into life in fearless ways we wouldn’t have to exercise our faith, so it’s normal and healthy to worry about that exam coming up..
In allowing fear to ‘seize your troubled mind’ we allow it to seize our hearts, our faith, our lives, The wonderful part of Amazing Grace is the promise that Father God’s grace can relieve your fears, if you cast your cares upon Him – and if leave your worries and fears at the foot of the cross.
It’s only by maturing in my faith and by looking back on my life, and seeing Father God’s hand on my life and the evidence of His grace abounding in me and my life, that I come to a place of peace, pain-free and in the perfect state of grace.
Jesus was a godly man; a man of faith; a man that trusted God in all things.
He walked in spirit and truth and humbly said, Thy will not mine be done. Jesus was indeed the example of godliness – a man who walked by faith.
Throughout God’s word, we are directed to the necessity of faith for godly living.
Three times in the epistles the truth booms out – the just shall live by faith.
Living by Faith
The father of faith – Abraham, is singled out as the primary example of a godly life.
And a countless cloud of witness testifies to the import that God places on faith.
They were a multitude of God’s people who lived by faith and pleased the Lord; a group of men and women who lived by faith and not by sight, for without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6
Man of Faith
Christ Jesus our Lord also lived by faith and Christ Jesus our Lord pleased God.
Christ Jesus our Lord was God’s chosen and ultimate example of a man of faith.
Perfect Example
Though 100% God, the Lord Jesus Christ was the perfect example of a Man that lived by faith.
Just as Mary willingly and trustingly submitted to the work of the Holy Spirit in her, by faith – let us follow her example and like her be prepared to say; be it unto me according to Your Word.
Rest Of Silence
Oh, what a joy it is when earthly friends whose sensitivity towards each other, and love for each other can just sit in silence and wait in perfect understanding – just resting in the presence of the other. How much more should it be when the Lord Himself should so desire that we prove our love and friendship to Him, by asking us to wait. To wait for Him in secret silence. And in so doing, assuring Him that our love for Him is constant, and our faith in Him can stand the test of His silence,
Man of God
Paul was a man who loved his Saviour and a man whose service to his Lord is one that we hold up as an example of a great man of faith – a man of God that we ourselves would seek to emulate, and yet his comparatively short life in the ministry was one that was engulfed by an overabundance of problems and difficulties – a ministry that was packed from start to finish with unbelievable severities and significant hardships.
Strong in the Faith
While his enemy sought to do their worst, Paul discovered the inexhaustible supply of the peace of God, the joy of the Lord, the sufficiency of His Master and the blessed hope..
It warns of sloth and backsliding, of refusal to be conformed into His image. It gives consequences of yielding to the flesh; lack of faith; resisting the Spirit..
but it also gives a wonderful list of those that lived by faith and not by sight: those that looked for a city, Whose Builder and Maker is God.
Perfect Process
Take heed to the warnings in its pages. Follow the example of men and women of faith who trusted God..
Faith and Faithfulness
Remember, it all depends on faith and faithfulness. Do not fall short of the grace of God by refusing to listen to Him. Take heed of Israel’s shortcomings and loss – and be warned. Remember – He will change your heart if you just change your mind. But you must first be prepared to change your mind, and if you are… just let Him know.
Lying Influences
Circumstances of life and wickedness in the world may seem to scream the reverse, but you must never base your faith in Christ Jesus on your feelings – nor must you allow the circumstances of life to influence your trust in God.
Feeling or Faith
Feelings will lie, and circumstances can fabricate the truth of God’s word. Your faith is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ and His righteousness – and because you are in Him, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to you.
The kissing cousin to faith in God’s word, is appropriating the truth in our heart.
But while that life is itself victorious, incorruptible, indestructible, the believer has to come by faith to prove it, to live by it, to learn its laws, to be conformed to it.
Once we become aware that our sovereign Father is reigning and is in full control, our faith becomes a set attitude and we are able to honor Him by resting in His faithfulness under all circumstances.
Joseph gives a wonderful example of a man who does not know what God is doing and yet who by faith cooperates with Him at every step of the way.
And Paul exhorts us to: follow righteousness, faith, charity, and peace. 2 Timothy 2:22 But so often breeches are widened, bitterness is intensified and anger is excited.
Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.1Corinthians 16:13
Why does He seemingly turn His back and apparently walk away from our despair? Why does He delay when His word overflows with contrary pledges of deliverance? Why tax His dear one’s trust and exhaust His precious child’s hope of deliverance? Why does He allow faith to be torn to shreds due to His apparent, uncaring delay?
as hearts grow faint and weary and faith flickers dimly as God still delays.
Appointed Times
Many bewail their own perceptions of His return and cry “The Lord delays….” causing the Lord to ponder the question of the faith of His servants: when the Son of man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?
THIRD) He even uses delay to test and strengthen our faith in Him, and He will use delay in our lives to the point of exhaustion.
Trust His Delays
But He does it in His own way and He does it in His own time. We are simply required to trust His decision and to have faith in His delays.
New Life in Christ
The new life in Christ should be nurtured, while the old sin nature must be subdued, and though all Christians are positionally sanctified, (set apart unto God), we must also grow in our Christian life to be practically sanctified – and it’s all by grace. Whether we are talking about our sanctified position or the sanctifying process that continues throughout life – our spiritual growth, our growing in grace, our maturing in the faith and the good works that God has prepared for us to do, are ALL by grace.
Bridge of Faith
In a world, (or in a man), that does not know the Lord Jesus Christ – He cannot reign as king, nor can He impart righteousness to those who do not believe in His name. Condemnation is removed from ALL those that trust in the Lord Jesus Christ – BUT ALL who reject God’s free gift of grace are already condemned – because of unbelief. There is a great divide between the two which can only be bridged by faith.
Chasm of Unbelief
Eternal life is one of many gifts that’s bestowed on all who believe in God’s Son, BUT ALL who reject the gift of grace are eternally separated from God – due to unbelief. There is a huge chasm between the two – which can only be crossed by faith.
but there is a great divide that can only be bridged – by FAITH.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith– and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
John and Romans
The two books of the Bible considered as the clearest and best explanation on how to be saved, are to be found in the gospel of John – and in Paul’s epistle the Romans. Both men, in their own unique writing style and language, explain that God’s gift of saving grace for all men, is simply by believing on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. John says that grace came through Christ and whoever believes on Him will be saved. Paul reminds us that salvation comes through faith alone – that it might be of grace. But one issue confuses and confounds many people – the issue of repentance.
By Believing
John wrote his gospel so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God – and that by believing we might have life, but he NEVER uses the word ‘repentance’. Paul in his letter to the Romans gives step-by-step instructions on how we are justified, sanctified and glorified by grace, through faith – but only uses the word ‘repentance’ a couple of times..
God-Breathed
Is it possible that these two giants of the faith, who were moved by the Spirit to write Scripture, could have misunderstood salvation, or is there another explanation? As all scripture is God-breathed, it is impossible for John and Paul to give incorrect teaching on how to be saved..
Integral Not Additional
If John and Paul clearly teach that salvation is the gift of God’s grace alone, by faith in Christ how can we reconcile the issue of repentance.
Should we not repent of our sins? Indeed, we should ‘repent’ of our sins, but repentance has to be understood as being an integral part of believing on the Lord Jesus Christ – and not an addition to faith.
Grace Thru Faith
John and Paul taught that salvation is by God’s grace alone – through faith alone.
a change of attitude – a change of heart. An integral part of scriptural repentance must include believing on the Lord Jesus… salvation – a gift of God – by grace alone – through faith alone.
Work of Christ
If we don’t repent or change our mind – we remain dead in our trespasses and sins. When we do repent or change our mind about God’s free gift of grace, that is offered to all sinners who are dead in trespasses and sins we are born again.. and the Holy Spirit places us in Christ as part of God’s family – FOREVER. Let us never add to the amazing work of Christ on the cross when by His blood alone He paid the price for your sins and mine. But rather let us simply accept God’s free gift of grace – by faith alone.
Seeker-Friendly
In this sin-sick world sincerity, love and truth are becoming very sparse. It has infiltrated Christendom with a seeker-friendly gospel. It has spread between brothers in the faith as they try to appease each other. It has penetrated truth in relationships when one won't risk upsetting another.
Now faith is the assurance that what we hope for will come about and the certainty that what we cannot see exists.Hebrews 11:1
Unique Faith
Biblical faith is unique. Biblical faith makes a clear distinction between the Creator and the creature.
Biblical faith is founded on the fact that God is God and we are not.
Biblical faith is believing God’s Word and trusting God to keep His word.
Faith is man’s response to the promises of God and God expects us to trust Him. But biblical faith can only be biblical faith if Jesus is central to our belief.
Factual Faith
God does not go out of His way to try to prove that He exists.
Genesis. 1:1 Either we exhibit faith and believe it or we reject it – there’s no middle ground.
Established Faith
God tells us the truth in His Word and expects us to respond by believing Him.
Faith is implemented through hearing the Word of God and God’s plan for man..
and faith is established by believing the Word of God and Christ’s finished work.
Saving Faith
If we believe on Jesus as saviour then we are saved – period.
Only when we believe on Christ, as saviour, does biblical faith really kick in.
Wisdom and Power
Biblical faith is for the believer – not the non-believer.
Biblical faith not only expects us to believe His Word but to act upon it.
Biblical faith is founded on truth – on facts, and not on experience of feelings. Biblical faith is rooted in the truth of God’s Word, with Christ as its central object.
Faith is not a 'good work' done for God, nor does faith have any merit or reward.
Faith is a non-meritas response to the gospel of God.
Faith has no room for human worthiness – but is based on Christ’s righteousness. It is not faith that merits salvation – but faith that gains access to God’s gift of grace.
Free-Will Choice
Faith is a free-will choice made by the individual, in response to the Word of God. Faith is the only possible response that God accepts – and salvation is the outcome. But unbelief is also a free-will choice, and only condemnation follows unbelief.
The issue in faith is not how much faith you have but in Whom you place your trust.
Simple Facts
Biblical faith is not an escape from reality or a retreat into some private little world.
Biblical faith is not some airy-fairy fingers-crossed hope – or based on legalistic laws.
Biblical faith is not a conditioning programme or a form of unthinking indoctrination.
Biblical faith is not based on feelings and emotions... or the false prosperity teachings.
Biblical faith is not a political movement, a social club, or a 'do-goody' congregation.
More Simple Facts
Biblical faith does not take the gospel and repackage into a feel-good programme.
Biblical faith does not pretend to have extra-biblical revelation or esoteric disclosures.
Biblical faith has confidence in God’s character, His Word, His ability, and promises.
Biblical faith makes a clear distinction between the Creator and His creatures.
Established Faith
Biblical faith is simply believing God’s Word and trusting God to keep His word.
Many think that because of faith they are cleared of everything before God through the Cross, and therefore by faith they are clear of everything in themselves.
But that is the error of holiness by faith.' The objective (position) is that we are clear before the Father; the subjective (condition) is that we are cleared from ourselves by the growth ministry of the Holy Spirit.
As you by faith in the positional facts realize that you are in the Father's presence, you will not try to depend upon any sense of His presence.
You know His presence because you know that your position in the Christian life is a life of faith in the facts - nothing else.
That the Father forces you to live by faith so as to draw you into His presence - not you, by sense, trying to draw Him into yours. -M.J.S.
But in the Word of our Father, faith reads our abundant title to be near to Him and happy with Him, though natural conscience and our sense of the fitness of things would have it otherwise.
Faith feeds where the moral sensibilities of the natural mind would count it presuming even to tread. -J.G.B.
The moment we walk by sight we are outside of faith.
The Father would never have us outside of faith; hence, even in answering faith, He so answers it that we need it again the next moment, even while we are enjoying the results of it. -J.B.S.
Growing In Grace - STUDY
For you are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ.Galatians 3:26
Positional Truth
We are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus and this verse can also be translated: it is through faith in Christ that all of you are sons in union with Christ. These believers knew about their heavenly heritage and their position in Christ, for in the next verse we read: for as many of you as were baptised into Christ have put on Christ.
We are simply asked to believe, trust, and have faith in the inspired Word of God.
Now this truth from God is a simple fact of our Christian life, but sadly many Christian revert to the old ways of the law – saved by grace through faith but living under law.
Justified by grace through faith but trying to be sanctified under the law.
Never forget the privileges of son-ship only come the “grace-faith-promise” way and cannot be acquired the “law-works-merit” way.
A Full Study Of JOB
Spiritual Conflict
Job’s belief was that God only blessed and prospered the upright, man of faith – but calamity after contradictory calamity conflicted with his creed.
A Dark Glass
And though Job lost his plain, precise, exact, explicit hold on God…. (that is his 'creed' – his limited understanding of God) – yet Job maintained his unshakable, unqualified, implicit, hold on the Lord…. ( that is his FAITH – his trust in God.)
Job’s revelation of the Lord was incomplete, yet Job held fast to his creed, despite overwhelming odds – triumphant in faith, as God (over time) unfolded more and more of His revelation to Job’s spiritual eyes.
both individually and corporately, until we come to a unity in our faith – and deeper knowledge of Christ Jesus.. until we are all mature in the faith – until the body of Christ reaches its full stature, even the fullness of Christ Jesus.
May we continue to build and be built, until we all come to unity in the faith. May we be fitly framed together – speaking the truth in love as we grow in grace. May we walk in humility and gentleness, patience and love.
In Hebrews Ten it is calmly claimed for believers, who are exhorted in the strongest terms to approach by faith the Father's presence without a doubt or a cloud, now.
His faith is not so strong and unwavering as he imagined; the ardor of his love soon vanishes; the power of sin, which at first he fancied was utterly broken, makes itself felt again, prayer becomes languid, and joy seems to have taken flight.
“In other words, the Father leads him into the valley, and lest he should make an idol of his faith, and a wellspring of a cistern, he is taught something of himself.
Kept by the power of God through faith (1 Peter 1:5).
The one is a life of endeavor, always being keyed up to do something greater; the other is a life of faith always looking to the Lord Jesus to reveal the next step and then give the enablement to carry it out. -H.G.
By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.Hebrews 11:4
Question of Faith
It is never a question of feeling.
It is only a question of faith..
faith as an accomplished fact – faith wrought in the soul of a sinner by the work and power of the Holy Spirit.
Faith is not the fancies and fleeting feeling of the heart.
Faith is not the assent of the human intellect.
This reduces faith to the human level rather than God’s wonderful work and wisdom.
And Able learned this unique and only sufficient lesson of Faith, of shed blood.
He heard the truth, and he believed and had faith.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word – the Word of God.
Romans 10:17. Faith has to do with God and what He is and what He says and not man – never man. Faith has to do with God’s eternal Word..
Spiritual man, as pictured by Abel, has understood this by faith for 6000 years.
Precious Principle
But faith is the precious principle that has its roots and its resolution in God: for without faith it is impossible to please Him.
Faith justifies the soul: being justified by faith, we have peace with God.
Faith purifies the heart: purifying their hearts by faith.
Faith is key that works by love: faith which worketh by love.
Faith overcomes the world: the victory that overcomes the world..
even our faith. 1 John 5:4
Faith Looks to God
Man’s wisdom and works, feelings, and sentiments can never accomplish such results!!
They belong to nature and the earth – faith belongs to God and to heaven.
They look inward to Self and downward to the world – faith looks out and up to God.
They leave the soul in darkness and doubt – faith leads it into light and peace.
They look at Self’s fluctuating condition – faith has to do our position in Him.
They consider Self’s achievements – faith sees Christ’s eternally enduring Sacrifice.
Fruit of Faith
The fruit of faith may indeed produce spiritual feeling and truthful sentiments, but the fruit and result of faith must never be confused with faith itself.
I am not justified by a combination of faith and feeling – impossible.
I am justified by faith – and simply and only faith in Him …….
Faith Not Works
Because faith believes God.
Faith believes His God-breathed Word.
Faith believes His Word is Truth.
Faith takes God at His Word.
Faith apprehends God as He has chosen to reveal Himself in the person of Jesus.
It is seeking to appease God rather than having faith in God’s Word
Salvation by grace through faith is certainly the most wonderful news that any sinner can be told but the Christian life is not an easy path to tread and all too frequently suffering and pain comes in its wake.
and we should heed Paul’s advice to the church at Thessalonica: we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God, for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations, and that ye endure. 2Thess.1:4, and we should also follow Paul’s example, when he writes to the Corinthians: I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.
If He did, you would not be free from your self-confidence; you would not learn to fight the good fight of faith and thus obtain the victory which the Master has won; you would not learn to say the Lord Jesus only,' but you would still continue to say Jesus and I.'
By faith we see our sins not only on His head for our pardon, but sin under His feet for our deliverance.
We are not only to take by faith the fact that the Lord Jesus died for us to pay the price and penalty of our sins, but we are to appropriate by faith the fact that He also took us to the Cross with Him.
So the story of the pathway of faith begins with Calvary and our identification with the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. -G.M.
This will not only result in avoiding outward sin which can mar our testimony, but will prevent us from entertaining the inward sins, which so easily ensnares us:- lack of faith as well as jealousy, pride, bitterness, lust, un-forgiveness, fear.
Focus of Rest
'But how you ask. 'How do you reach the rest that He has promised you?' Turn away from the visible, if you would possess the invisible. Take time with the Lord Jesus and gaze on His loveliness. Fix the eyes of your heart on Jesus and away from the world’s ugliness. Turn away from your own efforts and from faith in yourself, and allow Him to occupy your thoughts until He is resting within your heart. Come away from all else and set your heart, your thoughts, your mind on Jesus.
Grace Thru Faith - STUDYProduct of Saving Faith
Living by faith is a foundational fact of the Christian dispensation, and that means that we just believe what God has said in His Word, for we live by faith and not by sight. 2 Corinthians 3:7 Accepting that we are 'accepted in the Beloved', is another fact of this Church age.
Process of Sanctifying Faith
So after the product of initial faith, is the process of sanctifying faith.
This truth we are to hold by faith and it is true of each of us.
for if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17a Second, as we hold to this fact by faith, we are brought into the practical reality of it day by day in our experience.
and we can rebel or we can submit. We can remain a babe in Christ – OR we can mature in the faith. We can get stuck feeding on the milk of the word – OR we can start to eat strong meat. We can grieve and quench the Spirit’s work in our lives – OR we can grow in grace. All these are vital principles of the Christian life – and all these truths are foundational gospel facts and Jesus is coming back very soon – are you ready?
SECOND: we hold to this truth, as a God-spoken fact, and we do so by faith.
It is a matter of receiving by faith; walking by faith; appropriating by faith.
The riches of the fullness of the revelation of the mystery of our Christian faith, is seen in the lovely face of the One perfect human personality of Jesus Christ.
Growing In Grace - STUDY
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, for by it the elders obtained a good report.Hebrews 11:1-2
Elders of the Faith
Hebrews 11 tells us a lot about faith, which is trusting God and believing His word.
It tells us a lot about the confidence and conviction of the elders of faith in Hebrews 11, and how they gained approval from God, because they trusted Him.
We are told that:– faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, and by it the elders obtained a good report.
But like them we too can gain a good report, by faith.
President For Faith
When viewed from todays perspective, what amazing faith these Old Testament saints exhibited, and what lack we demonstrate today.
Enoch had no evidence of a rapture, but he walked by faith, and God took him.
Noah had no visible outward proof that the waters of judgment would swamp the earth, but he obeyed God, by faith and Abraham owned no land and had no evidence of his innumerable descendants – but He trusted God.
Confident Assurance
None of the saints in Hebrews received the promises, but they lived in the confident assurance that God is faithful: and these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise.
Parallel Statements
Can any one of us honestly say that we exhibit a fraction of the faith of such men?
Visible and Invisible
We read that 1) Faith is the substance of things hoped for (things in the future) and 2) Faith is the evidence of things not seen (invisible things).
So faith is the confidence of things hoped for.
Tangible and Intangible
Faith in an inner confidence and conviction about future things..
But the invisible and intangible is perceived by faith, and is founded on a confidence in God.
Spiritually Discerned
God is an invisible reality, Who has to be seen with the eye of faith and He becomes a tangible reality by inner confidence and conviction – by faith.
The truth of God is outlined in Scripture and like God, Himself, is spiritually discerned, by faith.
Position in Christ
Believing our position in Christ is an inner confidence and conviction, received by faith.
Believing in the indwelling Spirit is an inner confidence and evidence of things not seen, by faith.
We trust the many promises of God required by faith in the confidence (hypostasis) of things not seen.
Let us accept His word by faith, for faith is the confidence of future things and the evidence of things not seen – for without faith it is impossible to please God.
Grace Thru Faith - STUDY
How Blessed
How blessed..
the one that can watch the dried brook and trust in God’s unfailing faithfulness; the one that holds an empty cruise of oil and yet believes in God’s provision; the one that stands by the Red Sea’s raging waters and expects his deliverance; the one whose barren womb can spring forth with life, by faith – the one who amidst the flooding tsunamis of life, can simply rest in His love. How blessed the one that is not living at crossed purposes with the purpose of God.
And yet to this same staunch and dedicated servant, He gave His reassurances.. Satan has desired to sift you as wheat but I have prayed for you that your faith fails not.” Luke 22:31
John 4:34. But assault after assault was made upon His faith and His obedience… sometimes through the direct taunts and attacks of the tempter and sometimes subtle suggestions of family and His dearly loved friends… to leave His path of total dependence on the Father. Sometimes through the persistent criticism and accusations of religious leaders – whose hearts were set to discredit and denounce Him.
Our Testings
We all face some of the most trying and testing days ahead – as the world crashes. Areas of testings that once seemed remote, will increasingly knock on your door. Satan knows His time is short and seems to be multiplying his attacks on the saints. He seeks through whatever means to shipwreck the faith of true believers. He searches out areas of greatest vulnerabilities, and chips away in his vile manner. But the Lord continues to pray for all His disciples:- I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail. Let us keep the faith and not waver in our trust in our great and mighty God.
And the life…(the new life ~ which is Christ in me and I in Him) … the life, which I now live in the flesh.. (my natural physical body) – I live by the faith of the Son of God – Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.
In 2 Corinthians 4:8 we are: hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, while in James 1:3 we read: knowing that the testing of your faith produces PATIENCE.
Testings by Suffering
But remember that the testing of your faith produces long-suffering and gentleness.
Challenge to Faith
It is easy to worship and trust when immersed in the glories of His person and presence. It is more challenging, to remain faithful through the dark cloud of disappointment.
It’s more discouraging to trust when faith seems to be taxed beyond breaking point.
Just to be able, through testing, trial, when everything is blowing round you like a blizzard; when everything is dark, mysterious, and even God seems far away and unreal, and faith is tested and you are being assailed on the right hand and on the left, and there is every reason outwardly for your moving, giving up, falling down, surrendering, lowering your standard, just to stand and not be moved in your faith is the greatest possible victory.... We are passing through deep experiences, the enemy is doing it and the Lord is not preventing him, but we are coming to a fuller knowledge of the power of our God and a deeper rooting beyond all previous shakeableness.
Our Father often uses our failure to foster and fortify our faith.
Faith is dependence upon the Father.
And only then do we find that we have learned the lesson of faith; to find our tiny craft of life rushing onward to a blessed life of fruitfulness and service undreamt of in the days of our fleshly strength and self-reliance.
If we take the eye of faith off the Father, our souls must soon be overwhelmed.
We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith groweth exceedingly (2 Thess. 1:3).
Grace Thru Faith - STUDY
Need for Faith
Every true-born child of God longs to have faith, more faith, much faith..
For without Faith it is impossible to please God.
Most of us have prayed for more faith, desiring to be like a spiritual giant in the faith..
Growth of Faith
Yet the truth is that real faith is always increased by opposition and trials.
Oh 'false' confidence may damage, discourage of even destroy dishonest ‘faith’..
but real faith in the One Who can be trusted – will be sharpened and honed– but it takes time… and it takes pain.
Trial of Faith
Every great man of God in Scripture or church history finally saw Peter’s truth.
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto the praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:7
Food of Faith
Saving Faith is instantaneous... and praise God it is finished at the time of rebirth.
Sanctifying Faith is the slow, long-term build-up of trust over an entire lifetime..
and little by little; line by line, God slowly delights to increase His children’s faith.
Ironically trials, obstacles, difficulties, and even defeats are the food of faith.
God Dependence
But faith is absolute and unconditional dependence upon God – believing His Word.
Faith is accepting unquestioningly His Word as fact..
Faith is dependence..
And God in His wisdom needs to demolish all self-dependence in order to build real faith, as one by one He removes every particle of support on which we’ve come to rely..whether it be a person or a place; a creed or a reputation– whether it be through bereavement; ill-health; poverty; pain or disappointment.
Lesson of Faith
One great saint describes it this way:- Faith is dependence upon God.
And only then do we find that we have learned the lesson of faith; to find our tiny craft of life rushing onward to a blessed victory of life ….
Full Dependence
Every true-born child of God longs to have faith, much faith, more faith..
Our having been crucified with the Lord Jesus was to make the body of sin of none effect while we live by faith, but the old man can become active and dominant in the walk of the believer when faith becomes dormant and inactive.
It may take a day or a month, I do not know how long, but I do know that when any child of God will believe and begin to express that faith in thanksgiving, day by day thanking Him for the fact which one may not yet have experienced, the Holy Spirit will lead that one into a glorious personal realization of his identification with the Lord Jesus in His death, burial, resurrection and ascension. -L.L.L.
There can be no prayer in the full assurance of faith apart from the known will of God in the matter.
The Lord may see it needful, for the trial (development) of faith, to seem for a season not to regard our supplications; yet, if we patiently and believingly continue to wait upon Him, it will be manifest in His own time, and way, that we did not call upon Him in vain. -G.M.
In faith we apprehend the growth truths; in fact the Lord Jesus apprehends us for growth in those truths.
It must be a matter of distinct faith.
Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness' (Rom. 4:3), when his faith apprehended the promise of God; yet it was nearly 40 years after that this Scripture was fulfilled, when he offered his son.
The faith had its apprehension and enjoyment for many a year before the work of faith.
Our Father has placed us in eternal and living union with His Son, that He, not we, may be. Moreover, He has placed His Holy Spirit eternally within us that He, not we, may “do.” Further, He has given us the necessary faith and Scripture that we may rest in this wonderful reality, trusting Him “to will and to do of His good pleasure.” This is a far cry from futile struggle and frustrating self-effort!
And we are in union with Christ – for we are saved by grace through faith in Him. We have entered a glorious state and are seated in heavenly places – in Christ, and the present work of the Spirit in us, is to conform us into the likeness of Christ.
Enemy’s Tactics
Our position is safe and secure – it is eternal and affords the riches of God’s grace, but we should not be complacent about the many dangers that stalk our path. We need to be aware of the many ways that the enemy desires to destabilise our faith. We should be aware that the enemy’s ploys to undermine the truth of our acceptance.
Secure Faith
Well, one of the things that rejoiced Paul’s heart at Colossae was their secure faith.
Paul delighted to see how disciplined they were and how firmly they held to faith in Christ..
for even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ. Colossians 2:5
They were to live by faith in the same way that they were originally saved by faith.
By Faith
We often read in scripture that we are to live by faith – but we must also apply it. We are to live by faith and not by sight.
We are to walk by faith and not by sight. We are to conduct our lives by faith and not by sight – we are to trust God’s Word.
Trusting Faith
The wonderful thing is that for those that listen and heed..
Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him – THEN your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:7
Rooted and Grounded
As we trust in the Lord and apply our faith in Him – so we grow more and more. As we become rooted and grounded in Christ – so we become more like Him. As we become more like Him – so we are more established in the faith.
Examine yourselvess tohether you are in the faith.
He becomes the fullness of everything inus, but the practical outworking of that fullness will ever, and always, be purely and solely on a basis of faith.
If the thing could be said at any time to have its origin in us, then faith would be dismissed.
If we had it in ourselves, if it were our constitution, faith would be dispensed with.
Fix and fasten your faith in God's Son, and leaveyourself alone for ever.
Spiritual Maturity
We are exhorted on many occasions to be maturely established in the faith. We are encouraged to press on to the high calling of Christ. We are entreated to gain spiritual perception and godly discernment. We are enjoined to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus.
God’s purpose spans far greater horizons, which is the believer’s sanctification. It is being established in the faith – spiritual maturity – growing in Christ.
But hidden with Christ in God, we can both face up to and face away from the old, looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter [marg.] of our faith (Heb. 12:2).
By Faiths
God’s blessings have nothing to do with feelings but everything to do with faith – faith in the Son of God Who loved us and gave Himself for us.
In Christ
Let us accept His many blessings by faith.
The more we accept His blessings by faith the more He pours over our head.
It is a wonderful moment when by faith we appropriate and occupy our position in the favor of the Father - when we know that we are received by Him in all the acceptance of His Son.
We think of the Lord Jesus - His perfections, His suitability to divine favor, His infinite acceptance with the Father - and by faith we have access into the favor of which He is so worthy. -C.A.C.
2 Aspects of Faith
It was Paul that recognised this failing in the Galatian Christians and cried out, O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
This only would I learn of you… Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Normally, the Spirit of Truth will reveal a truth to us from the Scriptures and, as we exercise faith in what we have been shown, will begin to take us into the experience of it.
Grace Thru Faith - STUDY
Trust in God
It is not how much Faith you have that counts – but in Whom you place your trust.
We can be discouraged by the tremendously deep faith of a friend or acquaintance.
We can think that our meagre faith counts little against certain spiritual giants.
Ahhh – but it is not how much Faith that counts but in Whom you place your trust.
One Foundation
There is but one foundation on which true faith can be built. 'Examine yourself,' Paul encourages, 'examine yourself to see if you be in the faith…' 2 Corinthians 13:5 'Faith is the substance of the hope set before us in Christ….
the truth of His Word. Faith is the evidence of things not seen – that is trusting the Word of our faithful God.
Scriptural Anchor
Faith stands firm on the Word of our Father..
Faith just believes unquestioningly what God has promised as a realised reality.
Faith is firmly anchored on the facts of Scripture.
Faith simply believes God.
Faith believes His God-breathed Word.
Faith trusts in His irreversible Word.
Faith accepts God’s promises as truth.
Faith takes God at His Word – Faith acts on His inerrant Word.
Substance of Hope
Faith is the substance of the hope set before us in Christ..
Faith is the evidence of things not seen..
Faith stands firm on the Word of the Father..
Faith just believes unquestioningly what God has promised as a realised reality.
Object of Faith
We must be like those 'great men of faith' who simply accept His Word by faith.
it is not how much faith that counts, but the One in Whom you place your faith - the One in whom you trust.
For indeed we have had the good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith, in those who heard.Hebrews 4:2
and a lifetime of learning scripture, will not cause us to mature in the faith, unless it is carried by grace, through faith..
The Word must be mixed with a right response to God, and a right response to God is trusting His Word – trusting it by faith.
Christians likewise are reminded that spiritual maturity comes by faith, and not by what we do.
We discover that Israel heard the good news but did not adopt a right response to His word – by faith.
Mixed with Faith
We read: for unto us (Christians) was the gospel preached, as well as unto them (Israel), but the word preached did not profit them, as those that heard it did not mix what they heard with faith.
Israel’s response to God’s word was unbelief, and so the good news they heard did not profit them, as it was not mixed with faith.
The Plain Truth
Israel lost out at that time because of a wrong response to God’s word, They did not believe what God said so they did not mix their knowledge of His Word with faith.
When we were first saved, it was because we believed God’s word, by grace through faith.
But too often we try to continue our Christian life by works through unbelief instead of by grace through faith.
In His grace, God knew that suffering would develop and mature Paul’s faith, which is more precious than gold in God’s sight.
God desires each of us to mature in the faith for our sufferings and trials are but for a moment – and He gives us His all-sufficient grace for all our needs.
Testing Faith
The faith of every child of God is precious to Him, for He knows how important it is that we mature in our Christian life, so that we are not tossed about by every wind of doctrine or deceived by every lie of the enemy.
And so God uses the circumstances of life, both good and bad, to test our faith so that it grows strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
Day of Trouble
But faith can’t be tested in the sultry days of summer nor in the armchair of ease.
Faith is tested in the smelting fires of trials, as the temperature of the fires are heated seven times hotter, and yet it is God Who gives us the grace to stand fast in the day of trouble.
As grace is poured out upon grace, so faith increases as a believer grows in grace and matures in the faith.
And tested faith meets the stresses and strains of life..
Standing Firm
Faith stand firm and faith is increased by trusting the Word of God and applying it on every step on the journey of life.
There is no other way to develop faith except through the testings and trials of life – and there is no other way to face those trials except by standing on the promises of God.
The teaching of the fundamentals of our faith was fulfilled through God’s chosen vessel, the apostle Paul.
Church-Age Truth
The mysteries of the Church as the body and bride of Jesus Christ came from Paul. The necessity of grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone were all from Paul’s pen. The task of unveiling many church-age mysteries were also entrusted to this apostle.
The Apostle Paul
The main fundamentals of our faith were given to us by the apostle Paul. The main essentials of church-age doctrine have been delivered to us by Paul. The following quote from a great expositor of scripture stated the following:
For Us or To Us
All scripture is written FOR us – but not all is written TO us. Let us take to heart the main essentials of Paul’s’ teachings. Let us follow carefully the faith fundamentals in Paul’s epistles.
Scripture Truths
In Galatians 5:6 we read that: in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor un-circumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.. while in Romans 5:16 we read: therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace.
And in 1 Corinthians 13:2 we read that Though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
Essential Element
There are some qualities in life that we can afford to be without, but without faith we are not even able to begin the Christian life.
Without faith we are not in a position to continue the Christian life, and without faith – without trust, it is impossible to please God.
Faith the essential key – the key to unlock our hearts to His grace.
Spiritual Growth
Faith is necessary for the initial (salvation of the spirit).
God’s wonderful grace – but it is through faith.
God so loves that whosoever believes shall be saved… Faith is the key to unlock our hearts to His love.
Faith is required for holiness and for sanctification (the salvation of the soul).
Faith is needed for a life that is being conformed into the image of Jesus, for though it is by the power of the Holy Spirit – it is accessed through faith.
Yes, faith is the key to unlock our hearts to growing in grace.
Pleasing God
Faith is critical in averting our sight away from our current circumstances, and faith is equally critical in recognising our present position “in Christ,” where we are seated together with Him in heavenly places… where life’s earthly conditions have no influence on our heavenly position, in Him.
But we must reckon it to be so and we must yield to the Spirit’s leading, and so faith is the key – the key to unlock our hearts to pleasing God.
God’s Grace
Faith does not shrink back through a furtive imagination or unfounded worry.
Faith is the attitude of the soul that believes God’s Word and acts on it.
faith is the key..
God’s Forgiveness
If pardon is offered on the condition of repentance, I need faith to accept it.
Faith is the key that unlocks the heart to God’s forgiveness.
But faith is the key that unlocks our hearts to His precious promises.
John 15.9 So faith is the key that unlocks our hearts to His unconditional, agape love.
Christian Life
Faith is the soul resting on the Word of God.
Faith is the heart acting upon the promises of God.
Faith is the secret to a rewarding Christian life..
Faith is the prerequisite to pardon; peace; purity and power.
Faith is the route, that renounces guilt; worry; impurity and weakness.
Faith is the key that unlocks our hearts to His love.
God’s End
How important is faith in accessing all He has promised to us.
How vital is believing what He tells us, for this delights His heart: for without faith it is impossible to please God.
Heb.11:6 And yet faith is not the goal.
Faith is the way to realise the goal.
For when He is revealed, we shall not need faith: when He is revealed, we shall know just as we also are known.
The Key to God
Faith and belief and trust is not our goal – it is not our objective, our aspiration.
Faith and belief and trust is not the utmost need of our hearts, But faith the gracious gift we have all been given to realise our ultimate desire.
Faith is the key… Believing is the crucial tool that unbolts our hearts… Trust is the essential element that unlocks our hearts, lives and being..
If I have all faith so that I can remove all mountains and have not love, I am nothing.
For yet a little while, He who is coming will come and will not tarry…..the just shall live by faith, but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.
Now faith, is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.Hebrews10:35-11:1
One Faith
Do you ever look at mighty men of faith and wish you could reach their heights? Do you ever despair that your faith is so weak that God could never notice you? Do you ever wonder if you truly understand what real faith really is? Faith is simply believing God.
Faith is simply trusting God to do what God has said. Faith is acting, walking, or praying on the basis of what God has said about a matter. There may be many so-called “faiths” that unregenerate man follows, but there is only one God in Whom faith can placed, and this is non-negotiable: one Lord, one faith, one baptism into the Lord Jesus, by believing in Him.
One Christ
There is only one realm in which faith can be exercised – through trusting Jesus. Only the born-again believer can function in the sphere of faith.
Only a regenerate man has had the breath of life breathed into him by the Spirit of life. Only a believer in Jesus is able to function on the spiritual plane – by faith. Only a new man in Christ, who has passed from darkness to light can act by faith. Faith is simply believing God. Faith is simply trusting God to do what God has said, and faith comes by hearing which comes through the Word of God.
Faith comes by hearing the living, powerful, God-breathed Scriptures. Faith is exercised by acting on the living, powerful God-breathed Scriptures.
Man, within his spiritual capacity, is able to avail himself of what God has said, and then man (redeemed man), is to live and to act and to pray accordingly. The ‘just’ shall live by faith… the ‘righteous’, ‘redeemed’, ‘spiritually-alive’, ‘new man in-Christ’ shall live by faith. Why, you ask – why should we live by faith? What, you ask – what is the point of simply trusting God to do what God has said? Let us eat, drink, and be merry, and party in this life, for tomorrow we die!! Why you ask… because God has ordered His amazing creative plans and purposes to include you. Before the foundation of the world, He set these plans in motion, to involve you. He has designed that those with patient endurance will receive the great promise: for you have need of patient endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.” Heb.10:36
Biblical Faith
Now Faith.,. (faith which brings you to saving of the soul – sanctification – spiritual maturity) faith is the substance of things hoped for. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. If God has said it in His God-breathed Word..
Waiting upon the Father is not a matter of long-suffering, but of expectant faith - quiet, restful, confident dependence upon One who is fully trusted.
When the testing comes, does our faith prove true?
When you are in faith you will find that the Lord Jesus does not remove the pressure from off you until you are asleep in it, until you are able to take it quietly.
Faith possesses all things, and hope stretches on to the fulness of the possession, yet in no restless mood, for patience sits by the side of hope in the believer's soul, and teaches him to wait for the glory of the Father.
Men and Women of Faith
Those that chose to trust Him and believe His word became men and women of faith and they, like Job, found His grace to be sufficient and His character to be true.
Job 42:6 If we are men of faith who trust His Word, no matter what, we will not be disappointed, and one day we will understand many things… things too wonderful for us, which we know not now.” Job 42:3
Faith is not a power that one possesses, by which he can move the arm of God and work miracles.
Faith accepts quiet guidance; only unbelief demands a miracle.' There is nothing in true faith that the flesh can glory in.
Faith is simply absolute confidence in the Father which gives the certainty that He will fulfill His Word. -A.H.
Faith must be based upon certainty.
Without that there can be no true faith.
For faith is not a force that we can exercise or a striving to believe that something shall be, thinking that if we believe hard enough it will come to pass. -A.H.
Let us stand in faith, and we shall never be put to shame.
Writings of John
The writings of John were also scripted to point to a time of departing glory. The first flush of faith had been replaced with a people that left their first love..
He wrote at a time when zeal had withered; truth was twisted; faith was failing.
John 16:13. And John’s gospel, letters and apocalypse explain spiritual understanding… and we are to live by faith and not by sight.
Usefulness is not activity; it is not merely being used, but it is fitness, cleanness, preparedness, and separation of heart, singleness of eye, the affections set on things above - all, in fact, that proceeds from the judgment and denial of self, and the manifestation of Christ in the life by faith.
All too often believers allow certain experiences to move them from the faith-ground of their objective position, and they are soon adrift on the sea of subjective feelings and unscriptural influences.
Whatever may have been our experience of holiness, and the measure of spiritual attainment in the past, we can never get beyond the need of abiding in Christ and the continuous reckoning of faith. -R.W.
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.Galatians 2:20
Eternal Truths
We live by faith..
for without faith it is impossible to please God.
Faith stands on the truth of God’s Word and accepts it as fact.
The Alpha and Omega of all is the Author and Finisher of our faith, and we are complete in Him.
We must accept as fact what has already been made ours through faith in Christ, but we must be aware of our need of these truths in our daily walk – and only the Holy Spirit can reveal these truths to the seeking believer: for the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, they are foolishness to him: neither can they be known to them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1Corinthians.2:1 There are many ways to live that fail to deal with ‘self’ and the ‘self-life’. We have to recognise that God’s way, to self-denial, is at the cross.
Hudson Taylor:
“Since Christ has thus dwelt in my heart by faith, how happy I have been!
And now Christ lives in me, and ‘the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.’ Nor should we look upon this experience, these truths, as for the few.
Huegel:
“If the great Luther, with his stirring message of justification by faith, had with Paul moved on from Romans 5 to Romans 6 with its amazing declarations concerning the now justified sinner’s position of identification with his crucified Lord, would not stifled Protestantism be on higher ground today?
By faith, the believer reckons (counts) himself ‘dead unto sin’ (Romans 6:3-14)” (N.
Accept by faith the further fact that you died with Him, i.e., that your ‘old man was crucified with Him'” (The New Life, p.51).
Every unbeliever has a choice – to accept or reject God’s free gift of deliverance, and all who reject salvation by grace through faith in Christ, are condemned.
Every believer made the right choice – to accept God’s free gift of deliverance, for only those that trust Christ for salvation, by grace through faith, are saved.
Very few learn at conversion at once that it is only by faith that we stand, and walk, and live.
They cannot understand that it is not to the law, but to a living Person, that we are now bound, and that our obedience and growth are only possible by the unceasing faith in His power and life ever working in us (Phil. 2:13). -A.M.
People may receive blessings' and temporary deliverances' in answer to prayer, for God is merciful to His children and His Holy Spirit refreshes and blesses us even apart from the real walk of faith.
But it is of greater benefit finally to us, and much greater glory to God, if we simply accept His Word and learn to walk in the power of it by naked faith; which asks no longer certain ecstasies, but being sure of God's truth because it is His truth, maintains an attitude of faith therein; attitude - a fixed heart.
Faith, when once we see the truth, consists of a believing attitude of the will toward God.
It is God's written Word that supplies strength to the heart of faith. -W.R.N.
Nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine (1 Tim. 4:6).
It is inevitable that in a world like this the faith of Christians must be tried.
But take heart fellow believer, the trials of your faith will be found unto praise, honor and glory at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:7).
Necessity and Blessing
Faith, in the only begotten Son, is an obligation, a necessity and a blessing for man..
if that unbridgeable gap is to be crossed – if the immeasurable gulf is to be spanned. But this first step to God is often halted a few steps down the path on the new-creation, and the spiritual newborn is halted in his spiritual life and spiritual growth. For just as the first requirement for the free unmerited gift of grace was by faith.. so too the ongoing wilderness walk through the plains and pains of this earthly life.
Spiritual Maturity
Living by faith is not the automatic outcome of the born-again believer. A life of sanctification is not the natural outcome of saved humanity. Spiritual maturity is a decision the believer makes – it’s a day-by-day choice. The ‘laws’ of sanctification (not the Law of Moses) must be applied by the believer..
I wonder, do you know Him? Do you know Jesus? More and more I see how important the words of Jesus are:- for we need to have faith as a little child..
faith that believes God’s Word without reservation – faith that trusts unreservedly and needs no other proof. My little granddaughter knows not to be afraid, because Jesus is alive.
He is our glorious, heavenly and eternal Provider But your faith, beloved – and my faith is of such great importance to Him, that He permits life’s earthquakes; relational volcanoes and situational tsunamis – so that in all things we will hold fast to Him, as our Creator; Lord; Captain; Leader; Friend… as our beloved Bridegroom..
When we enter by faith into Christ's righteousness, we enter into God's rest.
No one will think that this is the call for passivity, for abandon of concern for the things of the Lord; but it is possible for us to have the things of the Lord on our hearts and yet not to have faith in God about them.
They are the hidden things of something which is other than just restful faith in God.
I have prayed for you, (in THIS life) – I have prayed for you that your faith fails not. Luke 22:32
We are to mature in the faith or we will find ourselves drifting amidst the storms of life. In this life, we must lay hold of the hope that is set before us – or shipwreck is inevitable.
Have I this precious childlike virtue; this deep confidence; this steady faith?
Do I discredit Him with my unbelief, or do I trust in His Word and honour HIM with my faith?
Paul tells me that the gospel did not only come in word, but in much confidence, and he instructs us to, draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.
Hebrews 10:22. And he encourages is to “hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering…for He who promised is faithful.” Heb.10:23. John gives us such wonderful reassurance when he says: we know we’re of the truth and shall assure our hearts before Him. 1John.3:19
Cloud of Witnesses
There is an extensive register of faithful men and women who are listed in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, and each one obtained a good report from God because of their faith – even though that had not yet received His promised reward.
Let us praise and thank our faithful God and join our faith with theirs as we pray, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in my life and in yours.
Study - GOD, All I Need
Multifaceted Grace
Faith is a multifaceted gift of grace – and each is given a measure of faith. God is both the Founder of my faith and the Finisher of my faith.
But God is also the Object of my faith – the One in Whom I place my trust. It was the Lord Who gave me my faith, when He stooped low to love me. It was He Who intended me to keep on seeking Him, by means of His gift of faith.
But faith must grow..
and faith must develop… and developing faith must grow. And developing, growing faith, does not come by sight or signs or miracles.
And faith must not falter when difficulties and problems arise in my life.
Virtuous Grace
Faith is simply trusting in God, by means of the faith that He has bestowed on me.
But faith grows by means of my submitting to Him. Faith matures by Him living in and through me, and working His work through me – until it is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.
Beautiful Faith
There is something sublimely virtuous and beautiful, in seeking God by faith. I have not seen Him face to face and yet I love Him.
Pleasing Grace
In this world, physical senses hold so much sway, yet we must live by faith, not by sight.
Emotions can drastically influence our being – yet we must live by faith, not sight.
All the norms of human trust are diametrically opposite to this life of faith.
Sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, signs – all contribute to the way we believe things to be – yet we are to live by faith and not by sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, signs – for without faith it is impossible to please God Hebrews 11:6 – and I do so want to please Him.
Initial Faith
The initial faith is given to us by God..
and faith comes by hearing the Word of God, but the faith of a new-born believer can remain for a lifetime in its infant state.
Faith, like all living things, needs to grow, develop, and mature.
Sanctifying faith is also given to us by God, to enable us to grow in the faith – and maturing, growing faith comes by hearing the Word of God.
And faith needs to be exercised daily to enable the growth of faith.
But this maturing faith of all believers is also from God and not of us… for faith comes by hearing – and hearing from the Word of God!
Developing Grace
'But how do you exercise your faith', I hear you say.
I can choose to allow my faith to be exercised or not.
A Maturing Grace
It is only as I am prepared to decrease and allow the Lord to increase in my life, that faith in self will be gradually replaced by faith in Christ – and the faith in which I live..
in ME – will be the faith I live in Christ – until it is no longer I that live, but Christ Who lives in me. Galatians 2:20
Oh for a faith that will not shrinkThough pressed by many a foe,That will not tremble on the brink,Of poverty or woe.
A faith that shines more bright and clearWhen tempests rage without;That when in danger knows no fear,In darkness feels no doubt.
Maturing, sanctifying, growing faith… until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son, that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
Myriad of ways have been designed to get man to be accepted by God – and in man’s foolish attempt to get himself to God, man put faith in foolish alternatives to provide for their need.
Godly wisdom and reason is closely allied to humility and child-likeness - a willingness to learn and a childlike faith and trust in the steadfastness of God.
Wives should be submissive to the head of their family, united under Christ – and then children will have a secure foundation on which to build their faith.
Given to God
When you give your children to the Lord He will fulfil your heart's desire, for they love the Lord your God with all their heart – and develop a sincere faith – in Christ… and when they are old they will not depart from it.
And we are instructed not to allow the evidence of the world to destroy our faith – yet the words of Scripture appear to be diametrically contrary to our observations.
Now is a time of faith’s testing for the saints, and of unprecedented Satanic fierceness.
But the Lord informed him that far worse was to come, and there was only to be one way to live: faith – Faith.
Faith was the only answer that Habakkuk was given: but the just shall live by his faith.
Accumulated Wickedness
Habakkuk was to live by faith in contradistinction to all that he saw in his surroundings.
Let us not fall to the enemy’s deceptive ploy of deep discouragement – but let us like Habakkuk become true prayer warriors, joining our intercessions with the prayers of the just of all ages, who in the midst of great difficulties and mountainous trials lived by faith in the Son of God
Embracer of Burdens
Let us embrace in the Spirit, the burden of our Lord for His despairing people, and become like Habakkuk, an “Embracer of Burdens” For you see, right in the very middle of the most testing time when all seemed totally lost, in faith, Habakkuk sang his amazing sacrifice of praise: although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines – the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat.
Factual Faith
But we live by factual faith in God’s Word and not by sensual sight. We live by factual faith in God’s Word and not by fluffy feelings. Oh yes, Adam hid from the Lord, and Cain went out from the presence of His God... and we too can grieve the Holy Spirit in the way we live our Christian life.
True Faith
If we trust the truth of Scripture, we cannot question the plan God conceived. If we’ve confidence in God’s revealed attributes we cannot doubt His word. God certainly gives a portion of His immutable wisdom to those that ask Him, but God in His wisdom has so designed it... that we trust Him unreservedly.
If circumstances deny His truth, faith should supersede life’s lies.
Faithful God
All he asks of us is to have faith in Him and to trust our all-wise God. All we have to do is to trust in His eternal plans and purposes. All we have to do is to believe in His immutable wisdom: faithful is he that called you, who also will do it.
Our faith in God should not depend on what happens in the physical.
We need to remember that God is working in all thing, the visible and the invisible, for time and for eternity: for faith is the confidence of things hoped for.
Faith is the evidence of things not seen.
Inner Confidence
Faith is an inner confidence and conviction about future things, an inner confidence and conviction about things which are invisible.
A Study:- Man’s Nature and Destiny
And now abide these three – faith – hope – love.1Corinthians13:13
I remember you always for these three things: your work of FAITH, your labour of LOVE, your patience of HOPE in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father .1Thessalonians 1:3
Love of God
God loved you so much, that He sent His Son into the world, to be the object of your faith – for you to believe on Him.
Living By FaithFaith – Trust – Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ has two important elements: 1) a past, and saving faith in Him, so that you might be saved and live. 2) a present and sanctifying faith, as you are being conformed into His image.
For in the future there will be no need for faith, for we shall see Him as He is, and we will be like Him.
But for now, the righteous shall live by faith.
Old Testament Times
In former times prophets, priests, and kings of Israel were to live by their own faith.
Habakkuk put into words what others had expressed in prophecy: the just shall live by his faith.
How vital it is for the believer to live in Him and He in us, for when we are in Him, Paul tells us that we live by His faith: we live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loves us.
and the life which I now live in the flesh (the day by day process of living in this physical body) I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me (Christ’s Spirit indwelling and living in me) – and gave Himself for me.
Indwelling Holy Spirit
The permanent, indwelling Holy Spirit is the most precious gift of faith imaginable, and at Pentecost His permanent indwelling became unique to the church.
They will no longer have to live by their faith as Habakkuk said – they will all live by the faith of the indwelling Spirit, just like the Church of God in this dispensation.
Faith in the Church Age
This promise to Israel is yet future for Israel.
This promise to Israel will happen at the end of the tribulation, but this promise to the Church has already happened: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God.
But God knows Satan’s accusational strategies and schemes against His own, and God’s plan smashed Satan’s falsity – and yet today many bemoan the fact that their faith is not strong like the apostles.
They feel themselves as ‘second-class’ Christians because their faith wavers.
They think God can’t love them as much as He loves others with a ‘deeper’ faith.
Faith Unlocks our Heart
No, faith is the key that unlocks our hearts to the love of God – faith in His Son: the faith of the Son of God..
And the faith of the Indwelling Son of God is the weapon we use against Satan. I in Him and Him in me is the only way a believer is able to live.
A Study:- Man’s Nature and Destiny
Life of Faith
“The world is going crazy,” and this truly is a life of faith.
Faith in the One Who saved, for His initial salvation at the time of rebirth – trusting the indwelling Spirit, for a lifetime of His working in and through us – believing in God to work out His plans and His purposes in your life and in mine.
But that trusting faith is built on a hope of salvation..
Faith in His word translates into Hope in His word: for if in this life only we have hope in Christ, then we are of all men most miserable. 1Cor.15:19
Godly Instructions
And in Romans 12, Paul tells us how to live:- we being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another – having then gifts, differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: If prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering.
A Study:- Man’s Nature and Destiny
Life of Faith
God has given us the gift of faith and the righteous are to live their life by faith.
We are to live by faith and not by sight – by the faith of the Son of God Who loved us and gave Himself for us.
A past faith when we were born from above, (a saving faith in the Lord Jesus).
A present faith when we are being sanctified (a living faith through Christ the Lord).
But what of a future faith?
Well, it will be the realisation of faith: when Christ is all in allCol.3:11.
Faith will effectively be replaced with sight: for we shall see Him as He is. 1John.3:2.
Importance of Love
Faith without love is nothing worth.
Love is preeminently a grace bestowed, just like faith and hope and all other fruit.
Love is primarily a holy adhesive, uniting faith, and hope in all that Christ is.
Three Gifts
Yes, there are three amazing gifts that have been bestowed on all that believe – Faith, and Hope, and Love – these three gifts – these three promises, but the greatest of the three is LOVE.
And we know that all things work together for good to those that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.Romans 8:28Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:Ephesians 4:13
We who trust in Him are the called according to this greater purpose of God, and throughout our Christian lives, we are being trained through testings, trials and temptations – until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God – until we all become mature, and attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Little Flock
God has indeed withdrawn His presence from the Church He loves so much, just as He withdrew from the nation He chose to be His inheritance. But He reserves for Himself a few – a remnant that will trust in His love. He keeps for Himself a little flock – a tiny ‘Gideon’s army’ who live by faith.
They wandered in deserts and mountains, dens and caves of the earth, and all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith.” Heb.11:1ff.
They would be those that put their faith in their God, no matter what.
The sin that once estranged and antagonised, is beauteously removed through faith, The God-Man became the Days-Man that Job so yearned for: his living Redeemer.
Sphere of Faith
We cannot understand the magnificence and greatness of the plan of which we are part, for we live by faith and not by sight – for we trust ourselves into His hands – by faith.
God has removed us from the realm of sight and understanding... to the sphere of faith, for we are to live by trusting Him and not by seeing or understanding.
We are to live by faith and not by sight.
Examples of Faith
The Bible gives many examples of God’s purpose being worked out in the lives of others – men and women who lived by faith; believed His word; trusted His promises.
He deals with each of the ‘called’ in order to strengthen our faith in Him.
Infinite Fullness
God is continuing to work out His eternal purpose in each of our lives. We may not know what our role is now – but we all have a part to play. His dealings may be beyond our understanding but let us trust Him and live by faith, for the infinite fullness of the Lord Jesus Christ is the wonderful purpose of God. Christ in you the hope of glory – until Christ is all in all.
He just wants us to believe His Word: for without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a Rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.” Heb.11:6.
He will then achieve the impossible: for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves – it is the gift of God Eph.2:8
for by such grace you have been saved through faith, this does not come from you; it is the gift of God.
Examples of Grace
One day we will be examples of God’s grace to the angels and heavenly powers. One day salvation will be complete but His grace will extend into the eternal ages – today we live by faith but then we will see Him as He is – and it is all by grace.
Grace Thru Faith - STUDY
But grow in the grace and gain knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.2Peter 3:18
And God takes time in the life of a believer to bring him to maturity in the faith.
Spiritual Growth
But he grows slowly and looks very insignificant for many decades, as silently within the Word of God nourishes the spirit, soul and body – while without the raging storms and buffeting winds of life, develop a trusting faith.
Perhaps an eagerness to share the gospel without ‘epignosis’, which is a mature faith..
We must not allow the worries of life to encumber us with a need to ‘do it ourself”, Pre-occupation with the problems of a life excludes a need for faith in God.
Picture of nature scene courtesy of Larisa
A Full Study Of JOB
Prayer Link
Throughout his gruelling ordeal and many searching questions, Job kept his faith.
Righteous by Faith
Job’s righteousness was only credited to him because of his faith – just like you and me!
We are righteous in Him, only by faith.
God knew his faith wasn’t religiosity – though his servant lacked full understanding.
Faith and Intercession
Under Job’s covering and protection, faith and intercession, God was also gracious to his wife. God was gracious to her, who had endured so much of Job’s bitter trials.
Job, together with his wife and friends, hold to the same understanding and creed - a prescribed set of beliefs about God; truths about the character of God, but incomplete articles of faith..
Spiritual and Carnality
Like Job, his wife is a virtuous woman, who holds to her husband's trust in God, but one who allows the long, spiritual battle in Job’s life, to cause her faith to fail.
A Closer Walk
What is your belief? What is the creed to which you hold fast? Are there elements in your faith, that on closer scrutiny don’t hold fast with Scripture? Have you considered my servant Job? Oh, Job was indeed perfect, upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. No external fault could be found with him.
Fullness of God
You can read about the fullness of our faithful God in Ephesians 3:19… and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. You can read about the fullness of our faithful Christ in Ephesians 4:13 …until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. You can read about the fullness of the Godhead in Coossiansl 2:9… For in him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Consider God’s Way
Have you considered 'These Three Men’'– Noah; Daniel and Job, who lived by faith – who were all beloved of the Lord and were all men after God’s own heart – who stood at ALL cost for God’s end; God’s purpose; God’s motive; God’s way?
Let us have faith in all the Scripture that all His Word is true.
For without faith in God and in His Word, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him Heb.11:6
He waits to draw out our trust, our love, our faith, and our obedience to Him.
He then seeks to test our obedience, our faith, our love, and trust in Him, before He drops His veil, and shows us His blessed face, and reveals His presence.
He waits for us to trust Him and He waits for us to truly have faith in His Word, despite some of our foolishly provocative remarks… ('I have no husband…' 'I can sort things out myself…' 'I can do it MY way'.)
Christian Heaven
The Christian life (the Christian faith) is having a relationship with a person.
The result of a victorious life is being conformed into His image and likeness until we can say with Paul: I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.
Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17).
Walking in the Spirit, our faith is heavenly, spiritual; walking in the flesh, our faith is earthly, carnal.
Is it the mind of the Father which influences my faith and controls my actions, or is it the order of things around me here?
Faith overcomes the world.
The world, in its influence on me, is the rival of God's Word, and many a one who knows what faith is for the safety of his soul, is nevertheless not safe from the world. -J.B.S.
Everything from beginning to end of the Christian life depends upon a proper faith-apprehension of that which the Father has bestowed upon him with and in His own Son in glory. -J.C.M.
Most growing believers rightly maintain that all must come from the risen Lord; but instead of taking their actual position of being dwellers in heaven, and coming from there to earth, they only look up to heaven for help as to their walk on earth; and their faith and labors are always influenced and dictated by the condition and order of things on earth; and instead of seeking the mind of the Lord as learned in heaven, they are occupied with the blessing of man on earth. -J.B.S.
Very little abiding growth and fruit can be known by the believer until he accepts the fact of identification (Rom. 6:6), and to it responds by an attitude of faith (Rom. 6:11), thus yielding himself to the Holy Spirit for the life of the Lord Jesus to be manifested in and through him (Rom. 6:13). -G.W.
We live by faith alone, and not by sight or signs.
Our faith comes by hearing and not vision or supernatural phenomena: Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God – and yet today God’s leadings are no less real and His direction no less unmistakable.
Today, the Lord Jesus is the Living Water that is poured into our hearts by faith – and today He is the Rock of our salvation, from Whose side poured blood and water.
Child-like Faith
He will lead us safely through our own valley of darkness that looms ahead.
It is a child-like trust in a heavenly Father’s goodness, that He desired then, and it is a simple child-like faith in His Word that He wants from us today, for without faith it is impossible to please God Hebrews 11:6
Second
Since we are in Christ we are to keep on being built up and strengthened in the faith. We are to remain firm in the faith and overflow with thanksgiving and praise to Him. Having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed – and overflowing with gratitude. Colossians 2:7
We go all the way to Calvary in faith and there find ourselves identified with the Lord Jesus in His death and resurrection.
The groundwork of Christianity was recovered; namely, justification by faith.
Where would souls be put if they were simply and definitely instructed in Christ Jesus and Him crucified and risen; connected by faith with the living One, who was crucified, and whose death terminated man in the flesh? -J.B.S.
The various trials and grievous pain are but for a little while, so that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to the praise, honour, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:7
Be found in Christ – (in Christ alone) not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God, by faith.Philippians 3:9
God’s Righteousness
The righteousness which is of God is pure; the righteousness which is of God is holy; the righteousness which is of God is glorious; the righteousness which is of God is beautiful; the righteousness which is of God is acceptable; the righteousness which is of God is mine by faith – the righteousness, which is of God, is become my glorious garment. 'Change me', I cry in despair 'Not so', says the Lord, 'but I will exchange your ugliness, for My beauty', and 'I will exchange your filthy rags for my glorious garment.
Our Father chooses His opportunities to teach us these things, and when He has accomplished this work the special communications of His wisdom and love no longer continue, for He desires we should walk by faith, according to what we know we possess in the Lord Jesus.
Have you not sought for faith that would remove mountains – where you soar like the eagle?
Withdrawing acute needs by filling our laps with bountiful provision may fill a temporary need, but it will not perfect in us that gracious faith – that is so necessary to please God.
They are not only used to test worthiness, patience, faith, and forgiveness – but to strengthen it, to increase it, to perfect it.
Many make a good start in faith but faint by the wayside and do not continue.
Coming Quickly
“Let us hold fast that which is good.” Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He who promised is faithful Hebrews 10:23 Behold, I come quickly, HOLD FAST to that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown Revelation 3:11
Since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.1Thessalonians 5:8
for when we are covered with Christ we have put on faith and hope and love.
Protective Breastplate
Both faith and love unite as one, for faith works through love – while love feeds faith.
This protective breastplate of faith and love is our covering of Christ’s righteousness, for the heart that abides in Christ is the one that stands firm in the day of trouble.
Spiritual Fruit
Faith is the spiritual fruit of patient endurance: as seeing Him who is invisible.
The former enables the patient tenacity of trusting faith in Christ Jesus.
The breastplate of faith and love covers our heart, enfolding us in His righteousness.
Let us put on the breastplate of faith and love, for we are covered in His righteousness, and for a helmet – let us wear the hope of eternal salvation in Him.
God’s Building-Blocks
God’s building-blocks of grace and glory are erected in the amazing book of Ephesians. We move from one marvellous level of grace and glory to the next glorious peak. We are permitted to fine-tune the incredible truth of who we are in Christ. And it is all by God’s grace, through faith in Christ Jesus.
Abiding and Walking
Obedience, righteousness, and maturing in the faith are inextricably linked together. All are the foundation on which to build a close and personal relationship with God.
A Christian that is obedient to the Word of God is one that is maturing in the faith.
Abiding Obedience
Obedience, righteousness, and maturing in the faith are inextricably linked together. And fruit, more fruit – much fruit is the joyful product of abiding obedience..
There is the mystery of godliness; the mystery of lawlessness; the mystery of faith..
It is an impossible burden on the one that declares 'give me proof before I’ll believe'. It is always hard for prideful man to admit there are things we don’t understand, but it needs humility of heart, founded on faith to admit that we’ll never fully understand.
evertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?
Faith in the Son of Man means… faith in self must be crucified on the cross of Christ.
Blessings of God
Without faith, it is impossible to please Me, but you are blessed if have not seen and still trust – and you are blessed if you don’t understood, and yet still trust.
the man of faith, who reminded the Jews that… the LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me.
My faith would lay her hand,On that meek head of Thine,While I a penitent I stand,And here confess my sin.
2-Way Identification
God’s grace united us with His death.. making His death full payment for our sins. Our faith identifies us with Him now.. making His sacrifice efficacious on our behalf. This is full identification with Him. This is a two-way identification… I in Him – and He in me. He identifies with me – a sinner worthy of eternal death.
Letters of Grace
Often a sermon on salvation is beautifully woven into the initial letters of GRACE, G – Salvation is a Gift of God – a Good Gift that is Granted to allR – Salvation is Redemption – Received by faith, Reuniting us with GodA – Salvation is Accepted by God’s love, Available to All, Accessible through faithC – Salvation Comes thru Christ Crucified Who paid the Cost at the CrossE – Salvation Ends in Eternal life and is an Everlasting gift – and an Escape
Special Grace
But there is a special grace for those that have accessed salvation by grace, through faith: Strombeck writes the following: Grace is God’s provision to bring into being, sustain and perfect His new creation in Christ.
I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.1Timothy 1:5
But RUTH records the faith of one well-pleasing in His sight.
In JOB we read how Faith can live beneath afflictions rod;
GALATIANS show that Faith in Christ alone – the Father’s Loves.
JAMES teaches without holiness faith is but vain and dead.
The wise man is the one that puts man in his right position, with Christ on the throne – for Christ is the beloved of God and by faith, we have been placed in Him.
Philippians 2:3 He who says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same manner as He walked. 1 John 2:6 Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith..
A Full Study Of JOB
Trust In God
From our introduction to Job, we see him as a man of faith – a man of prayer.
Spirit of Comfort
From our introduction to this man of faith, he is saved – one whose sin is covered, and his triumphant call is … For I know that my Redeemer liveth… Job.19:25.
The just shall live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.Galatians 3:10 and Galatians 2:20
Without faith it is impossible to please God.Hebrews.11:6
Beginning of Faith
The Christian life begins with a simple act of faith – believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
by the faith of the Son of God.
His faith; His love.
His works flooding your faith; your love; your works.
Growing in Grace
The sanctified one shall live by faith, The faith of the Son of God, working through your faith.
Maturing Faith
But as your believing life progressed, God sought to take you deeper into Himself.
Trials of Faith
You were increasingly called upon – step by weary step..
To live by faith and not by sight or feeling or signs.
Questions of Faith
Why Lord? Why do you remove Yourself from me?
Rewards of Faith
I do it so that you will decrease and I will increase.
Though He slay me, yet shall I trust Him. Yes, Beloved, it is to draw you with cords of love into His deepest secrets – where you, 'in Christ' live in quiet, humble submission to His Word – where Christ in you becomes an Anchor for other hurting souls in your journey into faith.
World Definition
One dictionary definition of faith is trust; belief; confidence; conviction..
But faith in a precious and beloved friend can be betrayed and confidence in the dearest loved one – can be lost.
Another definition of faith is religion, church, sect, denomination – religious persuasion, religious belief, ideology, creed, teaching or doctrine.
This is often the world’s understanding of organised religion – of what they call 'faith'.
God’s Definition
God’s definition of faith, however is unequivocal and indisputable in His Word.
We read in Hebrews, chapter 11 that... Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is not an airy-fairy hope; nor a fingers-crossed type of daydream.
Biblical faith stands on the facts of the Word of God.
Scriptural faith rests firmly on the bedrock of God’s written Word.
Our faith is anchored directly upon the eternal reality..
and God makes the need for faith in the believer of the greatest significance: for without faith it is impossible to please God.
Life of Faith
By faith we BEGAN… 1 Corinthians 15:1-4By faith we STAND… 1 1Corinthians 16:13By faith we WALK… 2 Corinthians 5:7 Colossians 2:6By faith we LIVE... Galatians 2:20By faith in CHRIST and by faith in Christ alone.
Certainty of FaithFaith does not depend on vague hopes or expectations or nebulous chance.
Faith is not linked with possibilities, or probabilities or statistical odds.
Faith is not dependent on positive thinking or a hoping against hope.
Faith is not the outcome of aspirations, of possible odds or a feasibility study.
Faith must be founded on a one hundred percent certainty.
Faith must be rooted and grounded on an absolute, unfaltering 'knowing'.
Province of Faith
George Mueller wrote the following: Many people are willing to believe regarding those things that seem probable to them.
But faith has nothing to do with probabilities.
The province of faith begins where probabilities cease and sight and sense fail.
Hay adds to this by saying:- Faith must be based upon certainty.
Without that there can be no true faith.
For faith is not a force that we exercise or a striving to believe that something shall be, thinking that if we believe hard enough, it will come to pass.
Evan Hopkins writes: Faith needs facts to rest upon.
God in His Word reveals to us the facts with which faith has to deal.
James McConkey wrote: Faith is dependence upon God.
And only then do we find that we have learned the lesson of faith; to find our tiny craft of life rushing onward to a blessed victory of life and power and service undreamt of, in the days of our fleshly strength and self-reliance.
J.B.Stoney agrees by saying: It is a great thing to learn faith: that it is, simple dependence upon God.
It will comfort you much to be assured that the Lord is teaching you dependence upon Himself, and it is very a remarkable thing that faith is necessary in everything!
The just shall live by faith,’ not only in your circumstances, but in everything.
We all need to KNOW the facts.. We all need to RECKON on the facts.. We all need to YIELD ourselves unto God.. We need to cry to God for understanding.. We need to KRRY to Know – to Reckon – to Yield for FAITH. For without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists – and that He rewards them that earnestly seek Him. Hebrews 11:6.
Many a new believer has obtained relief in his conscience from his sins, because of faith in the Blood of Jesus Christ; that is, he does not see further than Romans 3.
He has faith in the work of Christ, but has not yet come in faith to Christ.
“The believer who sees that self is incurably evil (‘know’), and that it has been taken into death (‘reckon’); who gives self utterly to that death as he sinks before God in dependence and surrender to His working (‘yield’); who consents to death with Christ on the Cross as his position, and in faith accepts it as his only deliverance; he alone is prepared to be led by the Holy Spirit into the full enjoyment of the Christ-life.
Waves of error; the swing of the pendulum to some fresh popular acceptance; a great war with its horrors and many-sided tests of faith; all these have swept away multitudes and left them in spiritual ruin.
Many Christian sects and antichrist cults, declare that there is no scriptural evidence of Christ’s claim to Deity, but unless the Lord Jesus was God, there is no Christian faith.
Those who deem Scripture as God’s inerrant message will have their faith rewarded.
God’s Declarations
And though God declared through Isaiah, I will not share My glory with another, Isaiah 48:11 He charged the heavenly hosts in the book of Psalms to: Worship Him all you gods – adore Him, all you his angels Psalm 97:7 – while the writer to the Hebrews quoting this verse, said: And when He brought His supreme Son – His firstborn Son – His preeminent Son into the world, GOD said, ”AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM.” Hebrews 1:6 Those who deem God’s Word as inerrant will indeed have their faith rewarded.
Those who deem Scripture as God’s inerrant Word will have their faith rewarded.
He writes, oh foolish Galatians who has bewitched you? Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?
For we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, and we are sanctified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, – and we will be glorified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone: for whom He predestined He also called, and whom He called he also justified, and whom He justified He also glorified. Romans 8:30
Live by Faith
Christians are repeatedly reminded in Scripture to live by faith.
Not faith in the power of faith – but faith in Jesus, the Son of Man.
Not faith in the power of prophecy – but faith in Jesus, the Son of Man.
Not faith in the power of positive thinking – but faith in Jesus, the Son of Man – not faith in the power of your Christian walk – but faith in Jesus, the Son of Man.
Therefore…
The book of Hebrews spends eleven chapters warning of the need of faith in Christ. For over ten chapters we are given a series of warnings and a succession of truths. The next chapter outlines a cloud of faithful witnesses that are examples for us to heed..
Lay Aside Unbelief
When we look to Jesus, we have no option but to lay aside all that hinders our walk. When our faith is the Lord we have to remove our trust in ourselves and in the world. When we trust the Lord, we look away from the circumstances of life and rely on Him, alone.
Sanctifying Faith
We must not think that faith in Hebrews only refers to being initial salvation.
Saving faith is faith in God.
Sanctifying faith is living our life by faith in Jesus.
Lack of Faith
Men that walked with the Lord throughout His ministry showed a great lack of faith. The disciples were frequently told – oh you of little faith. The same men with the authority to drive out demons and heal the sick – lacked faith!
Only weeks before Calvary the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive out the demon in the boy ?” and Jesus replied:- …because you have so little faith…”
Maturing Faith
The leper had faith, that pleased the Lord. The woman had faith, that pleased Jesus. The centurion had faith, that pleased the Lord Jesus, but only later did the disciples saving faith mature into sanctifying faith.
The saving faith of the Israelites, saved them out of the world – out from Egypt..
Only Caleb and Joshua had the maturing faith that is exemplified in Hebrews 11.
By Faith
Let us have faith like Joshua and Caleb, who by faith received their reward. Let us have faith like the leper, the centurion, and the woman – saving faith in Jesus – and sanctifying faith through Jesus, as we look to Him.
Our liberty in Christ, that comes by grace through faith, dominates the pages of Galatians as point-by-point Paul warns of the serious consequences of legalism – of deserting the liberty of the gospel of grace for the shackles of a works-based ‘gospel’.
Christ has done all for our initial salvation by the “grace-promise-faith” way.
As sons and He does all for our ongoing salvation by the same “grace-promise-faith” way.
Life of Grace
Once we have been saved by grace, we are to be sanctified by grace; to grow in grace, and to mature in the faith – to live our lives “grace-promise-faith” way.
Infants or Sons
We were all made children of God through faith (justification – initial believing in Christ) and we should be living as sons of God through faith (sanctification – growing in grace).
Despite coming to Christ by faith – they reverted to the law… eternally saved but under bondage to an impossible way of living.
Faith or Self-Merit
Paul explains that because they didn’t continue in the “grace-promise-faith” way, they returned to the old ways rather than remaining in the new way.
They replaced the life of faith for one of living by self-merit.
They replaced the new “grace-promise-faith way” for the old “law-merit-works” way.
Despite starting off by faith, believers inevitably return to the old way of the law.
Legalism and seeking to merit God’s favour by producing good works in ones own flesh is an impossibility for God is only pleased with one thing – the finished work of Christ, and that is apprehended by believers who live the grace-faith-promise way.
And Paul’s epistles are full of warnings about not returning to this way of the Law – the “law-merit-works” way, and his letters are dripping with instructions on how to live by grace – how to live the “grace-faith-promise” way.
So having been saved by grace through faith, let us, therefore, live our lives by grace through faith.
When one begins to realize the complexity of simple spiritual growth, he learns to keep his hands off, and his faith on.
Even where in the new convert there is great singleness of heart and faith, with true love and devotion to the Saviour, time is needed for a deeper knowledge of the old man and sin, for a spiritual insight into what the Father's will and grace are. -A.M.
Then may we set our affection on the things above where the Lord Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father; and though the secret power is unseen, faith in Him will lift our spirit into the clear light where He is. -H.F.W.
ourishing, leading, supporting and fulfilling my weak faith: Until it is not I but Christ that lives in me – that lives in you as well. When we dilute the Word of God, we weaken the faith that rests upon the Word of God, and lessen the promises that are therein contained.
My righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back, I have no pleasure in him.Hebrews 10:38
A Righteous Life
Once in the Old Testament and three times in the New Testament we are told – the just shall live by faith.
The righteous man shall live by faith – a life of complete dependence upon God.
My righteous servant shall live by faith – a life that rests its entire trust on the Father.
It is through faith that a righteous person has life – a life of dependence on the Lord.
In Romans, the main focus is on righteousness – on the one living by faith, and how those with faith in God are credited with Christ’s RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Galatians and Hebrews
In Galatians the main focus is on life – of the righteous person LIVING by faith, and how faith frees us from the curse of the law so we can LIVE by trusting God.
In Hebrews, the main focus is faith – for it is by FAITH that the righteous man lives..
for without faith it is impossible for the believer to live a life pleasing to God.
Without faith, it is impossible for the Christian life to produce the fruit of righteousness.
Without faith, it is impossible to show forth righteousness, which is of faith.
Without faith, we can’t sow, pursue, or reap a harvest of the fruit of righteousness.
But living a life of righteousness can only be lived by faith – dependence on God, and of course, faith has no merit on our part, for it is ALL by God’s grace.
When we live in dependence on self we are not living by faith but our own standards.
Total Trust
Total dependence on God is faith in Him; trusting His word; believing His promises. But it is more; even more; much more – it’s trusting Him to do what is right and best.
Faith is trusting God in His infinite grace and wisdom to do what is best for you.
This may mean having to go through difficult times without understanding why. It may mean a cruel and painful loss – or the slaughter of your reputation. It may mean having to face a future that is ravaged by unknown elements. And faith is trusting God’s omniscient wisdom to be working all things for the best.
Trusting Faith
We understand what God’s strength is about but His wisdom is so different from ours.
Faith is trusting Him with your family; your needs; your health; your reputation.
Faith teaches us dependence on Him to do what is best – no matter what the outcome.
Faith Speaks
Faith says with Job: though He slay me yet shall I trust Him.
Faith says with Peter: to Whom shall we go, You have the words of eternal life.
Faith says with Paul: His grace is sufficient.
The just shall live by faithThe just shall live by faithThe just shall live by faith
Last Testimony
And Habakkuk last words in His revolutionary, faith-focussed book were: Even though the fig tree does not blossom, and there are no grapes on the vines; even if the olive harvest fails, and the fields produce nothing edible; even if the flock is snatched from the sheepfold, and there is no herd in the stall – as for me, I will rejoice in the Lord.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me – and gave Himself up for me.Galatians 2:20
God’s Children
Some consider the whole human race to be a world of God’s children, but they err in their thinking, if they see not the need to receive Him by faith.
only those that receive Him by faith have the power to become God’s children: for as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. John 1:12
that we need to have faith as a little child; faith that believes God’s Word without reservation – faith that trusts unreservedly in Him and needs no other proof.
Come, Lord Jesus
There are many saints at the other end of the age spectrum with faith as a child.
Looking to JESUS, the Author and Finisher of our faith…”
Hebrews 12: 2
Safe Journey
Any mariner knows that a fraction of a degree off-course and he misses his port. He may be 99% correct but that 1° is crucial to his safe arrival at his destination. If he sets his course towards a movable marker his journey will end in disaster. If he anchors his vessel to drifting wood, he will meander across a sea of confusion. If this is physical reality – how much more must this be true in the spiritual realm?
Straight Course
Hebrews is a book that is written to both encourage and warn Christians in their walk. It helps maturing believers to steer a straight life-course through this world of unbelief. It warns that faith in God is the compass that guides us through the dark storms of life.
SECOND:- We are to renounce the besetting sin of unbelief, which has caused so many to stumble.. for what God requires of us all is that we have faith Him and trust His Word – for without faith in Him we are unable to grow in our spiritual life.
And we need to have complete faith in God and trust implicitly in His Word.
We need to run with persevering, patient endurance the race that is set before us... knowing that faith in God and trust in His Word produces perseverance.
For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained PROMISES……….
Heb.13:8 But we live by faith and not by sight. We trust His Word because He has spoken it, and we love Him because He first loved us. Such love and faith, does not find its roots in today's passing events. Such love and faith, is not based on fluctuating feelings. Such love and faith, does not follow after human schemes. Such love and faith, is not founded on hopeful speculations. Such love and faith, is firmly fixed in the immutable God. Such love and faith is secured in the unbreakable Word of God.
Consider Jesus
When we are tempted to base our love and faith on temporal things:- on passing events or fluctuating feelings – on human schemes or hopeful speculations… just consider looking away from the temporal to the eternal. Consider looking away from the earthly to the heavenly. Consider looking away from the terrestrial to the celestial. Consider the immutability of God’s promises and prophecy.
He is Faithful
If we fail in our faith or falter in our confidence, He remains faithful. If we betray His trust or fluctuate in our feelings, He abides constant. If our love dims or if we vacillate in our trust, He stays the same.. He cannot deny Himself.
Death Penalty
Christ patiently started to open the eyes of this blind leader of the blind, who himself must come to terms with the truth that the penalty of the Law for ALL – is death. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness – Jesus too must be nailed to the tree so that all who look to Him in faith, will be saved.
Time of God
All He asks is that we trust Him in all things – put our total faith in Him, knowing that: 'ALL things work together for good to those who love God..
but God’s ways are not our ways and this little girl, in faith, accepted His will. But few were watching and few saw and even fewer understood.
Heb.10:39 'Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ', Titus 3:13 Jesus questioned: 'when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?' Luke 18:8.
Jesus also said: 'But I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail and when you have returned to Me..
It requires an absolute venture of faith; but beyond it, God says, much fruit.' And the way to it is into the ground and die' - it is the only way; His way.
And there is nothing that can deliver us from it but that entire willingness to die to the old man, which comes when by faith we understand that we have died in Christ Jesus. -A.M.
But it is Christ Who lives in me, and the life that I now live I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me – I myself no longer live but Christ lives in me Gal.2:20
The rivers by which this blessed one is planted are never-failing for the one of faith.
Spiritual Fruit
This is the man that brings for the fruit of God’s Holy Spirit; Love in times of Hostility; Joy in times of Pain; Peace in times of Trouble; Long-suffering in times of Frustration; Gentleness in times of Oppression; Goodness in times of Evil; Faith in times of Testing; Meekness in times of Irritations; Temperance in times of Temptation.
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge.Ephesians 3:17,18
Faith in Christ
Christ became a permanent resident in our heart the instant we trusted Him as Saviour. His indwelling Spirit took up His habitation on the basis of faith in God’s Son, but the Spirit of God has an ongoing work throughout the rest of our life… by faith.
Grow in Grace
We are saved by grace through faith but we are also to grow by grace through faith. The Spirit resides in the heart of all believers but as we grow, He dwells in our hearts.
And like initial salvation that is also through faith, Christian growth is also by faith – for every aspect of Salvation is God’s gift of grace, through faith.
Breadth of God Grace
The breadth of God's grace reaches to embrace all who are saved by grace through faith.
It typifies the path that the man of faith must follow to see God and live.
Yes, today as then, men of faith have to face their own 'Job experience'.
Faithful Few
The remnant who are willing to take up the cross daily, and cry, Thy will not mine...be done. The minority of believers who will deny self and hold fast to the faith.
Grow in Grace
But – praise God this dear apostle, Peter, continues with the next verse. He explains in simple terms how this is achieved… 'but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Peter 3:18 We grow in grace and mature in the faith when we fix our eyes on the Lord, and the mature believer is the one that will not be overwhelmed by life’s circumstances.
a deep, deep work, in the inner man of the new creation.., till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, into a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ Ephesians.4:13 And that’s the new man in Christ.
Will of God
The mystery of God’s will is that we come to unity in the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God.
The flesh being that in us with which the law grapples, and the flesh being now by faith reckoned a dead thing, there is no more for the law to lay hold of.
and it is by faith in God that He performs this change – and He takes His time! God uses life’s circumstances, (good and ill).
Ingredient of Faith
One essential ingredient for faith, growth, and service rests on God’s principle of ‘need‘..
and God uses this inbuilt operative of the human heart, to develop faith. God uses this innate function of man’s soul, to turn him from self to Christ. When others fail us, it is to the open arms of His comfort that we fly. When things go wrong, it is to the one source of His supply that we turn. When life’s circumstances shatter our hopes, we discover our ‘need‘ of Him.
Expression of Faith
One illumined saint expressed it this way:- “The reason our Father creates and allows needs in our lives is to turn us from all that is outside of Christ..
“Not I, but Christ.” This God-breathed principle is uniquely established in the life of each believer. This living truth is specially fashioned according to our individual requirement. Christ talked of this principled truth in Matthew, by saying :- according to your faith be it unto you. Matt.9:29 – and likewise..
Word of Faith
This truth is well set out in the following words of truth… J.B.
to reach out and appropriate by faith, from our Lord Jesus, all that we require.
We are to dress in truth; righteousness; peace; faith; salvation and the Word of God. We are to be praying always with All-Prayer and supplication in the Spirit.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
But perhaps the thing that stands out so clearly is that Nehemiah believed God’s word – he had faith in the things that God said – the truths that were recorded in Scripture.
Word of God
When we fasten our faith on the word of God, He will quicken it in our hearts.
Natural Man
However hard man tries, it is impossible for him to keep the requirements of the Law. One only has to be born as a son of Adam to be condemned to death – eternal death. Natural man / unsaved man is dead in his sins and born under condemnation. No wonder the disciples asked Jesus in astonishment – Who then can be saved? No wonder Paul warned the Galatians of the Law’s restrictive nature, when he said: before faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. Galatians 3:23
Penalty for Failure
The way of faith that was revealed was Christ – the way of the Cross – the only Way.
For as many as received CHRIST; the Messiah of Israel – Son of God and Son of Man; the giver of Life and Light of the world – the Author and Finisher of our faith….
Christ in Me
However old or young in the faith we are we all are to put on the new man in Christ, We are to put away all that is old and put on the new – until Christ is formed in us. The new man is to be the manifestation of our Christian life – Christ living in me.
So many rest content with the thought that their sins are pardoned, and that they are in the path of life, but know nothing of a personal attachment to the risen Lord Jesus Christ as their life, or of faith that lives in the invisible and walks with the Father.
The profession of faith is not cast away; religious habits are kept up; but there is nothing to show that they have entered or are seeking to enter the Holiest to dwell there.
The Reformers failed because they did not see that as faith alone could save, and place man outside himself in the Lord Jesus, he must not return to that which through grace has been crucified.
Without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb. 11:6).
Nevertheless, the test of having the Spirit of Truth, and of not being a prey to fanaticism, is that the soul is attracted and subject to the Lord Jesus Christ - and this cannot be without faith produced and nourished by the Word of Truth. -W.K.
Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:1).
Abraham believed God, and faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.Romans 4:3,9
Trust God’s Word
This is faith..
faith to believe God’s Word. This is faith..
to assert and believe what God has promised. Faith is to step out on the seeming void and rest on the foundational rock beneath.
Lamp of Faith
Be willing to live by believing and reckon His word as truth. Be willing to see every light along your pathway extinguished. Be willing to allow every guiding star to be eclipsed. Be willing for sun and moon to be shrouded in black, dark clouds of dark unknowing..
but keep the inner radiance alighted with the steady lamp of faith.
Step Out in Faith
Descend from your perch of distrust; mistrust; lack of trust; dubiety; ambivalence.
Stir up your protective nest of seeming securities and superficial safeties. Tumble from the eagle's aerie and stretch your wings of faith..
Deuteronomy 32:11 Step out in faith in the word of God on the stormy seas of circumstances, and He will uphold you with His righteous right hand.
Our Good Shepherd
He is praying for us now, that our faith will not fail – and even when we become faithless, His prayers and pleadings on our behalf are honoured by the Father – for we are kept through His pleading prayers, so that when we do return into His arms of forgiveness, we will strengthen our brethren.
The Eternals
When writing about the glories we have in the Holy Spirit, Warren Wiersbe wrote: 'People of the world live by sight and depend on the externals, but Christians walk by faith and depend on the eternals'.
When one walks by faith in Christ we have abiding access to the very Spirit of God.
Proclaimed Truth
The heavens proclaim God’s glory to men of faith, and to opinionated fools alike, because what may be known of God is clearly manifest in them..
Here it is this strange thing, that these men went out, twelve and seventy, with this 'delegated authority' this delegated authority and exercised it, and mighty things resulted; and then these same people are found, after the Cross, with their faith shattered; nothing to rest upon.
Total Righteousness
And His gift to all who trust on His name is a justifying righteousness:- regeneration; sanctification; glorification; a new creation in Christ, and the grace of God and peace with God, and faith and hope and love and joy, and the indwelling Spirit and a heavenly inheritance – and eternal life: for He washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
He is the focal point of all Scripture, the great “I AM,” in Whom all revelation unites, for He is the Alpha and Omega of our life, the Beginner and Perfecter of our faith.
The passive power of faith needs for its sustenance closer communion with the Father than its active energy.
Many a saint has shown the courage of faith before his enemies, as Elijah when he faced Ahab, but who, like him, quails and flees, where there is nothing to do, but quietly trust in God.
There is no way of learning faith except by trial.
It is God's school of faith, and it is far better for us to learn to trust our Father than to enjoy life.
Mark 9:24I have not found such great faith – not even in Israel… Luke7:9Oh woman, great is your faith.
Measure of Faith
Christian, examine yourself to see if you be in the faith, for without faith it is impossible to please God.
And remember, the Lord in His grace has dealt each one a measure of faith.
Faith, Beloved – Patiently Trust!
Trial of Faith
But faith is tried in the furnace of affliction, and deep faith is furthermore strained, as increasing pressure bears down.
And as faith is tried, so faith is purified.
And as faith is purified, so faith increases, and as faith increases, so faith is tried again.
Purified Faith
Purified faith is often tried through the anguish of long delays.
Deepening faith often hears the deafening clang of a silent reply.
Faith Sarah – Patiently Trust
Tested Faith
The brightness of the sun is shrouded as by a thick cloud.
And yet the answer is withheld, and faith is further tested.
Wait of Faith
It is not that their prayers were not vehement.
Faith Hannah – Patiently Trust
Suffering of Faith
But it pleases Him Who is sovereign, Who gives according to His own pleasure, to bid our patience develop into long, long-suffering, Into the long, longer..
Delays of Faith
For those things, we reckon as refusals are simply His postponements, and those desires we count as denials – are simply His delays.
Faith Mary – Patiently Trust
The Rewards of Faith
His postponements will not be delayed forever, nor will His delays be postponed indefinitely.
I pray…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Spiritual Fullness
It is so that Christ may dwell deeply in our hearts through faith. It is that we may be rooted and grounded in the extensive love of Christ. It is so that we may be able to comprehend the vast dimensions of God’s love.
Fullness of God’s Love
As we abide in Christ so He will dwell in our hearts by faith – with thanksgiving.. That we may not only know about God’s love, but to know God’s love in reality.. that we not only know He is life – but to have His life living within our heart – that we might be filled will all the fullness of God’s love – as an actuality.
I don’t mean basing faith on emotional feelings which can fluctuate to and fro – but a trust that God provides sufficient grace no matter what we are facing in life.
Servants of Travail
But God will have His way, in each and all of His chosen bond-servants, as each...despite much striving, deep lamentations and kicking against the pricks, eventually chose to stand firm and trust in His Word… in blind faith, despite a myriad of contradictions, which strewed each of their dejected paths.
After the believer enters into life by faith, he wonders why it was so difficult for him to see that it was all of grace - the humble reception of a finished work.
What believers need is the simple faith that the establishing in Christ, day by day, is God's work - a work that He delights to do, in spite of all our weakness and unfaithfulness, if we will but trust Him for it.
To the blessedness of such faith, and the experience it brings, many can testify.
But the death of the Lord Jesus is - judicially, and for faith - the end of that man, and the Christian walking in the Spirit owns him no more.
The more clearly we enter, by faith, into objective truth, or what is true of us in the Lord Jesus, the deeper, more experiential and practical will be the Spirit's subjective work in us, and the more complete will be the manifestation of the moral effect in our life and character. -C.H.M.
But if this foundational truth is not apprehended by faith, there is no bright, happy, emancipating sense of full and everlasting salvation. -C.H.M.
We are to hold by faith the position which the Father has given us in the risen Lord Jesus, and abide therein, occupied with the interests of our Father and not our own.
Taking thought of ourselves is a divergence from the place of faith.
Position
But our worthiness is not of us but from faith in Christ, And our eternal seat is secure for we are positioned in Christ, And we have been forever accepted by God because of Christ. This is why it is vital to know our God and to know our position in Christ.
Oh, yes, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.
What more satisfied and appyperson is there even amidst suffering and sorrow than he or she who is most perfect in patience, love, faith, and the other fruits of the Spirit?
Alive unto God in Jesus Christ, our Lord (Rom. 6:11)
Until the believer's faith is firmly established in the fact of his position in the risen Lord Jesus, he will not be able to rest in Him during the process of his position becoming his condition.
While Martha was cumbered about much serving, and her love, most true in its way, went forth in actively providing for the Lord's outward need, Mary, unconsciously perhaps, proved her stronger faith and deeper love by sitting at His feet and drinking in His words.
Faith never thinks about that which is in ourselves as its ground of rest; it receives, loves, and apprehends what the Father has revealed in His Word, and what are His thoughts about the Lord Jesus, in whom is His rest. -J.N.D.
There should be a progression in one's faith from objective facts about the Lord Jesus to personal fellowship with Him.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the only object for faith, the only One that satisfies us, as indeed He is the Father's object; and if we have got but one mind with the Father about Him, our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. -W.K.
We are not according to our Father's pleasure, nor are we in simple restfulness as to our acceptance, if we do not enter by faith into the new position to which He in His grace has placed us.
Pinnacle of Faith
The book of Ephesians must be the pinnacle of faith, hope and love for the believer. The book of Ephesians has rightly been called the Holiest of all Holy Scripture, and we would do well to read its content; reflect on its glory and rely on its truth – for it reaches beyond man’s creative vision and peeps into the mind of the Creator. It touches into the heavenly realms and glimpses the likeness of the glory of God.
To be a leader one must be a dependent one, a led one; one who is looking away (from all that would distract) to Jesus, who is the Leader and the Source of our faith (Heb. 12:2).
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love (Gal. 5:6).
No more representative theological dictum from the Covenant viewpoint has been formed than the Westminster Confession of Faith, which valuable and important document recognizes life truth only to the point of imposing the Ten Commandments on Christians as their sole obligation, and in spite of the teachings of the New Testament which asserts that the Law was never given to Gentile or Christian. -L.S.C.
In Acts 26:18 we read: by faith in Christ they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified, while in Romans 6:19 we read: just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to moral impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification.
But while that life is itself victorious, incorruptible, and indestructible, the believer has to come by faith to prove it, to live by it, to learn its principles, to be conformed to it.
Faith is going to determine which of two things is going to characterize us.
That is the effect of the absence of a positive faith.
The only way of Life and deliverance from such a paralysis is a deliberate faith in God which causes us to take the attitude that we are going on with God, understanding or not understanding, explaining or not explaining, having light or having no light; we are going right on with God on the basis of what God has done in us, made real in us, of what God Himself is to us by what He has effected in us.
Growing In Grace - STUDY
Without faith it is impossible to please Him..Hebrews 11:6
Biblical Faith
There is much confusion about Biblical faith, and much that is considered to be faith, that is unscriptural.
Faith is not a religion or a moral system.
Faith is not problem-solving, positive thinking or repetitive praying.
Faith is not hoping against hope that something is going to happen, nor is it hiding behind an ‘airy-fairy’ belief system.
Faith is the objective act of trusting God and believing His word.
Objective Act
Faith is objectively saying, I trust God’s word of truth implicitly.
Faith it believing that the word of God as fact and not fable.
Faith is believing God’s word, trusting His word and reckoning His word to be true for:- without faith it is impossible to please Him.
Hebrews 11:6, How important, therefore, to know what faith actually is, what it means and how we can objectively act in our Christian life, by faith.
Examples of Faith
In the Old Testament, there are many examples of faith – people objectively trusting God’s word.
There are a number of different words in the Bible that exemplify what faith is and how faith is applied in the life of the great men and women of faith that are listed in Hebrews 11.
Words of Faith
AMAN – Abraham was given a promise, and he trusted God: he BELIEVED.. (aman) which means that Abraham was propped up, supported or carried by God.
OMAN – Isaiah exalts and praises the Lord because He is faithful and TRUE.. (oman) and just as God was faithful and true for Abraham, He is faithful and true to all His children and we can trust Him and put our faith in His word.
YAHAL – Job was able to proclaim: though He slay me, yet will I TRUST.. (yahal) which refers to lengthy waiting, where no matter what pressures reign down upon us, we are to continue to mix faith with our biblical knowledge of God.
Expanding Faith
To please God, we must have faith Him and trust His Word.
We must TRUST (kawah) the Lord by waiting patiently for Him – however long it takes, for without faith it is impossible to please Him.
Pleasing Faith
There is no pleasing God without faith.
We cannot please God without the sort of faith that was displayed by the men and women of faith described in the Bible.
There is no pleasing God without faith.
Let us objectively mix our faith with the truth of God’s word – like so many saints who have gone before.
Commands to Pray
Pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. 1 Timothy 2:8 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer Romans 12:12 Build up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost Jude 1:20 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit Ephesians 6:18 Night and day praying exceedingly.. 1 Thessalonians 3:10 Pray in spirit, and truth, John 4:24 Pray without ceasing.. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Brothers, pray for us..2 Thessalonians 3:1
Childlike Faith
When I am busy with the children I pray that they come to know and love the Lord, – I pray that I become as a child..
Intercessory Prayer
How we long for loved ones to be drawn by the Holy Spirit to a saving faith in Jesus, and our intercessory prayers can often have a part to play: for no man comes to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him John 6:44.
Measure of Faith
How we desire that each seeking one is given the faith that they may believe in Him: for God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. Rom.12:3 and how we pray that God will use whatever means is necessary to get their attention.
Pray in Faith
We know that God hears the prayers of His saints, so it’s important that we pray. It’s important that we pray in faith and that we trust Him to hear and to answer. How needful that we think rightly, asking Him to remove any doubt from our mind: for assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain: ‘be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” Mark 11:23
We need to pray that we will be effective in sharing the gospel: I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective or the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us, for the sake of Christ.
We may be certain He has further service, further burdens of faith and prayer to give us when we are ready for them. -J.O.F.
In the true prayer of faith' the intercessor must spend time with the Father to appropriate the promises of His Word, and must permit himself to be taught by the Holy Spirit, whether the promises can be applied to this particular case.
He remains in the presence of God, till He, by His Spirit, awakens the faith that in this particular matter the prayer has been heard. -A.M.
Ministry of Intercession
Intercession is a ministry for those that are of the Royal House of Faith.
James warned of unstable praying and encouraged the righteous prayer of faith, while John records Christ’s sublime high-priestly prayer – in John chapter 17.
Kingdom of Priests
Intercession is a ministry for those that are of the Royal House of Faith. Intercession is a privilege for those that are a kingdom of priests unto the Lord. Intercession is an office in which saints of old have poured their pleading prayers.
Free Will Choice
No one is predestined to be saved, for salvation is a free gift to be received, by faith. No one is predestined to be lost, for all men are given a free-will to accept or reject.
Those who accept God’s free salvation, by grace through faith in Christ, are saved.
Grace Thru Faith
Predestination is based upon God’s grace, which is accessed by faith in Christ alone.
Predestination is not the whim of a random, heavenly dice – but faith in Christ.
Predestination has not one iota of human merit attached, but is by faith in Christ.
Predestination is based on grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone – period.
NEVER let it be said that God predestined unbelievers to the lake of fire, for that is a lie of the enemy. But those that refuse salvation by grace through faith choose their own destiny – and that is the truth of Scripture.
Grace Thru Faith - STUDY
Grace Thru Faith- study [24]
Period of Preparation
There must be a long and deep period of preparation, in the man and woman of God, if that life is to shed abroad the attributes of the Lord Jesus in thought word and deed..
Ongoing Preparation
'Rest' in the justifying faith of the new-birth, is a past and done deal. 'Rest' in the sanctifying faith of the growing saint is an ongoing process.
For faith it is more like this: there is such power at work as to make possible the setting aside of the obstacle very quietly, so that we afterward wonder And they were amazed.
It is good to have amazement, but let us recognize that a certain amount of our amazement is because we have not sufficient faith.
It may come in the way of difficulties in the path of faith; or in the shape of such trials and sorrows as are common to all men - loss of property, loss of health, or bereavement; or it may be as the governmental consequences of sin; but in one way or other all have it.
She received the same privileges as spiritual giants like Peter, Paul, John and James, for along with every born-again child of God, there is no partiality or favouritism with Him – we are all one in Christ, and yet we all have to mature in the faith.
Let us receive God’s Word and examine it with all eagerness, so that we may grow in grace and mature in the faith.
The Apostle Paul said, Through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
The believer truly walking in the liberty wherewith Christ hath set him free (Gal. 5:1), has Him ever before his eye of faith; delighting that because of Him he is in the Father's favor.
Let it be remembered we are to fight the good fight of faith,' which consists of resting in our position of freedom, and not in obtaining that position.
It is what the Lord Jesus did there that counts, and what He did becomes a growing force in the life of the believer when it is seen, and rested in by faith.
The beginning of spiritual growth is faith in that fact.
Eternal Significance
God made peace with us by grace, through faith in the one perfect sacrifice for sin, and we are entrusted with a holy office – entreating the world to receive salvation.
And faith looks at things as the Father looks at them.
Faith never thinks about that which is in ourselves as its ground of rest; it receives, loves, and apprehends what the Father has revealed, and what are His thoughts about the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is His rest. -J.N.D.
Through grace the old man' was nailed to the Cross and buried in the tomb; through faith the old man will be kept there.
Continuously reckon yourself to be totally severed from all that belongs to the old man and all that pertains to the old sphere, and faith will eventuate into experience. -R.P.
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering (Heb. 10:23).
Faith does not create or produce, but rests and rejoices in what God has already done.
A great many people have the faith that seeks, but they have not a faith that rests.
I am sure this rest of faith is the center of all activity.
You cannot work without friction until you have this rest of faith - complete dependence not only on what the Lord has done, but on what He is to you this very moment.
A superficial acquaintance with God's plan leads to the view that while justification is God's work, by faith in Christ, sanctification is our work, to be performed under the influence of the gratitude we feel for the deliverance we have experienced and by the aid of the Holy Spirit.
Often the believer struggles hopelessly for years, until he listens to the teaching of the Spirit, as He glorifies Christ again, and reveals Christ, our Sanctification, to be appropriated by faith alone. -A.M.
And let ever again a quiet, hopeful, gladsome faith hold itself assured that all you need for a holy life will most assuredly be given you out of the holiness of the Lord Jesus.
When circumstances seem impossible, when all signs of grace in you seem at their lowest ebb, when temptation is fiercest, when love and joy and hope seem well nigh extinguished in your heart, then rest, without feeling and without emotion, in the Father's faithfulness; abide in the fact that He loves you infinitely, and even now is working in you faithfully; and honor Him, and put the enemy to flight by taking to yourself the words of Job: Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.' I have prayed for thee' (says the One who ever lives to make intercession for us) that thy faith fail not.' -D.T.
Chapter 3: all men are guilty before God and righteousness only comes by grace, through faith in Christ.
Chapter 4: gives examples of men of faith and God’s promises to those who live by faith.
In chapter 3 we discover God’s plan of salvation, which is grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone – and we are saved and praise God, worshiping Him with grateful thanks.
grace alone by faith in Christ alone, and in chapter 5 we discover His promises are yes, and amen in Christ.
King David
Although the promise of great blessings and a land inheritance came to the people of faith through Abraham, perhaps the most stupendous promises given to man – were made to Israel’s King David.
It must be possible for us to say with perfect assurance and confidence before God: Lord, what I am as apart from Christ is one thing; what I am by faith's union with Christ is that I am righteous with Thine own righteousness; I cannot be destroyed, I cannot come under condemnation!
so that Adam, and his fallen race, could be reunited in spirit with God – by faith.. faith in the Seed of the woman, not faith in any of the fallen progeny of Adam – salvation in the Son of Man..
Righteous acts don’t have their source in my old sin nature but in the new life in Christ: for in myself I can do no good thing, for all my righteousness is from the Lord… not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness which is from God by faith.” Philippians 3:9
Justification
Many teachers consider discipleship as integral to the initial stage of salvation… making discipleship a requirement of salvation – an add on to “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ..” But salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
God’s Gift
Salvation involves what God gives to us – His own life, not what we give to Him, for Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
Faith of Abraham
But what does it actually mean to ‘believe’ – to ‘believe on the name of Jesus’? Well, Paul cites Abraham as a man of faith – an example of one who believed God.
Abraham did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, because he was fully convinced that what God had promised He was also able to perform. Romans 4:20-21
Trusting God’s Word
Abraham believed God when he was called to leave Ur – to travel to a distant land. Abraham trusted God when he was told that he would be the father of many nations. Abraham had faith in the truth of God’s word and trusted Him to fulfil His promises. Oh, Abraham did some stupid things like trying to help God – but the bottom line is.. God knew his heart and KNEW Abraham depended on God to keep His promises. And the trust that Abraham had in God was credited to him as righteousness.
By Grace – Thru Faith
To have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is to believe what God has said about Him.
Faith Choice
Believing is man’s one and only response to the grace that is a free gift of God - for by grace and grace alone are you saved.
Salvation is the free gift of grace that is given to all who believe on Christ. Paul tells us that believing is a faith choice – that is might be of grace. It means we choose to believe that God’s gift of grace is by believing on Christ. Righteousness is our portion because we trusted what God has said in His word. It isn’t believing on Christ for salvation PLUS doing something else.
Being born again is not believe and be baptised – but believe on the Lord Jesus. Paul tells us that if it is not by faith – then it is not of grace.
This complicates the simple message of salvation by grace alone – through faith in Christ.
Act of Consecration
This beautiful act of consecration may be a result – but is not a condition of salvation Paul tells us that if it is not by faith – then it is not of grace. A carnal believer will certainly suffer loss of rewards – but never his eternal salvation, which is always and only by grace – through faith – in Christ.
Some people add works of the flesh, works of the Law – self-imposed rules or Church regulations and a variety of ‘add-ons’ to the basic gospel of salvation by grace – through faith in Christ Jesus, while others insist on actions relating to eating or drinking – places of worship or times and seasons – spiritual fruit or gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Does our faith only kick in when all is going well – “a tummy-touches-table” guy?
How many really truly had faith in Him – one here and one there?
Bible Faith
A few days ago I reflected on those that really truly had faith in the Son of Man – faith written about in the scriptures.
A woman with an issue of blood – a blind-deaf mute– a dead girl’s mum and dad – and because of their faith in Jesus mountains were moved in their lives.
They had arrived at the extremity of their hope and then they trusted Him, but His own kith and kin restricted His power by their lack of faith in Him.
One Example
But there is one guy, a centurion with an ill servant, who exemplified real faith. He believed the Word of God.
It is that sort of trust and that level of faith at which the devil trembles.
Resisting Satan
Are we man enough or woman enough to stand to the end and have faith in Jesus?
Will we resist the devil despite all that he does to trounce our faith in the Son or will we revert to being one of the multitude, that just looked from afar?
Outward Appearances
Many with an outward appearance of godliness are wolves in sheep’s clothing.. for the love of many will grow cold towards their fellows – and where love does not reign faith morphs into unbelief.
Let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love..
Living faith, divine love and patient hope are the three essential garments of protection.
This combination of faith, love and hope is our essential protection from this evil day.
Grace of God
Through the grace of God, we can be perfected in love and practical in our faith.
Let us be like the Thessalonian believers, who Paul remembers with affection for... your work of Faith, your labour of Love, and your patience of Hope, in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,” 1 1Thessalonians 1:3
Work of Faith
There can be no acceptable work of God in our lives that is not a work of faith. There can be no work of faith, which is not a labour of God’s agape love in us. There can be no end-time endurance without the patience of hope resting on Him.
You examine yourself to see if you truly are in the faith – with Christ central.
There are decisions that can detrimentally affect our earthly walk and future rewards, and it all has its roots in faith in God; trusting Him; believing His word: for without faith it is impossible to please God.
Divine Signpost
Just as faith is the essential key to unlock our hearts to His love, and just as charity is one small part of the whole of the love of God, so prophecy is a mere signpost to point us to incarnate love: Love never fails, but whether there are prophecies, they will be done away..” 1Cor.13:8
and I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness – which is from the law, but that righteousness which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.
I’ve fought a good fight, I’ve finished my course, I’ve kept the faith” 2Timothy 4:7 A man who can truly say, “I have finished my course,” is an entirely broken life.
We are sanctified. We are positioned in Christ and we are positionally sanctified. We were positionally sanctified when we were justified by faith in Christ, but must move to practical or progressive sanctification, if we are to grow in our Christian life.
Faith Contrasted
The shout of steadfast faith is in direct contrast to the moans of wavering faith.
I do not know of anything that is more valuable than the secret of this shout of faith.
Steadfast Faith
Now, no one can suppose for a moment that this loud shout caused the walls to fall. The vibration from their combined voices was insufficient to cause 1 stone to tumble, and yet the secret of their victory lay in their shout – for it was the shout of faith.
It was a shout of obedience to God’s instructions – and it showed faith in God’s word.
Accomplished Victory
The towering walls of this fortified city of Jericho must have appeared impregnable, but though there was no sign of an accomplished victory – they trusted God’s word – and they shouted the shout of faith.
Shout of Faith
God had said, “I have given it to you,” and they believed Him, and shouted in faith, and God honoured His word and God did unto them according to their trust in Him – and when they shouted the shout of faith, God caused the walls to tumble down.
Triumphant Record
God had declared that He had given them the city, and faith reckoned this to be true..
and centuries afterwards the Holy Spirit recorded this triumph of faith in Hebrews: by faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been encircled for seven days. Hebrews 11:30
In the days of Israel’s “shout of faith” – God spoke to His people through prophets: long ago God spoke many times, in many ways to our ancestors through prophets..
Obedient Submission
Israel’s shout of faith was a demonstration of believers that trusted the Word of God – and they were obedient to carry out what God required of them – in His way… Let us trust in the Word of God and similarly demonstrate our ‘shout of faith’ – as we obediently submit to all that is required of us, as set out in the Word of God.
Crowd of Witnesses
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses, who lived by faith – such as Joshua and the Israelites who obediently did all that God commanded them to do... let us like them obey what God has asked us to do, which is to strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up – the sin of unbelief….
and let us run with endurance the race God has set before us – by faith.
And let us keep looking to Jesus, Who is the founder and perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, and despised the shame.
Down Payment
We are placed into the body of Christ the moment we first trust Jesus as Saviour. First, we had to hear the gospel of truth, for faith comes by hearing the word of God. Then we had to believe the gospel of truth and all who believe in Christ are saved – and through believing in His name we were given the right to become His children.
He sought us and saved us and sealed us by grace – through faith in Christ.
which is passed to all humanity, but God in His love and grace has provided a solution for the old sin nature, in Adam – and the solution is to be taken out of Adam and placed into Christ – by faith: for as by the one man’s disobedience (Adam) the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience (Christ) the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:19,
By Grace Through Faith
It is by grace that we have received forgiveness of our sins. It is by grace that we have been delivered from the power of sin . Remember:There are 2 fundamental SIN problems, but BOTH are dealt with at the cross of Christ. It is by grace through faith in Christ that we appropriate forgiveness – of SINS. It is by grace through faith in Christ that we appropriate deliverance – from SIN.
Faith asks for no props from the men and things around it; it finds all its springs' in God; and hence it is that faith never shines so brightly as when all around is dark.
It is when nature's horizon is overcast with the blackest clouds, that faith basks in the sunshine of the divine favor and faithfulness. -C.H.M.
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.Hebrews 12:2
Even if we are totally unable to obey and cannot even exercise faith, a day comes when the resistance has vanished and we are trusting the Lord Jesus in simplicity of heart.
The tragic mistake of thousands of believers is in trying to live in two worlds at the same time - in nature and in God, in self and in Christ, in the flesh and in the Spirit, by faith and in independence, by abiding and by effort.
It is all false, wherever we may find it, whether associated with religion or not.... The Christian Faith embraced as a religion, a philosophy, or as a system of truth and a moral or ethical doctrine, may carry the temporary stimulus of a great ideal; but this will not result in the regeneration of the life, or the new birth of the spirit.
The Christian needs exercise – if he is to develop and mature in the faith.
Christian Obedience
Paul warns us to sift through our attitudes and search our motives – so examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. These instructions are not to the unbelievers, but to Christians. This examination does not mean check out to see if you are born again – this is an instruction to see if you are on the road to spiritual maturity.
A Study:- Man’s Nature and Destiny
Desire God’s Word
Just as newborn babes require milk from the breast, so too spiritual babes must be fed. Paul instructs us: as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow. 1Pet.2:2. A new-born believer will grow by reading and delighting in the Word of God, and faith in that young believer with grow – for faith comes by hearing God’s Word.
Therefore, leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.
the completeness and perfection that belong to spiritual maturity. Let us not again be laying the foundation of repentance and abandonment of dead works (dead formalism) and of the faith [by which you turned] to God, Let us not repeat the teachings about purifying, the laying on of hands, the resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgment and punishment. [These are all matters of which you should have been fully aware long, long ago.] Hebrews 6:1-2
Stunted Growth
Growing in the faith and maturing spiritually has a number of associated terms, Sanctification - Salvation of the soul - spiritual maturity - growing in the faith - growing in grace.
Spiritual and Carnal
A spiritual Christian is the one that is growing in the faith – maturing. A carnal Christian is the one that is not growing in the faith – not maturing. A carnal Christian can also be called a fleshly believer... born again but not growing – born again, but not growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour.
Abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence – abound in all love2 Corinthians.8:7
Abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, abound in all love 2 Corinthians 8:7
Abound in all Faith
How do we abound in all FAITH? Well, we trust the word of God in everything and accept His Word as fact. We believe His Word to be true.
We have faith in Him. We don’t look at the crushing circumstances of life but trust in His love.
The flesh revelsin that, and when you come and say to that whole order of things,The way of God is the way of utter dependence and faith, with theHoly Spirit in entire charge, and you must keep your hands offand be willing to do only what the Lord tells you and no more,(that which is meant by the declaration, I can do nothingout from Myself) it is an offence to the natural man, evenin religious matters.
The whole accomplishment of God in Christ is on thebasis of Divine Life mediated through faith.
After a lifetime of living by faith and a lifespan of watching and waiting, Simeon saw, and Simeon cried, “mine eyes have seen your salvation.” Luke 2:30
This remnant man had lived a life of blind faith, love, patience... and he waited.
This loyal, godly Old Testament saint, exemplifies a true man of faith, who pleased God. For he believed God; he trusted God, he watched, and he waited – and yet Simeon, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise. Heb 11:39 ..
Word of God
And like all scripture which is given for our learning, Simeon serves as an “ensample” to us – an example and shadow of heavenly things.. just like all the men and women of faith, discovered in the pages of Hebrews 11.
Men of Faith
By faith, from Adam to John the Baptizer, Abel to Zechariah, Job to Simeon... we see men who lived by faith – men given as examples to teach us God’s perfect way.
Like Simeon, it is not the physical eye that shows us the truth God wants us to learn, for we live by faith and not by sight. 2Cor.5:7.
But we too must “SEE” the salvation of God – through the spiritual eye of faith, and we must “KNOW” the promise of His Word, with the understanding of the heart.
Life of Faith
As we face the future we must humbly seek to live out His new life in us and through us.
The Will of God
And so Satan seeks his revenge on those who will keep faith in God – like Joseph and Job – and though Satan means it for evil against you – God will turn it for good.
But many fall at the last hurdle and lose their faith: So I urge you like Joseph, Job and Jesus to say, Thy will be done in my life – to Your praise and Your glory forever and ever – Amen.
The only way to please God is to have faith – faith that I can do all things through Christ – that without Him I am nothing and can do nothing of myself to please the Father.
When men or women are called by God into some piece of Divine ministry and, in the face of the demand, are conscious to the last degree that they have no ability, no resource, no power to fulfill that ministry, that in themselves the thing is utterly impossible, that for them to essay to do it would be the utmost folly and absurdity when in such circumstances they recognize that they have a living Christ in whom are resources more than enough to meet that demand... and by faith lay hold of Him and go forward into the ministry with that consciousness... that is spirituality; and that is practical, tremendously practical.
It is not in our personal clinging to a God-given thing, whether it be a promise or a possession, but faith's restful and fear-free holding on to the Lord Himself.
Walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith. (Colossians 2:7)
It all looks such a muddle, but as faith holds on, one day we shall praise Him, as we see the reason for it all afterwards; the path of the just... shineth more and more unto the perfect day Prov. 4:18.
Just then, is the time for us to stand fast in the Lord and maintain that stand in faith.
Faith has nothing to do with the outward appearances.
Faith has nothing to do with miracles, wonders, or signs.
Faith has nothing to do with probabilities or improbabilities.
Faith has nothing to do with humanistic philosophies.
Faith has nothing to do with calculations.
Faith has nothing to do with speculations.
Demonstrating Faith
If you desire to couple any one of these things with faith – it is no longer faith.
Faith plus anything extra, however noble is no faith at all..and without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6 Faith rests on the naked Word of God.
Faith begins and ends with the promises of Christ.
When you take Him at His Word you are demonstrating faith..and you will find rest for your soul, even when the circumstances surrounding you may scream to the contrary.
Examples of Faith
God delights to exercise faith in you, just as He did with his servants of old.
Challenges to Faith
Despair whispers: 'Give up – Lie down and die; there is nothing that can be done'.
Response of FaithFaith responds not to Cowardice nor Despair.
Faith takes no heed of Impetuosity or Haste nor foolish Presumption.
Faith listens to the Word of God, even if the answer seems long in coming.
Faith hears God’s quiet counsel and calm instruction: Stand Still… and see the salvation of God.
Reward of Faith
'Do not be afraid…' Moses told the terrified Israelites. 'Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today, for the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.
Just sit calmly still!Thou longest much to know thy dear Lord’s will!While anxious thoughts would almost steal their wayCorrodingly within, because of His delay.Persuade thyself in simple faith to restThat He, who knows and loves, will do the best.
Our Father has taken us over Jordan and placed us in Canaan, but the reality of it is never known until by faith we accept the fact on the basis of having died with Christ, and that therefore heaven is our place, and we know it to be our place now; and that this side is not our place, and we know that it is not.
The walk of the believer should ever be the natural result of realized privilege, and not the constrained result of legal vows and resolutions - the proper fruit of a position known and enjoyed by faith, and not the result of one's own efforts to reach a position by works of law.' All true believers are a part of the Bride of Christ; hence, they owe Him those affections which become that relation.
God’s Grace
Paul’s epistles give descriptive details of the riches of God’s grace towards believers. He details over and again our position in Christ – our privileges and our possession. He desires that our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is firmly fixed on truth and not on the philosophies of man.
Deceptive Teaching
He also warns of an increase of false teachers and an inflow of demonic doctrines. Paul does not want believers to be deceived by false teachings or spiritual powers – for God has given us the truth in his epistles and desires that we remain firm in the faith.
Undermining Faith
This mindset of the world is rooted in the traditions of man and human viewpoint, and such a perspective robs the believer of all that it means to be IN CHRIST. We must be alert to the many ways that the enemy seeks to undermine our faith.. not allowing ourselves to be swept into the ungodly philosophies of this world – and not permitting false teachings or spiritual powers to rob us of our joy in the Lord.
We must have confidence in the heavenly position to which we have been elevated. We must understand the eternal plan and purpose that God has for each of His own. We must rejoice in our spiritual blessings and glorious identity in Christ Jesus. We must renounce all the lies that the enemy uses to undermine our faith in God.
INSTEAD…
INSTEAD... live your lives, by faith in Christ.
Be rooted and grounded and built up in Him - strengthened and established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness and bubbling over with gratitude to our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
My Cross means that not even for Me can you be or do anything out from yourself; but if there is to be anything at all it must be out from Me, and that means a life of absolute dependence and faith.' -T.
God’s Grace
Like each and every gift of grace, His strength is ministered to each of us according to our need. We have no need of a bank deposit of $upply, No spiritual battery from which to draw our spiritual £trength. His supply is a continuous flow, received by faith as need requires. Life is divided into days – and day after day after day, He provides and supplies the strength. Down through the weeks which flow into months and years, He continues to provide ‘Strength for the day and bright hope for the morrow!’
Once we take, as actuality, what is already ours in Christ – we are living by faith.
Appropriating Truth
How do we appropriate the truth of God’s word and how do we live by faith?
Paul was a guy who practiced living in the sufficiency of Christ – by faith. Paul was a person that demonstrated how the normal Christian life should be lived.
But you, dearly beloved friends, must continue to build your most holy faith for your own benefit.
Defeat : Prepare : Edify
Such prayer is destined to DEFEAT the strategies of the enemy. Such prayer is designed to PREPARE the way for the salvation of the lost. Such prayer is designated to BUILD UP and edify the body of Christ in holy faith.
Every believer has an equal opportunity to become a participant, praying priest – linking their intercessions with those of past mighty men of faith and love.
Teach me, Lord, to pray with those who like Jude have prayed before - but you, dearly beloved friends, must continue to build your most holy faith for your own benefit.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing… Whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
Never-Failing God
Christ had nowhere to place His head and maybe in a way, I began to understand just a fraction of what that meant. But would I have to follow in His poverty-stricken footsteps even here – as each ‘pushed-on’ door continued to be slammed in my face. My faith was weak and my heart was crying and my courage was far from valiant! And encouraging phone calls came from my mother – that “He would provide…” Inspiring support from one who had also trodden this homeless way before me. Yet I almost despaired that God’s promise included me as well.
a little faithful flock. Many are called to be sons of obedience but few choose to answer the call. Many Christians prefer a legalistic life to a life of spiritual faithfulness and grace. Many believers prefer a carnal life to a life of surrendered obedience and faith.
but when obedient faith is exercised in the spirit of humility and grace, God works through ANY-one.
The apostle John informs us in that fellowship with God is the healthy Christian life, while Peter reminds us that God’s Word is the food we need for healthy spiritual growth – and God desires that we mature in the faith.
And once saved by grace through faith, we are to live by grace, walk by grace and grow in grace – in spirit and truth.
We want to earn our salvation but God requires us to accept His free gift of salvation and mature in the faith His way.
Do I allow visible facts of life to distort my understanding and affect my faith?
Biblical knowledge and articles of faith are necessary – but we must beware, when our philosophical ideals conflict with God’s revealed character.
first – from an early Christian walk of prayer and praise to secondly, the vital trial of our faith which is more precious than gold, to thirdly – the time when we shall know as we are known, and shall see Him face to face.
Faith or Works
The work of Christ on the Cross was His finished work alone – I can add nothing more.
I was born into the family of God by faith and by faith I am to live as a child of God.
Will I choose to live my Christian life by faith or will I try to live my life by works.
As a believer, I have a choice – to live by faith in the Son or to live by works of my own.
Life of Faith
Hebrews is not written to newborn babes in Christ, but is meat for the mature man.
Hebrews tells us how to live a life that is pleasing to the Father – a life of faith.
Hebrews is a book that urges obedient trust – listing many people of faith as examples.
We are to live by faith, for today is the accepted day..
Today is a time of child-training with rewards laid up in heaven – today is the day to live by faith as exemplified by all in Hebrews 11.
These were all commended for their faith.
This faithful company chose to trust God and like them, we also are to live by faith.
And Hebrews 12 tells us how to live by faith – how to be pleasing to the Father.
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer, and Perfecter of faith.
Hebrews 11 and 12
Hebrews 11 is the example of a great cloud of witnesses who lived their lives by faith.
Hebrews 12 gives instructions on how to become a witness that lives by faith as well - lay aside every weight -lay aside the sin which so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that is set before us.
We are to put away all that diverts us away from faith in God and trust in Christ – and we are then directed to strip off the one sin, which so easily ensnares us.
Lack of Faith
But Scripture is its own best interpreter, and the book of Hebrews zeros in.
The sin that hinders our Christian life and our walk with the Lord is a lack of faith.
Trust in Christ
The sin that trips us up and clings so closely is unbelief – as exemplified in Israel, for without faith it is impossible to please God.
But by faith all the men and women of faith in Hebrews 11 pleased God.
They were all commended for their faith.
Hebrews 12:1 The besetting sin of so many maturing believers is a lack of faith in God’s Word, because the focus of so many believers is trust in self and not trust in Christ.
Today Is The Day
Let us not harden our hearts or grieve the Lord as Israel did – let us live by faith..
Today is the time of child-training with rewards laid up in heaven – today is the day to live by faith as exemplified by that great cloud of witnesses.
God-guided Lesson
He will speak to your heart; He will shape your thoughts; He will direct your path– as in humility and faith you follow the best way. Thus you will not be continually directed by circumstances..
one fixed on Jesus the Author and Finisher of faith.
and He shall direct our path in all things, as in faith, we put our hand into His..
Both the forgiveness of sins and deliverance from sin are gifts of grace to all believers – and we appropriate both forgiveness and deliverance by faith in Christ's sacrifice.
Grace Thru Faith - STUDY
Foundational Facts
God has given us vital principles of the Christian life – foundational gospel facts.
He brings us to faith through rebirth..
Sixth, that we are seated in heavenly places in Christ and Seventh, lost in wonder and in praise in the knowledge of Himself. So after the product of 'initial faith' – is the processes of 'sanctifying faith'.
Rooted in Love
And after all of this… what then? The interesting this is, that over these years I have observed it all comes back to one thing… LOVE. Firstly, our relationship with the Lord Jesus is by faith. Secondly..
that faith without love is really very ineffective. Thirdly, every promise in Revelation 2 and 3 brings you back to loving Jesus. Fourth, every crown we can gain has its roots in love. Fifth – there is nothing we can do of ourselves. All these are vital principles of the Christian life. All these truths are foundational Gospel facts.
Growing Faith
Count it all joy when you fall into various troubles..
it increases your faith.
But don’t pray for wisdom with a doubting mind – that exhibits a lack of faith..
and remember – faith is increased through the various troubles and trials of life.
and count it all joy when you fall into various trials – it increases your faith!
He will convulse your very being – with the trial designed to increase your faith – as you pray for cherished wisdom, that is bestowed through believing trust.
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame. (Hebrews 12:2)
If only the believer had the eye of faith, to see it and believe it.
Living Faith
Enoch, the seventh from Adam beautifully exemplified this living meeting in the air: “By faith, Enoch was translated that he should not see death, and was not found, because God had translated him: but before his translation, he had this testimony, that he pleased God” Heb.11:5
Man’s Choice
Man has a choice – and that choice is by faith and not by sight or works.
Choose life or choose death – there is no middle ground, Man must meet God on a new principle – one decreed by God Himself – a principle we see in Abel, Enoch, Noah, and many others – even faith.
Law of Faith
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved…” Acts 16:31 Then once saved we are to live by the law of faith, we are to stand by faith; walk by faith; live by faith; pray by faith.
For faith secures the believers’ source, channel, power, sphere, and duration of Life: sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof Matt.6:43 – so live this day by faith.
It is the spontaneous outworking of spiritual forces released, in the acceptance by faith of tremendous facts concerning Christ; which facts are proclaimed out of experience in the power of the Holy Ghost.
Position and Condition
Some believers allow the trials and circumstances of life to shipwreck their faith. They only see the condition of their life instead of accepting their position in Christ. Oh, the trials of life are waxing worse and worse, but faith holds fast to His Word.
Carnal Way
Some believers unconsciously and unknowingly do not take the spiritual way. Their dear desire IS to walk in the spirit, in light and truth, and to abide in Christ, but there is a blockage that has barred their way – a resister, blocking their path, and most if not all great men and women of faith have faced this exact difficulty.
The only safe one is Christ, and therefore the only one who stands in God eyes is Christ, and it is as you and I, in all the brokenness, frailty, conscious weakness and humility of our own beings, by faith cling to Christ that we shall find the way out, the deliverance, the salvation.
Murray Explains
Andrew Murray explains:- A superficial acquaintance with God’s plan leads to the view that while justification is God’s work, by faith in Christ… sanctification (growth) is our work… to be performed under the influence of the gratitude we feel for the deliverance we have experienced, and by the aid of the Holy Spirit. As a result, many sincere Christians set out on this path..
Murray Concludes:
The believer struggles hopelessly for years, until he listens to the teaching of the Spirit, as He glorifies Christ again, and reveals Christ, our sanctification, to be appropriated by faith alone.
The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.Galatians 2:20
For we are saved grace…(through faith) and not of yourself so you won’t boast.
Salvation is God’s grace…(by faith) and is not to do with our merit so we can’t brag.
We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Throughout time men of faith looked for the day when the day-star would appear, for it is at one point on life’s horizon, at the break of the day, that the Son arises.
Basic Truth
This is the crux of being established in the faith.
In Paul’s life, the Lord swept away all self-confidence and all faith in himself, so that He Who raises the dead to life might show forth His life in him..
Your statement of faith may include the fact that you believe Jesus died and rose again, ascended to heaven, and is at the right hand of the Majesty on High, but how are you going to prove your statement?
You may believe it; you may be willing to lay down your life for that faith; you may state it with tremendous emphasis, and yet you are not thereby proving it.
You will never prove a thing by saying: I believe in all the fundamentals of the Christian faith!
Deity of Christ
The deity of Christ is an issue, upon which the entire Christian faith stands or falls.
If Christ is not God, there is no Christian faith – no Salvation – no hope – no future.
Those who accept the free gift of Salvation, which God freely gives to all who trust in His Son as saviour, (by grace through faith) revere Christ as God manifest in the flesh.
Whole Hope
One godly saint of old wrote these words for posterity: With all possible conviction and faith I confess my Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, on Whom my whole hope of eternal life and present rest and strength depends – in the proper and ultimate sense, we say – He is God… eternal; all-holy; almighty; One from eternity and to eternity, with the Father and the Spirit… forever and ever Amen.
you see He is God!! It is we who are to have our own expectations hammered into the finest powder... until we, by Faith, submit willingly to His entire leading and unimpeded guidance.
But this, while we are yet here in time, will everbe by faith's union.
In eternity, where the reception of thatfullness will be unhindered, the work of faith, though not itsfruit, will have passed.
But it is very important that we should recognize that foreverGod has bound up everything with His Son, and that nothingwill ever be had or enjoyed apart from Christ, while for thispresent life that is only by faith in the Lord Jesus.
But one thing was characteristic of Him in relation to a difficult handful, and that was His faith for them.
What faith the Lord Jesus had for those men!
It was not that He had faith in them, neither was it that He had faith for them because of what He saw in them; but He had infinite faith in the Father for them.
To do and to suffer His will is the highest form of faith. To bear a daily burden..
To be weighed down by evil in a Christ-rejecting sin-sick world. To be able to stay and to stand in such a school of discipline - to be able with His grace, to say.. The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it - is this not faith at its highest success? Is this not faith at its crowning pinnacle?
Cross to Carry
Great faith is not so much seen in the ability to do. Great faith is exhibited in the willingness to suffer with patient endurance. To have a God of compassion and empathy we need to have a suffering Saviour, Who in all points was tested like as we are, Yet without sin, for Who but the heart of Him could understand the suffering we choose to bear.
Simple Faith
“If our faith were but more simple, we would take Him at His Word..” So go the words of a dearly loved hymn, with a truth we often miss..
Everything of sin results in misery, depression, hurt, pain and disappointment, while all that comes from God is good, pure, holy, just, gracious, and loving. This truth permeates the warp and weft of scripture… from beginning to end. “If our faith were but more simple, we would take Him at His Word..”
It is now a scientifically proven fact that as fear increases so faith decreases.
It is the same destructive, savage decay used to shipwreck the faith of saints.
If we have been brought into the family of God, should we not obey His voice? Let us not disobey our Father’s instructions -but by faith rest in His WORD.
Let us not display unbelief – but by faith, let us rest in His promised provision.
Faith and fear are impossible bedfellows.
When worry and fear increase – so our faith in the Lord decreases.
and let us by faith, rest in His very precious provision.
Let us lay hold of God thoughts; let us by faith appropriate those thoughts, let us believe in God thoughts, let us seek to get into line with those thoughts, and take the Holy Spirit and His energies to form us, and constitute us, that God thoughts may become living expressions in us.
Only those who do not believe on the Son of God – by faith, do not have life.
Only those who do not trust Jesus as Saviour – by faith, remain spiritually dead. All who do not believe in God’s Son by faith – condemn themselves through unbelief. All who do not believe in Jesus Christ by faith – separate themselves from God.
We’re to trust in Him alone – to have faith alone in Christ alone and what He did for us.
This does not mean that our faith will not be tested. If it is faith, it must be tested – but profoundly speaking it will be easy to believe in God’s love.”
add to your faith – virtue; add to virtue – knowledge; add to knowledge – self-control; add to self-control – perseverance; add to perseverance – godliness; add to godliness – brotherly kindness.
His body became weary – His soul sorrowful, His spirit was committed to the Father and He was filled with compassion. From a biblical standpoint the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ is unquestionable. Denial of the true human nature of Jesus Christ (together with denial of His deity) – are probably the two most vital components in the whole of the Christian faith.
Unique Person & Work
The two natures of Christ is a simple concept and yet it contains a profound reality. Without the two natures of Jesus Christ humanity has no Saviour and no Salvation, but by faith in the unique person and work of Jesus Christ – as Son of God and Son of Man we are given the free gift of life – eternal life – abundant life – by God’s grace.
Fluctuating Faith
Our faith fluctuates like the tides of the sea – now strong - now failing fast.
Decaying World
In the carousel of life, even the man of faith is dissatisfied with his earthly lot, and we long for stability in just something – anything..
It is very possible to have a wonderful grasp of the Scriptures, a comprehensive and intimate familiarity with doctrine; to stand for cardinal verities of the faith; to be an unceasing worker in Christian service; to have a great devotion to the salvation of men, and yet, alas, to have a very inadequate and limited personal knowledge of God within.
Oscillating Faith
And faith in God fluctuates between good and bad circumstances. And trust in God ping-pongs as emotions rise and then tumble. And life has no stability because we have not fixed God’s Word in our heart.
Paul knows the One in Whom he has placed his trust and faith, in 2 Timothy 1.
And all we have to do is to believe it, to trust Him, and have faith in Him.
How often faith in Elohim – the Strong One – the Powerful God fluctuates..
For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.Galatians 5:5
This is the place where the greatest patience and trusting hope must be exhibited… where Love and Faith support the weary arms of Hope.. just as Joshua and Hur held up the weary arms of Moses, until the precious desire blossoms forth as a Tree of Life..
Although both faith and joy are included in the fruit of the Spirit,' joy can only flourish upon the foundation of faith.
When faith is present and active, favorable circumstances are not necessary for joy; trials and tribulations cannot daunt it.
So may we rejoice in the Lord' though all is dark around, with the joy of faith that sees the unseen and looks beyond the present and temporal to the eternal. -G.G.
Is it not true that faith wavers, weakens and ofttimes goes right down and under when in the way of the Lord's interests ourselves are entirely shut out?
What is the key to faith then?
The key to faith is this dividing of soul and spirit, or, in other words, it is the complete abnegation of self-interests not in the Buddhist sense of annihilation, but in the sense of God's interests becoming positive and predominant.
That is where the battle of faith rages; it rages upon that ground always.
It is this completely disinterested concern for what the Lord wants that is the key to faith.
You can see in the consummation that next generation which did go in, went in on this matter of faith only.
Moral Perfection
There is talk of one brilliant Brahmin scholar who was determined to bring the person of the Lord Jesus into disrepute and who spent the best part of eleven years searching Scripture to highlight the weakness of the person of Christ and the failings of His beautiful character and moral perfection – only to be brought to his knees, in faith.
People of Faith
Throughout Scripture God is looking for men or women with a heart for God.
He is simply looking for people of faith – people who will trust Him and believe His word – and throughout Scripture we see one here and we discover one there. He is looking for men of faith like Abraham and He is searching for leaders like Moses.
Heart for God
God is looking for men after His own heart like David, who will shepherd His people, and He is searching for prayerful men of integrity, like the prophet Daniel. He is looking for willing men like Isaiah who volunteered to do the Lord’s bidding – trusting men like Habakkuk, who lived a life of trusting faith.
Elements of a woman, that worships at His feet, in heart and soul. A man of faith – a woman of virtue.
As we read through Scripture, we discover one here and we find another there… But in the fulness of time God sent His only Son in the form of man, in Whom would dwell all the godly attributes of Deity bodily – for He is the ultimate Man of faith and virtue, the perfect Man of prayer and praise, the godly Man of wisdom and worship, the loving Man of obedience and humility, the gracious Man so beloved of the Father, Who was chosen to be our Saviour for He is the true Man after God’s own heart.
In receiving the Word of God by faith, there is first, light; then exercise of conscience; third, prayer - you are cast on God; fourth, the work of the Spirit to lead you into it.
It is a spiritual thing, the impact of Christ; not tradition, not history, not theology, but the spiritual power of His presence in terms of Life through faith and righteousness.
Trials and Temptations
God reveals patience and other graces through life’s trials and temptations. God develops faith in the man or woman that is thus broken before Him. James tells us to count it all joy when you fall into various trials.
God reveals that faith and spiritual fruit is perfected through sufferings… but He also reveals that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
Generating Centre
We are expected, by faith, to listen to His Word and to accept His explanation, for Jesus is the only medium, the only link – the only channel to the Father.
Gift of Grace
The mystery of our faith was a truth that emanated from the heart of God.
It is the mystery of our faith; it is the glorious gospel of Christ; it is the amazing plan of God’s gift of salvation to you and to me.
We can confidently believe His word with absolute assurance and utter confidence, for without question, this is the great mystery of our faith.
Justified in the Spirit
The 2nd principle of this mystery of our faith is that Christ was justified in the spirit. Christ, Who knew no sin, was made sin so we might be made righteousness, in Him. He was made sin, and He bore the world’s sin – but Christ was the innocent sacrifice..
Great is the mystery of godliness Praise the Lord – for He wills that all are saved and come to faith in Jesus.
How gracious is God – for the people that walked in darkness were given the light, and those born dead in their sins can become sons of God, by grace through faith. Great is the mystery of godliness for the earth shall be filled with His glory as the waters cover the sea.
Spiritual understanding comes in the wrappings of tested faith and many trials!
James writes: My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience..
– 2) spiritual understanding is connected with steadfast faith in the Word of God – but let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
My Cross means that not even for Me can you be or do anything out from yourself, but if there is to be anything at all it must be out from Me, and that means a life of absolute dependence and faith.
John 5:24 and Paul expounds: for I through the law died to the law that I might live to God, I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
The only way inis by our receiving Divine Life as a gift through faith inJesus Christ, and that becomes the new basis of the newcreation, the basis upon which everything begins and iscarried through, the basis of Divine Life.
We shall come to the place where Abraham came, who became the great type of faith which moved right into resurrection: He considered his own body now as good as dead (Rom. 4:19).
Never, never is it necessary for anyone to know that desolation of God-forsakenness while they put their trust, their faith, upon His taking up this age-long issue as Man for man the issue of the light of Thy countenance.
And if He is there within, He has come to stay, and victory is in faith; believing that, standing on that, holding to that; and we must carry that through to its final and full issue, that He is Lord of all, Head of all principality and power.
If the Lord has willed us to the place where we are, our acceptance of it in faith may prove that it becomes a far bigger thing than any human reckoning can judge.
Grace Thru Faith - STUDY
Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ Jesus.Philippians 1:6
Praise the Lord of Heaven and earth, that His ways and purposes are not ours. His purpose in life will be carried out in the life of a believer – by faith. His plan for each life will take time..
Fallen World
We live in a vile world system where the god of this age seeks to harm and destroy. We inhabit a wicked world where Satan seeks to point an accusing finger at God! We live in a corrupt sphere – where destruction of faith in God, is a key to Satan’s evil.
by faith offered up his only begotten son (of promise) to God.
Abraham in faith pleaded for mercy, when faced with Sodom’s destruction.
Well, for one thing, the very door into true Christianity is the door of rest, the rest of faith.
You will not think me too elementary, for you know in your heart, as well as I do in mine, that this matter of heart rest, the rest of faith, is a live question continually, it is coming up all the time.
It is the rest of faith, not just the rest of passivity, indifference, and carelessness.
Others prefer the trinkets of this life to the treasures that are stored up in heaven and many can’t comprehend that faith comes to the church by hearing not by sight – unlike Israel for whom signs were designed, so they could recognise their Messiah.
Yes, Many can’t comprehend that sanctifying faith comes by hearing not sight – thinking that spiritual maturity comes through experiences, signs, wonders, miracles or feelings!
And sometimes He will take us to the extremity of hope to test our faith in Him, for sanctification is: “being conformed into the image and likeness of Christ“.
God has set one singular requirement for spiritual growth, which is by grace through faith..
Single Standard
We are told that the only standard for pleasing God, is faith.
God has set out His criterion for pleasing Him and it is by faith.
Interlinked Attributes
But sanctification, grace, growth, faith et al, are all interlinked, and a wrong course in one will inevitably influence all the rest.
If we only have faith in the visible aspects of His word, we deny the invisible.
the mystery of faith – the mystery of the seven stars and the seven candlesticks..
Impossible Burden
This is the most difficult of all tasks for the insatiably curious human mind. It is an impossible burden for the one that declares “give me proof and I’ll believe”. It is always hard for prideful man to admit there are things we don’t understand, but it needs deep humility, founded on faith to admit that we’ll never understand.
Even Christ voiced His own condemnatory prophecy on the church of the future, will I find faith on the earth….?” Luke 18:8
Before time was created and the stars were formed, God alone existed, and God had a plan to save those who would believe on the name of His Son – and God purposed that man would be saved by faith and that man would live by faith.
and He purposed that without faith it would be impossible for His children to please Him – and He set out His plans and purpose in the Word God.
Live by Faith
The book of Hebrews was written to believers, showing the importance of living by faith: My righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.
Hebrews 10:39-11:1 tells us much about this ongoing, life-long sanctifying faith.
It is a continuous dialogue on the ongoing, lifelong sanctifying faith.
Saving of the Soul
In Heb.11:38 we are told that the justified man shall live by faith, which pleases God.
The redeemed man is to live out his Christian life by faith, which leads to the saving of the soul.
Life of Faith
Just and righteous living is connected with a life of faith.
Unjust and unrighteous living is disconnected from a life of faith.
These verses are telling us how a Christian is to live: for the just shall live by faith.
Now faith, is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Justifying Faith
And through faith, we understand that justifying faith is simply believing God – trusting in His saving grace.
Redeeming faith is simply believing that Christ died for your sins.
This justifying, faith caused the Spirit of life to make you a new creation in Christ.
This redeeming, justifying faith is connected with the blood of the Substitute.
Sanctifying Faith
Sanctifying faith is simply trusting God to do what He has said, as you grow.
Such faith is acting or living on the basis of what God has said about a thing.
Sanctifying faith is the tool the Spirit of life uses to develop spiritual maturity.
Sanctifying faith (Hebrews calls it the saving of the soul) conforms us into the image of Jesus.
Law and Grace
Under the Law, we read in Habakkuk that the just one was to live by his own faith.
Under grace we read in Galatians that the just shall live by faith: the faith of the Son of God, for the Spirit of Christ lives in us, as we yield to His child-training.
It is through sanctifying faith that we are given understanding.
Through the eye of faith we see spiritual things – we gain spiritual understanding: for things of the Spirit of God are spiritually discerned. 1Cor.2:14.
Established Order
Through faith, we understand that the ages were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen – were not made of things which do appear.” Heb.11:3.
God from the beginning, gave ‘order’ to all ages, of all time: past, present, and future, and He explained His plans and purposes in His Word – through faith.
Living by Faith
By faith.
Simply by faith..
simply by believing that: things which are seen (that is seen with the spiritual eye of faith), were not made, (that is: are separate and distinct, and not the same as), of things which do appear. (that is: the disorder in the world, that we see around us).
5 Points of Faith
Through the spiritual eye of faith that we see that His plan for us is perfect and ordered.
By the spiritual eye of faith a believer is to understand that:- 1) God ordered the ages through Christ. 2) The spiritual eye of faith sees the order in God’s wider plans and purposes. 3) The eye of faith sees God’s design as separate and distinct from today’s disorder. 4) The eye of faith looks beyond the chaos of today to the order of God’s future. 5) The eye of faith looks with Abraham to: a city….whose builder and maker is God.
The eye of sanctifying faith looks beyond the clamour of this sin-sick world.
The eye of faith sees; understands and believes that: if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself – that where I am there ye may be also.
The Faith of Hope
It is always so when faith’s hope appears to perish through our imperfect understanding... for God exchanges immortal beauty for the ashes of despair.
Hope of Faith
Bring Him the very finest and richest offering of loving trust and trusting love..
God opens the door of duty and service for each of us – if we will but step out in faith, and quietly move on in the direction He has planned for us, and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, This is the way – walk in it – when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
As you step out in faith, into the unknown, you will discover He has prepared the way ahead.
Love and faith combine to always have an advance of angels, to roll the stone away.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
If He said, I am going to lead you into a bad time, it is all going to be dark and strange and perplexing and bewildering and helpless, but it is all right, I am working a tremendous thing, this is what I am going to bring out of it, if He said that, the faith element would fade out.
This is what is meant by Hebrews 11 and the men of faith, that is what it means.
Single Salvation
There is only one salvation, which is a gracious gift of God, and is accessed by faith alone.
One Gift of Grace
Salvation is ONE and yet salvation is THREE – for we were saved at a single point in time:- (justified) We are being saved through the passage of time:- (sanctification) and at a point in time, known only to God, we will be finally fully saved:- (glorified). There are not 3 salvations, but ONE gift of grace that is accessed by faith, in Christ, God’s ONE gift of salvation has THREE elements – 1) justification, 2) sanctification, and 3)glorification.
There is only one salvation, which is a gracious gift of God – accessed by faith alone.
We’re justified by grace; sanctified by grace and glorified by grace – through faith in Christ, and these 3 sparkling gems unite into God’s unique gift of grace – SALVATION.
How do you know but that in that very uninteresting, perhaps unpromising sphere of life you are on test on some of those great matters, such as faith, patience, or patient endurance?
When we come to analyze the throne we may find that it is made up of patience, faith, endurance, and all such moral elements, and that these elements constitute the power by which He governs.
There is something mighty in the ultimate outworking of the patience of Jesus, the faith of Jesus Christ, the endurance.
Education, politics, news – unrest, uncertainty disorder and chaos all combine.. and fear of the future and a loss of hope is the inevitable outcome – and lack of faith is the insidious bedfellow of hopelessness and despair… UNLESS… Unless we can hold fast that what is good – hold on to the promises of God.
Growing In Grace - STUDY
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20
Grace-Promise-Faith
There are two paths believers can follow in their Christian life, either grace or law, either faith or works, either promise or merit, either God’s way or man’s way.
The “grace-promise-faith” way is described in Scripture as a ministry of life: the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
A Christian living the “works-merit-law” way, will find death, failure, and misery, while one living the “grace-promise-faith” way will have life more abundantly.
Paul describes the serious consequences of living the “works-merit-law” way while outlining the tremendous advantages of living the “grace-promise-faith” way.
And in Galatians, he writes: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.
The “works-merit-law” route, as opposed to the “grace-promise-faith” route.
Law is man’s work, founded on the man’s merit and accessed through law, while grace is God’s work, founded on the promises of God and accessed by faith.
Any believer who has strayed along the “works-merit–law” path and its ministry of death can be restored to the “grace-promise-faith” way and its ministry of life for, His mercies are new every morning – great is His faithfulness.
Very few of the fundamentals of our faith came through Christ’s twelve apostles – (note: by fundamentals I mean the foundations of salvation – being saved).
Increased Understanding
The inexpressible, unknowable, unfathomable God started to unveil Himself, and men of faith, who trusted the strength of Elohim gained further disclosure.
Gen 5:2 And Abraham, the man of faith, who trusted God’s word said… My Adonai – My Lord, (and Master) if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Gen 18:3
Believe: believe in the Name of the Lord Jesus and have faith in His Word. Trust: just trust in His love.
God’s Commands
And He commands us: Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. Live by faith and not by sight and don’t get embroiled in signs and wonders. We live under grace and not under the law.Be faithful in the place that God has put you. Be faithful to the point of death. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God.
That the church will be totally leavened, as Jesus warned us. That there will be a famine for the hearing of God’s Word. That believers will run to and fro looking for a teaching that tickles their ears, and that Christ Himself asks that haunting question: will I find faith on the earth?
Acceptable Sacrifice
The difference was in their sacrifice and their approach to a holy God: by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, and by the sacrifice he offered, he obtained witness that he was righteous.
as He taught Adam in the garden, through bloodied skins of innocent animals Faith believes that without a blood-spilt sacrifice there can be no approach to God.
Christ’s Atonement
The fleshly, carnal, egotistical Self – thinks man can draw close to God, but self-denial through the bloody sacrifice of Christ’s death is the only way, Praise and worship, and grateful thanks is all that man can offer to the Lord, but this can only be offered in full and clear intelligence that our sins are put away – and this can only be known by faith, in virtue of Christ’s accomplished atonement.
But we read in Hebrews: we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul, and we do this – by faith” Heb.10:39.
infirmities… reproaches… needs… persecutions… distresses… Five things that Satan utilised to destroy the faith of Job – and Satan failed.
Five things that Satan used to shipwreck the faith of Paul – and Satan failed.
Trust in the Lord
And Paul’s cry of joy proclaims, but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ, for Paul knew, just as Job knew that my Redeemer Lives. .es- there are 5 things that Satan is using to demolish and utterly shatter Your own faith, and they are: infirmities..
Look To Christ
Paul and Job eventually learned to look away from life’s circumstances – away from life’s situation and to look to Him, The Author, and Finisher of their faith. Yes, Satan’s attacks on ALL God’s bond-servants are used by the Lord – used to remove ALL that hinders the Lord Himself from living in and through you.
Prevailing Prayer
Such intercession becomes a progressive reality in the life of the man-of-faith.
Job lived by faith, and demonstrated his trust in the Lord through his intercession, and thus, from the start of Job’s walk with the Lord – Job interceded.
Noah, Daniel, and Job were Ezekiel’s – These three men…. These three men travailed in prayer. These three men worshiped the Lord. These three men lived by faith. These three men pleased the Lord. These three men were effectual prayer warriors. These three men were found interceding in the fiercest of times. These three men were found pleading for family; for friends; for their nation
Instead of triumphant living and conquering faith, we discover failure and misery – and a glut of impossible circumstances, frequently pockmark our Christian walk.
Faith Versus Fear
Sometimes it is the promises and truth of the Word of God that darkness assails..
destroying faith and hope – God knows how much we can all bear: For no temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1Corinthians 10:13
Truths to Remember
Jesus said: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:28. While Paul told Timothy to: Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. 1 Tim6:12 Job confessed: Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
He is talking of the believers’ inherited rewards of those that love Him.. for those that live by faith in His Word – “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,” we are encouraged.
And Christ tells us that faith in His return and His kingdom will not be found.
but none of us know the date and time that the end of our life will be, but from the moment of believing faith, we were accepted by God, through Jesus.
From the first act of faith we were born again and accepted in the Beloved.
Grace Thru Faith - STUDY
Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.Philippians 1:6
God is working in each life for eternity, and we must grasp hold of the scriptural fact that maturing in the faith takes time.
It Takes Faith
There are no shortcuts to spiritual growth.
This is not to discourage us in any way but to help us to settle down with our spiritual sights on eternity, by faith..
Jewish Founders
It was Jews and converts to Judaism that witnessed the wonderful works of God. It was 3000 Jews and converts to Judaism that were born again on that special day. It was Jews and converts to Judaism who became the founders of the Christian faith – and it was Jews and Jewish converts to whom Peter addressed his glorious speech.
Two of the major elements in the spiritual life and experience of His own are the seemingly slow and hidden ways of God, and the demand for persistent faith in His servants. -T.
Grace Thru Faith - STUDY
Simple Faith
There is one major weakness in the body of Christ, and individual Christians alike.
Saving Faith
It is not about believing in God… it is believing on the one that died and rose again.
Abiding Faith
But she has a choice..
to remain as a newborn babe in Christ OR to mature in the faith.
And whether 4, 14, 24, 44, or 94, maturing in the faith takes trust in God.
And whether 4, 14, 24, 44, or 94, growing in the faith takes time in our life-journey.
Such as the TIME that it takes to mature in the faith..
such as the FAITH that moves mountains is simply trusting God, not self!
Abiding Walk
Maturing in the faith takes TIME – a lifetime.
Maturing in the faith needs TRUST – simply standing on the facts of the Word of God.
Maturing in the faith requires that you apply PRINCIPLES of spiritual growth – principles that are clearly and concisely outlined in the Epistles.
Start of Faith
There is one major weakness in the body of Christ – and individual Christians alike.
Living Faith
Living your Christian life in the wonderful freedom of Romans Chapter 8 – where we read: There is therefore now no condemnation..to them which are in Christ Jesus (that is to them which are living their lives in Christ Jesus, and not living in the failure of the old man of Romans 7) There is therefore now no condemnation..
First Flush of Faith
And days come and weeks go and newfound faith is rejoicing shared.
And years pass and decades roll by and he looks back to that day of his salvation when faith was shared with friends and family and some joined and others refused.
He Who was the founder and perfecter of our faith, walked the same path of fear and doubt – Who for the joy before Him endured the cross, despising the shame.
Christ is not that, and we have at such times to say, Lord, this is my infirmity, this is how I am, but You are Other; I transfer my faith to You from myself and from these things.
Through grace, we are not in the flesh, but in Christ, yet the flesh is in us; but our part is to reckon it as having been, before God and to faith, judicially put to death in Christ crucified, thus setting us free to be so constantly occupied with the triumphant Son of God, as to find all our resources, all our strength, all our springs, in Him. -H.H.S.
Meditate on the mystery of the triad of his gifts: faith, hope and love – and you will discover the all-inclusive, all-comprehensive depth of His love – His deep love for you.
Always guarded by the power of God through faith.... In such a hope keep on rejoicing, although for a little while you must be sorrow-stricken with various trials (1 Peter 1:5, 6, Wms.).
If there is a great trial in your life today, do not own it as a defeat, but continue, by faith, to claim the victory through Him who is able to make you more than conqueror, and a glorious triumph will soon be apparent.
Let us learn that in all the hard places our Father brings us into, He is making opportunities for us to exercise such faith in Him as will bring about blessed results and greatly glorify His Name.
This almost never happens in the early flush of faith – but after decades of training... for the old sin nature must be recognised for what it is – a life of self.
Without faith it is impossible to please God.Hebrews 11:6
The Need for Faith
The great issue of the book of Hebrews is faith.
Faith comes by hearing…..
Hear Him
In times past God spoke through His prophets, but in these last days, God has spoken – through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Hear Him. By faith Able… By faith Enoch….
By faith Abraham….
By faith also David and the prophets. Yes, God speaks and man is called to believe what God has revealed. Hear Him. God has spoken - You must trust me completely..
Need to Trust
Nor try to find answers in other places, for we live by faith and not by sight.
Look to Jesus
Look to Jesus the Author and the Finisher of faith, for faith comes by hearing and hearing from the Word of God. HEAR HIM.
If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine (1 Tim. 4:6).
Paul outlines both options in his epistle to the Galatians: 1) the grace-promise-faith way and 2) the works-merit-law way.
The grace-promise-faith way is 100% achievable and done by God for man.
There is probably no more important message to the church today than this, for most believers having started their Christian life by grace through faith, revert from grace back to the law, by trying to live their life for God.
Blessings abound for those humble enough and courageous enough to seek to live their life the grace-promise-faith way.
Paul’s Challenge
Paul challenges those given initial salvation by grace through faith with these words: are ye so foolish, having begun in the spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? He is saying, having begun ‘the grace-promise-faith way’ are ye now made perfect by ‘the works-merit-law way?’ Many believers aren’t properly schooled in these two contrasting ways of living the Christian life and fall into the works-merit–law trap.
The grace-promise-faith way is the ‘spiritual’ route.
All believers are born-again the ‘grace-promise-faith’ way, for salvation is simply: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved – by grace thru faith, which is a done deed.
Faith Not Works
Believers make a choice to either live God’s way, which is the ‘grace-promise-faith’ way, or man’s way, the ‘works-merit -law’ way.
But, however commendable works of the flesh may be, they will never please God, for we are to live our lives by faith and not by works of the law.
To grow spiritually is the responsibility of each believer, but like justification can only be achieved the ‘grace-promise-faith’ way.
Grace-Promise-Faith
Grace abounds to those that are both humble and courageous enough to walk the grace-promise-faith route.
There is so much more to explore about living by grace in the book of Galatians, which step by step brings us from persistent failure and self-effort, into a victorious Christian life, which is only possible by God’s grace – through faith.
It is nigh impossible to see and know Him there by faith without a resulting intense desire to be wholly devoted to Him here. -C.A.C.
We have a new Person before us as the Object of our faith and affections; and as we drop ourselves and have the Lord Jesus as our Object, He is formed in us.
and 'waiting' for the Lord is an active expression of faith.
For faith is believing what God has said.
Faith is trusting Him in all that He has ever said in His word.
Jesus the Lamb of God
And for his remarkable, child-like faith, Simeon was one to hold and bless the infant Jesus.
Faith – Devotion – Seeking – Waiting. 'Wait' is a word so often underlined in my bible.
Faith...
Faith, is the key that unlocks our heart to reach the heart of God. We are all of us ageing in the physical, just like the aged Simeon.. but our souls are eternal and His plans for us are in the celestial body.
Faithful Life
This faithful godly man was given illumination in his old age, because he demonstrated a life of faith, of love, of patience and – Simeon waited.
The life of grace can only be understood if one has learned how to live by faith, and then apply it.
You see, living by faith does not come naturally..
Probably most of us still admit that faith can be difficult, yet faith is what is required and without faith, it is impossible to please God.
They live the “law-works-merit” way – rather than the “grace-faith-promise” way.
Every believer has been saved by grace through faith and placed in union with Christ; baptised into Christ’s death and was identified with Him the moment they believed.
A Teachable Spirit
To live our Christian lives by God’s “grace-faith-promise” rules, rather than the more logical “law-works-merit” rules requires us to live by faith and not by sight.
So that we walk the “grace-faith-promise” way (or fly the IFR way) rather than slipping into the “law-works-merit” way (the VFR way)
By faith, Simeon knew that he would not see death – until…
Unquestioning Faith
His future held no fear and each day that passed he must have thought..
is it today…? Few have received such an astonishing promise, but those who received such a pledge, must accept it, unquestioningly by faith.
By faith, Enoch was translated that he should not see death Heb.11:5. Elijah also knew, from the Spirit, that his transport awaited him by faith, and he was able, through the Spirit’s leading to grant his young disciples request.. and Elijah said:- if thou shall see me [when I am] taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee. 2Kings 2:10
Expectant Waiting
By faith Enoch, Elijah, Simeon believed the promise and lived in expectant waiting. Enoch waited his translation, Elijah his transport and Simeon to see the Lord’s Christ. Enoch waited for over 400 years and Simeon waited for the rest of his life. Their promise was given, accepted, believed, and they waited in humble anticipation.
Prayer and Faith
No doubt discouragement hit each at times as we see in Elijah.
The bible indicates that they were all men of prayer; men of praise; men of faith. Above all, it shows that they were all men who Waited on God, and waited His timing.
Elijah’s Faith
How often must he have been tempted to stagger through unbelief? How often must his circumstances have caused his deep resolve of trust to sink into despair – into unbelief and wavering at God’s promise. But Elijah trusted God – and Elijah waited.
Lesson For Today
What lessons good Elijah demonstrates to us in these latter times, as we reflect on his unwavering steadfastness of faith.
And Elijah trusted God – by faith.
Faith For Today
And what shall I more say, as we are reminded in Hebrews 11:32..
It is not difficult for us to see in the case of Abraham how his faith was brought into relation to God's time.
The time factor with Abraham was a very real one and was perhaps one of the keenest and most acute factors for his faith....
Again and again we come upon a test of Abraham's faith along the line of the timing of God.
Indeed, from one standpoint, we may summarize the whole of his life and say that it headed up at last to the triumph of faith upon that particular factor.
If his faith had given way he would naturally have taken the attitude that, since the thing had not been fulfilled in so long a time and in his lifetime, it all represented perhaps a big mistake on his part, a false expectation, some misguidance, and so on.
A Worthy Calling
Our initial salvation when we were born again is a gift of grace – received by faith. Our Christian walk as we grow in grace is also a gift of grace – received by faith. And as we grow in grace and in a knowledge of Him, so we will reflect our Lord – and we will walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called.
Grace through Faith
Well, every part of salvation is a gift of God’s grace that is accessed by faith. God does it all and we contribute nothing – all we had to do was to freely believe. Once we believed that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God Who died to pay the price for our sins…..
In Christ Jesus
All God‘s works were performed through the Word – the Word Who became flesh. All God’s blessings and healings – flow through faith in the Man, Christ Jesus, for in Him all things were made and by Him, all things hold together.
Faith in Jesus
For 3½ years the very revelation of God walked this earth, but He was not accepted. He came unto His own creation and His own people did not receive Him, but as many as did receive Him to them He gave the power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.
There is one way and one way alone to come to the Father, and that is through faith – Faith in what?
Faith in the Son.
Faith in God
His own people believed in God – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Many more believe in a distant creator God, Who rules from the heavens. But belief in God, faith in God, trust in God….
must be translated into faith in Christ Jesus the Lord.
Access Through Christ
For it is only through the faith in the Son of God, Who loves me that I live; Faith in the Son of Man, Who gave Himself for me….
that I am forgiven; Faith in the Servant King – Who broke the power of sin and death in me – that I have access to the throne room of the Father, and I am permitted to call Him Abba, Father.
In The Faith
Do you trust in the Lord, Christ Jesus, and in Him alone?
Do you have faith in the Son of God – the Son of Man… God incarnate?
“According to your faith (in the One Revelation of God Himself) be it unto you.” “According to your faith (in the Lord Jesus Christ) let it be to you.” “Be of good cheer, your faith (in the Son of Man) has made you well.” “Go your way; your faith (in the Son of God) has made you whole.” “Great is thy faith (in Me).
Let us examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith (in Christ alone)
Tough Lessons
But Saul of Tarsus met Jesus and had to be taught some of life’s toughest lessons. He learned that his own wisdom; knowledge; charisma and ability counted as nothing. He learned about faith: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 1Cor.2:5.
Author and Finisher
Let us in this life accept His child-training – His chastening – our sufferings: looking unto Jesus, Who is the Author and Finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the suffering of the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb.12:2. Yes, Jesus..
We implore, more faith Lord, and the foundation of our security is ripped away.
He indeed is the Personification of unselfishness and strength; of mercy and love – and we live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved us, and gave Himself for us.
Your Rock is Christ, and it is not the Rock that ebbs and flows, but your sea of feelings.” Let us honestly examine our hearts to see where we have placed our faith.
But part of growing in the faith dictates that faith must be tested.
Growing Pains
Growing pains inevitable occur in all believers when our faith in Christ is tried. Sometimes stunted growth is the result of a lack of good teaching. Sometimes spiritual growth is resisted because of carnal desires.
Two Creations
Paul details how the righteous are justified by faith and are to live by faith – alone.
He explains in great detail God’s wonderful plan of redemption – through faith in Christ.
A Study:- Man’s Nature and Destiny
Faith is the substance of things hoped for – the evidence of things not seen.Hebrews 11.1
Need For Faith
Throughout the pages of Scripture, we are been pointed towards the need for faith.
Faith in the threefold work of the Holy Spirit in us and through us:-1) Saving our spirits. 2) Sanctifying our souls. 3) Serving through our bodies.
Initial Salvation
Faith is necessary for the initial salvation of the spirit.
We are saved by grace, God’s wonderful grace – but it is through faith.
God so loves… that whosoever believes shall be saved… John 3:16, for salvation, is being born of the Holy Spirit and is accessed through faith.
Spiritual Growth
Once a man is saved, faith must grow and develop through child-training.
Faith is needed for salvation, for sanctification, and for service and faith is essential if we are to please God in our daily living.
Faith is necessary for the continuing salvation of the soul.
Faith is required for holiness..
Faith is needed for a life that is being conformed into the image of Jesus, for maturing and sanctification is by the power of the Holy Spirit..
and is accessed through faith:-
Christian Life
Faith is necessary for living the Christian life.
Faith is critical in averting our sight away from current circumstances and faith is equally critical in recognising our present position “in Christ,” – for we are seated together with Him in heavenly places.
We must believe this truth – by faith.
The writer to the Hebrews climaxed the great need for faith in his eleventh chapter, reminding us that without faith it is impossible to please God.
Old Testament Faith
All the prophets of old pointed to the One that was promised to come, and a remnant believed and passed the baton of faith down through the generations.
Habakkuk put into words what others had expressed in prophecy: the just shall live by his faith.
New Testament Faith
Paul, that great apostle to the church, reminds us to live by faith and not by sight, demonstrating that in this church age our badge must be faith – faith working through love: for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
Paul also cautions us that faith without love is of little account.
We read: though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 1Cor.13:2.
The JUST shall Live by Faith.
The Just shall LIVE by Faith.
The Just shall Live by FAITH.
Faith in Hebrews 11
Faith is certainly an important element in this Christian life.
Faith is a vital quality in life that we just can’t afford to be without.
Faith grows by believing God’s Word.
Without faith, we cannot begin the Christian life.
Without faith, we are not able to continue the Christian life.
Without faith, we are not in a position to live the Christian life: for without faith, it is impossible to please God.
we must yield to the Spirit’s leading – we must remove all the doubt that hinders our faith.
Faith in Action
Faith does not shrink back through a furtive imagination or unfounded worry.
Belief does not require any visible reassurances or concrete guarantees: faith is the substance of things hoped for – the evidence of things not seen Heb.11.1.
Faith is the attitude of the soul that trusts the Word of God.
Faith is the action of the will that believes what Scripture says.
Faith is the decision of the mind that think on these things – and to act on the truth of the Bible.
Faith and Forgiveness
But what of forgiveness of the sins that I commit during my Christian life?
Pardon is offered on the condition of confession – confessing our sins to Him – and I need faith to accept His forgiveness.
Faith and Peace
I need to believe what God says and I need to trust what He means!
Faith is crucial for it unlocks our heart to God’s forgiveness.
Faith and Love
I must centre my mind on Him and trust in His immutable Word.
Importance of FaithFaith can be summed up in the following way: Faith is the soul resting in the Word of God.
Faith is the heart acting upon the promises of God.
Faith is the secret to a rewarding Christian life that triumphs.
Faith is the prerequisite to pardon, peace; purity, and power.
Faith is the root that renounces guilt, worry impurity, and weakness.
Faith is a key that unlocks our hearts to God’s love.
How important is FAITH in accessing all He has promised us – His children.
How vital is BELIEVING His Word and what He tells us – for this delights His heart – for without faith it is impossible to please God.
One Family
We are members of one body; united by one Spirit – one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
Grounded in Truth
We are to build each other up in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God. We are to mature in the faith until we attain to a measure of the fullness of Christ.
We are to stand firm in the faith – encouraging those that are weaker in the Lord.
All this can be if we will go the way of this man, and say, es, this has gone on long enough and it has to end, and to end, so far as my giving diligence is concerned, at once, and I do most truly by the grace of God take a deliberate and definite faith attitude toward the Lord Jesus for my complete deliverance and the setting of me upon my feet for His glory, for His praise!I think there will be an issue, and I think it will be e, leaping up, stood upon his feet, praising and glorifying God.May it be so with every one of us.
Men of Faith
Abraham is a highly esteemed prophet, who is honoured as the great father of faith, and rightly so for when called he trusted God and it was credited as righteousness. Moses was the great prophet, who is held in honour by the religions of the world, and rightly so, for He was the one who gave God’s perfect Law to the people of Israel.
Repentance and Grace
Abraham was a highly esteemed prophet and honoured as the great father of faith. Moses was the great prophet – reverenced by the many religions of the world, but John the Baptist is the greatest of all the prophets that have been sent by God.
His witness was to both Jew and gentile – a double message of repentance and grace. The LAW of Moses was given to REVEAL sin... but GRACE through faith in Christ REMOVES sin.
Our Father does not test our faith so much as He exercises and develops it.
Until we are carried quite out of our depth, beyond all our own wisdom and resources, we are no more than beginners in the school of faith.
Faith counts on the Word of God outside and apart from everything and everyone here.
When you are in faith your life is centered in the Lord Jesus.
The moment the heart is detained by anything here, faith is obstructed.
Eve had lost faith when she saw that the tree was good for food, and pleasant to the eyes.
If she had kept faith - dependence upon God - she would not have looked, but she had parted with the faith which overcometh the world when she saw.' The moment one becomes occupied with the visible one has parted company with faith. -J.B.S.
In John, the condemnation is connected to saving faith.
But we address the passage in Romans to believers... and is referring to sanctifying faith and living the Christian life.
They can live the grace-promise-faith way or they can live the works-merit-law way.
Right Choices
Remember, there are two paths a born-again believer can follow in their Christian walk: either the grace-promise-faith way or the works-merit-law way; either by grace or works of the law; either by promise or the works of the flesh; either by faith or by merit; either by living a spiritual life or living a carnal life; either by walking in the spirit or walking in the flesh; either by walking in newness of life in Christ or by walking by means of the old sin nature in Adam.
Let us seek to please our heavenly Father, by walking the grace-promise-faith way.
Ofttimes His trials were delivered though the ones that He loved the most: get thee behind me Satan, He cried to His dearly loved Simon Peter, and yet to this same staunch and dedicated servant He gave great reassurances: Satan has desired to sift you as wheat – but I have prayed for you that your faith fails not.
But assault after assault was made on Christ’s faith in the Father, and His obedience to God.
He uses whatever means he can to shipwreck the faith of believers.
He chips away at our faith in his vile manner.
Trusting Faith
The Lord warned that at His return for His Church, believing faith would be rare.
He even asked the question, “When the Son of Man comes.. will He really find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8.
However, this question is preceded by a precious principle of faith:- and shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?
Many are the Scriptures that warn us to 'hold fast to our faith'.
Job 13:16 And the prayer of Habakkuk is a timely reminder to hold fast to the faith we posses, for despite the temptation to lose his faith in God – He rejoiced over God’s faithfulness.
There is nothing we can do that can earn our salvation or trigger His approval, other than being covered by the blood of the Lamb and clothed in the righteousness of Christ - which can only be ours by God's grace through faith in Christ.
It is only by grace through faith that we are being conformed into the likeness of God's beloved Son... and by His grace, we have been promised an immortal body and innumerable, additional spiritual blessings by simply trusting Him for our salvation - by believing in the sacrificial death, burial, and Resurrection of Christ.
Jesus knew whether their professed faith was from a genuine heart of real repentance towards God and a desire to live godly, or if it was simply a counterfeit faith that was following after Him for selfish motives.
Nor should we ever never forget that it is only by grace through faith in Christ that we are given a new opportunity; a new life; a new nature that reflects the perfect character of the Lord Jesus in His humanity, as we grow in grace and mature in the faith.
And in the same way, there are those in the Body of Christ today who are not enticed into the worldly ways of the apostate church, but contend earnestly for the faith, fighting the good fight of faith, taking hold of the eternal life to which the Church is called, and conducting themselves in a manner that is worthy of the gospel of Christ.
Both Abraham and Sarah, though reproductively dead and incapable of parenthood, trusted God's Word and became the pattern for Israel to follow - trusting God's promise, believing His Word, and living by faith.
And the Church as members of Christ's Body are His spiritual seed, for He is the eternal Author and Finisher of our faith.
Having been saved by grace through faith in Him, we are also called to live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved us and gave His life for us.
A faith that believes God - a faith that trusts His Word - a faith that walks in spirit and truth - a faith that in grace and humility whispers: Not I, but Christ.
God is faithful, and not only has he already delivered us from the consequences of sin and eternal separation from Himself by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ on Calvary's Cross, but He has also promised to deliver us from the evils of this world as we travel through this earthly life: Our hope is in Him, knowing that He Who has already delivered us, will deliver us again.
His deliverance is as sure and His Word is true, and we are to live by faith in His Word.
But the call of God for all His children is a life that is being conformed into the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus; a life that is seeking to live godly in Christ Jesus, until it is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me: And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Let us run the race that is set before us and press on towards the goal of the upward call of God, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Paul encourages us to be patient in affliction and to share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus, while James instructs us to consider the trials and suffering we go through as a great joy, knowing the testing of our faith produces endurance, which brings our hope and trust in the Lord to its completion.
God's chastening hand may be corrective when we are at fault, but it can also be a refining fire which strengthens our faith in the Lord and establishes our hope in Him.
His words were not designed to exalt his person, position, or status, for his collective writings emphasise that our great salvation is only because of the amazing grace of God and His unfathomable mercy that saved us through faith in the sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
These saints remained constant in their love and loyalty towards the Lord, and were those who were maturing in the faith, growing in grace, and aware of their privileged position in Him.
Like all born again believers, those in this city were saints - saved sinners who had been declared righteous by God and made spiritually alive through faith in Christ.
It was not because of their goodness that they were called 'saints', but because of their great salvation through faith in Christ.
He urged them to fix their hope completely on the grace they received when they first heard, believe the glorious gospel of grace, and understand their salvation was through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Since you have been declared righteous, by faith in Christ - love one another wholeheartedly.
Peter was calling them, and us, to love others as Christ loved us - with a sacrificial love, that can only come from a heart that has been saved by grace through faith in Christ - a heart that is in fellowship with the Father, through a cleansed heart that is walking in spirit, and in obedience to the truth.
Because we have a new-life in-Christ, and have been made a new creature through faith in Him, we have been given all we need for life and godliness, and Peter is reminding us that we have a responsibility to live our lives in a way that honours the Lord.
We are to remember that at the point of our salvation we were declared righteous in God's eyes, through faith, and have a duty to continue in holiness of heart, by standing on the truth of the gospel and allowing our conduct to reflect the character of Christ - through the power of the indwelling Spirit.
We have been obedient to the truth - through FAITH.
And as we continue to purify our heart and soul through living a life of faith, in obedience to Christ's commands, He will pour into our heart that sincere love for the brethren, that only comes through faith in Him - for we can only fervently love one another from the heart as the love of Christ streams into our soul and out to others.
He was full of faith and power, and Stephen performed great wonders and miracles among the people, causing many to come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
They placed a pagan 'Asherah pole' inside the holy Temple of God and even sacrificed their own children on the satanically inspired altar, to a blood-thirsty god, called Molech.God's offer of salvation, by grace through faith in Him, has lasted many thousands of years, but a day of deep darkness and righteous judgement is coming on the whole earth, when His wrath will be poured out on a God-despising, Christ-hating, sinful world.
Because of some issue that was mentioned in the previous chapter or verses, we are instructed: Therefore, leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God.
We are being instructed to grow up spiritually in our Christian faith, and not to remain stuck in early Christian infancy.
Once we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, we are to grow and mature in our Christian walk.
And so we are urged to move on from the initial salvation message, where we are justified by faith, and are urged to grow in a knowledge of our Lord and Saviour - as we press on to spiritual maturity.
We are to progress into a deeper relationship with the Lord, and to develop a more secure faith in Christ's sufficient grace, in every circumstance of life.
We are to stop being bottle-fed with the simple justification truths of Scripture and are to start to wrestle with the tougher aspects of our Christian faith, where we learn obedience by the things that we suffer, through a process of ongoing sanctification - where we are being conformed into the likeness of Jesus, Himself.
How vital to mature in the faith and feed on the meat of the Word of God - so that we may progress in the faith, share the good news of the gospel with others, and be ready to give an answer for the hope that we have - to all that are interested.
Just as we who are saved by grace through faith, were crucified with Christ and identified with His death, so we who are saved by grace through faith are risen with Christ and identified with His resurrected life, for in Him we are born into newness of life.
Because He died, we are saved by grace through faith.
Because He lives, we too will live and receive His resurrected life as a free gift of grace through faith.
God used the tempestuous ocean waves to correct the rebellious Jonah, and He used the same raging seas to develop, increase, and perfect the faith of Peter and the other disciples.
God never changes, and He has promised: When you pass through the waters, I will be with You. Fear may blind our eyes to the precious promises of God and cause faith to falter, but we are called to look to Jesus in every difficult, dangerous, or distressing circumstance of life, for fear and faith are incompatible bed-fellows.
It was eternal God Who commanded and caused this wonderful revelation of Himself to be gifted to man, through the Holy Scriptures, and He did it for a purpose: To advance the obedience of faith among all nations.
There is no excuse for unbelief, for now, as the prophets foretold through the command of the eternal God, His message of salvation by grace through faith in Christ is made known to all nations everywhere so that they too might believe and be saved.
Paul was unsure whether he would eventually be released or have to face immediate martyrdom for his faith, and perhaps the words he wrote in this passage also ministered to his own soul, during those long dark days in Rome.
He would go as a forerunner before the Messiah, in the spirit and power of Elijah, and turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and return many disobedient sons of Israel back to a living faith.
As Christians, we live by faith and not by sight, and often we are faced with decisions or choices which may have a significant impact on our future life and witness.
But this was part of God's plan, instituted before time itself, so that all who believe in the sacrificial offering of Himself might be lifted out of the pit of condemnation in which we are all trapped, and by faith in Him we might become children of God and heirs of His promise.
But the day is fast approaching when all unfulfilled prophecies in connection with Christ will be finally and fully fulfilled and we too will Behold the Man, Who chose to die a sacrificial death so that by faith in Him, we might live eternally.
But the Christian is called to live by faith in the Word of God and not by sight.
We are to live by faith in His Word, and not to be led by our feelings, experiences, or emotions that may be induced by the world around us.
The Word of God not only tells us of our salvation by grace through faith in Christ as Saviour, but the Bible tells us the end from the beginning.
It tells us that our faith is built on the witness of the apostles and prophets of God.
Peter saw the transfigured Lord on the holy mount with his own two eyes, but we are to live by faith in the Word of God and the more sure word of prophecy that God gave to us through holy men of God.
And we who trust in Christ as Saviour should heed the truth of God's Word in our hearts, by faith with thanksgiving, until the day when Christ returns for us in the clouds, to take us to be with Himself forever.
He came in the likeness of mortal flesh, lived a humiliating life, died an obscene death, and was hated and scorned by those He came to save, all because it is not His will that any are condemned but that all come to faith in Him.
Praise God that we can receive salvation through Him – by faith.
Our sins have been forgiven by faith, and our eternal citizenship is secured for us in heaven.
His Resurrection from the dead imputes His resurrected life into those that are His; for His eternal life is a free gift of God's grace, through faith in Him.
By faith we are forgiven of our sins and identified with His perfect righteousness. By faith we transferred our allegiance to Satan, our citizenship of this fallen world system, and the punishment that follows, into the kingdom of God and the glorious future we have in Him.
It is adherence to man-made rules and regulations, but faith in Christ is the only way that God ordained for man to live.
As members of Christ's Body, it is by His grace we are saved, through faith in Him, and it is also by grace through faith in Him that we are to continue to live our lives.
May we live each day through faith in the Person and work of Christ Jesus, our God and Saviour.
A life with a passion for Christ gives rise to a life of victory, where the power of faith and the sufficiency of His grace, overcomes the difficulties of life and the sting of death.
And it is as we walk in spirit and truth, as we live our lives in faith and love, as we remain in Him and abide in Him, we are able to say, It is not I that live, but CHRIST that lives and abides in ME, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.
He wrote to remind them of the hope of rewards at Christ's return.Paul's epistles are filled with wise instruction on how to live the sanctified life of a normal Christian, and often include the names of other brothers and sisters in the faith who laboured with him in spreading abroad the gospel of grace.
Timothy was sent to find out how the believers there were getting along, to establish them in the faith, and give them spiritual support and godly encouragement.Paul rejoiced when Timothy returned with the joyful tidings that they were being established in the faith and well-grounded in the Word, despite the many difficulties and distresses they were facing: May the Lord cause you to increase in your faith and abound in your love for one another and for all people, was Paul's heartfelt prayer for them all, just as we also do for you.Paul continued in prayers and loving intercessions for the saints at Thessalonica, beseeching God the Father Himself and Jesus our Lord to direct and govern their ways.May we be like Paul, and remember to lift up our fellow Christian brothers and sisters in continuous and loving prayer and heartfelt intercessions.
We are not only to trust Him when the great giants of opposition and oppression are put to flight, but we are to keep on trusting Him when our faith in God is severely tried, when we are insulted and persecuted, and when others say all kinds of evil against us falsely for Christ's sake, for He is a faithful God Who does not change, He abides forever, and He has established His throne in the heavens for righteous judgement and everlasting peace.
Our faith in God pleases Him while our thanksgiving glorifies Him, and the one that glorifies the Father is the true worshipper who worships Him in spirit and truth.
Our faith in God pleases Him, while our genuine thanksgiving glorifies Him.
As we recognise the truth that Christ's sacrifice was made once for all and forever... and that by faith in Him our sins are not simply covered but fully forgiven, we can rejoice with exceeding great joy that the Mosaic Law, the Feasts of the Lord, the various priestly ceremonies and bloody sacrificial offerings of the Old Covenant, were true shadows of the glorious reality that was manifest in Christ Jesus Who has saved us from our sin and seated us together with Him in heavenly places.
His Word is a lamp to our feet and a guiding light along our pathway, for by grace through faith we have been made His children and are called to walk in the light of His love, by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.May the light of His love so shine through each one of us, that men may see our godly deeds, hear the Word of truth, trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sin, and glorify our Father Who is in heaven.
Let us pray that God would send out labourers into the harvest-fields of souls that need to be saved by grace through faith in Christ, and let us ask God to bring into our lives people, with whom we can share the good news that: Whoever will call on the name of the Lord, will be delivered - for how can they call on the Lord, in Whom they have not believed?
Paul traces the great plan of redemption from the first man-Adam to the last Adam-Jesus; from the old creation in the flesh to the new creation in the spirit; from the old sin nature to the new life in Christ; from the curse of the Law to the freedom of grace, and points out that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone and not by personal merit or through works of the flesh.
Paul made it very clear that Israel plainly understood that the Lord required godly righteousness by grace through faith, and not man's fleshly righteousness by works of the Law, but they refused to receive their heavenly Kinsman Who was God's chosen sacrifice for the sin of Israel as well as the Redeemer of the whole world.
It was Moses who foretold that Israel would be provoked to jealousy and anger by a rag-tag group of foolish Gentile believers who would receive the free gift of salvation from the God of Israel, by faith, before they did, and it was Isaiah who foretold that Israel's Messiah was also to be a light to lighten the Gentile nations: And that they would become God's children as a result of Israel's transgression, rebellion and apostasy.
Faith is expressed in prayer and prevailing prayer is an expression of faith - and David pleads God's righteousness as the legitimate reason for his own cry of deliverance: For the sake of Your name, You will lead me and guide me.
Nebuchadnezzar's fluctuating emotions demonstrate the folly of a double-minded man and the importance of knowing the truth, standing firm in the faith, and honouring the Lord in all we are.
And however much we like to speculate - there is only One Who knows exactly what took place on that special, second day of creation... when the waters below were separated from the waters above and God ordained that great star-studded expanse to separate - one from another - and it is by faith that we understand that the worlds were prepared and created by the Word of God.
We who were dead in trespasses and sin and without God in the world, have been brought near to God because of Israel's transgressions, and by grace through faith in Him, we have been made children of God, forgiven of our sins, made part of the Body of Christ, been in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit and received eternal life as a free gift of God's grace.
Whether the brothers and sisters to whom he was writing were new into the faith or well-weathered, seasoned saints, they were often referred to as 'little children', for all had been sinners saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, all had their sins forgiven through His shed blood, and all had been given eternal life as God's free gift of grace.
The enemy will taunt you with your unworthiness to receive all the promises that God has given to His people and try to scupper your faith in Him, but your unworthiness has been replaced with Christ's righteousness, and when God looks at your account, all He sees is the righteousness of His Son.
By God's immeasurable mercy, inestimable grace, eternal wisdom, and unlimited kindness, their faith was credited to them as righteousness.
The man and the woman were saved by grace through faith in God's Word.
They were saved by faith in the coming Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us never forget that like Adam and Eve, Noah and Abraham, Daniel and Peter - James and John, we have been saved by grace, through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God's unimaginable mercy, incalculable grace, infinite wisdom, and amazing kindness - not as a result of works, lest anyone should boast.
He knew that many blessings and benefits follow those who continue earnestly to pray in faith and for those who are vigilant in their worship, praise, and thanksgiving.Paul knew that it is God's will that His blood-bought sons and daughters rejoice in the Lord always, and so he encouraged each one to rejoice continuously, to pray without ceasing, and in everything to give thanks and praise to our Heavenly Saviour.But Paul also knew that prayer is a God-given privilege that has been awarded to every Christian, and those that walk in spirit and truth and pray into the Father's will, are assured that their prayers will be heard and answered, for His greater praise and glory.Paul therefore coveted the intercessions and prayers of these saints in Colossae.
He was a precious brother in the faith, a loyal servant of the Lord, and a faithful minister of the gospel who accompanied Paul on his third missionary journey.
Not only did it contain news of Paul's current circumstance, but he knew that this faithful servant of the Lord would edify the saints, encourage them to stand firm in the faith, and hold fast to the truth of the glorious gospel of grace.He wrote to inform them of his current situation during his imprisonment in Rome, and to reassure them that he was Christ's ambassador in chains whose ongoing desire was to share the gospel as boldly as he could.
The godly character of this dear man of faith was manifested in his actions, attitude, and commendable ministry.May we, like Tychicus, walk in wisdom, pray in spirit and truth, redeem the time, and give godly comfort and encouragement to our Christian brothers and sisters in Christ.
Despite the Corinthian Christians being saved by grace through faith in Christ, Paul had some serious concerns about their ungodly conduct, their spiritual immaturity, their argumentative behaviour, and their abuse of spiritual gifts.
Sadly, this is what happened at Corinth to such a great extent... that the foundational facts of their faith in Christ's death, burial, and Resurrection became so distorted that the saints had started to deny the likelihood of their own resurrection from the dead.
Paul pointed out that believing on Christ's Resurrection is foundational to their faith - and because He lives, we too will live, in newness of life.
If Christ had not been raised from the dead, then everything about the glorious gospel of grace, and our faith in the Lord Jesus would be false and worthless!!
If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is worthless, Paul wrote, and you are still in your sins!
All who have been saved by grace through faith in Him, have been promised that their earthly, perishable body will be raised a heavenly, imperishable body..
God speaks to us through His living Word (the Lord Jesus Christ), and His written Word (the Holy Scriptures), and God has called us to hear Him because faith comes by hearing and hearing from the Word of God.
How much more we who have an old sin nature need to keep ourselves ever covered by His protecting power and yielded to the guidance of His Holy Spirit, as we remain in Him and He in us.The little power-packed book of Jude opens by encouraging maturing Christians to contend earnestly for the sanctifying faith that works in and through the lives of born-again believers, and which will bring them to spiritual maturity.
The book concludes with a lovely section that encourages us all to remain in the love of God, to build ourselves up in the most holy faith by means of the indwelling Spirit, and to keep our hearts and minds focussed on the Lord Jesus, watching for His any day return.We cannot keep ourselves from stumbling, but Christ can, and so we need to dig deeply into His Word.
Faith in God and believing in Jesus Christ Whom He sent, was the important issue.
During His early ministry, there are many examples where Jesus stated that a miracle occurred because of someone's faith.
It was because of her faith in Jesus that the woman with an issue of blood was healed.
It was by faith that blind Bartimaeus received his sight, and when Jesus saw the faith of the four men bringing their sick friend to Him, He healed the paralytic man.
They did not have faith in Jesus.
However, on this second visit, their lack of faith was exposed more fully and their hostility started to percolate.
No wonder Mark recorded the serious lack of faith that was displayed in Nazareth that day.
And so, we read that Jesus was not able to do any miracles there because of their lack of faith, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.
those saved by grace through faith), and that on whomsoever that Stone shall fall, will be ground to powder. (i.e.
God in His wisdom and grace gave us this important picture of world domination, through a succession of evil empires dominated by Satan, to purify our hearts and strengthen our faith.
Let us rejoice that He is coming back to reign on earth and that because of our faith, we will reign with Him forever.
From start to finish, the book of Galatians outlines the deep concern that the apostle Paul showed for the Christians in Galatia who, having been saved by grace through faith in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, and having been born from above, chose to give up the glorious liberty they had in Christ (salvation, through the hearing of faith) for the meritorious work and legalistic bondage from which they had been set free.
Having been delivered from slavery to sin by faith and having been released from the curse of the Law, they returned to a works based salvation!
If salvation is gained any way other than by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, then Christ died in vain!
Page after page, Paul had contended with the Galatians because they had abandoned the liberty of the Christian faith, having been seduced by the Judaisers of the day into adopting the restrictive practices of the pre-Cross legalistic Judaism.
The only reason that we are declared righteousness is because we are positioned in Christ by faith; accepted in the Beloved, and covered in His cloak of righteousness.
We are declared righteous by faith in the only begotten Son of God for the forgiveness of our sin, and we are to continue to live by grace through faith and not by works of the law.
Most people seem to know that the only way to be saved is by grace through faith in Christ, but we are also to live by faith and to grow in grace.
We are to live our lives by grace alone through faith alone in Christ ALONE.
But by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, God delivered us from the domain of darkness: And transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son.
But by a simple act of faith in Christ's finished work at Calvary, we have been lifted out of this shocking state of eternal slavery and transferred into Christ's glorious kingdom of everlasting light and life; the kingdom of God's only beloved Son.
We should study God's Book of instruction, particularly those passages that relate specifically to the Church, and we should continually feed on His Word in our hearts by faith with thanksgiving.
He also explains that in the end times, two-thirds of the nation of Israel would be killed, but that a remnant would return to the Lord and be saved by faith in Him.
May we be increasingly aware of the days in which we live and take every opportunity to tell others that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ before this terrible time of Tribulation.
They were a young Church, who were growing in grace, maturing in the faith and making steady progress in their Christian walk.
Paul's letters were designed to strengthen their faith, encourage them towards holy living, correct any false doctrine, remind them of his apostolic authority, and further instruct them in Church-age doctrines and principles of godly conduct.
Gold, silver, precious stones and crowns are identified as the rewards which are given to celebrate the work of faith, the labour of love or the steadfastness of a believer's hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, and each crown is received in the presence of God the Father.
In Corinthians, we read of the Imperishable Crown, which is given to those who have run the race of life and obtained this award because of their obedience to God's Word, as they looked to JESUS the Author and Finisher of their faith.
In the early Church, it was hard for Jews who were steeped in centuries of tradition to recognise that the Christian faith was not an extra bit of doctrine tagged on to the Jewish religion, but the fulfilment of God's promise to make a New Covenant with them.
They did not understand that the Law of God, the Prophets of Israel, the Psalms, and the Feasts-days were all pointing to Christ, and that 'the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus' had set them free from 'the law of sin and death'.Today, as in those early days of Christianity, there is still much confusion about the 'gospel of God' and there are many attempts to add law to grace, and works to faith.
They are men and women of faith, who are not only physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but Israelites who have trusted God – and their faith is credited as righteousness.David, Daniel, John the Baptist, Paul the apostle, Mary of Bethany, Barnabas, and many others were physical decedents of God's chosen nation, and because they believed God and trusted His Word, they were justified in God's sight.
Indeed, Scripture labels Jews as 'the Circumcision' to identify their physical link to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to differentiate them from 'Uncircumcised Gentiles'.HOWEVER, as Abraham was also the father of FAITH, Paul identifies ALL believers, both Jew or Gentiles, as 'the True Circumcision' who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh.
ALL believers, whether circumcised Jew or uncircumcised Gentiles, are one in Christ and lay claim to the same spiritual circumcision, a true circumcision of the heart because we are ALL saved by grace through faith in Christ.
For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but we are a new creation and may peace be on all (Gentiles) who will walk by this rule, and may MECRY be upon 'the Israel of God'.What grace that believing Gentiles, together with believing Jews, are designated by Paul as 'the True Circumcision' because of our faith.
We are not called to make the world a better place, but to share the good news of the gospel of grace, so that men, women, boys, and girls may be saved out of the world - by grace, through faith in Christ.
The answer is because it is faith in God that is credited to man as righteousness.
The eyes of the Lord search to and fro looking for someone with a heart that, through faith, is in right standing with Him.
His eyes fell on Noah, because God in His grace searches the heart and He could see that Noah trusted Him; Noah believed in Him; Noah had faith in Him.
Without faith it is impossible to please God, but Noah's faith pleased God and so Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord and His faith was credited to Him as righteousness.
Noah was declared righteous in the same way that Abraham, and David, and you, and me, and all who have trusted God's Word are declared righteous - by faith.
Hebrews chapter 11 gives us a greater insight into the importance of trusting God; of believing in God; of having faith in God: Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who dilligently seek Him.
The chapter goes on to talk specifically about Noah: By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Noah believed God, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Paul was certainly filled with joy knowing that there were many who were continuing his work and preaching Christ from a sincere love of the Lord and a desire to tell forth the glorious message of salvation by grace through faith in Him, but he also rejoiced over the ministry of those whose motive in preaching was rooted in envy and strife.
May we never allow wrong motives or fleshly attitudes to influence the calling that God has laid on each one of our lives, rather, let us rejoice that the good news of God is being proclaimed to lost souls who need to hear the glorious gospel of salvation, by grace through faith in Christ.
But a life of faith cannot be founded on the shifting sands of doubt and disappointment, but needs to be secured to the changeless foundation of Jesus Christ Who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, for His steadfast love never ceases.
Despite being in the midst of death because of sin, we have an assurance of great glory to follow, for we have been saved by grace through faith in Him.
He has promised an eternal home in which we will be housed, an everlasting and secure heavenly dwelling-place which is ours by God's grace through faith in Him.
It was at that time that the Lord Jesus began in earnest to prepare His little band of faithful followers for His shocking betrayal, false accusations, unjust trial, cruel death, and glorious Resurrection.Over and again, His disciples failed to comprehend the serious nature of Christ's repeated prediction of His fast-approaching betrayal and death, and it became necessary for Jesus to speak plainly about the severe self-discipline His followers would require if they were to stand fast in the evil day and not be sifted as wheat by the enemy, nor emotionally tossed about by the terrible things they were soon to face.A simple, immovable, childlike faith in Christ Who had come as God's anointed King, His promised Messiah, and Kinsman-Redeemer, was essential as the days grew darker: Whoever receives Me, Jesus said, receives Him Who sent Me.Petty differences of colour or creed were to be laid aside, and a unity in the faith was to be established by those who acknowledged Jesus as Lord.
But we who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, should recognise God's Word as the most precious tool in our Christian arsenal which provides all we need for life and godliness.
He also reminds us that we have a living hope in Christ, for when we finally see Him we shall be like Him... and this glorious hope keeps us pure, even as we are pure through faith in Christ - for by faith in Christ we are forgiven of our sins and covered in His own righteousness.
Praise God that there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus - their sins are remembered no more and they are accepted in the Beloved and covered in His perfect righteousness - by faith.
The underlying reason for Paul mentioning these brothers seemed to be that as the Body of Christ, we are to pull together; to honour one another; to fellowship with one another; to make sure that we are one in heart and mind with our brethren as we look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
And we find that Paul's closing words to the Corinthians are designed to encourage Christians to watch, to be on the alert, to stand firm in the faith, to act like men and to be strong.
And that same, the evil enemy, who is called the devil and Satan, will also try to approach us as an angel of light through the medium of deceptive people, false apostles, and deceitful workers who pretend that they are apostles of Christ, but their witness and faith is compromised.
We are not to compromise our faith but to cling fast to that which is good and noble, right and pure, honourable, admirable, and lovely.
But too many Christians wrongly think that a victorious Christian life is a happy, trouble-free existence where every whim of our heart is magically fulfilled by some sugar-daddy in the sky, cherry-picking Scriptures that 'prove' this false interpretation of the Word while proclaiming that the problem of others results from their lack of faith.
We are reminded in Scripture of the men and women of faith who experienced shocking ordeals, many of whom endured torture and trials and underwent stonings and scourgings.
James explains that God uses trials to test our faith and to produce endurance.
Our life trials are not, as some suggest, a lack of faith or God's punishment, but a purifying tool that God uses to hone and refine His children, to develop our trust and dependence upon Him.
God's purpose in each of our lives is to educate, discipline, and train us in righteousness and the fiery trials that come upon us are used by Him to try us, as the furnace tries silver, to cut deep into our fleshly nature and polish off all the fleshly dross that contaminates our new-life in Christ so that by grace through faith we will not murmur, but humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, knowing that He has promised to exalt us in due time.
He never goes back on His Word nor does He grow weary, and in His loving-kindness, He gives grace to the humble and renews the strength of those that wait upon Him, by faith.
They are a call to us all to turn from any wrongdoing in our lives and live by faith and not by sight; to trust in the Lord with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding.
It is faith in His Word that is needed to soar with wings as eagles.
His grace is enough for every eventuality in life, and His provision comes through faith in His beloved Son.
No matter what our station in life, there are many lessons that each one of us can learn from this little letter to Philemon. What a joy to know that no-one is excluded from the good news of the gospel of grace, for anyone can be saved through faith in Christ.
Men were saved by grace through faith, just as they are today, BUT the people were required to work the works of God and the keep the entire Law, to earn God's blessing.
He was superior to the priestly line through Levi or the royal line of David, for Melchizedek, a type of Christ, was both KING of Jerusalem and PRIEST of the Most-High God, and he commanded honour from the greatest Jewish patriarch, the father of faith.
Jacob's faith in God needed to be rekindled and God needed to break the fleshly inclinations of this schemer so he would recognise that God and not Jacob had been his Provider and Protector over the years - that God and not Jacob had guided his path.
Jacob needed the strength to continue his journey; he needed courage to meet with his estranged brother; he needed faith to continue on the road to Canaan; he needed wisdom to know what to do.
By faith, Jacob endured his trial.
His faith was strengthened, he grew in a knowledge and understanding of God, and became an overcomer who was spiritually prepared to relinquish to his own reasoning and to trust the promises and provision of God.
He had to live by his faith and not his wit.
It is wise to note that Jacob's experience in his wrestling match with the Man Who dislocated his thigh is very similar to the trials, tribulations, and testings that each one of God's children experiences when He wants to teach us an important lesson, instruct us in a necessary truth, or fine-tune our faith in Him.
May we never forget that those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse them will themselves be cursed, for salvation comes through the Jews – for salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ, our God and our Saviour.
Jeremiah reminds the faithful remnant of believing Israel (and also those of us that are saved by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord), of the wonderful fact that the Lord examines the heart and gives to each what they deserve, based on what they have done, by faith: I, the Lord search the heart.
God is righteous and must punish sin, but He is also faithful to fulfil His promises to those that love Him and to reward those that place their trust in Him - for without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
And we are instructed to search out the truth as we read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the whole counsel of God so that we may grow in grace, mature in the faith, and discover the hidden things of God.
Let us praise our covenant keeping God for all His loving-kindness and tender mercies to us and to all men, and let us live by faith in the Son of God Who loves us and gave Himself for us by taking upon Himself the judgement that we deserve so that His multi-coloured-grace can shine in our hearts throughout all eternity.
As a result, we find: The Word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many priests were also becoming obedient to the faith.
An increasing number of Jews, including a large number of priests, were coming to faith through the power of the Spirit, as the truth of Scriptures was unfolded.
But his successful ministry angered the Jewish leaders who arrested him and killed him for his faith in Christ.
The enemy of our soul desires to shipwreck our faith and render our testimony impotent - either by stroking our ego or by causing us to become fearful.
Whether Jew or Gentile, all men are guilty sinners and under God's eternal judgement UNLESS they are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
All are at enmity with their Creator and bound for the lake of fire UNTIL they are saved by faith in Him.
Although the Lord chose the Jewish race to be His people through whom the Messiah would be born, their birthright did not provide any exemption from God's directive that salvation, which is a gift of grace, received by faith alone in Christ Jesus alone as detailed in Scripture.
Although Israel was identified as God's chosen nation through their covenant agreement with the Lord and the sign of circumcision given through Abraham - salvation for Jew and Gentile alike is given by God's grace - through faith in Christ Jesus.
While salvation comes THROUGH the Jewish nation, it is only through faith in the Jewish Messiah that an individual soul can be redeemed from the slave market of sin.
He wanted them to understand that God is not a man that He would change His mind or reject His people and so, anticipating their reasoning, he asked a rhetorical question of his readers: Shall Israel's unbelief make the faith of God without effect? - will their unbelief make the assurances of God ineffective?
They refused to take the 'Mark of the Beast' and they were martyred for their faith: And I saw the souls of them that had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast, nor his image, nor had received his mark upon their foreheads or on their hands.Following the Rapture of the Church, the wrath of God will be poured out in full measure on a God-hating, Christ-rejecting, Jew-loathing, sinful world.
This is why Paul and the other apostles laboured to share the truth of the glorious gospel of Christ, to share the whole counsel of God, to teach sound doctrine, and encourage the daily study of Scripture - so that we may be perfect and mature in the faith, wanting nothing.
Despite the many false Christs, false prophets, ravenous wolves, and relentless attacks by the enemy on the Christian Church, the pure gospel of grace has reached our ears - for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
And the gift of God that the Lord Jesus spoke of to this woman-at-the-well is His free gift of salvation, which is openly available to all who will accept God's gracious offer of redemption and be cleansed of their sin, by faith in Christ.
There is one God Who gave one Saviour to the world and ordained one way to be saved; by grace through faith in Him.
It is not God's will that any should perish but that all should come to a faith in Christ's finished work at Calvary, and so God planned and purposed to give His one and only begotten Son to become the one and only Saviour to a world of lost sinners, and ordained that the one and only way to be saved was by grace through faith in Him.
Like Christians in the early Church, we also need to know that there is a resurrection unto life for the believer, and a resurrection unto death for those that have rejected God's gracious offer of salvation by grace through faith in Christ.
Let us seek to share the truth of the glorious gospel of Christ with those that are dead in their sins and without hope in the world, knowing that every day that passes is a day of grace when lost souls may come to a saving faith in Christ Jesus our Saviour.
It is by maintaining a simple trust in Him that we are able to thwart all the earthly thorns and thistles in life that seek to trip and to trap, to ensnare, undermine, and destroy our faith.
The amazing gospel of the grace and glory of Christ that removes condemnation from all who are saved by grace through faith in Him, is the same gospel of truth and righteousness which places all who have not believed in the only begotten Son of God under God's eternal condemnation and an everlasting separation from the Creator Who made them.
Have we walked in the 'old ways' that stand on the Word of truth and lead us in the way of righteousness, or have we bought into a watered-down doctrine and a compromised faith through adopting worldly philosophies or engaging in fleshly behaviour.
We are not called to walk the same ancient path to which Israel was called, but we are required to be faithful to our calling, to walk in spirit and truth as outlined in the Word of God, to grow in grace and in a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to mature in the faith that we have been taught.
However, God's Words warns that the God of love, Who will redeem us by faith, is also a God of justice and righteousness, Who will judge the wicked and condemn the unrighteous.
Should not we who are saved by grace through faith in Christ, recognise the deep significance and consequences of the God-breathed content of His Word and take it to heart in these perilous days?
Let us act in accordance with one of Paul's final instructions to Timothy, his beloved son in the faith.
Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings....continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them.
However, these Pharisees needed to know that the spiritual part of the kingdom does not come with observable signs but through faith in Christ, in Whom are the words of eternal life.
Believers in this Church dispensation have already entered the spiritual kingdom through faith in Christ.
However, those who do not believe during the Church Age will be left to face the outpouring of God's wrath during seven years of Tribulation... and any who come to faith during this period and endure to the end, will enter the kingdom.
What about those of us who are saved by grace through faith in Christ?
Well, we are not appointed to go through the Tribulation because of our faith in Christ. We who have believed, will be removed before the Great Tribulation begins - HOWEVER, the progression of evil about which Christ is speaking in this verse has been ongoing throughout the entire Christian dispensation.
In the penultimate verse of Ephesians, Paul is offering a familiar and well-loved salutation to his brothers and sisters in Christ: Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.Peace, love, and faith are three spiritual qualities that are sprinkled in unfettered abundance throughout Paul's writings, and yet they retain a freshness each time they are bestowed on God's children of faith.Only once in the New Testament, is this phrase peace be to the brethren, used.
Indeed, the peace of God which passes all human comprehension, is a gracious gift from our Heavenly Father which is promised to all His children through Jesus Christ our Lord, for it guards the heart and mind of all who cast their cares upon Him.God's peace is the gracious gift that under-girds our going out and our coming in, and every man or woman of faith in Christ, is promised that heavenly peace will garrison our heart and mind in every difficult circumstance or troublesome situation.
MY peace I give unto you.The amazing love of God, binds us together in worship and praise to our Heavenly Father Whose loves for us is so profound, that He gave His only begotten Son to become our substitute for sin, while the supernatural love of Jesus is such that while we were yet sinners, Christ died on our account so that we might be forgiven of our sin, receive a new life in Him, become united with Christ and abide with Him forever.Faith, enables us to worship in spirit and truth.
It empowers us to carry out the work that God has prepared for us to do and it emboldens us to engage in the spiritual warfare of this age, effectively: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and satanic powers, who prowl around, seeking to destroy our ministry and taint our testimony.Peace and love with faith, comes directly from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The unity of the triune Godhead, combines to bestow peace to the brethren, and love with faith.
As the eternal God Who had life in Himself, He rose from the grave so that His life would become the life of all who believe on His name, and the power of death would be broken for all who, by faith, are His seed.
May we feed on Him in our hearts by faith with thanksgiving, today and into the eternal ages to come.
Titus was a true son in the common faith, which was given to us by the apostles and prophets of the early Church, and which contrasts sharply with the unbiblical teachings of false ministers which too often are founded on the sinking sands of fleshly experiences, fluctuating feelings, ever-changing opinions, fleshly propensities, carnal presumptions, and extra-biblical 'revelations'.
They profess to know God and can deliver motivational speeches, but in their lives they deny the Lord Jesus by twisting truth which disqualifies their profession of faith.
He tells of our redemption by grace through faith in Him, of reconciliation with our Heavenly Father, and of our glorious transfer from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son.
We are also encouraged to bear with one another in love and to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, knowing that we are one in Christ and united together in one faith, one hope, one baptism, and one Lord.
What a long-suffering and gracious God we have – for as He has dealt in grace toward His erring nation, so He will deal with Christians who have wandered far from His outstretched arms of love or when faith wears thin and life seems too much to bear.
It is always a joy when a man or woman trusts in Christ as their Saviour and sets out on their life-journey with Jesus at the helm, but what a thrill it must have been for Paul when Titus, his true son in the common faith, was ready to take on full responsibility for the establishment of the Christian churches throughout the Isle of Crete.
It is at the start of his letter, that Paul identifies his relationship with Titus as his true child in a common faith.
Titus was an uncircumcised Greek who heard Paul preaching about Jesus many years before and responded to the gospel of grace by faith.
He was not only Paul's son in the faith, but became a loyal and trusted friend and a fellow bondservant of Jesus Christ.
Paul never wanted anyone to become complacent in their faith and always made a point of reminding others of the joy we have in Christ, and so his letter to this 'son in the faith began by reminding him of God's amazing goodness and grace, the privileged peace we have with God through our great salvation, and the perfect peace of God that can guard our heart when our mind is stayed on Him.
It is by His grace through faith in Christ that we have peace with God, for we have been forgiven of our sins and received eternal life - through faith in Him.
Christians have obtained salvation by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and are not appointed to wrath, but these concerned believers thought that the Day of the Lord had already started.
The Christians in Thessalonica were fairly new believers, but Paul had made sure that he taught them the full counsel of God, including prophecies about the Rapture, the Great Tribulation, the coming man-of-perdition, and the terrible wrath of God that will be poured out on a world that rejected Him and refused to be saved by faith in Jesus Christ.
Those connected with Isaac, Sarah, the New Covenant that was cut at Calvary, and the heavenly Jerusalem, represent those that are saved by grace through faith, and by God's grace their faith is credited as righteousness.
They live by faith and have been removed from the curse of the Law, for the wages of their sin was paid in full by Christ's sacrifice at Calvary.
By faith, we are no longer under God's condemnation because we trusted in the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.
Before the Cross we were in bondage to the Law, but by grace through faith in Christ, we have been released from the deathly strangle-hold of the Old Covenant and its power over us has been severed.
May we never forget that by faith in Christ we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman, for which we praise His holy name.
But in every respect, the Lord Jesus fulfilled the Law of God which was given to Israel through Moses, and He kept the statutes of the Lord in order to remove the curse of the Law from those who would believe on His name and trust in Him for salvation by grace through faith in His sacrificial work at Calvary.
Sadly, both groups are making serious inroads into the hearts and minds of Christians who do not have a sound biblical understanding or have been incorrectly taught by liberal theologians who deny the essentials of the faith, or those that have their roots in the occult.
By grace, through faith in Christ, we have access into the very presence of God.
In His goodness and grace, He causes the sun to rise on the evil, as well as those who have been declared righteous by faith.
We need to consider the rich promises that have been poured out on us so lavishly, and we need to reflect, with thanksgiving, on all that the covenant of grace - into which we have been brought, means - through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
In place of the life of their firstborn sons, a lamb would be selected and slain in their place, and the shed blood of the innocent animal was to be smeared on the lintels of the doorposts on their home as a sign of their faith in God.
Jesus is the one to Whom every Passover lamb points - for just as these Passover lambs were slain their firstborn sons, so Jesus came to die in the place of sinful man. He was sent to redeem His people from their slavery to sin so that by faith in Him, they would LIVE.
Jesus is our spiritual food and we who partake of His body and blood by faith, will LIVE.
Just as the blood on the doorposts of the Israelites in Egypt was a physical sign of their faith in God's Word, so a heart that has been sprinkled with the shed blood of Christ by faith in His sacrificial death on the Cross, is the spiritual sign that we have passed from death to life - from slavery to the freedom that is in Christ Jesus.
They were to fellowship with one another; sharing, helping, edifying, and encouraging each other in their common faith, as well as contributing material and financial gifts to one another when a necessity arose or by giving time and support to the one in need.
As children of our Heavenly Father, we are to function in the divine nature that is ours, by faith in Christ.
The eternal Son became the perfect Man to demonstrate to sinners like you and me - who would be saved by grace through faith in Christ - just HOW we should live, as children of God.
Peter explained, in previous verses, that we who have been called by His own glory and grace, have escaped the corruption that is in the world - by faith.
We have been given all we need for life and godliness - by faith.
And because we are His sons and daughters, we should make every effort to supplement our faith with goodness, our goodness with knowledge, our knowledge with self-control, our self-control with endurance, and our endurance with godliness.
God requires perfection from us and this is an impossibility in our own fallen nature - but we are being made a new creature in Christ and have been clothed in His righteousness by faith.
It develops in us a steadfast faith with a Christlike attitude towards others.
Earlier in Chapter 14, Paul directs his Christian brethren on how to respond to brothers and sisters that are weak in the faith.
We are not to judge the spiritual temperature of other believers, nor cause a weaker brother to stumble in their faith because we have found a greater freedom in Christ.
Salvation, or entrance into the kingdom of God, is by grace through faith in Christ and has nothing to do with eating, drinking, or any other rites, rituals or observances.
True worship can only flow from a heart of faith and does not consist of the actions we undertake, the outward behaviours we exhibit, or strict adherence to certain prescribed laws or imposed practices.
Our salvation depends on faith in what Christ has done for us.
Righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit comes through faith in HIM.
Not only was the penalty for our sin paid in full, by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, but also its suffocating power has been broken.
He not only caused us to become new creatures, by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, but supplied us with good seed to sow into the lives of those who do not know His goodness and grace – and then to carry out His own good work in our lives, through the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit.Paul rejoices that God is able to make all grace abound to us so that always having sufficiency in everything, we have an abundance for every good deed, and he reinforces this truth by quoting from the Psalmist: He scattered abroad.
The Trinity is integral in this passage, where we stand united by one faith - through believing in the one, unchangeable body of truth which is recorded in the inerrant and eternal Word of God.
We all acknowledge one God and Father of all, Who is over all and through all and in all, for by grace through faith in the eternal Son of His love, we have been redeemed and declared righteous in the eyes of God - and He has made us His children.
He is Father to all who are saved by grace through faith in Christ.
Just as Abraham was justified by grace through trusting the Word of the Lord, so we too are justified by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, the living, incarnate Word of God.
However, in this Church age, all those differences have been removed: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus, our Lord. All who have trusted in Christ as Saviour are equal in the eyes of our Heavenly Father, saved by grace through faith in God's only begotten Son.
Oh, man has been blessed beyond compare because of the gracious pardon that we have received and the eternal salvation that we have been given, by grace through faith in Him.
But first, they must be spiritually enlivened when the Holy Spirit of God breathes the breath of new life into their cold, dead hearts, by their faith in Christ.
New life can only come through faith in JESUS, their Messiah.
This verse is rejoicing that the silver-haired head of a godly old man, is a thing in which to rejoice – for it is a crown of splendour and a garland of glory.Similarly, this is not to insinuate that only older men who have grey hair are crowned with glory, but that an older man (irrespective of his hair or lack of it) who has trusted God in his life, is graced with certain wisdom and sound judgement that comes from above and deserves the respect and honour of the younger generation.There are many older people who mourn the loss of their good looks or bemoan a decline in their physical fitness, and although physical beauty and youthful strength are often held up as desirable, it is rather the godly wisdom of a mature man-of-God or elderly lady-of-faith that should command the respect and reverence of those that are younger.
His desire is that they grow in grace and mature in the faith, explaining that when the Word of God abides within their heart, they will overcome the evil one and mature in their faith as they advance in age.Paul reminds us that although physical fitness is good, we should not only strive after bodily discipline and physical health, but rather engage in our spiritual development by fixing our hope on the living God and trusting in His Word, by faith.May we all recognise the benefits of a grey head or sagging muscles, knowing that it is a crown of glory when found in the way of righteousness.
As those who have been saved by grace through faith, we can recognise in Solomon's wise request, the things in life that are important to the Lord and the nature of the prayers and intercessions that should be offered, in accordance with His will.
Knowledge and understanding of the Lord Jesus and His Word should be high-up on the priority list of the man or woman who is growing in grace and maturing in the faith... and we have been promised that if any of us lack wisdom we should ask it of the Lord, for He gives generously and without reproach... BUT there is a condition.
The man of God must ask in faith and not doubt the Word of the Lord, for the one who doubts proves himself to be spiritually unstable and is driven and tossed by every wind of change.
Solomon was a man who had observed God's faithfulness in his father's life and because He trusted in Him, the Lord heard and answered his prayer of faith in an astonishing way.
Indeed, we read in Hebrews that without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe Who He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Jesus had kept and protected them, and had prayed for them that their faith would not fail.
Christ was that great Shepherd of the sheep and the sacrificial Lamb Whose blood was shed on Calvary so that by faith in Him these men for whom He was now praying might have life, and have it more abundantly.
There is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus, for whoever believes in Him by faith is not condemned, but the one who does not believe is already condemned: Because He has not believed in the only begotten Son of God.
The Bible tells us that all unsaved people are, by nature, children of wrath and disobedience, until the time when they trust in the Lord Jesus for salvation by grace through faith in Him.
Peter's heartfelt desire was that those who had trusted Christ for salvation knew from the depths of their soul the incredible value of the gracious gift that was theirs through faith in Christ Jesus: This precious treasure is for you who believe, he declared.
All who are saved by grace through faith should cherish it with every fibre of their being.
The Son of God Who became the Son of Man, was the Stone that the Father ordained from before the foundation of the world, to be the Bedrock upon which our faith is to be founded.
Whether this epistle was written to a particular lady and her own children or referred to believers who had come to faith through her word and witness, is not the main issue.
For many years, John had faithfully taught the Word of truth and seen many come to a saving faith in Christ Jesus, and it rejoiced his pastor's heart to hear that some of the believers connected with this dear, godly lady, were living righteous lives, walking in the truth of God's Word, and living lives that honoured the Lord Who bought them with His own blood.
The one who is living in truth is the one who is submitted to God, standing firm in the faith, resisting the evil one, and permitting the Word of God and the truth it contains to dwell within them richly, with all wisdom and in love as it is applied in their lives for the glory of God.
Depending on the attitude and desires of the remaining, unsaved partner in such a marriage causes Paul to make a number of recommendations and suggestions.In short, Paul's broad instruction to newly saved Christians is not to immediately remove oneself from marriage to an unbeliever, but wherever possible to remain, and pray that the Lord might use the relationship to work out His plans and purposes in both their lives in His time, in His way, and for His greater glory.Remaining with an unbelieving spouse can often be a great concern for new Christians who find themselves wonderfully saved yet 'trapped' in a marriage with someone who remains unsaved and who often become hostile to their partner's newfound faith.
Chapters 6 and 8 explain how to live the Christian life, how to grow in grace, how to progress in holiness, and mature in the faith.
They show how a believer can have victory over slavery to sin; how they can grow in mature in the faith and progress in their Christian walk.
We are justified by faith alone in Christ alone; and we are sanctified by faith alone in Christ alone.
The struggle of Romans 7 is the experience of most Christians who have been saved by grace through faith, but who thereafter try to live their Christian life in their own strength, by works of the law.
He calls us to be of one mind, to have unity of spirit in the bond of peace, to hold fast together our faith in Christ Jesus and the gospel of grace, and to live in harmony one with the other.
It is God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Who is to be highly praised, for He gave His only begotten Son to be born into the human race and to die for the sin of the world, so that we might be accepted in the Beloved by faith in His saving work at Calvary, and be seated together with Him in heavenly places.
We who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ should foster an inner attitude of grateful thanks, loving appreciation, joyous anticipation, and everlasting wonderment at all that He has done for us and His inexpressible love towards us: In that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
More often than not, students of Revelation are looking for the events that take place in Revelation and spend their energy trying to make sense of them, while missing the most important truth - that every event that takes place in this book is written to reveal more and more of the Lord Jesus Christ Who is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, the First and the Last - the Author and Finisher of our faith, without Whom we would be without hope, forever lost, and eternally damned.
Only God in His grace, can give a repentant sinner a new heart of flesh, and God the Father has determined that it is by grace through faith in Christ.Jesus came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel to establish His kingdom which was promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.
We are enabled to overcome the world (by faith), to overcome the enemy (by resisting the devil), and to overcome the flesh (by denying self and taking up our cross, as a true disciple of Christ.)
Today, those who have been saved by faith in Christ, are a Temple of the living God.
Having been identified with Christ and positioned in Him by faith, we will similarly be identified with Him in the eternal ages to come - for when we see Him, we shall be like Him - having immortal bodies of flesh and bone, for we are bone of His resurrected bone and flesh of His resurrected body.
We who have overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil in this life, by faith, will be made a pillar in the temple of our God and we will not go out from His presence anymore.
They were to be a light to lighten the Gentiles; a righteous people who would tell forth the wonderful works of God so that the nations would know that God is the Lord and be saved by faith in Him.
We were sentenced to death because of our sins and our imputed sin nature, but Christ was judged in our place, paying the full price for our sin, by faith.
Salvation in the Old and New Testaments is always given to the unworthy sinner by God's grace, through faith in His Word.
That simple faith of Abram, which trusted in the Word of the Lord, was credited to him for righteousness: For faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
They heard His voice, they trusted His Word, and their faith expanded to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin and life everlasting: You are the Messiah the Son of the Living God, was their confession, and they believed that God had sent Him into the world to save His people from their sin: I give eternal life to them, was Christ's promise to those who believe, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
Salvation through faith in Christ is the great gift of life.
Through faith in Him, we received abundant life and life eternal.
Rahab was certainly a woman of faith, for she is mentioned in Hebrews 11.
Her action was recorded as righteousness in James 2, which shows that her motivation was based on a living faith in the God of Israel and not simply a desire for self-preservation: Wasn't Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, the apostle wrote, when she received the messengers and sent them out by a different route?
Had Rahab exercised greater faith and been truthful, it may have caused her to witness an even greater miracle of escape, or allowed her to participate in a supernatural event of even greater magnitude.
May we always remember that He causes all things to work together for the good of those that love Him and have faith in Him.
While the story of Samson is a stark example of unfulfilled potential in the life of a servant of God, it also gives us great hope... for despite his deeply flawed life, Samson is a man who is named in the great chapter of faith in Hebrews 11.
It was not Samson's faults that are remembered by the Lord, but Samson's faith - which was reckoned to him as righteousness.
Praise God that, like Samson, our faith in Christ is reckoned to us as righteousness, but may we be men and women who seek to honour the Lord in all we say and do, for His greater glory and for our eternal benefit.
He did not know that this was to be a test of his faith, for God abhors human sacrifice.Many years earlier, while residing in Ur of the Chaldees, Abram met with God and believed His Word, when told that the Lord would give him a land.
It was at that point that Abram's faith was credited to him as righteousness – for God is able to read the thoughts and heart of man.
NOW, many years later, that hidden, invisible faith within his heart was to be tested by an outward demonstration of obedience.
Abraham was to express his inner faith by an outward word.
We are saved by grace through faith in the sacrificial work and glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ - and this is non negotiable.
However, those that have already been saved and have become children of God by faith in Christ, are expected to behave in a manner that is worthy of their status as children of God, as empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Only those that are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus can display these divine characteristics of our holy and loving God and Father.
It is only by faith in the sacrificial death of Christ that our spirit can be regenerated and new life breathed into us, at salvation.
But just as we, who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, were born in the image of the man of dust, so too we will also bear the image of the heavenly man; for He Who started a good work in us at salvation will complete it in the day of Christ Jesus.
Let us reckon ourselves dead to sin by keeping the old sin nature nailed to the Cross by faith, and let us reckon ourselves alive to Christ as we allow His Holy Spirit to direct and govern our lives, to His praise and glory.
Suffering as a Christian is not a matter of choice, but the certain consequence of our faith in Christ.
God uses them to strengthen our faith.
Peter's prayer was that Christ's followers would be firmly established in both faith and duty, despite the difficulties that would inevitably arise in our lives, for Peter knew that all those called by God's kindness and grace will one day partake in His eternal glory and joy.
Paul wanted all the believers there to grow in their Christian faith and to walk in spirit and truth.
Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong, he urges, and let EVERYTHING that you do be done in love.
But this unreachable goal is the impossible command given to all believers, and it not only applies to the natural loving kinship within the inner nucleus of beloved companions and best-loved family members, but the beggar in the street, the thieving politician, the accusatorial religionist, the enemy at the gate, the scoffer of our faith, and those that despise, reject, hate, persecute, and kill us.
We read of death and destruction and we grieve to hear of the intense suffering, persecution, and slaughter of many martyrs of the faith throughout this God-hating, Christ-rejecting, anti-Semitic, Christian-despising, sinful world.
But Habakkuk's fear turns to faith and his distress is stilled as the Lord answered His cries... explaining that relief will certainly come... but only at God's appointed time and only in His designated way.
Sinners are saved from the penalty of sin by God's grace, once and for all, through trusting in the death, burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ for salvation, but believers must mature in the faith and continue the process of ongoing salvation.
And we mature in the faith, grow in grace, and learn of Christ, by depending upon the light of His life within, obeying His commands to love as He loved us, and by keeping His Word so that His love might be perfected in us.
And only then, in His power and strength, we may learn to walk in the light, to grow in grace, to mature in the faith, to love as Christ loved, and to enjoy unbroken fellowship with our Father in heaven.
As more grace is added to the grace we have already received, the more we mature in the faith and change into the beautiful image and likeness of the Lord Jesus.
Just as we need physical exercise and nourishing food for our bodies to grow and develop, so also we need spiritual exercise to mature in the faith.
We are to mature and ripen our precious faith, and we are to stand on His promises and believe His Word.
As we walk in spirit and truth and submit to the Spirit's leading, we discover that we will grow in every facet of grace and virtue, faith and love, holiness and understanding, wisdom and obedience.
Access to the same grace of God and intimate knowledge of Christ is also what Peter, in the closing days of his life, is urging all who have a saving faith in Christ to strive for earnestly.
May we ALL grow in grace and in a knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for by grace we are saved through faith, by grace we are to live our lives through faith, and one day by God's grace, we will pass into His wonderful presence, when we shall see Him as He is, and we will be like Him and live with Him into the eternities of eternity.
Once we have been saved by grace through faith and born again of the Spirit, we become a spiritual being.
And only by faith in that cleansing flood are we born of the Spirit, placed into Christ, and identified with His perfect holiness, even though we don't deserve it.
How long it took for this truth to blossom in the heart of Nicodemus we will never know, but as one of the men who laid Christ's dead body in the stone-cold tomb, we know that this dear man did not only SEE heaven with his spiritual eye of faith, but will enter the kingdom of heaven as a forgiven child of God and a member of the Body of Christ.
This has become part of that never-ending hymn of praise that is sung by all who have been saved by grace, through faith in His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection.
He sounds as if he were advancing in years, because John refers to Him as 'Gaius, the Elder' and yet it is likely that this elderly gentleman was brought to faith in Christ through the ministry of John himself, for in addressing him, the apostle writes: I have no greater joy than this – to hear of my children walking in the truth.John makes no secret of his love and respect for this man, whom he admits to love in truth, for it appears that his whole life was dedicated to the Lord, and Gaius must have been a wonderful testimony of a godly man who walked in grace and love, for we read that his soul prospered.
John's prayer is that Gaius' physical health will reflect his obvious spiritual strength and Christian maturity.This verse clearly contradicts the distorted teaching of certain 'prosperity teachers' and 'faith-healers' who insist that if sick people do not recover, it is due to a lack of faith, or that if you are materially poor, you are not a spiritual believer because God wants all Christians to be materially wealthy!
There is no one that is excluded from His gracious offer of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ... and there are none that are given extra-special treatment based on their status, skills, colour, parentage, gender, intellectual capacity, political leanings, business acumen, or charismatic personality.
We are all saved by grace through faith in Christ... and as God's blood-bought children we should never forget that we also have a Master in heaven - Christ Jesus our Lord.
As those who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, we should all seek to apply the principles of godly living in every area of our lives, no matter where we are or in what situation we find ourselves.
Before we were saved we were separated from Christ by sin, but after having been saved by grace through faith, we were forgiven of our sin, joined to Christ, and positioned in Him
In the previous chapter, Paul explained that as believers we died with Christ and were risen with Him; we died to self and the old sin nature so that by faith we are born-again into God's family and our life is hidden with Christ in God.
And we are given all of these blessings by faith.
By faith in Him we died to sin, we died to the Law, and we were united together with Him.
By faith in Him, we are positioned in Him and clothed in His righteousness.
Only those that are positioned in Christ by grace through faith can bear fruit to the glory of God.
Only those that are born from above can produce the spiritual fruit of righteousness, for it is not by works of the Law that a man is justified or reckoned righteous, but only through faith and absolute reliance on Jesus Christ.
God will never tempt a man to sin, for God hates sin and cannot look upon sin, but God will often use temptation in a man's life to test his faith, patience, and perseverance, and the one that endures the test will glorify God.
As we trust His Word, carry out His will, abide in Him, and He is us, we will bear the fruit of patience and hone our faith in Him.
His way will lead us deeper into fellowship with Himself and enable us to mature in the faith, grow in grace, and gain a deeper knowledge of the holy, for He desires us to enjoy a satisfying and unbroken communion with Himself.
Unbelief and a hardening of the heart are closely associated with that first generation of Israelites who were saved from Egyptian slavery, but quickly fell from faith into fear.
It is easy to criticise Israel's lack of faith and rebellion, but how often do we fail to trust God's Word?
After his short introductory remarks to Timothy, Paul reminded his 'son in the faith' of some earlier advice he gave him on carrying out his pastoral duties in Ephesus, and the importance of addressing any strange doctrines that had been brought into the congregation.
Not only is Paul's epistle a personal letter to a spiritual son, encouraging Timothy to be faithful, to stand firm in the faith, to communicate the truth of the gospel, and give advice on the selection of church elders, but he warns against apostasy and false teaching within the congregation.
Whether by adding some unscriptural dogma, subtracting or changing the truth of the gospel of Christ, or introducing some new and unfamiliar teaching, these false teachings can too often cause confusion or discouragement and prevent believers from growing in grace and maturing in the faith.
May we seek to be vigilant in prayer, courageously stand firm in the faith, be obedient to God's call on our life, equip ourselves with a knowledge of the truth, and live a life that honours our Father in heaven.
The glorious gospel of salvation, by grace through faith in the sacrificial death and wonderful Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, should delight the worst of sinners.
He paid it ALL and He ROSE from the dead so that by faith in Him, we may also rise to life immortal.
However, Christ had no intention of remaining alone... for He is the eternal Son of God and He became the perfect Son of Man in Whom we have redemption, by faith.
And we, who have been saved by grace though faith in Christ, have within us the life of Christ which can become abundantly fruitful, when our lives resemble His likeness.
The accumulation of wealth and trusting in ones own bank balance is too often the thing that is most frequently substituted for faith in God and trust in His never-failing supply.
And Paul's passion was to establish the Church in sound doctrine, and to bring to spiritual maturity those that were saved by grace through faith in Him.
In this age or grace, we are to be sensitive to the fact that actions which we know to be permissible before God, may become a stumbling-block to a Christian brother or sister whose conscience dictates otherwise, causing them to falter in their faith.
This verse has caused many Christians to think their salvation is lost if they become discouraged, walk away from their faith for a time, or become engage in worldly carnality.
This letter is written to Christians who have the same precious faith as Peter, and this verse is exposing the dangers of false teachers and the devastation they can cause to those that are ignorant of God's Word.
He is also encouraging them to have a closer walk with God and an ever deepening understanding of their faith.
In his earlier letter, he assured his readers that God's mighty power will protect all who have come to saving faith in Christ and will guard their hearts against such lies.
However, Peter is expressing his concern for unbelievers who are brought to a superficial knowledge of Christ without being saved by faith in Him.
But those who allow their ears to be tickled without ever coming to the knowledge of the truth, by faith, are in serious spiritual danger: And their last state becomes worse that at the beginning.
Peter is explaining to his listeners that when the unsaved are captivated by the enticing lies of a false teacher and presented with a distorted view of the gospel, they are given a taste of the good news of Christ without being brought to a saving faith in Him.
Peter knew his time on earth was short, and wrote his second epistle to remind Christians of the fundamentals of their faith and the need to live godly lives.
Paul's priority was to teach the truth of the glorious gospel of Christ so that men and women everywhere would be saved by grace through faith in Christ for the remission of their sins - to explain it in such a way that whoever he was teaching would hear and believe.
And Peter was one of Christ's inner circle who witnessed the honour and glory of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah of Israel and Son of the most high God, on that glorious Mount of Transfiguration.Early in his second letter, which was addressed to other believers in the faith, he called to mind that wonderful day when Jesus was transfigured before his eyes – a short while before the Lord Jesus died on the Cross, and rose again as the sacrifice for man's sin.Jesus received great honour and glory from God the Father, Peter recalls, with appropriate humility and awestruck wonder.
But God in His grace had formulated a plan of redemption before Adam's destructive decision to disobey his God, which not only returned man into fellowship with his Creator by faith, but also would one day pour its healing balm over the rest of God's groaning creation.
Just as we who are saved by grace through faith and have been made a new creation in Christ, await the full the final consummation of our new birth (when our mortal bodies put on immortality and corruption is replaced with incorruption), so too the creation itself awaits in eager expectation for that day when God's curse on creation will be finally lifted.
Although as Christians we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ and made part of the new creation, we continue to live in a fallen, 'earthy' body of flesh and blood and await that day when we will be fully and finally 'adopted' as glorified sons of God with a new body of flesh and bone, made like unto Christ's resurrection body.
He had been chosen to be the missionary to the Gentiles who were formerly alienated from God, hopelessly dead in sins, and engaged in evil deeds, but by God's grace, many were reconciled to Him through faith in Christ for their salvation.
In writing to Timothy, a beloved son in the faith, Paul explains in the opening words of this epistle that he is suffering deeply because of the gospel of Christ.
But his suffering only caused his faith to grow stronger, as he set his mind on the sure and blessed hope of Christ and of eternity to come.
May we come to the unshakable knowledge that our times are in His hands, and at His appointed time and in His designated way, we will one day step into His eternal presence, when faith will vanish into sight and hope be emptied in delight.
O give me Samuel’s mind,A sweet unmurm’ring faith,Obedient and resignedTo Thee in life and death,That I may read with child-like eyesTruths that are hidden from the wise.
From the beginning, the enemy of our soul has sought to hide God from us, to distort His character, to disrupt His plan of salvation, to deceive the nations, to destroy His Anointed and to shipwreck the faith of those that put their trust in Him.
Let us be diligent to build ourselves up in our most holy faith, as we wait expectantly for Christ to come in the clouds and take us to be with Himself.
At salvation, they had all received the free gift of God's grace, but they were trying to replace that gift of grace which they had received by faith in Christ, with their own works of the law.
They were trying to grow in grace by their own effort rather than God's way, which is by grace through faith.
These Christians had believed in Christ for salvation and had been justified by faith and, like Abraham, their faith was credited to them as righteousness.
Did You receive the Holy Spirit by works of the law or by the hearing of faith?
These Christians had, of course, been saved by grace through faith in Christ, but instead of living their lives by grace through faith in Christ they had reverted back to a system whereby God's free gift of grace had been replaced with their own meritorious works of the law!
But Paul had taught them that all their own acts of righteousness are filthy rags in the eyes of God, and that the only acts of righteousness that God will ever receive from His born again children are those that are carried out by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit by faith in Christ, as He lives in us.
The Galatian Christians who should have been growing spiritually and maturing in the faith, had adopted legalistic practices which prevented them from growing in grace and reaching spiritual maturity.
May we die to self and live to Christ until by faith we are conformed into the image and likeness of Christ.
But the Law is a vital signpost pointing sinners to Christ Who became the once-for-all sacrifice for sin, and Who alone can remove man from under the curse of the Law, by faith.
The character of God, and the plans and purposes which He ordained in eternity past have never changed, nor has the means of salvation been altered, for salvation comes by faith alone in God.
But those who have trusted in the Word of God for salvation, by grace through faith in the shed blood of our Kinsman-Redeemer, have the inner witness of God's Holy Spirit within.
A disciple of Christ is a learner of Christ, and we are all called to be disciples of Christ, to learn of Him, and to mature in our faith.
Only a believer who is being washed in the water of the Word, pressing on for their upward call in Christ Jesus, and maturing in their faith, can truly be called a disciple of Jesus.
The good news of salvation and life eternal, is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Faith is simply having the confidence that the future things God has revealed in His written Word, will unquestionably happen.
The reformation verse that shattered corridors of Christendom was: The just shall live by faith.
The righteous man shall live by faith, the godly man, the virtuous woman, the justified sinner, the maturing believer, are to all live by faith, as well as being saved by faith.
A living faith in God's Word and the confident hope in His promises are two graces that embrace each other in love at the foot of the Cross.
This is not a 'Que sera sera, fingers-crossed and-hope-it-happens' type of faith.
This is the faith that accepts without question that the Word of God is entirely dependable and is an indisputable fact.
This is the faith that unquestioningly takes God at His Word, knowing that all He has promised to us in Christ is more secure than the rising of the morning sun and more certain than the daily passage of time.
It is an objective faith that is secured to the knowledge that our redemption rests on Who Christ is, and what He has already done on the Cross on our account.
Our faith is not on who we are or what we have done to commend ourselves to God, but on Christ and His accomplishments.
Objective faith is not based on sight or sense but rests its case in the arms of God's Word of Truth.
Faith is not based on experience, nor calculated through reason.
True faith is anchored on scriptural facts.
The eye of faith sees beyond our present reality and places its feet firmly on divine revelation given by Almighty God, through the Word-made-flesh.
The heart of faith enables us to treat as reality those things that are unseen, even when circumstances of life appear to contradict the truth of God's Word.
It has nothing in common with so many superficial apologies for faith, based on sight, experiences, opinions, fancies, dreams, or imaginations that excite the soul, feed the flesh, and pander to the human ego.
Without faith it is impossible to please God, and Jesus said: Blessed are those that have NOT seen, and yet have believed.
May the hope we have in Christ and the faith we have in God be built on the truth, of His Word and grounded on a sure conviction.
Job is unaware that a serious spiritual challenge concerning his faith in God, was taking place in heavenly realms.
He often uses our pain to strengthen our faith and develop spiritual maturity.
May we all stand fast in the evil day, knowing that this not only protects our heart and increases our faith, but gives honour to His holy name and encourages others.
The focus of Romans chapter 4, is salvation by grace through faith.
Although we are also to live by faith, to walk by faith, and to pray in faith throughout our earthly life (the ongoing process of our sanctification) the emphasis of this particular passage is initial salvation (justification).
Paul first identifies Abraham as the 'father of faith' and reminds us that when God called him to leave his home and family in Ur of the Chaldees: Abram believed in the Lord, and God reckoned it to him as righteousness.
His decision to believe God's Word, leave his home, and set out for the land God promised him, was a decision of obedient faith, and in the book of Hebrews we read how he looked into the far distant future, with full assurance that the promises God made to him would be fulfilled.
The only good work that secures our salvation is Christ's finished work on the Cross, and the only way we can receive salvation is by faith.
There is nothing we can add in order to improve our salvation or make it more secure, for like Abraham and David, salvation is by faith alone in God's Word, and when a man or woman believes in their heart by faith, God declares us righteous in His sight.
Religious Jews challenged this truth, but Paul used these two patriarchs to show from the Law (Genesis to Deuteronomy), from the Psalms, and from the Prophets, that justification in the sight of the Lord is through faith alone: How blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered, we read.
There is nothing in heaven or earth or under the earth that can reverse the status of fallen man, with one exception, faith in Christ (a heart that trusts God's Word). Everyone who has believed God's living Word is justified in His sight and their sin is forgiven.
Old Testament saints believed God's promises and,throughout their lives, looked forward in faith to the coming Messiah Who would save His people from their sin and bring in an everlasting kingdom of righteousness. Old Testament saints were justified before the Cross, and gained His approval through their faith.
New Testament saints are those who have lived by faith since the Cross and Resurrection.
They also believe God's Word and look back in faith to the Cross, when the Saviour of the world bore the sin of the world and washed the stains of sin away from all who believe in Him.
They have also gained His approval through their faith and been imputed with righteousness and the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Both Old and New Testament saints have gained divine approval through their faith.
May we never forget how blessed we are that the righteousness of God has been made ours by faith in Him.
I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living, are the words that bring Psalm 27 to a close They were written by a man who demonstrates a living faith in the living God.
Faith in the Lord was to David like a fragrant perfume that revived his weary soul or the sweet honeycomb that re-energies the exhausted traveller.
The eye of faith is to see beyond the visible and to discern the invisible.
It is to trust the Lord our God with all our heart for things which we have hoped for, and it is the evidence of the reality of things that can only be seen with the eye of faith.
The strength of hope is to believe in the reality of the promises of God - promises that we cannot yet see with our physical senses, but facts we discern with the eye of faith.
Today, men's hearts are fearful of what is coming on the world, but we are not of this world that we should despair, for our faith is in the same God in Whom David trusted.
They did not rely on their outer adornments to recommend themselves to others, but nurtured a heart that was submissive to their own husbands.Sarah was one such woman of faith, and she, like so many other holy women of God, did not rely on her external looks, pretty trinkets, or any other sort of exterior embellishment to make herself appealing.
Too frequently we see the character or attitude of many Church leaders and their congregants becoming self-indulgent, while at other times we observe Christians being EITHER 1) overly critical of their fellow believers for insignificant things OR 2) prepared to compromise their Christian faith by refusing to address issues of spiritual importance which should not be ignored!
There should be unity in the essentials of our faith, liberty and Christian courtesy surrounding any non-essential doctrinal issues, and godly love and graciousness should be demonstrated in the actions and attitudes we show towards our brothers and sisters in Christ - knowing that God is not a God of confusion but the God of peace.
But this beautiful truth is relevant for all who by faith have trusted the Word of the Lord, no matter in which dispensation they lived, for those who like Abraham believe God and trust in His Word are counted by Him as righteous.
It is to appeal to the sovereign authority of the Lord for our salvation by faith in Christ.
May we who have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus always acknowledge that He is the one and only true God, and that His eternal Son was born into the human race to live a perfect life and to die a sacrificial death so that whosever believe in Him might not perish but have everlasting life.
Christ alone is the life-giving spiritual manna from heaven that lasts through time and into eternity, and it is given as a free gift of His grace by faith to ALL who will trust in Him.
Many had adopted the prevailing behaviours, beliefs, and attitudes of the world, indulging in fleshly actions, becoming carnal believers, and not spiritual men and women that were maturing in the faith.
From the day the Lord called Abraham to leave his family and his hometown of Ur and go and settle in a distant land that God promised to give him as an inheritance, to the day he obeyed His command to take his beloved son to a particular mountain and offer him to the Lord as a burnt offering, Abraham's faith in God was sorely tested in many ways.
With each successive test of faith, the trial presented different challenges, and each time the trial became increasingly intense.
Abraham's faith was severely tested when he had to wait for 25 years for his 'son of promise' to be born to his elderly, barren wife.
It was, similarly, a great test of faith when he had to send Ishmael, his 13-year-old 'son of the flesh' far away.
At times, his faith grew weak, and at times, he did not understand, but through it all he discovered that God is always faithful and His promises are always sure.
The day finally arrived when Abraham's faith was tested in the extreme, for the Lord called his servant to: Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering, on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.
The trials and testings through which God's servants are often allowed to pass are very precious to our Heavenly Father, for they produce endurance, steadfastness, patience, and a strengthened faith.
The sacrificial offering of his beloved son through whom God's promised Seed was to be born, was the ultimate challenge to Abraham's faith, and yet he did not falter in his resolve to obey the Lord and trust in Him, even though he did not understand.
Abraham believed God when He told him that through Isaac His redemptive plan would be fulfilled, and the old man's faith had become so secure that he believed, without question, that God would raise Isaac back to life.
Abraham may have enrolled in 'the school of faith' when he left Ur and was justified at the age of 75, but he demonstrated that secure, sanctified faith which had matured and developed over time and through various tests, when he took his son Isaac to the place about which God told him and built an altar, arranged the wood, bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
Only by grace through faith can we receive the love of God which passes our understanding.
Only by grace through faith can we experience the beautiful fruit of the Spirit in our hearts - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
It is only by God's grace, through faith, that man is redeemed from the slave-market of sin.
It is only by grace that the sin barrier between man and God can be broken down, through faith, and we can receive peace with God.
The head-knowledge of these Jewish leaders was of no value to their spiritual well-being, nor was it significant to them because they did not mix their knowledge with a trusting heart of faith in the Word of God and the prophetic writings of holy men of God.
He is Jesus; the Word made flesh and God incarnate Who came to earth as the Sacrifice for sin and to give His life so that by faith in Him, we too might live.
A trusting faith in the Lord puts to flight the terrors that stalk us by night and quench the fiery darts that fly around us by day, but the fear of people and dread of what man can do to us is a dangerous trap into which any one of us can all fall if we do not have our heart focused on the one and only means of safety.
And when faith in Christ's sacrificial work is finally received into the heart, that man or woman is born of the Spirit of God and a thirsty soul who aches for peace with God is satisfied.
But it is also God who instils a deep hunger in the heart of the Christian and so, like Paul, they reach a point in their lives when they too cry out: That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death. And the one who has been saved by grace through faith begins to learn that salvation is not only that exciting point of rebirth into the family of God, but is also a long and often difficult journey through life, where faith is tried and tested and God is proved to be faithful once again.
Trials are a criterion that God uses to test and increase our faith in Him, and to appraise and develop our trust in His Word.
They are designed to test our faith, develop our faith, hone our faith, and increase our faith in our Father in heaven.
The faith of each of His children is valuable to the Lord, more precious to Him than much fine gold, which will one day perish.
In like manner, the faith of a Christian needs to be pure, unblemished, and perfect, and the trials of life are designed to purify our hearts, increase our dependence upon the Lord Jesus, deepen our love for our Saviour, enrich our spiritual lives, strengthen our hope in His many precious promises, and increase our faith in the Word of God.
For the faith of His children is of much more value to our Father-in-heaven than gold or silver.
Let us rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all things, even during the trials that come our way: Knowing that the trial of our faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found to praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Jude also shows an understanding of the devil's tactics to shipwreck the faith of Christians, through legalism, apostate teaching, worldly carnality, false religiosity, or a 'works-related' Christian life.
This is why the apostle instructs us to: Build yourselves up in our most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.
Not only are we called at the beginning of Jude to: Earnestly contend for the faith, but as he brings it to a close, we are further instructed: Build yourselves up in our most holy faith, through spiritual development as we yield to the Lord.
How important to build up our faith on a sound foundation, to fight the good fight of faith, and keep ourselves in the love of God.
How needful to pray in spirit and in truth, for this will nurture our faith, feed our souls, maintain fellowship with our Father, and enable us to face the fiery trials that pursue our way.
But God in His grace, purposed in His heart to redeem His fallen creation (through the Person of Jesus Christ), to breathe His eternal life back into His New Creation in Christ (through faith in His sacrificial work on Calvary and glorious Resurrection), to reinstate His own image and likeness into the heart of man (reflecting the glory of the Lord by being transformed into His image, from glory to glory).
Although the quality of the meat was not affected and false idols have no power over those who consumed it, eating meat offered to idols often caused psychological suffering for new converts, causing them to falter in their faith: Therefore, Paul writes, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so I will not cause my brother to stumble.
There were many practices in those early days of the Church that were perfectly lawful and apparently harmless which could cause another believer to stumble in their faith because of their pagan association, and eating meat offered to idols was one such practice.
It is more important to curtail one's own freedom in Christ in order to prevent a weaker brother from faltering in their faith.
If the freedom we have in Christ causes someone's faith to flounder or encourages a brother to do something his conscience forbids, it is contrary the law of love.
Being ready and willing to forgo some of the liberty we have in Christ so the faith of a weaker brother is not compromised, is what Paul is teaching.
Paul is saying that although you may know the liberty you have in Christ and have every right to partake in a particular activity, if a weaker brother sees you doing something which he considers to be sinful because his inner conscience forbids it, then to keep on doing it becomes a sin - because your freedom weakens his faith, rather than building it up.
Paul is arguing that if our greater awareness of our freedom in Christ causes a weaker Christian to stumble in their faith or wounds their fragile conscience, it is not only a sin against that brother but also is sinful in the eyes of God, and dishonours the Lord Who bought us.
How important to become increasingly sensitive to the needs of others, especially those that are weak in their faith or vulnerable in their consciences.
May we always consider the needs and vulnerabilities of other believers and be especially aware of those that are struggling with their conscience or faltering in their faith.
May we encourage them in their faith, strengthen them in their Christians walk, and never allow the freedom we enjoy in Christ to impact their lives negatively, for the honour and glory of our God and Saviour.
Believers are exhorted to be diligent in the faith and strive to be approved unto God – a worker that does not need to be ashamed before Him.
The urgency of this message becomes increasingly intense as Paul's life draws to a close, and none more so than in this final letter to Timothy, his beloved 'son in the faith'.
It was not his own, limited, and inadequate strength that Timothy was to draw upon, but the fathomless and immeasurable strength of God alone – which is poured out in rich abundance on those that, by faith, are in union with Christ and maintaining close fellowship with the Father.
And the Law always points to Christ Who is the only One Who can save by grace through faith in His death, burial, and Resurrection.
And we, who have the Holy Spirit dwelling within by faith, should ensure that, day by day, our hearts are examined for any evil intent or murderous thought... and cleanse our hearts from all ungodly thoughts which in certain cases translates into murder.
The positive declaration view sees faith as a force that can create one's own reality, or that God can be commanded to heal or to work miracles according to man's will and in response to man's word.
God does indeed reward obedience, but not the sort of ritual obedience of rigid adherence to a series of imposed commands in order to guarantee a reward that God is obligated to grant, as is suggested by many in the Word of Faith movement.
And in the ages that are to come, by grace through faith in Christ's sacrifice at Calvary, we who are His children, will show forth the immeasurable riches of God's grace in kindness toward us, in Christ Jesus our Lord.
But those that are His chosen Bride, by faith in Christ, will be seated with Him on the throne of the Lamb, showing forth His excellent grace to principalities and powers in the ages to come.
David, the shepherd king of Israel, was described as a mighty and virtuous man, a man of battle, intelligent in word – and Jehovah was with him.Ruth, the grandmother of David, was known as a virtuous woman in Bethlehem, and the good seed in the parable of the sower, is identified as one who, having heard the Word of God, holds fast to it in a just, noble, and virtuous manner, having a worthy heart that brings forth much fruit to the glory of God.Perhaps the best known passage that outlines the exemplary life in virtuous living, is the woman described in Proverbs 31, where a vast array of noble, godly, gracious, and wise attributes are listed.She is a woman of faith, who serves God with her whole heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Though very short in length, the epistle of Jude contends earnestly for the faith.
Jude used these three historical examples of rebellion and the dire repercussions that followed, to emphasise the importance of eschewing evil, holding fast to the faith, pursuing truth, and rejecting the deadly message of the heretics and apostates of his day.
What a joy to finally discover that righteousness is imparted to all who believe in God Who raised Christ from the dead so that we might be saved by faith in Him.
After such a catalogue of wrath and condemnation in the early chapters of Romans, what a comfort it is to read that by faith we are justified.
Yes, it is through faith in His sacrificial crucifixion and glorious Resurrection from the dead that we have been justified; it is by God's grace through faith that we are been justified, just as Abraham was justified by grace through faith in Him.
Once justified we must recognise that the old life in Adam is past and must remain nailed to the Cross, while the new, born-again life in Christ is to mature in the faith, to grow in grace, and to walk in spirit and truth.
And starting in chapter 6, Paul guides the justified believer, step by step, through the many benefits that have already become ours in Christ by faith, and which are accessed by grace through faith in the glorious gospel of God.
But through the blood of Christ, we have been qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints, by faith.
It is only by faith in Christ's sacrifice at Calvary that we become qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints.
It was GRACE that caused God to send His only begotten Son to be the sin-sacrifice for you and for me, but it is the BLOOD of CHRIST that cleanses us from all sin, through faith in Him.
He did this so that sinners such as you and I could be redeemed from the pit of sin and death and saved from eternal separation from our Creator, through faith in Him.
Paul's desire for their ongoing sanctification and maturity in the faith was so strong that He prayed often and continuously that the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father (Who loved us and gave us eternal encouragement by His grace), would encourage their hearts and strengthen their souls in every good work and word.
It is the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father Who have given us eternal comfort by grace through faith.
While Israel's eye of faith was on the Lord's fiery pillar, they were secure in God's unfailing protection, but as soon as they took their eyes off Him in unbelief, they saw the surging waters, the mountainous problems, and the intimidating enemy.
Let us never forget that like Israel, the challenges we face in life are important opportunities for our faith in God to grow, and for God to receive all the glory and honour due to His name.
What a difference the Church would make in the world, if the simple message that: A soft answer turns away wrath, but harsh words incites anger, were applied in lives of all who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ.
Like Israel, every member of Christ's Body has our part to play in the perfecting of the saints, for the work of ministering, and the building up of the body of Christ - until we all reach unity in the faith and a deeper knowledge of God’s Son - as together we grow into a mature man, to a measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
There are no super saints for we are all serial sinners who have been gloriously saved by God's grace - through faith in His Son.
No one among us should think of themselves more highly than others, for God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.
It should be a joy for every Christian to rejoice together in the simple message of salvation, by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.It was the uncomplicated message of redemption that Jude planned to share with fellow believers in Christ, when he started to pen his epistle.
He wanted to rejoice in the forgiveness of sin and life everlasting, by faith in Christ.But the Body of Christ had been slowly and stealthily infiltrated by certain vulgar individuals who were denying the efficacy of the blood of Christ, and adversely influencing the faith of others.And so Jude wanted to remind his fellow believers of the fate of those people who deny the truth of the gospel and blaspheme the name of the Lord, with their satanically inspired lies.He reminded them of the terrible fate of corrupt cities in the time of Abraham.
The safest way to earnestly contend for the faith is to read, mark, learn, inwardly digest, and earnestly apply the Word of God in every area of life – as led by the Holy Spirit of His dear Son.
Hebrews 11 lists numerous people of faith and the terrible way that many were treated in Old Testament times.
And here in Paul's letter to Timothy, we are similarly warned by the Spirit of God that in the last days, some will fall-away from the faith because they gave heed to false teachers, deceitful spirits, and doctrines of demons.
God's people need to know how to conduct themselves in this fallen world system and how to protect themselves from all forms of apostasy and evil: Because the Spirit explicitly says, that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.
How important, therefore, in these last days, to buckle on the whole armour of God, to stand fast in the faith, to persevere in tribulation, to be vigilant in prayer, and steadfast in praise with thanksgiving: For the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.
Their salvation is by grace through faith in Christ's finished work on the Cross, and forgiveness of sins and eternal life are two of many heavenly benefits that every sinner receives by grace through faith in the only begotten Son of God.
Having reiterated the principal that God is the source of all wisdom and believers are the privileged recipients of His illumination, we are reminded that no teacher of the good news should have pretentious claims to personal wisdom, for all are all are servants of God, all are equally equipped from above, and all should be wholly united in humbly proclaiming the wonderful wisdom of God, by grace through faith in Christ, to all who believe.
We are all called to minister, but no minister of God, no matter how distinguished his position or humble his calling, can glory in his own cleverness, nor should those who learn from the ministry of others, elevate the importance of one believer above another, for we are all one in Christ and we all have the same common benefits of being in Christ – we are all declaring God's established gospel, all are proclaiming the faith common to all believers.
These Corinthians should have been growing in grace, maturing in the faith, receiving the strong meat of God's Word, and equipped to support one another, but their fleshly behaviour and prideful attitudes caused them to regress into spiritual infancy.
Chapter 2 begins sometime after this with Job's second trial of faith.
Satan falsely asserts that this distraught man remained true to his faith in God and held fast to his integrity for selfish reasons: Skin for skin!
She was also traumatised, but unlike her husband, her faith faltered as she watched the man she loved sitting in dust and ashes as a social outcast from their local community, scraping the boils on his flesh from morning to night.
Like Abraham, Job's faith in God was credited to him as righteousness, but there was another important lesson he was soon to learn.
Although Job longed to have a Mediator, a Days-man between man and God Who could arbitrate and argue his cause, we can rejoice that Jesus is our Mediator and we have been declared righteous by faith in Him.
Jesus is our living Redeemer, and the righteousness with which we are clothed is a gift of God to men and women of faith - to those who trust in His name - to those who believe His WORD.
And the Bible teaches, NO man comes to the Father but through faith in Him.
He opens the door for whosoever will to come to the FATHER and be returned into fellowship with Him, by faith in the SON.
The NEW Life that Jesus promised to the narrow-minded religionists of His day, through faith in His name, is the eternal life that the Father gave to the Son, when He raised Him from the dead, to enable Him to give newness of Life to whomsoever He chooses - to those who believe on His name for the forgiveness of sin and life everlasting.
We need to remember that throughout the history of the world, prophets of God, men of faith, and those who follow the Truth of God's Word were insulted, persecuted, hated, and rejected - just as Jesus was insulted, persecuted, hated, rejected, and even killed.
As a nation, they had collectively violated His Word and rejected His offer of salvation by grace - through faith in Jesus Christ, their Messiah and King.
Only those who have been born from above, by faith in Christ's redeeming work, are given the light of His life as an eternal possession and are brought into the radiance of His unconditional love.
It may be Satan who throws suffering our way in an attempt to bring out the worst in us and shipwreck our faith in the Lord, but it is God Who takes our suffering and turns it into a test for good, for our faith is always tested by God in order to bring the very best in us.
And James reminds us: The testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
His letter implies that many were facing deep financial hardship as well as severe persecution for their faith, and so he encouraged his brothers and sisters in Christ to consider it real joy when they encountered various trials and hardships because the testing of their faith produced perseverance, steadfastness, and patient endurance.
How similar the days in which we live mirror the days about which James was writing, and the lesson that they were to learn is one that we need to understand fully and apply consistently if we are to resist the temptation of Satan who seeks to shipwreck our faith.
If we can consider the obstacles of life to be opportunities that mature our faith and produce in us patient endurance, we will come to understand that God is using the trials of life to benefit our Christian character, and to help us grow more like the Lord Jesus.
When trouble comes our way, let us consider it an opportunity for great joy, knowing that when our faith is tested, our patient endurance has a chance to grow and our life will glorify our Father, Who is in heaven.
Having taught His disciples to pray to the Father in faith, Christ gives a long dissertation on the futility of fretting, the fruitlessness of worry, and the anxiety that is caused when our primary attention is on how we can provide for our own, temporal needs and necessities rather than relying on the Lord.
God knows that worry entraps the heart and fear fractures faith, which can cause a believer to spiral down into a pit of despair.
He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Genesis and Revelation, the Source and Conclusion, and the Author and Finisher of our faith.
May we daily feed on the Bread of Life, by faith with thanksgiving as we journey through life, for He alone is our life-sustainer for in Him are the words of eternal life.
He thanked God for their work which was energised by faith, their service which was motivated by love, and their unwavering hope in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The apostle knew these spiritual qualities can only be exhibited in a life that is persevering in the faith, walking in spirit and truth, and working the works of God through the sufficient grace and supernatural power which He supplies.
Their 'works of faith' were not the dead works of the Law or the barren works of carnality. A work of faith can only be accomplished through the power of the indwelling Spirit.
The faith demonstrated by these justified believers is the spiritual foundation upon which all spiritual work is anchored.
Their faith was a sanctifying faith, the type of faith James challenged his readers with when he wrote: Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. It is always important to ascertain if a passage relates to initial salvation (justification) or progressively ongoing salvation (sanctification).
Faith that justifies is a work of the Spirit in the heart of a man or woman who has trusted Christ's finished work on the Cross.
Faith that justifies takes place at one moment in time, when Christ is made the object of our faith.
Credible faith must have a credible focus.
When a sinner is born-again, their faith in Christ is reckoned by God as righteousness.
However, the ongoing faith that sanctifies, is the work of faith that blessed Paul's heart in this verse.
And Paul constantly bore in mind the Thessalonians work of faith, their labour of love, and the steadfastness of hope they had in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sanctification is a work of faith which takes time to grow and mature.
It is the faith that translates into spiritual works that honour the Lord.
The apostle John calls the product of this sanctification process: The righteous acts of the saints. A 'work of faith' is a righteous act of God which He carries out through us because of our faith in Christ.
When our faith rests on Him, the work we produce is HIM working through us.
May we follow in the footsteps of the Christians of Thessalonica whose good works were energised by faith, whose service was motivated by love, and who maintained an unwavering hope in the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May our work of faith be actively dependent on Him.
May our labour of love become a living sacrifice that honours our Father in thought, word, and deed, and may the steadfastness of our hope in Christ Jesus our Lord, stimulate others to work the works of faith, to labour in love, and to remain steadfast in the blessed hope we have in the Lord Jesus, in the presence of our God and Father.
She placed her faith in Him and determined to trust Him despite the difficulties she faced and the distresses that burdened her heart.
God gives everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, an opportunity to come to know Him as their Father, through the Word of truth and by faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We should not be stuck in the elementary teachings of the Christian faith, but should be pressing on and reaching forward for the upward call of God in Christ Jesus, on a daily basis.
We should be moving forward, each day, in our knowledge and understanding of our faith in Christ.
We should be maturing in the faith, growing in grace, progressing in the sanctification process, and becoming increasingly like the Lord Jesus Himself as we keep Him as the focus of our heart - for He is the Head of the Church and we are His Body.
Salvation for pre-Cross believers who lived in the dispensation of the Law and post-Cross believers who live in the dispensation of the grace-of-God, is given and received in the same way; for salvation is by God's grace through man's faith in the God's Word.
In this Church age, salvation is ours by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Salvation is always a matter of faith, but the way God deals with His servants in different dispensations varies in a number of ways.
We have been born into the kingdom of God by faith; for unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.
As part of Christ's Body, we are called to continue His work on earth as He lives in our heart by faith, for we are bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh.
But every one of the hundreds of privileges that have become ours by faith in Christ contain a supernatural element, for we have been 'blessed with all spiritual blessings' because we are His workmanship and are one with Christ, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand, that we would walk in them.
But He is also our life, for we have been made a new creation in Christ and have the additional privilege of being positioned in Him by grace through faith, and are seated together with Him in heavenly places.
The eyes of the Lord are still searching out men or women whose heart is completely His so that by grace through faith, Christ may be formed in us.
We who are saved by grace through faith in the shed blood of Christ Jesus, have no right to consider ourselves superior to unsaved humanity, for our heinous sin put Christ on the Cross, and the inestimable price of our sin was paid for at Calvary.
He washed away our sins by faith in Christ's righteousness and not due to any merit on our behalf, and the more we accusingly decry the sinful acts of others, the more we condemn ourselves.
It was their faith in Christ and their love for each other that motivated Paul to write to these faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, and caused him to pray continuously for them, giving thanks to God for them all.
Faith and love are two of the principle graces that are the hallmark of the saint, and along with hope they combine into a trio of Christian attributes that are so beloved of the Father.
Faith and love are two 'fruits of the Spirit' that blossom and bloom in the lives of all believers that are walking in spirit and truth.
Paul goes on to say: Faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven, the fruit of which is the gospel growing throughout the whole world.
Let us be known for our faith in Christ and our love for all God's people.
We are to rest confidently in the knowledge that He is our faithful God; the supreme Creator of all, and Commander of the armies of heaven Who redeems us by faith in the shed blood of Christ, and will never leave us nor forsake us.
We are to know in our heart, by faith with thanksgiving, that He is the Lord our God Who pardons all our iniquities and heals all our diseases, Who redeems our life from the pit, and Who crowns us with lovingkindness and compassion.
Although the nations rage like the billows of the sea and the people imagine a vain thing against the Lord God Almighty, we are called to be still in the presence of the Lord and to know Him in our heart by faith, with thanksgiving.
It speaks of the irony that the Gentiles who did not seek after God, have gained the righteousness that comes by faith, while the Jews who strived to achieve it through their own efforts by keeping the Law, failed miserably and even rejected the One through whom righteousness is received.
But if we are living by faith and trusting His guidance, He will bring us to the place that He knows is best - not only in this world but in the eternal ages to come.
None of the warnings threaten believers with loss of salvation, as some people teach, because we are saved by grace through faith in Christ's sacrificial offering of Himself on the Cross and His glorious Resurrection; we can do nothing to receive salvation and we can do nothing to keep our salvation.
We are made a new creation in Christ and given life-eternal when we are born from above - and it is given once, for all, by grace through faith in Him.
ANY believer who has been saved by grace through faith in Christ's sacrifice on the Cross who decides to adopt legalistic practices in their religion, is endangering themselves.
May we read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the instructive and informative teachings in Hebrews and take special heed of those passages that war us against insulting our God and Saviour Who died for our sin and rose again so that through faith in Him we might be born from above, declared righteous, and receive the riches of His goodness and grace freely and without cost.
He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed.Jesus pronounced the fulfilment of this ancient prophecy from Isaiah, and the people there wondered at the gracious words that fell from His lips, yet they sought to slay Him for they could not accept the truth – but He passed through their midst, for His time had not yet arrived.Although Jesus was rejected in His hometown of Nazareth and an attempt was made to kill Him, He fulfilled this and many more astounding ancient prophecies, over the course of His life.The Spirit of God was indeed upon Him, for He submitted to the leading of the Spirit throughout His life, spoke only those things He heard from the Father, carried out His Father's will, and fulfilled every prophecy relating to His first advent.He did preach the good news of salvation to the poor, proclaiming freedom from sin, Satan, death, and hell – by faith in Him.
Jesus is our great High Priest and the one we acknowledge by faith as our God and Saviour, and we are to pay attention to His life and His behaviour - for He was faithful to His Heavenly Father Who appointed Him to be our Kinsman-Redeemer.
Just as Abraham was justified because he believed what God had said, so we too are declared righteous by faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Our salvation rests on Christ and is ours by faith in the truth of God's Word.
Abraham was declared righteous by faith and we also are justified in the same way: by the hearing of faith; by believing God's Word; by trusting all that He has written for our learning.
Being a son of Abraham is a matter of faith, both in the Old and New Testaments.
Abraham believed God when He called him out of his home town to a place that God had promised as an eternal inheritance and Abraham obeyed by faith; and his faith was credited to him as righteousness.
Noah believed God and built an ark, by faith.
David, Daniel, Isaiah, and the many saints listed in Hebrews believed the Word of the Lord, and they were justified by their faith.
When we believe this by faith, just as Abraham believed God by faith, it is credited to us as righteousness and we are declared justified in the eyes of God.
Israel may have been the physical descendants of Abraham and even chosen to be entrusted with the Law, the prophets, and the promised Messiah, but they were saved by faith in the Word of God, not simply because they were physical descendants of Abraham.
In this Church dispensation, it is those who believe by faith who are reckoned by God as the spiritual descendants of Abraham.
Believing Jews and believing Gentiles alike are the spiritual offspring of Abraham; we are justified by faith.
We are justified by faith.
However, certain Jewish teachers were unable to let go of their insular religion in the Church in Galatia and Paul gave a strong and severe warning: that the sons of Abraham are those of faith.
He reminded them of a verse from Habakkuk: The just shall live by faith, and that Scripture itself foretold that God would also justify the Gentiles by faith in the same way that He justified the Jews by faith, for the Lord told Abraham: In you shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
But in this dispensation of the grace of God, all believers, Jew and Gentile alike, are children of faith and members of the Body of Christ.
It details the glorious plan of salvation and the enormous sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, whereby fallen man is not only released from slavery to sin, delivered from eternal condemnation, and reconciled back to God, but also saved by grace through faith in Him, made a new creation in Christ, made a citizen of heaven and a joint-heir with the Son of God, bestowed with the riches of God's grace, in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit, eternally secure in His gracious love, and so much more.
The Lord is indeed rich in goodness and grace, mercy and love, wisdom and knowledge and power, and in Christ, we too have been made rich in everything, for He has bestowed on us the riches of His grace in Christ Jesus our Saviour and, by faith, we have a rich reward that is kept for us in heaven.
All things live through Him, and all things centre in Him for He is the Alpha and Omega, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
It was God Who planned the redemption of mankind before the foundation of the world, and by the grace of God, through faith in Christ, we have become the children of God and joint heirs with the beloved Son of His love.
The godly are called to trust in the Lord and to hold fast to the faith once offered to the saints, for our hope is in Christ.
We are to maintain our faith in the power and promises of God, for He will vindicate all His children and His justice will shine as brightly as the noonday sun.
And because we have peace with the Father we have gained access, by that faith, into the grace into which we have been established.
Man's natural desire in life is to live in ease and to avoid life's problems and pain, but Scripture reminds us that only those who face the distresses of life through His sufficient grace, develop the patient endurance and proven character that is so acceptable to the Lord, which in turn results in a mature faith and a hope that is firmly established in Him.
The faith in which they stood, enabled them to glory in their tribulation and exult in their afflictions.
The former is a comprehensive discourse on the foundational doctrines of the Christian faith, rooted in the gospel of the grace of God.
It was sent to the Church in Rome and teaches salvation is by grace alone through faith in Christ, which has set us free from slavery to sin through the fleshly works of the Law.
Paul's teaching was in line with Christ's other apostles and he strongly rejected the dishonest criticism of these legalistic Judaisers who were shipwrecking the faith of the Galatians with a false, legalistic 'gospel'.
We also discover he was a man of prayer, who had a deep faith in God.
His desire is to shipwreck our faith by causing us to doubt God's goodness and question His Word.
God does bless His children, and although we need to confess any sin to the Lord, we should never assume that difficult circumstances are always a result of our wrongdoing, as it shows a lack of faith in His Word and distrust of His promises.
Job trusted in God, and his faith was credited as righteous.
Salvation must rest on a genuine, bona fide heart-faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ Who was sent by the Father be the sacrifice for the sin of the whole world.
IN WHOM do we place our faith!
Our faith must be IN the person and work of Jesus Christ Whom God has sent and our confession must be TO the Lord our God and not before other men - as so many like to teach!
Christ also removed the spiritual barrier between Jew and Gentile so that by grace through faith in Him, those that were afar off were brought near.
The brotherhood of believers became one Body, and Christ reconciled them to God through the Cross so that Jew and Gentile alike are justified through faith, and have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
While God shows no favouritism between rich and poor, because salvation is a free gift of grace to whosoever will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, James does seem to imply that God extends special favour towards those that are poor, in respect of the riches of this world: Listen, my beloved brothers, he writes, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
How can it be that God has chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith, when James clearly teaches that God does not demonstrate bias or favouritism towards any of His creatures? Could it not be argued that if God has chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and become heirs of the kingdom, that He is demonstrating bias towards the poor of the world?
Well, it is not that God favours poor people by making them rich in faith, but He knows that the riches of this world can become an obstacle to faith, because the wealthy man too often places his hope in his bank balance or trusts in his wealth to get him out of difficult circumstances, instead of relying on the Lord to provide what is needed according to His riches in glory.
Poor, poverty-stricken people more ready to respond to the gospel of grace with an open heart, ready acceptance, and trusting faith, than prosperous persons who too often find difficulty in casting all their cares on Christ - preferring to centre their hope on cryptocurrencies, commodity markets, and their capital assets.
God knows that those that trust Him and believe His Word are truly rich – for the outcome of believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is forgiveness of sins, peace with God, a new life in Christ, the indwelling Comforter, joint-heirship in Christ's coming kingdom, and a glorious and eternal heavenly home, among a multitude of wonderful blessings that are showered on all who are rich in faith by trusting His Word.
Most of those who put their faith in Jesus and trusted Him for salvation, were simple folk with few earthy possessions - and yet the testimony they leave behind is a wealth of faith in Christ because they loved Him and discovered His grace to be sufficient and His strength to be made perfect, as He lived in them and they abode in Him.
Too often, the world's opinion of riches is bound up in the baubles of this world that will one day be burned up, but let us pay heed a truth that has stood the test of time - God has chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, and this is a promise which holds true for all who love him.
God's Word is the light of truth that is written for our learning to lead us away from each shadowy danger that crosses our path and to strengthen our faith in our Saviour as He gently leads us.
Indeed, multiple passages teaches that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, and there can be no deviation from God's declared way of salvation.
It is faith in the finished work of Christ on the Cross for the forgiveness of sin, and His glorious Resurrection from the dead that saves mankind from their sin.
May we be ready and willing to give an answer for the hope we have in Christ and pray that through our ministry, some may be plucked from the brands into a saving faith in Jesus.
Daniel and his three friends had a choice to make when confronted with evil - to stand firm in the faith, and honour the Lord or compromise their trust in God by bowing to the golden image.
May we not allow the world to shape us into its mould, but stand firm in the faith, knowing that He has promised to strengthen us to the end, so that we will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Despite all that Philip and the other disciples had witnessed throughout the three and a half years of His ministry, the disciples' stumbling block was a lack of faith.
Prayer has been called 'the breath of the soul' and expresses the very essence of faith in our Heavenly Father.
We have His assurance that the Lord our God hears, and answers, every cry of the heart and each prayer that is offered in faith.
He also longed for others to grow in grace, mature in the faith, and develop their own close intercourse with the Lord Jesus – and so we discover many heartfelt prayers for the maturing of the saints throughout His writings.
His sacrificial death paid the penalty for our sin, but the icy grip of death could never hold Him in the grave, because eternal deity possesses immortality and perfect, sinless manhood is not subject to the sentence of death nor the curse of the Law (and we who believe Him, who are in positioned in Christ, are similarly not subject to the sentence of death or the curse of the Law, for by faith in Him we are accepted by God in the Beloved).
May we who are positionally sanctified in Christ, so submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we may also be practically sanctified as we mature in the faith, grow in grace, and come to know the Lord Jesus more and more with each passing day.
He gave us new life and made us alive, through faith in Christ.
Because of His sacrifice on the Cross, those who have trusted Christ by faith have been quickened by God and made alive in Him, despite being spiritually dead in our sins.
By faith, we were made spiritually alive and born afresh into a new creation in Christ.
Although we were spiritually dead in our trespasses and sin, we have been made spiritually alive by faith in Christ’s work on the Cross.
Those of us who were spiritually dead and eternally separated from our heavenly Creator have been quickened from the dead and made alive in Christ, by grace through faith.
2 Peter 2:22 is the final verse in a section that describes the devastation that occurs in the life of an unbeliever who escapes the pollution of the world when they come to an intellectual knowledge of the Lord Jesus through an apostate teacher, but are not brought to saving faith in Him because they are taught a counterfeit Christ and a fake gospel.
Men and women who are taught a false way of salvation, cannot mix truth with faith and be saved.
Those who are truly born again, by faith in the Person and work of Jesus, are changed people.
There may well be times when a Christian becomes a prodigal and is foolishly drawn back to the world, for a season, acting like a dog returning to its vomit, but unlike the unsaved, Christians are eternally justified by faith in Christ, positionally sanctified in Him, and as Paul writes: He whom He justified, these He also glorified.
Once again, it was the elders who set correct priorities in going to visit the House of the Lord on arrival in Jerusalem, before beginning to establish homes in their own ancestral cities, and it was the heads of families who recognised the importance of restoring the foundations of their faith, which had fallen into such disrepair for so prolonged a period.
As Christians, we have peace with God through faith, and have been made ministers of reconciliation, so that fallen sinners may be reconciled back to God and gain true peace in their heart.
Christ came to earth to reveal God's goodness and grace, and His death on the cross opened the way for fallen man to find peace with God - to be reconciled back to Him through faith in His Son.
During Christ's absence from the earth, those who believe on His name have been entrusted with a life-work that proclaims the gospel of grace to a lost world, so that men, who are dead in their sin and estranged from God, may know the truth, be saved by grace through faith in Christ and find peace with God.
Our initial salvation brings peace WITH God but during our walk of faith through the journey of life, we can enjoy the peace OF God - God's continuous, divine peace in our hearts, Let not your heart be troubled, Jesus told his confused disciples just before He was to walk to the cross, Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me.
We who believe, can receive that peace that passes understanding as we remain in right relationship with the Father, through faith in the Son.
We are to be witnesses to the truth of the gospel and preach the truth to every creature - that peace with God IS possible by His grace, through faith in Christ.
But the gospel does not end at the Cross, for Christ rose from the dead so that all who have faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection will also rise from the dead into newness of life.
It is through faith in His redemptive work that we are given a new life, a deathless life, an eternal life, which begins the moment we are saved by grace through faith in Christ - and that life reaches into the eternal ages that are to come.
She knew His voice and out of a heart of unwavering faith and deep love, she replied 'Rabboni'.
Multiple passages tell us that salvation is by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, but here we read that He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey.
Is eternal salvation conditional on faith or on obedience?
In Romans 1:5 we discover that the obedience that God requires of man is faith - faith in His Word.
We read that the 'obedience of faith' is brought about by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
Paul was appointed by God: To bring about obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name's sake.
And Paul concludes His Roman epistle with these words: Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to the obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever.
To praise God for the deep faith, generous love, and patient endurance that is exhibited by those who hope in the Lord, and to pray impassionedly for evangelistic doors to be opened so that the gospel of grace may be proclaimed far and wide, to those who do not yet know Him.
And rather than thankful praise for the work that God is doing through others, and a dear desire that they mature in the faith, too often a bitter attitude toward fellow brothers and sisters in Christ is nurtured.
Following a beautiful chapter on faith, which reminds us of our privileged position in Christ and the glories that are yet to be realised in Him, Hebrews 12 exhorts the Church to maintain our hope in Christ; the Author and Finisher of our faith.
How important that our faith does not fail and that we stand firm in this evil day.
As His children we are already at peace with God because He forgave us our sins by grace through faith.
Because we are His children, by faith, we have been permanently positioned in-Christ, which has given us peace with God, the forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting.
But now that we have been saved by grace through faith in Him, we are to strive to live in peace with all people and to pursue godly consecration and holiness of heart without which, we are told, no one will ever see the Lord.
Unless we are saved by faith, we cannot have peace with God and unless we are walking in spirit and truth, we will not know the peace of God.
Without Christ's Resurrection we would be forgiven of our sin, for which we praise His holy name, but we would remain separated from our body forever, for perishable must put on the imperishable and mortal must be clothed with immortality, through faith in Him.
Spiritual JOY is from the Lord, and gives strength and rejoicing, even in the midst of problematic and painful circumstances, while spiritual PEACE is inner tranquillity and godly composure, that is free from anxiety through faith in God's Word.
It is only as we grow in grace, become mature in the faith, and keep a short rein of sin in our lives, that we will produce the spiritual fruit that exemplifies the spirit-filled believer.
We, who are saved by grace through faith in Christ, are one part of that precious plan of salvation.
Today, by grace, we are 'living stones' being built up into the Body of Christ: Till we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.
But his letter was designed to keep these believers focused on the truth, steadfast in their faith, and looking to Jesus.
For although Paul was absent from them in body, his spirit was with them and he was delighted to witness their spiritual discipline and the solid front they presented by their unshakable faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.
How important it is to be orderly and steadfast in our faith, such that nothing can shake our trust in the Lord Who provides us with the sufficient grace and strength to face all eventualities.
And He witnesses within our inner being that we are children of God and that we have received eternal life, by grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Saviour.
And once again we are reminded that when faith is founded on this One, sure Foundation, nothing can destroy our hope, demolish our faith, disturb our peace, or disrupt our fellowship with the Lover of our soul, for when we remain in Christ and He in us, we become irrepressible conquerors and overwhelming victors.
This is a godly principle of faith – that when we abide in Christ during the inevitable disasters that flood our lives, faith increases, trust is amplified, hope is expanded, and our love of Jesus reaches even greater heights, as we grow in grace and in a knowledge of Him.Oh, such life victory has nothing to do with our own great strength, intellectual ability, or healthy bank balance, for of ourselves we would be overwhelmed by all these things rather than becoming a conqueror through Christ.
Without the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Christian faith would be in vain, for the gospel dictates that Christ died, was buried, and rose again according to the Scriptures, and Paul started to name the many eye-witnesses who met with Jesus following His glorious Resurrection from the dead.
Hebrews is an example of Scripture that gives maturing believers guidance on how to live by faith - how to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord.
While the first, obvious step in pleasing God is to get saved by believing in the redeeming work of Christ, it is the ongoing, living faith of a believer that pleases God, in the day by day exercise of life.
It is ONLY through Christ's imputed righteousness can we please God, for without faith it is impossible to please Him.
But once we are saved we are to please Him by living by faith.
Once we have believed in Him we are to, believe that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Having been saved through justifying faith, believers are to continue to trust Him, by believing His Word, living by faith, and diligently seeking His face day by day.
Once we have believed in God's saving grace through faith in Christ, we are also to believe that, He rewards those that seek Him, as stated in Scripture.
There is rejoicing in heaven when a sinner believes, but we truly please Him when we LIVE by faith.
If we desire to please our Heavenly Father, we are to LIVE by faith and not by sight.
Too often, those who started their Christian life by faith, stop relying on the truth of Scripture.
Christians who try to live in their own strength or rely on their own good works do not please the Lord, because they are not trusting His Word - for faith is the evidence of things NOT seen.
Faith in God's Word is what pleases Him.
We please Him when we are saved, but we are to please Him throughout our Christian life, by believing His promises are true and by believing He rewards those who seek Him - by faith.
Those who diligently seek Him, produce the beautiful fruit of the Spirit, so that they grow in grace and mature in the faith, which pleases our Heavenly Father.
The more a Christian trusts God's Word, believes all He says, has faith in His promises, believes He is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek to know Him, the more they will grow in grace, mature in the faith, walk in spirit and truth and please Him - for to the one that has much, even more will be given.
Let us maintain our faith in God and never doubt the veracity of the Gospel message, even when His truth is shrouded from our eyes, or when the reality of His Word does not reflect our life-experience, for without faith it is impossible to please Him.
Let us trust in the Lord with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding, knowing that without saving faith and sanctifying faith, it is impossible to please Him.
The letters that are written by Paul and the epistles that other New Testament apostles penned, should thrill our hearts, for in them we gain exclusive information about our Heavenly Father and privileged access to Him through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
And Paul further teaches believers how to live godly lives as is fitting for those that are saved by grace through faith in Christ's sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection.
For all who believe on Him by grace through faith, would be reconciled to God, become eternally saved, and forever forgiven by means of the astonishing atoning sacrifice that Christ made on that singular day.
so that by faith in Him we might never be forsaken but united with Him forever.
The promises of God to His children are 'yes' and 'amen' in Christ, and God has promised that we who are saved by grace through faith in Him, have a glorious inheritance that is being reserved for us in heaven.
It was faith in Christ's finished work that saved us when we first trusted in Him as Saviour.
And as God's children, we are called to live our life by faith in the Son of God Who loved us and gave Himself for us.
When we were born again, we were saved by faith in Christ.
We were redeemed by the blood of the Lamb Who gave us His life - His resurrected life - His eternal life - and we were saved once and forever by faith.
Not only are we justified by faith and sanctified by faith, but one day we will also be glorified by grace through faith in Christ's sacrifice at Calvary.
Today, we are being: Kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
The righteous man is the one who has been saved by grace through faith in Christ.
He is declared righteous by believing God's Word, and his faith is credited to him as righteousness.
The Lord knows those that have been covered in His own righteousness by faith, and He is with us throughout our earthly life.
The Lord is intimately connected with each of His own, for all who are saved by grace through faith are united with Him forever and His Holy Spirit is both with us and in us, BUT evil men are condemned.
For those who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, these prophecies from Isaiah and Malachi have already been fulfilled and our life is now hid with Christ in God and we are part of the New Creation in Christ.
Today, the enemy is like a roaring lion who is prowling around, accusing the saints, and seeking to destroy the faith of all those who have trusted Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
Jacob is one of many biblical characters whom God used to bring to fruition His perfect plan of redemption and who was used to teach us an important lesson - that there is nothing we can do to gain God's blessing or become His child - that it is not by wit or wisdom, schemes or cleverness, power or might that we are saved and brought in to an everlasting relationship with our Heavenly Father, but by His grace alone - through faith alone in Christ alone.
Tensions between the two groups increased so significantly that the religious, Jewish leaders who rejected their Messiah, took steps to suppress the testimony of God's grace by exterminating everyone who professed faith in Jesus of Nazareth - the King of the Jews.
The Jewish Sanhedrin became desperate to halt the spread of the gospel of grace - that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again, according to their Jewish Scriptures - to save His people from their sins, by faith in Him.
Both Abraham and Stephen demonstrated an unshakable faith in our Almighty God, for they knew that nothing in the heavens above, the earth beneath, or the waters under the earth, is able to thwart God's perfect plan of redemption for both the people Israel that the Christian Church.
God set out His plan of redemption within the pages of Scripture: Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
All believers from Adam onwards are saved by grace through faith in God's Word, and all believers in this Church dispensation are considered to be a kind of first-fruit in God's eyes.
And there is a further meaning which is connected with the resurrection of the dead, whereby all who have believed by grace through faith are considered to be the first-fruit (for we all belong to the Lord and will all one day be resurrected from the dead), but as Scripture states, this will happen to each person in the proper order.
He will not reform the old 'self' but transform the 'new-life' in Christ from glory to glory, until we all reach unity in the faith and knowledge of His only begotten Son.
But not only does He desire a vertical oneness of each of His children with Himself, but He also yearns that we have a horizontal oneness with our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ; that we become one in principle and purpose, one in thought and word and deed, one in faith and doctrine, one in love and hope.
No man can gain eternal life and enter heaven except through faith in Jesus.
In God's perfect economy the good deeds, generous acts, philanthropic behaviour, and kind conduct that fallen man is able to generate, falls far short of the glory and perfection of our holy God, for faith in Christ Jesus our Lord is the only Way. There is nothing we can do that could earn us a place in the heavenly realm.
And by His grace and goodness we discover ourselves to be His beloved children, by faith in Christ.
Herein is love: not that we loved God, but that He took the initiative and loved us first, by sending His only begotten Son into the world to die for sinful man so that whosoever believes on Him would not be condemned, but be given abundant and eternal life, by grace through faith.
Older men are to be self-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance.
He should instruct his sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, in the things of the Lord so they come to a saving faith in Christ, mature in the faith, and grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
From his youth, David found God was faithful and true, and despite his own foolish actions, some irresponsible decisions, and sinful behaviours, David maintained a holy faith in the Lord and found Him to be the only Rock on which he could stand and his only secure Tower of Refuge.
David acknowledged that in this world we will suffer trials and tribulations and the enemy of our soul will use every opportunity to depress our heart and shipwreck our faith, but this man of God never forgot that the Lord is in control, and the mischief of the oppressor will finally return on his own head.
David has become a great example of a man whose trust in God was severely tested, but one who maintained his faith in His Redeemer.
The man who falls on the Stone will be broken to pieces (saved by grace through faith) BUT on whosoever that Stone falls, (the unbeliever) will be scattered like dust.
Titus was Paul's spiritual son in the common faith.
They were a New Creation in Christ and were equal members of His Body.The little letter to Titus gives important information on the appointing of godly elders in the congregation, establishing sound teaching, correcting doctrinal error, setting out appropriate Christian behaviour for men and women alike, and encouraging all believers in their faith during our brief sojourn on earth.Although we don't know when the Church in Crete was founded, this comprehensive letter to Titus gives clear instruction on the important issues of governance and guidance within the Body of Christ.By God's grace, we all have the Word of God as our plum-line for truth.
His ministry was to develop the faith of God's chosen people, through sound doctrine and mutual encouragement.
He preached Christ crucified, Christ risen, Christ ascended, and Christ glorified... and his mission was to bring the lost to faith and the saved to spiritual maturity.
Paul was commissioned by God to evangelise lost sinners and to further the faith of those that had been saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.
But it is the Father in this verse Who is called 'Saviour', for it is not His will that any should perish but that all should come to salvation, by faith in Christ.
This much-loved passage gives real insight into our position in Christ and reminds us that because we are united to Him by faith, we are to love one another as Christ loved us.
But it also reminds us that the joy of the Lord often comes through much suffering and pain, but we who are united to Christ by faith in Him, have the assurance that His grace is sufficient, for His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
We are positionally sanctified the moment that we place our faith in the Lord.
For the rest of our lives, we are being progressively sanctified as we mature in the faith, grow in grace, and submit to the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit within our lives.
He has promised to recompense, with bountiful gifts, each labour of love, each work of faith, each heart that is watching for His soon return, and each prayer that cries out: Maranatha!
God was to use Paul to bring the good news of the gospel of grace to lost sinners, whose minds are blinded by the god of this world and whose eyes are closed to the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ: To turn them from the dominion of Satan to God and tell them that through faith in the Lord Jesus they would receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Christ.
He was to witness before Jews, Gentiles, kings, and governors, that faith in Christ will bring salvation to all who believe on His name.
It is only by grace through faith in Christ, that we are brought into the light.
It is only by faith, that our eyes have been turned from darkness to light.
It is only by grace through faith, that we are transferred from the dominion of Satan into the family of God.
It is only by His grace, that we have received forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Him.
And they were given the opportunity to place their faith in Christ, that they too may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Christ.
He is the One who points us to Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith, Who died and rose again so that we might live and be raised into life immortal, and He is the one that bestows on us gifts of the spirit and spiritual graces.
But he also knew that there are many within its ranks that are not only against the Lord, but seek to set themselves up in place of God and shipwreck the faith of Christ's followers.
Almost 2000 years have passed since John's warning of antichrists in our midst and antichrists within our ranks, and the closer we get to the return of Christ, the more careful we should be that we hold fast to the truth of God's Word, walk in spirit and truth, and stand fast in the faith - for the glory of God.
Let us glorify God with our bodies and submit our lives to the leading of the Spirit, for we have been delivered from the dominion of evil as willing slaves to sin have been reunited with our precious Saviour, by grace through faith.
We eat of Christ, our Bread of Life and drink from the Living Water of life, for unless we eat of His Body and drink His Blood, through faith in Him, we will remain dead in our sins.
They were saved by grace but they were overthrown in the wilderness because they did not live by faith.
Instead of the Church proclaiming the gospel of the grace of God to a lost world, 144 thousand Jewish evangelists will start to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom – and then Christ will return as their anointed King.Although this is a time of Great Tribulation, it is not God's will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance through faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sin.
And it is during this 'Time of Jacobs Trouble' (the 70th week of Daniel) that we discover a great multitude without number who will be saved by God’s grace, through faith in the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.We read in Revelation 7, that after the sealing of the 144 thousand Jews who come from every tribe of Israel, a great multitude which no one could number, will come to faith in Christ.
They have washed their robes and made them white, in the blood of the Lamb.This great multitude are those that have been forgiven of their sin, by faith in Christ.
However, from reading the book of Revelation, we discover that their faith will be severely tested, for about three quarters of the entire world's population will be slain during this period.Although there will be a global slaughter during this terrible time, a great multitude will be saved for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, because they did not worship the beast, nor his image, nor did they receive his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands.Though not part of the Church, these saints of God will be resurrected when the Antichrist is defeated and Christ returns to earth to take up His rightful position as Israel's King.
And as members of Christ's Body in the post-Cross dispensation of grace, we too should follow the example of this faithful little remnant in Israel who, despite the terrible sufferings they experienced both individually and as a nation, were men and women of faith who continued to trust in the Lord with all their heart and did not lean on their own understanding.
Satan is the master counterfeiter, and throughout man's 6000 year-long history since the fall of Adam, the enemy of our soul has been counterfeiting the truth, promulgated his own distorted gospel, and flooding the world with deceit, corruption, and fear, in an attempt to shipwreck the faith of believers and overthrow the authority and sovereignty of God Himself.
And the love of God is perfected in all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, for we are saved by grace alone - through faith alone - in Christ alone.
Should not we who have been saved by grace alone - through faith alone- in Christ alone, give testimony of God's great love for mankind by giving up ourselves to His service until we can say as He did: Father Thy will be done in my life, to Your praise and glory.
This precious promise is no less true for God's people today who have been rescued from slavery to sin and subjection to Satan, than it was for His people who were in servitude to Pharaoh and slaves in the land of Egypt, and it all comes down to a matter of faith in God's promises - of trusting His Word - of believing the truth of His Scripture.
He will never leave us and He will not forsake us, even when our faith wears thin or when we fall into sin or turn away from His loving truth.
But as the time for Moses' death drew nearer, a new generation of Israelites were given an opportunity to believe God's Word, trust the promises of God, enter the Promised Land, and live a victorious life of faith instead of a defeated life of unbelief and doubt.
separated unto God as His peculiar nation), the Israelites were led for many years through their wilderness walk, learning the lesson that all God's children must learn if they are to reach maturity, with a faith that trusts His Word and obeys His command.
And like Israel, the Lord will take us through long years of child-training and painful growing pains so that we too will become mature in the faith, trust His Word, and obey His command - even on those occasions when we do not understand.
A Christian should be more concerned with the development of personal character, growing in grace, maturing in the faith, and the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit, than engaging in a ministry of activities, however valuable it may seem to us or to others.
We have not only received forgiveness of sin and life everlasting through faith in Him, but have been called to be partakers of God's heavenly kingdom and received a share in His own glory, as heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ!
What amazing love that through faith in Him, sinners such as you and I, might be saved by grace and raised into newness of life.
It is only by faith in Him that we have become a member of His mystical Body, are indwelled by the Spirit of God and are given the sufficient grace to live in newness of life.
Paul encourages Timothy to flee from evil lusts and to preach the whole council of Christ... and he further expresses his grief over certain men who were distorting the pure gospel of grace and destroying the faith of some by teaching that there was no Resurrection!
Some teach a prosperity gospel with its accompanying unbiblical 'word of faith' declarations and positive proclamations, together with an emerging church where Scripture is altered to tickle the ears of carnal men and foolish women.
Many like to focus on social changes in the community while denigrating the gospel of Christ, the salvation of the lost, and spiritual maturity, while others continue to teach an equally concerning works-based religion, rather that a grace-based faith which too often promotes the unbiblical teaching called 'replacement theology' - which incorrectly teaches that the Church has replaced Israel.
Having been saved by grace through faith, he wanted them to grow in grace and reach spiritual maturity so that they may finally reach the fullest knowledge of the open secret, which is Jesus Christ Himself.
No one has seen the invisible God at any time, and yet God the Father sent God the Holy Spirit to live in and work through all those who have chosen to trust in God the Son for salvation, by grace through faith.
He also knew that giving them practical examples of how to live in these times, would be beneficial to them, and those around them: But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
In his desire to contend earnestly for the faith, Jude's prayer and pleading to the Father was that multiplied blessings be bestowed on all those who are in Christ Jesus.
Although this verse was given to Israel by Malachi and will be realised for them at Christ's Second Advent, this is a truth for ALL who have believed on Him in their hearts by faith that has already been fulfilled in each of us at our salvation.
The Thessalonians were new believers who needed encouragement to stand firm in the faith.
In this passage, Paul reminds all of us how to walk in a way that pleases the Lord, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God. Having been saved by grace through faith in Christ, we are to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.
The believers in Thessalonica were growing in their faith, but Paul wanted them to abound in grace more and more with every passing day - and this should be our desire too.
However much we mature in the faith, grow in holiness, walk in the spirit and live righteously before God, there are always more lessons to learn, greater heights to reach and a deeper knowledge of Scripture to discover.
He wanted them to grow in grace, walk in spirit and truth, mature in the faith, love as Christ loved, live in unity with one another, and rejoice in the Lord always.
Paul was their 'father-in-the-faith' who knew that God's will for each of His children is their sanctification.
Once we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, any good works that we undertake are to be done through the new, Christ-given nature which we receive at salvation, and not the old, sin nature which was imputed to us due to our membership of the first creation in Adam.
When the Lord Jesus won the victory on the Cross, we received a new life by faith.
We are to keep the Word of God in our heart as the singular benchmark for truth, and to look to Jesus every moment of the day, for He is the Author and Finisher of our faith Who will one day come to take us to be with Himself.
Paul wanted these Philippian Christians to stand fast in the faith and to immerse themselves in the truth of God's Word; not only for the heavenly reward that they themselves would receive, but to demonstrate that his work amongst this little Church at Philippi had not been in vain.
Though sinless, Christ took our sin upon Himself and was punished in our place so that although we are sinners, we are clothed in His righteousness by faith, and freed from the consequences of sin and the curse of the Law which condemns all humanity to eternal separation from God.
The blood of innocent animals could only cover humanities sin until the perfect Lamb of God in the Person of the Lord Jesus came to earth to become that singular sacrifice Who alone was sufficient to cleanse us from all sin and clothe us in the righteousness of God, and we access His forgiveness of our sins by faith in Him.
And so for your sake and for mine, the Lord Jesus Christ was led like a lamb to be slaughtered, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, Jesus did not open His mouth so that all who believe on Him by grace through faith in His death, burial, and Resurrection would not perish but have everlasting life.
It was Abraham who did not waver in his trust of God and because of his faith, he was declared righteous.
Abraham was not justified by good works... his righteousness was gained through faith in God's Word.
Through the life and example of Abraham, we are taught: With respect to the promise of God, Abraham did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God.
Indeed, he made many mistakes in his journey through life, and had to learn many lessons along the way. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful testimony to this man that he did not falter in his faith, which not only glorified God but gives us an example of the need to understand how important it is to believe God - for without faith, it is impossible to please God.
Although he did not understand how this was possible and even tried to assist God in its fulfilment, Abraham became the forefather of faith, because he trusted what God had said.
He believed what God had promised him, and he had faith that God would fulfil His covenant promise in every detail, even if he did not understand how or when.
Righteousness is received as a free gift of God - through faith in His Word.
As Abraham journeyed through life, we discover that trusting the promises of God and holding fast to his Word, is a vital key to developing our faith.
Our faith can be severely challenged by the problems and pain of life, and faith falters if we allow ourselves to be tossed about by the conflicts, fears, worries, and doubts of daily life.
But as we learn to stand fast in the faith and receive strength in the power of His might, the problems of life will not overwhelm us, and we will discover that our faith in the Lord remains firm and is strengthened.
There are many precious promises of God, and faith requires all of His children to trust His Word, believe His promises, and have faith in the truth of Scripture.
It is a great tribute to Abraham that Paul records that with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God... and we should seek to achieve an equivalent faith that stands firm on the promises of God.Not one of us should stagger at the Lord's promises within His Word, for what God has said He will carry out to completion, for God cannot lie and will never change His mind, and the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
But the man that trusts in God is clothed in confidence and strengthened in his faith, which glorifies the Father.Oh what peace and power, excellence and grace there is in trusting the Lord.
What joy and gladness rejoices the heart and mind of the one whose faith does not waver in unbelief at the promises of God, for he will be strengthened in His faith and give glory to God.
There are, of course, certain non-negotiables in Christian doctrine and our walk of faith, such as the deity of Christ and the virgin birth, His incarnation and bodily resurrection, the authority and inerrancy of Scripture, the Tri-unity of the Godhead, the hypostatic union of Christ and His Second Coming, but there are broad Scriptural principles in God's Word that guide us in our daily decisions and personal conduct.
And although two Christians may differ in non-essentials of the faith, both have freedom to choose their personal preferences without fear of condemnation.
Paul warned Timothy that the Holy Spirit expressly said that in later times: Some would depart from the faith, by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, while Peter speaks of false prophets and treacherous teachers who will: Rise up from among the people, and secretly bring in destructive heresies.
He encourages us to build ourselves up in our most holy faith by praying in the Spirit and keeping ourselves within the loving protection of our Heavenly Father.
Their weak faith did not rejoice when the women testified of the empty tomb.
The fluctuating hope and teetering trust of the two disciples was shortly to be transformed into factual faith, when they invited Jesus to come into their home and sup with them.
These two disciples had placed their faith in the Lord Jesus for salvation, but they had not yet learned to live by faith; to walk in spirit and truth; to live their life by trusting God's Word and not relying on sight, circumstances, or their fluctuating feelings.
It is very easy to find our hearts swayed by the difficult circumstances that impact our lives, but how honouring it is when we live by faith, walk in spirit and truth, and do not rely on our own interpretation or understanding.
Both Peter and Paul were apostles of Christ who had been called and chosen by the Lord, but like every one of us, they were also able to slip back into carnality and sin – and like each of us, there were times when they also had to be corrected by another brother in Christ and re-examine their faith to see if they were adhering to the truth of the gospel or being led astray, into legalism.After Paul had been so gloriously saved on the road to Damascus, Peter and the other apostles continued to share the gospel of God around Jerusalem and the local Judean area – predominantly to Jews.
Paul, on the other hand, quietly taught in various Gentile communities and set up Christian churches throughout the wider Asia-minor region.Although the apostles at Jerusalem recognised that Paul had been divinely commissioned to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, there was little interaction or overlap between these two Christian ministries for many years.It was after Peter's angelic vision at Joppa and his experience with the salvation of Cornelius the Gentile centurion, that he came to understand that Gentiles and Jews were equal in the sight of God, and both were saved by grace through faith alone.
Indeed, the Jerusalem council was formally set up to clarify the fundamentals of the Christian faith.They agreed that Gentile believers could not be expected to adhere to Jewish rules, rites, and regulations, but too often, Jewish converts to Christianity clung fast to their former rituals, even though they knew that it was not the Law that justifies them before God, but faith in Christ.Although these early Jewish believers understood that salvation was by grace alone through faith in Christ alone, many of them, including some of the apostles, continued to cling to the Jewish Sabbath, Jewish sacrifices, the Temple worship, feasts days, and other Jewish observances.Time passed since Paul's first, brief visit to Jerusalem where he had met with Peter and a few Church leaders.
But one day, Paul found it necessary to challenge Peter about his faith – when this leading elder of the apostles started to revert back to pre-Cross observances.This issue came to a head one day, when Peter was visiting Antioch and started to separate himself from Gentile believers.
It was fellow Jews who had insisted in the segregation of circumcised Jewish believers from uncircumcised Gentiles Christians – and Peter caved into their pressure.Peter wanted a peaceful existence, and although he was a pillar of the early Christian Church who knew that salvation was by faith and not by following the Law, he crumbled from pressure and withdrew himself FEARING those of the circumcision.May we know the truth, stand fast on the Word of God, and not allow ourselves to compromise the glorious gospel of Christ through fear of the world, fear of our Christian brethren, or fear of our fellow man.
In hindsight, we understand that God used the epistles that Paul wrote during his imprisonment to give us vital truths to explain the beautiful revelation that Gentile believers are united into one body with Jewish believers (the Church) by faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We need to believe that the wrath of God was poured out in full measure upon Christ Himself on our behalf so that we might be forgiven of our sins, clothed in His perfect righteousness, and receive eternal life as a free gift of God's grace, by faith.
It is faith in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary that renders a man or woman saved, forgiven, and a citizen of heaven.
He is the one who has the love of God shed abroad in his heart and confesses Christ crucified, risen, ascended, and glorified; the one who trusts in the atoning Word of Jesus Christ in his heart, by faith with thanksgiving.
Our very life has been redeemed from the pit of the dead, for not only are we forgiven of our sins and the beneficiaries of eternal life, by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but part of that free gift of grace was to redeem us from that pit of destruction that was prepared for the devil and his angels, and eternal separation from our heavenly King.
Abraham is often called the father of faith because: Abram believed God, and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
In chapter 12, we read that he immediately left his home and family roots and set out to a land that the Lord would show him... where God would not only bless him but that through him, all the families of the earth would be blessed. And so, at the age of 75, Abram set out on his journey of faith towards the Promised Land.
Abram believed God and obediently set out for the Promised Land, and his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness.
Despite being justified in the eyes of God because of his initial faith when he left his home and family and set out for the Promised Land, the Lord sought to develop, deepen, expand, and enlarge his faith until Abram realised that the Lord alone could supply all his needs according to His riches in glory, according to His perfect timing, and according to His perfect will.
Like us, Abram was justified when he first believed the Word of the Lord but like us, His faith needed to grow and mature - which takes time in the life of every believer.
The doctrine of justification by grace through faith in Christ is the crux upon which our Christian faith rests.
Having been born again and credited with Christ's righteousness, it will never be withdrawn, as was the case with Abram, and like him, we also are to live the rest of our life by faith.
We are not to superimpose our own flawed and limited understanding of all that God has said, but to live our lives by faith as well as starting out by faith.
It was only by His grace through faith in His promised Word, that Abram was reckoned to be righteous and the same is true of all who believe that God's Word is true and His promises are sure.
Too often, our faith in God falters because what we see with our eyes and experience through life's challenges, conflicts with our human logic.
But He takes and uses all our failings to develop and deepen our faith in Him until, like Abraham, we eventually realise that He alone can supply all our needs, according to His grace and not our feeble works.
We finally read in Scripture that Abraham was not weak in faith; he staggered not at the promise: he was strong in faith; he was fully persuaded.
The carnal behaviour of some and the bitter wrangling of others, had necessitated Paul's strong rebuke, and yet his dear desire for this group of believers was that they grow in grace, mature in the faith, and live as shining lights with a good conscience before the Lord.
He wrote it so that his next visit would not cause him continuing sorrow over their stunted, spiritual growth, but that their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ would be a cause of great rejoicing for Paul and great joy for these saints of God.
This meant that men of Israel from around the world would hear the wonderful works of God in their own language and be saved by grace through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, their promised Messiah and almighty God.
As those who have been saved by grace through faith, we look to that time when, with Christ, we will rule and reign with Him for 1000 years before His eternal kingdom extends into the eternal ages to come, when there will be a new heaven and a new earth.
Though some erroneously link a lack of faith with a lack of healing in this Church dispensation, this is unscriptural, for we live in a fallen frame and reside in a dying body.
And like Israel, we who have already been saved by grace through faith in the Messiah rejoice today, for we too have been dressed in His heavenly mantle of salvation and we too have been draped in His royal robe of righteousness.
Many Jews were prepared to add 'believing in Christ' to their religious rites, but very few could accept the gospel Paul taught; that faith alone in Christ alone was sufficient for salvation and that no man living would be justified by works of the Law.
These legalists, however, berated Paul, insisting that circumcision was also necessary for salvation, which is diametrically opposite to the gospel of grace, for we are not justified by any works of the Law (circumcision) but by faith in Christ.
It seems they claimed Paul changed his position on circumcision and was now promoting it, alongside faith in Christ!
Paul insisted that faith in Christ is the one and only way to be justified before God and in chapter 1, he even pronounced a curse on anyone who taught a different gospel: If we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!
First, they persecuted Paul for teaching the true gospel of grace and then pretended he had changed his doctrine to entice the gullible believers into accepting a false gospel, which added circumcision to faith in Christ as a requirement for salvation.
However, the seriousness of his next sentence cannot be overlooked, for if circumcision was required for salvation, the very reason he was being persecuted was void: For the stumbling block of the Cross would have been abolished. But NOTHING, including circumcision, can be added to Christ's sacrifice on the Cross, for in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, for we are saved through faith alone in Christ alone, working through love.
Rahab's request demonstrated her faith in God and before leaving, the men swore an oath that if she faithfully carried out their instruction and did not report their visit to the authorities, they would show her kindness and faithfulness when God gave the city into their hands: Our lives for yours, they promised.
Apart from being highly visible to the Israelite army when they came to conquer the city of Jericho, the cord in the window is a beautiful expression of faith.
Her action demonstrated Rahab's faith in the Lord and testified to faith of all who were with her in her home.
The scarlet thread represented her own individual trust in God, a sanctifying faith that put into practise the faith that had already justified her in the sight of God.
It is through Him that a justified sinner is declared to be righteous in God's sight, by faith.
Rahab believed on the Lord for her salvation, and every member of her family, including her father, mother, brothers, and sisters, and all who trusted in the God of Israel and joined her in her home, were also saved through faith.
They were saved by grace through their initial faith, and then demonstrated their faith by obeying the command they were given.
All who are justified by faith in Christ's atoning work at Calvary are wonderfully saved, but justification is the first step towards a life that is lived by faith - day after day - a life that stands firm on the promises of God and refuses to be shaken by the circumstances that surround us, for to do so honours our God and Saviour.
Over the next two years, a series of Roman trials were held in which Paul was called upon to defend his Christian faith from his Jewish accusers - during which time the plot to kill him continued, unabated.
It is here in the early verses of chapter 4, that Paul makes an appeal for Christian harmony and the fellowship of all believers, as well as outlining the primary elements of unity in the Sprit which underpins the Christian faith in this 'dispensation of the grace of God'.
Paul goes on to list seven key elements of Christian unity in the verses 4 to 6, where we read There is ONE body and ONE Spirit, just as also you were called in ONE hope of your calling; ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
This short section makes it very clear that there can be no compromise of our Christian faith with other religions... or a modification of the gospel to appease others... as certain people in the broad spectrum of Christendom teach today.
Just as we have been saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, we have also been called into one hope of that calling - which is founded on the ONE Lord - Jesus Christ.
The ONE faith about which this verse is talking, is the Christian faith which includes the entire body of doctrine, which was once delivered to the saints, by the apostles and prophets who penned the New Testament Scriptures.
The Church is the Body of Christ and by faith we are all baptised into that spiritual Body by the Spirit of God... the moment we are redeemed.
Paul had explained that both Jew and Gentile are equally sinners, equally in need of salvation, and equally given the opportunity to be saved by God's grace through faith in Christ's redeeming work.
God testified to pre-Cross Israel as well as to the post-Cross Church in every way possible to bring us to faith in Christ's finished work on Calvary, for it is not His will that any should perish but that all come to faith in Him.
There are many examples of men and women of faith drawn from Scripture which encourage us to maintain an unshakable trust in God's Word and stimulate the firm conviction that God is faithful and His promises stand fast forever.
Abraham is the supreme example of a man of faith whose life bears witness of the never-failing faithfulness of our good and gracious God and whose life experience encourages us to maintain the hope we have in Christ; our sure and steadfast anchor, on Whom to secure our soul.
God's promise to Abraham is equally pertinent for all God's children, for the faith of ALL who believe in God and the Lord Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, is credited to them as righteousness.
When God declared Abraham justified by faith, He swore by Himself because He could swear by no one greater, and that same oath stands firm for ALL who are the spiritual seed of Abraham.
Using someone like Abraham as an example of faith in a passage on developing faith, is to encourage us to follow in his footsteps of faith.
Weeping over sin is an important step in bringing a lost sinner into fellowship with Christ and the forgiveness of sin, through faith in Him.
May we cleanse our hands, purify our hearts, and mourn over sin and the devastation it causes in our life, and may we praise and thank our glorious Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who died on the Cross to pay the enormous price for our sin, so that by faith in Him we might be eternally forgiven and receive the promise of life everlasting.
It is a statement of great importance for our eternal destiny, and we are to believe this truth in our heart, by faith.
First, we hear a factual truth, for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
But after truth has been heard and faith has been birthed, we need to make a wise response.
We are to believe in our hearts by faith.
When we consider the price Christ Jesus paid to come into this world and save us from our sin, when we reflect on the stain that sin has left on our heart and realise the forgiveness we have received by God's grace, through faith, surely we can do nothing other than conclude with Paul that of all sinners, I am the worse sinner of all. He saved us, not because of the righteous things we have done, but because of His great and wonderful mercy.
We have been saved by grace through faith - but this is not a license to sin.
Having been saved by grace through faith, we have been given all we need for life and godliness.
Having been saved by grace through faith, we are called to become a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable unto the Lord.
Having been saved by grace through faith in Christ's sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, we have been fully equipped, by the Holy Spirit, to walk in newness of life - and become men and women with a heart for the Lord and a desire to obey His Word.
There are many marvellous mysteries of godliness that are too deep for our limited mortal minds and so He revealed what we need to know through His eternal Word Who was made flesh and dwelt among us so that by grace through faith, we could be made the righteous of Christ and dwell with Him forever by simply believing on Him.
If only our faith were simpler and we were more childlike, we would take all that God says in the Scriptures and simply trust in His Word – and that's called FAITH!
Faith is simply maintaining confidence in all God says.
When, by faith, we have such an assurance of the truth of God's Word, even when things appear to the contrary, we discover that life falls into its correct perspective.
And step-by-step, the book of Hebrews demonstrates the difference between a life of trusting faith and the one that lives in doubt and unbelief.
Hebrews alerts us to the many fleshly dangers, sinful temptations, and worldly appetites that can lure a believer away from a life of faithful discipleship into an attitude of discontent, greed, and a lack of brotherly love towards our fellow believers. It gives a series of warnings against unbelief, which comes from a hardened, rebellious heart as well as providing a portrait gallery of dear saints, whose faith we should emulate, for they simply trusted the word of the LORD and in the end, came forth as pure gold.
When the historical facts of Scripture, the immutable character of God, the great crowd of witnesses who lived a life of faith that was pleasing to the Lord, and our own experiences of God's grace are all combined, then we too should be able to confidently say, The Lord is my helper, what can man do to me?
Despite having rejected the God Who created them, and having refused His gracious offer of salvation by grace through faith in Christ, man has continued on his foolish quest to establish his own form of peace into this world at war.
Christian hope is the highest expression of glorifying God, for it springs from a trusting heart that believes God's Word of truth by faith.
And the hope that comes through faith in Christ does not disappoint, because the supernatural love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Who was given to us, through time and into eternity.
The former grouping refers to unbelievers while the latter clearly identifies saved individuals. 'THEY' are people who have not trusted Christ as their Saviour while 'WE' are those that have been saved by grace through faith in Christ.
But since we are of the day, let’s be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
God knew that Paul would respond to his calling by faith and so he was set aside for this ministry from his mother's womb.
But Paul realised that it was only by God's amazing grace that he had been saved in order to reveal God's Son in him so that by his witness, many would be saved by grace through faith in Christ.
Christ's ministry to Israel was before the Cross, but after the Cross, salvation was open to Jew and Gentile alike and it was by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
How we praise God that Paul was set apart for God, even from his mother's womb and that God was pleased to reveal His Son in and through Paul's ministry so that Jew and Gentile alike may be saved by grace through faith and together become part of the one new man in Christ, to His praise and glory.
They will all perish and wear out like a garment, but God has promised to make a new heavens and a new earth so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in His kindness toward you, me, and all who are in Christ Jesus, all who are saved by grace through faith in Him.
By faith, Abraham chose to forsake the temptations of Sodom for the promises of God, which he considered of greater value than the transitory riches this world offers.
When considering the choices Abraham was required to make between accepting God's permanent promises of eternal reward and great blessings through faith in the Person of Christ, and taking the temporal treats and passing perks of this fallen world system, we understand that the renouncing the things of this present life, and the suffering we may have to face, are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred upon us.
Abraham was saved because he believed God's Word, and his faith was credited as righteousness.
There were times during his walk of faith when Abraham enjoyed fellowship with the Lord, and times when he was out of fellowship, those times he followed his own human logic instead of God's divine direction, such as the time he went down to Egypt during the famine, instead of trusting God to provide for his needs; and the time he took Hagar as his concubine, instead of trusting God to keep His word, concerning the promised SEED, Who would be born through his wife, Sarah.
When he was sitting in the door of his tent and saw three 'men' standing opposite him, Abraham was walking by his faith and not by his sight.
But He is the same Lord, yesterday, today and forever, and like Abraham, we can trust His Word and we must obey His will, and by faith in Him, we also have found grace and favour in His sight, and have been given His promises that He will never fail us.
Jesus alone, Who is man's only Mediator before God, is worthy to open the scroll - because He humbled Himself and became a Man so that by faith in Him we might be exalted as sons of the Most High God.
They sang a special song - a different song - they sang a new song which should rejoice the heart of ALL who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ: Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed US to God by Thy blood.
The wrath of God was poured out in fullest measure on Christ so that your sin and mine could be forgiven by grace through faith in Him.
We are saved by grace through faith and not destined for wrath, because we believe on Christ.
The only alternative is to refuse to believe on the only begotten son of God, in which case those who refuse God's offer of salvation by grace through faith in Him will suffer the full force of God's anger, wrath, and condemnation because they did not believe on the only begotten Son of God.
Yet by grace through faith in Him our sins have been washed as white as snow and we have been forever forgiven of our sin, adopted into God's family, placed into the Body of Christ, and reconciled to the Father.
By grace through faith in Him, we have been redeemed by our Kinsman-Redeemer and received our new life in-Christ.
Praise God that Jesus set at liberty those who are bruised, and proclaimed the year of the Lord's favour to all who by faith have trusted in Him.
The shocking truth was that faithfulness, godliness, and brotherly love had almost been eliminated from their lives, and Christ's strong criticism was a warning to these spiritually slumbering Christians, to wake up and to reverse the lamentable spiritual demise into which they had fallen - if the church was to survive. The true gospel of Christ, which was once the foundation upon which this church was built, had been eroded, and John was instructed to urge these believers at Sardis to strengthen whatever remained of the faith that had once been delivered to these saints.
The church was sick unto death, but yet there was still a little life left and, in this urgent appeal, John implores them to stir up their spiritual resolve and reignite their flickering flame of faith.
Multiplied acts of benevolent charity, bountiful giving, or altruistic deeds, however admired by man are also rejected by God, and are not complete before the Lord, unless they flow from a life of faith and fellowship in Him. No wonder we see such an urgent appeal for watchfulness and eager attentiveness, for although the Christians as Sardis demonstrated an outward facade of godliness, there was a deep.
This is not a prophecy about the justification of individual people coming to faith in their Messiah, but the whole nation; the lost sheep of the house of Israel being brought back to their land and collectively coming to faith in their Messiah.
We do not know what was passing through Nathanael's mind the day that he meditated in the shade of that particular fig leaves, but this simple display of Christ's divinity caused him to respond to the Lord Jesus in faith, with the words, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God.
However, when he addressed Jesus as 'Rabbi' and identified Him as 'The Son of God' and 'King of Israel' his words showed great respect and a heart of faith and hope in the truth of Scripture.
May we be man and women of faith in whom there is no guile.
And although being born into the nation of Israel afforded the Jews many benefits, Paul left us in no doubt that they too need to be saved by God's grace through faith – and not by keeping the Law.Paul quotes many verses from the Hebrew Scriptures to verify the condemnation of everyone, including the people of Israel, for this verse is particularly aimed at them because they were the chosen, covenanted people of God.
What was the purpose of setting standards that could never be reached?The Law was given to Israel not as a means to salvation, but to identify their sin and to establish their need for salvation, by faith.
The Law spoke to them and they were to tell other nations that they needed salvation – by faith in God.It is by breaking a law that one is condemned by that law – and even if someone starts to keep that law perfectly, from one particular point in time, it cannot remove condemnation from past guilt, for we were born sinners.
And Israel, who were given the Law, were to tell the Gentile nations this information so that they may recognise their own sinfulness and be saved, by faith.The Law EXPOSES sin but does not JUSTIFY the sinner.
Many are called to come unto Him and find rest for their soul, and many respond and are saved by grace through faith, but only a few are chosen to follow in the difficult and painful path of discipleship.
Redemption requires us to believe on the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and by grace through faith in Him we are born from above, but that is only the starting point.
Christ is the full expression of the Almighty God and has become God's true Representative to man, and yet He is also the perfect Mediator Who, by grace through faith in Him, represents man to God.
His ways are so much higher than our ways and His thoughts than our thoughts, and yet in Him we have intimacy with the Father, we have the mind of Christ through faith, and we have the indwelling Spirit of God.
The majesty of His glory and depth of His wisdom stands in sharp contradistinction with created humanity, and yet God has an intimate interest in each one of us, and a dear desire that none should perish but that all should come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus is not only the Source and Sustainer of our physical life - the old, fallen, biological life we inherited from Adam, but He is also the Author and Finisher of our new, spiritual, eternal life, which we received by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
May we come to a deeper understanding that the self-contained, eternally existent LIFE of Christ which is poured into the hearts of all who are redeemed by His blood, declared righteous through faith, indwelt by His Spirit, and made into a new creation so that we can walk in His eternal light, wisdom, holiness, and love.
Brothers and sisters in Christ who are weaker in the faith, may find that their consciences prohibit them from practicing something which although quite 'lawful', could cause them to stumble in their Christian life.
Although God formerly spoke through these great men of faith, Jesus Christ was the Word made flesh. He was God's anointed Ruler and consecrated Spokesperson.
Today believers are having to endure much suffering at the hands of the ungodly, but when we can recognise that God takes the trials of the enemy, and uses them as tests of our faith, we can identify the sufferings we undergo as godly discipline, which the Lord is using in our lives for our eternal benefit.
It was during his second missionary journey, while staying in the city of Athens, that Paul taught certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers about the gospel of God and His great salvation – which is through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.On his arrival at Athens, Paul's spirit was provoked within his breast, when he saw that the city had been given over to the worship of idols and false deities.
The pagan deities that the Athenians worshipped, needed human beings to build their temples and bring them things, whereas the great God of the universe needs nothing from men – since He Himself gives life and breath to all people and all things.There is no correct way to introduce the gospel of grace to unbelievers, but there does need to be willingness to tell others about Jesus and bring God's message of salvation to the lost – and many missionaries have found that a good starting point is to give others a correct understanding of the God of creation Who made heaven and earth and everything in it, and of man whom God created in His own image, but who sinned and needs to be redeemed from sin and death and hell.May we, who have been saved by grace through faith, make ourselves available to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit so that lost sinners may be given the opportunity to hear the gospel and believe, through our ministry – for how shall they hear if no one is willing to tell them?
The Galatian Christians had come to faith in Christ by grace through faith.
For by faith in His death and Resurrection, the power of sin in their lives had been severed, its deathly consequences had been destroyed, and they had all been set free from the curse of the Law.
The Law is the tool that God used to show fallen man that they are lost sinners in need of salvation, but the Law can never correct sin which only comes by grace through faith in Christ.
He was sent to empower us with His life, for having been saved by grace through faith, Paul was teaching these Christians how to live by grace through faith so that in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, they would grow in grace.
They were to live by faith so that Christ would be formed in them by the power of the indwelling Spirit as they died to self and lived for Him.
Sadly, believers become enslaved to rules and regulations instead of being free to live their lives in the liberty we have in Christ, by grace through faith.
Although in context the target audience for this amazing passage is the nation of Israel, all who have been saved by grace through faith in Him in this Church age are blessed by this passage.
It is precious to discover that He was led like a lamb to the slaughter for us, and willingly and quietly took the punishment that you and I deserve so that our sins could be completely forgiven through His sacrificial death, and by faith in Him, the power of sin has been broken in our lives and we have been placed in union with Christ and identified with His life.
God's gracious gift of salvation by grace through faith in the shed blood of Christ for the remission of sin, has been made available to all.
God in His love and justice poured out His undiluted, furious wrath upon His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him, by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, might not perish but have everlasting life.
We should not be ashamed of the glorious gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe, and yet the majority of mankind reject His gracious offer of salvation by grace through faith and pour scorn on the irrefutable, undeniable, incontrovertible evidences of His divine majesty.
But although the enemy of our soul may afflict us with temptations and trials, God is good, and in His grace He will use those trials to test our faith and develop in us spiritual endurance that brings us into a maturing faith in Him.
The One Who is the Creator of heavenly light is the same One Who is the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith, and His Word is Faithful and True.
However, Paul concluded that living on in the flesh was more necessary for the sake of his readers at Philippi and that it would also produce fruitful labour for him and so he wrote: Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith.
It would spur them on to greater spiritual maturity, strengthen their faith in God even more, and produce their mutual 'joy in the faith'.
It also seems that as he penned this verse, Paul began to anticipate his next visit to Philippi and the mutual 'joy in the faith' they would have when they next met, for he continued: That in me you may have abundant cause for exultation and glorying in Christ Jesus, through my coming to you again.
Paul found his joy in Jesus and 'the joy of the Lord' is our strength too, and whether we live or die, our 'joy in the faith' is one of the many benefits we increasingly access as we abide in His love and He in us.
The person who has clean hands and a pure heart. Only those who have been declared righteous by faith are granted access into the presence of the Lord.
Only those that are are clothed in His perfect righteousness by faith can ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy presence.
It is made clear that only those that are saved by grace through faith, will receive this blessing from the Lord.
All who have clean hands and a pure heart by faith in Him, will be admitted into this holy place.
Christians who harbour hatred in their heart for other believers, are seriously impaired in their Christian walk.This serious matter is not just limited to those that outwardly detest or criticise other Christians, but those who put on a show of Christian piety and civility while nursing a heart that is blackened by hatred towards their brethren – which equates to murder in the eyes of the Lord.What a shocking state of affairs that believers can be so filled with dislike for another child of God, that they are described as being in darkness, walking in the darkness, and not knowing where they are going because their hatred has caused this darkness which has blinded their eyes.The direct contrast between light and darkness, love and hatred in this passage, is staggering when we realise that this is referring to a Christian – for although saved by grace through faith… their life and witness is being wasted away in their cancerous attitude.Christians are ambassadors of Christ in this world, and everything that we say and do reflects positively or negatively on the Lord Jesus, Himself.
Paul outlines the interconnections that should exist between wives and their husbands, fathers and their children, slaves and their earthly masters - and vice versa so that no matter what position we hold in our individual family or within the wider community, we may mature in the faith, live godly lives, and bring honour to His holy name.
We must not confuse the rewards we receive for holy living with the free gift of salvation which we received freely by grace through faith in Christ.
He is pointing out that faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ should not reflect an attitude of personal favouritism, and then he goes on to give a brilliant example of hypocrisy that can be found in the lives of many Christians, even inside the doors of certain church fellowships.
He has been expounding the length and breadth and depth and height of the good news of God's grace towards us, and the over-abounding riches we already have in Christ, by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection.
And Paul's heart-desire and earnest prayer is that we understand the riches of His grace towards us and that we stand firm in the faith, grow in grace, trust in the Lord with all our heart, and become rooted and grounded in the love of Christ.
Jesus was not only the almighty, omniscient God Who planned and purposed that salvation would be available to all by grace through faith in the Messiah of Israel, but prophets of old wrote that He would be born of the Seed of the woman Who would come through the nation of Israel, of the line of Judah, and the house of David.
This dear Gentile woman had a partial but limited understanding of the truth of God, the worship of God, and of God's great plan of salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us worship the God who ordained from the beginning His glorious plan of man's salvation by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
So often as Paul draws his epistles to a close, he gives a list of wise instructions on godly living with the view to developing a Christ-like nature, where the man or woman of God may learn to grow in grace and mature in the faith, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our praises stream back to the cruel cross and the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and our hallelujahs fly forwards to the glories set before us and our eternal home, for we are redeemed by His blood, born anew by grace through faith, and resurrected with new life in Him.
Though we delight in John as the apostle of love and Paul as our chief apostle of faith, we identify Peter as our great apostle of hope.
In this chapter, Peter reminds us about our great inheritance that is being kept for us in heaven, and that this life is our one opportunity to prove our faith, as we walk by the Spirit to the praise and glory of the Father, eventually resulting in praise, glory, and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. And the reason we can so confidently walk by faith today is all because of Christ, our living hope: Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
David was a man of faith who knew that the Lord heard his vows and pleading cries.
When exercising faith through petition or intercession and by standing on the promises of God as undeniable certainties, we have that inner assurance that God hears and answers our prayer, for His ears are ever open to our cries for help and He responds to the faintest sigh of His elect people.
We do not have access to our Heavenly Father by works of the law, or through our own righteous deeds, good works, or merit, but by God's grace, we have access, by faith in the precious blood of Christ on Calvary's Cross.
He touches on mysticism, with its emphasis on dreams, visions, feelings, and one's personal experience of the spiritual realm rather than on Christ, and in this verse Paul cautions against asceticism, where holiness is acquired through severe self-discipline, self-denial, the renunciation of pleasures, or austere religiosity, rather than through faith in Christ.
The way that Mordicai and Esther willingly compromised their faith stands in stark contrast with men like Daniel and his three friends, or Joseph, the son of Jacob.
And yet there are many men and women of faith who similarly compromised their faith in God, such as Abraham with Hagar, King Saul who offered a sacrifice to the Lord instead of waiting for Samuel, Elijah, who was intimidated by the ungodly Jezebel, and even apostles like Peter, who stopped eating with Gentile believers, for fear of the Jews... and Paul who chose to take a Jewish vow, so that he could testify of his innocence, instead of trusting God to fulfil His will through his life.
Perhaps we should rejoice that God will use sinners, such as you and me, to bless others and to increase our own spiritual temperature, and perhaps we should recognise that God is in control of this fallen world system and use this story to develop our personal trust in God and maintain a growing faith in His Word.
May we be obedient to God's Word and be careful not to compromise our faith, even in those times of great difficulty and danger.
Martha answered immediately and made a great and thrilling confession of faith in Christ.
Her profession of faith has shone down centuries of time and ignited hope in the hearts of many.
Martha's confession of faith was not made after Lazarus was raised from the dead.
Martha's confident reply demonstrated that her faith in Christ was firm, settled, steadfast, and unshakable.
Martha is often remembered as the woman who fussed and flustered about the kitchen and was bothered and troubled by many things... but as she stood before her God and Saviour and acknowledged, Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He Who comes into the world, Martha showed herself to be a woman of virtue who exemplified what it means to live by faith and not by sight.
The message that Paul delivered was a demonstration of the power of God as the Holy Spirit worked through him, causing a spiritual stirring in the hearts and minds of those that heard his healing words of truth which brought them to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Having led us step by step to the realisation that we are all unrighteous sinners in need of a Saviour, and having made it crystal clear that we are saved as a gift of God's grace through faith in the unchangeable Word of truth, Paul guides us through the meaning of justification (which means being declared righteous by God through faith in Christ), and he outlines reasons why we can only be proclaimed righteous by faith in Christ alone, and not because of our own merit or any good works that we do.
He explains that it is through Christ that we have peace with God, and it is by grace through faith in Him that we have access to this free gift of salvation.
It is only through faith in Him that we have moved from death to life, and through Him that we have passed from eternal separation from God into the heavenly sphere of justified access.
This is indeed a cause for rejoicing, for by faith we have been declared righteous and brought into the family of God, and it is by grace through faith that we have been made a joint-heir with Christ and given a share in His glory, when in fact we merited nothing more than eternal damnation.
And as we read through this fifth chapter of Romans, we discover that this astonishing free gift of salvation, which is accessed by faith alone in Christ alone, is multiplied into an even greater and a much more wonderful truth: Having now been justified by His blood, we will also be saved from the wrath of God, all because of our faith in Christ.
Having been declared righteous by faith, we now have an additional promise that we will be delivered from any contact with the wrath of God, which the Bible tells us is still future for a Christ-rejecting sinful world, and it is all by faith in Him.
His sacrificial death paid the price for our sins, while His eternal life breaks forever the power of sin and death in the life of those who believe, by faith.
The death, burial, and Resurrection of Christ not only secured our justification by faith but also it assures us that we will be delivered from any future wrath of God.
His death was the means that declared us righteous in the sight of God, and His life guarantees that our life in Him is eternal, and it is all by grace through faith in Christ.
He was of the house of David and of the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.Yes, God raised up His Servant and sent Him first to Israel so that they would be blessed by turning, in faith, from their evil, idolatrous ways to Christ.
Every stage of salvation is by faith and not by works of the flesh.
Salvation in all its stages has nothing to do with our own merit or good works, but has everything to do with faith in Christ and HIS good work.
We do this through faith in Christ, and in the power of the Spirit, until we are wholly perfected when we get to heaven (glorification).
One blessing of salvation is the immediate and permanent indwelling Holy Spirit Who develops in us the precious fruit of His righteousness through many acts of faith, as we grow in grace.
However, the responsibility to live godly lives and to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires, is a choice each believer must make, for the fruit of righteousness can only come through faith in Christ and not through carnal works of the flesh.
We received the imputed righteousness of Christ at salvation, but the impartation of the spiritual fruit of righteousness, is rooted and grounded in godly acts of faith which can only be produced as we allow the Spirit to lead and guide us in all we do.
It is a godly summons to the lost, to come to HIM, and trust Him for salvation, for it is not God's will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and faith in Christ.
Sadly, they do not yet know that Purim is a dim shadow of their great salvation which comes through faith in Jesus Christ - for the eternal Son of God came to earth as the perfect Son of Man to pay the price for their sins and to redeem His people, Israel, as foretold by the ancient prophets.
All our discussions and dealings while passing through this life should honour our King, for we are all His representatives and ambassadors of heaven, and all our conversation and conduct should reflect the righteousness of Jesus with which we are clothed and covered.Our eternal home is a gift from God, but it is only through faith in the spilt blood of Jesus that we have a full assurance of our heavenly inheritance.
But it beautifully illustrates the victorious life and spiritual richness believers can enjoy if they walk by faith and not by sight.
The Lord Jesus is our promised rest, and to live a victorious life in the daily challenges we face, is to appropriate what is already ours - by faith - for His grace is sufficient.
In the same way, believers in this Church age can immediately enter the promised rest we have in Christ and be kept in His perfect peace, through a living faith, humble obedience, a heart that is guided by the Spirit of God, and a life that walks in spirit and truth.
Like Israel, the Church (who are also redeemed by faith), have only scratched the surface of the privileges that are ours by faith in Him.
Every one of us have been given all we need to live a victorious life through Christ and partake of our promised rest, if we will simply believe His Word, live by faith, and receive all that is ours in Christ.
It is in Him alone that we can live a victorious life and claim a better resurrection in our own spiritual battle, and it is all done by grace through faith in Christ alone.
The Lord sanctioned Israel to wander 40-years in the wilderness because they tried His patience and tested His forbearance with their lack of faith.
Just as Israel were saved by faith, baptised into Moses, and God’s chosen people, so Christians are saved by faith, baptised into Christ, identified with Him, reckoned as righteous, and children of God.
In like manner, instead of pressing on, growing in grace, maturing in the faith, trusting His Word, acting upon it, and resting in Him, we too can remain in spiritual infancy.
Like Israel, we have a choice to live our entire Christian life in spiritual infancy; wandering in a wilderness, frightened of the 'giants in the land', living defeated and disobedient lives OR we can trust His Word, hold fast to His promises, and live a victorious life as we abide in Him, grow in grace, mature in the faith, fellowship with the Father and do not lose faith when challenged by life's circumstances.
Similarly, once justified, Christians do not lose their salvation, but lack of faith can keep us defeated and wandering in a wilderness of spiritual immaturity, rather than claiming the precious promises of God that are 'yes' and 'amen' in Christ.
But whether it is my joy, our joy, your joy, or John's personal joy in the Lord, the joy of knowing that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, brings with it a boundless and unfathomable spirit of joy.
Satan and his fallen accomplices, are striving all day long and throughout the night to shipwreck the faith of believers - and he takes no holiday from his ignoble pursuits.
It is when we are clothed in Christ and covered in His righteousness that we are enabled to resist Satan and stand firm in the Christian faith.
As we continue on the journey of life in the strength of Christ, may we resist the devil and stand firm in the faith, knowing that our brethren in other parts of the world are passing through the same sort of difficult experiences - and that both they and us have been promised God's sufficient grace in every situation.
Christ's sovereignty over all flesh was referenced in His prayer, as was His authority to grant the gift of eternal life to those whom the Father had given to Him, to those who by faith would trust in His redeeming work.
Christ's prayer would later expand into intercession for the whole Body of Christ who would come to faith in Him through the word of their testimony and their faithful witness to the truth.
The hour for Christ's betrayal and crucifixion arrived, and so He prayed that we would be united together in doctrine, in faith, in hope, in truth, and in love.
Israel was saved out of Egypt's oppression by grace through faith in God's Word.
Like Israel, we too have been saved by grace through faith in God's Word and cleansed by the blood of the perfect Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world, and Who triumphed over death for all who trust in Him.
They did not trust God to provide for their needs, and Paul used Israel's lack of faith in the wilderness as a warning to the Church against unbelief.
We are born into the family of God and have become a new creation through spiritual birth, by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have been made heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, by faith.
And we were set apart by grace through faith in Christ our Saviour, before the foundation of the world.
We have been called to share forth the good news of the glorious gospel of grace to a lost and dying world, for God in His omniscience, knew who would accept His gracious offer of salvation, by faith.
Our character and conduct should reflect the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, for by His grace and through faith in Him, we have been given access into the throne-room of God.
When we are eternally saved by grace through faith in Christ, forgiven of our sin, declared righteous before God, positioned in Christ, indwelt by the Spirit, and made one with Him, nothing and no-one should be placed alongside Him; for there is nothing to compare with Christ's sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary for you and for me.
He continues by presenting the doctrine of justification by faith in his third chapter, and then expands his reasoning in chapter 4, with examples of biblical characters who believed God's Word and whose faith was credited as righteousness.
They would not accept that we are saved by God's grace, through faith in His only begotten Son, and for this reason, Paul used illustrations from the Old Testament to validate his line of reasoning.
It was only through his faith that God reckoned him to be righteous.
Like Abraham, David did live under the Mosaic Law, but was justified in God's sight in the same way as his forefather - by faith - and not by keeping the Law.
By using Abraham and David as examples of justification by faith, Paul was able to show that the legalistic teaching that men are saved by obeying the Law, is false and unbiblical.
Both Abraham and David were justified by faith and not by keeping the Law.
It was because his sins were forgiven BY FAITH, that David wrote in Psalm 32: How blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered.
Abraham was justified in Ur of the Chaldees, because he believed God and His faith was translated into action when he set out on his journey to the promised land.
David was a man after God's own heart because he believed God's Word, and we see his faith in action when he used his sling to protect the sheep from a lion, and a bear, and when he defied Goliath.
He was justified by faith.
He did not have to carry out some penance or legalistic action to atone for his sin, for all his sins, past, present, and future were forgiven because of his faith in God's sacrifice for sin; Jesus Christ the righteous.
The same blessing is available to for ALL who are justified by grace through faith in Him.
Jesus did not excuse this woman's adultery by finding fault with God's law, for later He challenged her to face her wrong-doing and to go and sin no more. And by His atoning death, she too was forgiven by grace through faith.
And how we praise and thank Him that by grace He took our punishment upon Himself, and through faith in Christ, we are forgiven of all our sins through His atoning death.
Praise God that by faith the PENALTY of sin has been dealt with.
Praise God that all who have been born from above can conquer the world, through living a life of faith.
This is the victory that has conquered the world, even our faith.
Every additional illustration of the godly wife, affirms the importance of being a woman after God’s own heart who follows His instructions.Here in the book of Peter, an additional dimension is added to other godly admonishments, where wives are to graciously submit to their own husbands – and particularly unsaved husbands so that, even if their husband is unsaved and disobey the Christian message, they may be won over to a saving faith by the godly and gracious way their wives conduct themselves, both in private and in public.The responsibility for wives to live in accordance with biblical instruction, has its roots in the way that God ordained that we should live – from the beginning.
Like it or not... the greatest freedom in marriage, as well as in other relationships, is in carrying out God's will and purpose for our lives, in His way, and for His glory.God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son for the redemption of all mankind, and Christian women who are married to unbelieving men, are supplied with the greatest opportunity to draw them to faith in Christ.
God's wisdom is not available to unbelievers and is also hidden from the angelic rulers of this age, for had they understood the incredible saving power of the Cross to redeem humanity - by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory!
The foundation of our faith was laid by the holy apostles and prophets of God and is recorded for us all in the completed Word of God.
He was a skilled singer and a poet, and although a man of faith who acknowledged that God is good to Israel and to all who are pure of heart, Asaph became discouraged and found that his faith wavered when he constantly saw how wicked men seemed to prosper and get away with all sorts of evil practices.
Life seemed so unfair to this man, and his faith in God was sorely tried when he saw how the ungodly prospered and increased in riches and popularity, despite their oppressive ways, crooked schemes, arrogant attitudes, and foul mouths.
Asaph knew that he had led a decent, honest, and respectable life by comparison with these ungodly swaggards, and life seemed so cruel and unfair to this man of faith.
This was the question that was on Asaph's heart, and which caused his faith in God to falter.
But rather, let us declare the wonderful works of Him Who has saved us by grace through faith in Christ, adopted us into His own family, and covered us in Christ's royal robe of righteousness.
Through His death and Resurrection, Jesus broke down the middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile, uniting us together into one Body with one Lord Jesus Christ, one faith in Him for salvation, and one baptism by the Holy Spirit of God into the Body of Christ, which is the Church.
Nevertheless, his responsibility, like ours, is to live by faith in God, to trust the Word of the Lord, and to believe all that God has told us.
We too face increasing pressures in our own day and age and at times, we too may be tempted to consider that the task of living by faith and trusting the Lord is overwhelming in the midst of a crocked and perverse generation.
Christ's sacrifice on the Cross gave every believer access into the presence of God, by faith.
We are only able to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God because we are identified with JESUS. Jesus identified with our sin through His sacrifice so that we could be identified with His righteousness, by faith.
I am sure that Paul had a special place in his heart for these brothers and sisters in Thessalonica who received the message of salvation with joy and peace, who believed despite the severe suffering they were undergoing, and whose exemplary faith was talked about across Greece and beyond: Brethren, beloved by God, he wrote we recognise and know that He has selected you; He has chosen you.
By faith in Him, they were all equal members of the Body of Christ.
They were 'one-in-Christ' and brothers in the faith.
The conduct He calls for can only be achievable by drawing on the supernatural power of the indwelling Spirit of God in a life that is saved by grace through faith, a consecrated heart that is dedicated to serving our blessed Redeemer in spirit and in truth.
Prosperity teachings have sprung up and unscriptural denominations have been formed to push this 'new age' practice of 'positive declaration' in 'The Word of Faith movement'.
The Bible teaches that a man must pray in faith, and without any doubt, unforgiveness, or sin in his heart.
Hebrews outlines another principle of answered prayer, which is a far cry from the 'name-it-and-claim-it' teaching of the Word-of-Faith movement and prosperity teachings: Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
So many today long for a voice or vision to supplement their faith.
But we are to live by faith and not by sight.
We are to live by faith and not by signs.
We are to live by faith and not because of some alternative system that supports our faith.
One week earlier, Christ's other followers were invited to come and touch His body, to see their risen Saviour was not a ghost, so that their faith in Him would similarly be rekindled and inflamed.
On both occasions, to a lesser or greater degree, trust was triggered and faith was stimulated through the physical senses of sight and touch.
But this is not how it should have been, for we are to live by faith and not sight.
Faith is the evidence of things we do not see or touch or hear!
The approval and blessing of God is on the one who has faith in His Son, trusts His Word of truth, and believes the Holy Scriptures.
We are to live by faith, not by sight or sense or situations.
Instead, we discover his faith is reignited as he pronounces a most earth-shattering declaration, for Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!'
Although God knows that trust may be triggered by our senses, emotions, and daily living, He also knows those things can as easily be shattered into a thousand tiny fragments and sifted like wheat by Satan, if faith is not securely anchored to Christ as fact.
There may be times we wished we had lived in the days of the apostles and SEEN the Lord with our own eyes, and felt His gentle touch, but how blessed are we who have not seen Him in the physical realm but have SEEN Him with the spiritual eye of faith and are still able to cry as Thomas did, my Lord, and my God.
Earlier in this Psalm, we are told not to fret about evil-doers nor to be envious of those that work iniquity, for when our mind is correctly focused on the Lord, then our hearts are not weighed down with the troublesome behaviour of the wicked, nor overwhelmed with the continuous influx of evil in the world.Rather, we are instructed to keep the eyes of our heart upon Jesus Who has promised to carry all our burdens and to comfort us in all our affliction so that we may offer solace to others who are also weighed down by the cares of this world and oppressed by evil-doers.As we change our focus onto the Lord, so our faith in Him is excited within our heart and we are encouraged, by David, to trust in the Lord and do good – to feed on His faithfulness so that we may become strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
We are to believe His promises and hold fast to the Word of truth.Just as fretting should be overtaken by trust when God is the focus of our attention, so faith expands into joy when we delight ourselves in the Lord and make Him the singular joy and rejoicing of our heart. Delight yourself in the Lord, we are told.
We are justified by God and forgiven of our sin by grace through faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the Cross.
However, Jesus was not teaching here that we earn the right to God's judicial forgiveness by forgiving other people as this would be contrary to the Bible's teaching that the forgiveness of sin is an expression of God's grace and mercy because of our faith in Christ.
May we, who have been forgiven of our sin by faith in Christ, be quick to forgive others their trespasses, shortcomings, and debts - in the same way that we have been so graciously forgiven by our Father in heaven so that we may maintain sweet fellowship with Him and show forth His goodness and grace in our lives.
Jude urgently encourages believers to stand fast in their faith.
He warns them that they needed to earnestly contend for the faith, and defend the truths of the glorious gospel of Christ which had been entrusted to the apostles for their learning.
Nor do I mean the occasion when a believer is baptised with water, but the moment a soul has been placed/baptised into Christ, by faith.
If you have been born from above, by grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord, these precious verses are written for your edification.
Some Christians say that our great salvation and God's gracious acceptance of us is too easy, and encourages believers into licentious living and a careless attitude, but I suggest to you that as a believer grows and matures in the faith and starts to see the incredible, glorious grace of God and the staggering truth that is outlined in the first few chapters of Ephesians, it will open your eyes to that amazing love of the Father and compel you to glorify His holy name.
The truths that are packed into these early verses of the epistle to the Ephesians should rejoice our heart, steady our soul, dispel our doubts, and strengthen our faith, and we should thank Him continuously for our great salvation and the many precious promises that are ours in Christ.
The first people listed in the 'roll-call of 'faith' in Hebrews, lived before the flood.
The essential quality that identified them as men of faith was having the confident assurance that future events revealed by the Lord will certainly take place, and that things that may be invisible, or hidden from our understanding, are nonetheless true.
Faith that pleases God not only looks back to the origin of the universe and the way He formed the heavens and earth in the beginning, but it also looks ahead to the future.
Faith that honours the Lord believes what God has foretold on how He will bring it to its conclusion.
The two people of faith who lived prior to the flood of Noah, were Abel and Enoch.
While Abel presents the picture of a justified man, Enoch demonstrates the life of a sanctified man, that walked by faith.
It is faith that pleases God, and both Enoch and Abel were men of faith, who pleased God.
The blood-sacrifice that was offered by Abel was accepted by the Lord, Who bore witness to his faith.
God saw the heart of both brothers, but only one was a man of faith who worshipped God.
God commended Abel's faith by accepting his gift, and although he died by the hand of his jealous brother, the faith of this young man has become a great witness throughout generations and a life that points to the true sacrificial Lamb of God, Whose shed blood takes away the sin of the world.
The reverence Abel offered to the Lord through the blood-sacrifice, signifies the first step in a believer's walk of faith, that salvation is by grace through by faith in God's Word.
But once that initial step is taken, a life-walk of faith is needed, and Enoch exemplifies a sanctified man who lived his life by faith in God.
It was Enoch's walk of faith that was pleasing to the Lord.
And it is as we walk in close communion and intimate fellowship with our Heavenly Father, by grace through faith in His Word, that we too become pleasing to Him.
Christ was to die, the Church was to be born, and many were to come to faith in Jesus as the Messiah before that year was completed - and judgement should have fallen on the nation.
Paul had taught them the truth of the gospel of grace and by faith in Jesus, they had been born again, forgiven of their sin, transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son, and received the gift of eternal life.
We live in a fallen world, and there are many challenges that face the believer who has not only trusted Christ for salvation, but is also ready and willing to deny self, take up his cross, follow Christ’s example, and say without compromise – Thy will, not mine, be done.The newborn baby Christian has to grow in grace and mature in the faith over an unspecified period of time, to reach this level of maturity in his faith, while other who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ may slip in and out of carnality and worldliness for many years, stunting their growth and even regressing in their faith back to spiritual infancy.Many, if not all believers, are called to become mature in the faith by walking in spirit and truth and living godly, Christ-centred lives, but few are willing to exchange the cosy blessings of early Christian infancy, for the difficulties that inevitably follow the mature believer.
Few choose to leave behind the elementary teaching about Christ, and press on into maturity.Sadly many believers, although saved by grace through faith in Christ, refuse to move past the elementary principles of the Christian life.
They choose to lay, again and again, the early foundations of their Christian faith i.e.
repentance from dead works and of faith toward God.
In other words, they simply remain in spiritual infancy and keep repeating the first stage of their Christian faith, over and again, without pressing on to spiritual maturity.Many are falsely taught that becoming a Christian will secure a quiet life and provide a ticket to prosperity, with numerous earthly blessings and a free pass from God, to prevent or remove any difficulties or dangers that may arise.
Likewise, as Christians we have to admit our guilt, renounce our idolatry, repent, and recognise that we are sinners who need a Saviour so that by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection we may be cleansed of our wicked ways, forgiven of our sin, washed in His precious blood, declared righteous in the eyes of our heavenly Father, and live a life that is holy unto the Lord.
Let us never forget that many who profess Christianity today do not have a saving faith, but are used by Satan to teach a false gospel and to lead many astray.
True believers who are saved by grace through faith in Christ, stand in stark contrast with those that are unsaved and yet profess with their lips to be Christians.
Because he had been given prophetic insight into God's impending judgement on these wicked cities, it ignited pity in Abraham's heart for the lost souls who lived there, and concern for those like Lot who were credited with righteousness because of their faith in the Lord.
We also know that it is not God's will that any should perish but that all come to faith in Him.
Indeed, the more we understand that the Lord is in control, that He alone can solve the mysteries of the universe, that He is the Author and Finisher of our faith, and our future times are in His hands, that we are enabled to trust in the Lord with all our heart and not lean on our own, limited understanding or attempt to find answers from our own, inadequate imagination.
God has done all things appropriately and well, and He has set eternity in the heart of all men so that those who seek Him with all their heart will find rest for their soul in Him and receive the gift of eternal life through faith in Christ.
He is not obliged to respond to the crazy vows, positive declarations, or affirmative oaths that are promoted by 'Word of Faith' teachers and those that promote the prosperity gospel.
Every child of God is called to mature in the faith and grow in their spiritual life... and throughout the New Testament we are taught that maturity in the faith is tested and established through trials and tribulations.
Peter reminds us that the testing of our faith is more precious than gold and calls on us to rejoice despite being distressed by various difficulties, while Paul encourages us to exult in our trials, knowing that tribulation is a necessary step towards spiritual growth and godly wisdom.
However, we DO need to ask in faith.
We are to pray in faith and trust God to keep His Word.
How important to have a believing heart that trusts God to keep His promises and expects Him to answer our prayers of faith - especially when we are going through difficulties and problems.
And James not only explains WHAT we are to pray for (pray for wisdom), but HOW we are to pray (pray in faith).
The man of God must ask in faith and pray without any doubt in his heart.
When the man of God prays to the Lord in faith, he is stable in his ways and God's grace will sustain him through all the trials and difficulties he may have to face.
What a terrible indictment of a born-again believer who fails to live His life in faith - but rather chooses to pray with an unbelieving heart and is tossed to and fro by every wind of change.
May we develop a trusting heart of thanksgiving and praise that believes God's Word and prays in faith - expecting Him to keep His promises and fulfil his Word.
There are no contradictions in the Word of God, and yet many believers consider this letter of James to be at odds with the teachings of the apostle Paul, for James seems to be basing salvation on works while Paul clearly says, Having be justified by faith we have peace with God.
James is emphasising that genuine salvation is based on works which can be observed by man, while Paul teaches that genuine salvation is based on sincere, heart-faith which can only be seen by God!
Paul is talking about the ROOT of justification, which is by faith, while James is talking about the FRUIT of justification, which is by works.
Only God can see the heart, so only God can see the root of salvation (faith), but when a Christian is walking in spirit and truth, they will produce the fruit of salvation (good works which God has prepared for us to do).
There is complete and perfect harmony between these apparently conflicting teachings, as together they show the relationship between genuine faith and professed faith.
The man who makes an outward profession of faith may be a genuine Christian, but he could also be putting on an act.
Alternatively, his faith could even be in the wrong object.
The object of our faith must be the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, for there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved.
Paul and James are approaching salvation (or saving faith) from two different perspectives (God's and man's).
But James is also making a contrast between a true believer and one that only makes an outward profession of faith while not having truly trusted in the only object of faith which brings salvation to mankind (the death, burial, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God and perfect Son of Man).
In this verse, James is contrasting someone who HAS faith and is born-again with someone who SAYS he has faith and it not born-again.
James is approaching saving faith from man's perspective (show me your faith by your works and I will show you my faith by my works).
For although the genuine faith of a spiritual believer will indeed be accompanied by good works as James indicates here, a carnal believer may have a genuine saving faith and yet be walking in the flesh and not showing forth any good works in their lives, similar to the carnal Christians that Paul described in 1 Corinthians 3.
Genuine faith is visible only to God in the inner heart of a saved man, but genuine faith is not visible to other believers as we cannot see into the heart of one another.
Only the fruit of saving faith can be demonstrated through the good deeds that are carried out to the glory of God by the spiritual Christian who is walking is spirit and truth.
She needed to drink of the living water of life that only comes by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who alone paid the price for her sin, and ours.
The first chapter of Ephesians is weighed down and running over with countless spiritual blessings in heavenly places, which God our Father has freely given to us by grace through faith in His only begotten Son.
He redeemed us from slavery to sin and forgave us all our sins, and He also revealed to us who have been made His children, by grace through faith, the glorious mystery of His will.
God knows all things, past, present, and future, and in His eternal wisdom He knows all who will choose to trust in the Son of His love, by grace through faith.
Many Scripture passages tell us that without faith in the Son of God it is impossible for the unbeliever to be saved.
We are told in Hebrews that without faith it is impossible for the believer to please God.
Faith in God is simply believing His Word.
Faith simply trusts what God has told us.
For the unbeliever, faith in God is trusting in the death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus for redemption, trusting Him for the forgiveness of sins.
For the Christian, faith in Christ is simply trusting God to finish the good work that He started in our lives when we were first saved, trusting God's Spirit to work in us for our Christian growth.
The Christian faith is the only one that claims their Founder is risen from the dead and alive for evermore.
Its members believe in the historical Cross of Christ, and have placed their faith in the sacrifice that He made on that Cross, which saves people from their sins.
But now He is risen, ascended, and glorified, and He has the power to save to the uttermost all who come to Him in faith.
Death has no more dominion over Christ, and He is the firstborn from the dead, paving the way for the bodily resurrection and everlasting life for all who believe in Him by grace through faith.
It is His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection in which we place our faith, and those who have trusted Christ as Saviour, have been given the indwelling Holy Spirit as God's guarantee that they will also receive a resurrection body.
We are permitted a peep behind the heavenly scene, where this man, who was justified in the eyes of God by faith, became the target of Satan's accusations.
The Tribulation period is not only to punish the nations for rejecting God's offer of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but is designed to punish His people for their rebellious apostasy, defiant idolatry, and many centuries of disobedience.
May we recognise that the time is short and do all that we can to tell a lost world that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ, Who faced the wrath of God for us when He died on the Cross.
He exposes the dangers of allowing partiality to influence our judgement about other people, and teaches on faith and works, justification and sanctification, and the dangers of an unstable mind.
And James also teaches about the effects of true and false wisdom – the cause of covetousness and its righteous cure.And here in this verse, the apostle simply explains to his readers the consequences of knowing what is godly and honourable in the sight of the Lord, and yet refusing to carry it out... therefore, he warns, to the one who knows the right thing to do yet does not do it, to him it is sin.The man or woman who has become a child of God by faith, may not be under the law of Moses, but we are most certainly under the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, and James teaches that to know what is good but to do what is evil – whether in thought, word, or deed, dishonours the Lord Who bought us with His precious blood and blemishes our testimony for Christ.As children of God, our motive and attitude should be to live for Christ every moment of the day – to present our lives as a living sacrifice to Him, to trust His Word and walk in utter dependence on Him, moment by moment, and for His greater glory.Living the Christian life as God intended and instructed, should be the main aim of the Christian, and failure to do so is identified by James as a sin which should be confessed to the Lord and addressed in our life if we are to remain in holy fellowship with the Father and grow in grace, to His honour and glory.
Whether we are faced with fleshly temptations that rise up from our old sin nature or testing trials that come from above, we know that God takes all things and weaves them beautifully together for good, to those that love God and are called by grace through faith in Christ, according to His good purpose.
James calls us to meet our various trials with an attitude of joyful thanksgiving, knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance.
If we meet endurance with a godly attitude of complete dependence upon God and trust in His unfailing Word, we discover that the end result of that testing trial will be the perfecting of our faith as we grow in grace and draw closer to our Heavenly Father, in love.
The barbaric suffering and humiliation that accompanied Christ’s cruel death at Calvary was designed to bring to completion God’s foreordained redemption plan which He purposed would bring many condemned sinners back into a right relationship with God, by faith, and adopt them into His family as His children.The death of His only begotten Son was acceptable to the Father, because He alone was worthy to pay the price for the sin of the world.
He became the Founder of our faith and Finisher of our salvation.Though He was fully God and a perfect, sinless Man, Christ was to be made perfect during His sojourn on earth, through a willing obedience to His Father and the things that He suffered as He walked towards the Cross: For it was fitting for Him, for Whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.Jesus was not 'made perfect' through some moral refinement or lessons on virtue, for perfection can’t be advanced or improved.
One cannot get away from the Jewish nature of Matthew's Gospel and for good reason, for salvation is from the Jews because salvation must come through faith in JESUS, the Jewish Messiah.
As he brings his prayer to a close, the writer leaves us in no doubt that God is ready to hear the cry of His people who trust in Him, for He is ready and willing to answer the prayer that is made in faith.
It denounces justification by works of the law, insists that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone, and like the epistles to the Romans and Hebrews, it quotes the singular, most noteworthy verse from Habakkuk that prompted the great 16th century reformation: The just shall live by faith.
Galatians confirms the reformers' premise that the Bible is the plumb-line for truth, with Scripture being the sole authority in matters of faith as it relates to the salvation of the soul.
It stresses that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
Paul's intense hatred of legalism was because he himself had been entrapped in its web of deception, and it pained him to see these dear folk in Galatia being so brutally deceived by this legalist teaching that places men back under the curse of the Law after having been liberated by God's grace through faith.
They did not know Paul personally, but they kept hearing, He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.
Paul was praising God for saving his soul from damnation and setting his feet on the pathway to peace with God, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and he did not want the Galatian believers to put themselves back under the Law, as these Judaisers were teaching.
No wonder Paul said that anyone who teaches a different gospel other than salvation by grace alone through faith in Christ alone, is to be cursed.
May we be willing to stand up for the gospel of Grace, when legalistic teachers tell us that salvation requires something in addition to faith.
Paul is not only talking about the fleshly desire to acquire riches, but the accompanying worries of keeping it safe and hoarding it up.Sadly, the love of money can become a snare with many barbs which plunge men into ruin and destruction – for the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil and some - by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
As Christians, we live in the dispensation of grace and although all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus during this Church Age are saved by grace through faith in Him - this particular prophecy specifically relates to Israel and the coming Great Tribulation period when all who call on the name of Jesus will be saved from God's terrible wrath.
A multitude without number will call on the name of the Lord - but will be slain for their faith in Christ during this time of trouble, while those who are saved to the very END of the Tribulation will become citizens in Christ's Millennial Kingdom.
The book of Revelation tells us that there will be a multitude without number who call on His name and will be eternally saved... despite being beheaded for their faith during the Great Tribulation - and together with the Church age believers, these martyred saints will rule with Christ for 1000 years.
And Christ's victory is ours by faith, for we are His Body and are identified with Him and He with us.
And because our battle is against spiritual rulers of darkness that influence the evil that is taking place in this world today, they can never be defeated in our lives through natural weapons and worldly ways. There is only one way to defeat the spiritual enemy that seeks to shipwreck our faith in Christ Jesus, and it is through the Holy Spirit of God Who works in believers.
Christ's victory at Calvary is ours by faith today.
But God in His mercy and love looked down in pity on a rebellious race of prideful men, and purposed in His heart that by His grace and mercy, through faith in Christ, He would redeem this lost and dying race.
God's way is by faith, and salvation is a free and irreversible gift of God's grace to man.
Salvation is only given to those that have faith in the Messiah; the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.
Old Testament saints believed in the coming of a promised Messiah, while Church age believers put their trust in their risen Saviour, but it is ALL by faith.
However hard man tries to please God, the only way possible is by faith in Jesus Christ: Unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
But to those of us who have been saved through faith, walking in truth and love, and growing in grace through the process of sanctification, it is the power of God.
Everyone who has been saved by grace through faith in Christ will be victors who will inherit these things, and thirsty souls will be refreshed and renewed.
He is the Perfecter and Finisher of our Faith.
He is the Anchor of our soul, the Bread of Life, the Living Water, and He is the One who gives the water of eternal life to whosoever thirsts, for He is the One Who has provided salvation, by grace through faith in Him.
An attitude of tranquillity should be part of a normal Christian life, for we receive peace with God when we are justified by faith in Christ's finished work on Calvary, and we have ongoing access to the peace of God when we remain in fellowship with Him - in purity of heart - in the unity of the spirit.
It is the Spirit of peace Who reconciles man to God through faith in Jesus Christ and gives us the ministry of reconciliation.
Peace with God, through faith in Christ, can never be lost, or left, or stolen away, but the peace of God, which is Paul's prayer for these saints in Rome, is an inner peace that is readily available to all who walk in spirit and truth.
But if we suffer for doing what is right in God's eyes; obeying His Word, holding fast to that which is good, proclaiming the good news of the gospel, or simply placing our faith in Christ as Lord and Saviour, we may well have to face mocking, threats, persecution, and death.
We live in a world where the vast majority of people are dead in their trespasses and sins, at enmity with God, and have willingly rejected His gracious offer of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are not to fear our adversaries or be troubled if they mock our faith or be fearful by their threats and animosity.
Paul said that the intimidation and trouble Christians face because of our faith in Christ, is sharing in His suffering: That I may know Christ, was Paul's prayer.
But what did Paul mean when he said, in order that I might attain to the resurrection of the dead? Paul was already saved by grace through faith!
For as in Adam all die, so also those who are positioned in Christ, by faith, will all be made alive and be resurrected from the dead. So why would Paul strive to attain to the resurrection of the dead?
Paul already had the assurance of the resurrection of the dead, due to his faith in Jesus.
He knew that the good works that we do to the glory of God have no effect on our salvation - for salvation is exclusively by grace through faith in Christ's sacrifice.
Paul knows that spiritual knowledge, godly counsel, and an understanding of the Scripture, is able to make us wise for salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The prayer that is offered to God in faith proceeds from a heart that is pleasing to the Lord.
David's prayer was uttered to the Lord from a heart that was open and clean before Him, for he had faith in the God to Whom he prayed, and he expected God to hear and answer his prayer.
It is not faith in prayer that is powerful, but faith in the God to whom he prayed that caused the prayers of David to be effective, for David trusted the Word of the true and living God.
Empty prayer from a heart of unbelief or the insincere prayer of pretence avails little, for without faith in the God to Whom we are praying it is impossible to please Him, for whoever comes to God in prayer must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently search for Him.
Prayer is the privilege of people who are saved by grace thorough faith in Christ, for by His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, He tore down the dividing wall between God and man and gave us access to His throne of grace, for mercy to find help in time of need.
Anxiety not only demonstrates a lack of confidence in God and a lack of faith in His Word, it is deliberate disobedience to His clear directive.
We are to tell Him all our needs, lay all our burdens down at His feet and leave them there, for as anxiety is set aside, so our faith will correspondingly increase.
Worry has a detrimental effect on our fellowship with the Father, for as faith increases so worry is eliminated.
But if worry is allowed to bubble-up in our heart and ferment in our mind, so faith begins to falter and the enemy is given a foothold.
True prayer comes from a worshipful heart of thanksgiving and praise that is looking to the Lord by faith to supply everything we need, according to His riches in glory.
When the prayer of faith sees the Lord as the sole supplier of our every need, we should be anxious for nothing but trust Him in everything.
It is by faith that we were saved, and it must be by faith that we live.
It is by faith that every anxious thought is banished from our heart, and when faith in our Heavenly Father is translated into prayers and supplication, with thanksgiving, our requests may be made in quietness and in confidence that He will hear and answer.
It is to God that our prayers and petitions are made and through our Saviour that our prayers are presented, because we have been saved by grace through faith in Him.
By grace through faith we are one with Him, and in the power of the Spirit have been imputed with the righteousness of God and have the sinless life of Christ dwelling within.
May the Word of Christ dwell in us richly so that we only say and do those things that are honouring in His sight so that others will be blessed, we will mature in the faith, and God will be glorified.
All who are credited with righteousness through faith, have the new life of Christ breathed into our soul, for though Adam became a living soul, Jesus became a life-giving spirit.
And through faith in Him, we have newness of life, and are granted His everlasting life within.
Mary was the blessed vessel that God used to bring forth the Son of His love into the world, and together with Mary we all look to Jesus as the Author and Finisher of our faith: My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour, was her glorious song of rejoicing which was recorded in Scripture - when she praised God that the child in her womb was indeed her own God and Saviour.
The wages of sin is death, but the Son of God set aside His heavenly glory in order to clothe Himself with human flesh and take upon Himself the punishment that we deserve so that by faith in Him we might be forgiven of our sin and returned into the same privileged fellowship with the Father that man enjoyed before the fall - but to do so God had to become man.
Abraham was a man who believed God and his faith was credited to him as righteousness - such that all men and women who share 'like-faith' with Abraham are also credited with righteousness and become his descendants.
He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to men who live by faith - and their faith is credited to them as righteousness.
The disciples had just seen the Lord Jesus feed 5000 men with a few small loaves and fishes, walk right to the middle of the Sea of Galilee on the surface of the water to join the disciples on their fishing boat, give Peter the authority and power to walk on water himself - and then witness him being rescued from drowning by the strong arm of the Lord Jesus when his faith failed!
The desire of his heart is that those who have come to faith through his ministry might not sin but would strive to live lives that are holy and acceptable to God: My little children, he says, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin...
As part of God's family, through faith in Christ, we are all called to be holy because our Heavenly Father is holy.
John knows that we are fallen men and fallen women with a sinful nature who have been saved by grace, redeemed by the blood of Christ, identified with His righteousness, and forgiven of our sin through faith in Him.
And because of our faith in Christ Jesus, God will graciously open His arms of love wide and show us the nail prints in His hands which paid the price for your sin and mine.You see, little children, our sins are all forgiven, forever, to those that believe.
It was once said that trials are the food for faith to feed upon, and this is a truth voiced elsewhere in Scripture.
In James, we read that a man who endures trials is blessed because it produces endurance, while Peter tells us that difficult trials come to sharpen our faith.
He learned that despite the difficulties and problems life throws at each of us, a heart that praises God translates into a soul whose faith is fortified.
Whether his enemy is a group or an individual person, the intense pressure the psalmist is under, caused him to reaffirm his faith and testify that the Lord is His strength and stay, while momentarily mourning because of his oppression and asking why God had abandoned and rejected him.
We read in Hebrews that it is a terrible and terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God, but from start to finish, the Bible informs us of the singular way to avoid this horrible and horrifying happening - and it is by faith: He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus, for they have received forgiveness of sin, by faith, and been declared righteous by God.
Christ has made known to us the Father... and the Father has unveiled to us the Son in the person of Jesus Christ - for in Him dwells all the might, majesty, dominion, power, and fullness of the Godhead bodily... and by grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord we have been saved and made one - with Him.
There is also one faith with a settled body of doctrine that is clearly laid out in Scriptures, one baptism into the Body of Christ at the moment of salvation, one God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one Holy Spirit Who gives spiritual gifts to all who are positioned in Christ.
Most importantly, they were the ones who were to lay the doctrinal foundations of the Christian Church upon which our faith rests, for they were to author the Holy Scriptures.
And so it was that by grace through faith, all who looked on the brass serpent of judgement, lived.
It was not the killing of the fiery serpents that would save the souls of the stricken Israelites in the wilderness nor pretending that the snake-bite did not exist, but looking by grace through faith at the substitute that God had placed in the midst of their camp.
It is only by looking at God's perfect Sacrifice for sin, Jesus Christ, our sin-Substitute Who was lifted up on the Cross so that all who would look on Him by grace through faith would live.
Let us exult His name together, and let us lift up the beautiful name of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world that has been bitten by sin so that they too may look and live, by grace through faith in Him.
The prayers and praises of the aged believer who has walked with the Lord throughout his days and trusts in the Lord with childlike faith, is a source of encouragement and hope for all who are blessed to be in their company and for generations to come.
Promises were made when Abraham set out from Haran by faith to go to the Promised Land, and again, by the oaks of Mamre, when the birth of Isaac was reaffirmed.
Because Abraham is the father of faith and all believers are his 'spiritual seed', God's pledge and guarantee to Abraham encompasses every man, woman, boy, and girl who has believed in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world.
The assurance we have in our great salvation, by faith in Christ, is rooted in this oath the Lord made to His servant.
It is a pledge and a guarantee to all the spiritual seed of Abraham; not only to those who are of the Law, but also to Gentiles of faith; not only to the Israel of God (believing Jews pre and post Cross), but also to believing Gentiles.
May we who have trusted Him for salvation take refuge in the strong encouragement we gain from this passage and take hold of the salvation that is ours by faith in Christ.
And as the Rock on which we stand, He is the firm foundation upon which our faith is built and the top-most cornerstone that completes all that we are in Christ.
Paul knew the importance of relational closeness with the Lord Jesus, for by faith in His sacrificial death on our account, we were positioned in Him, and eternally united with Him.
As a result of our new birth, we are united in Him by faith, and all who are truly united together with Christ have been baptised into His Body.
Paul knew the importance of having a close relationship with His Saviour, which caused him to rejoice and say: The life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.
It is by faith that we are placed in union with Christ.
May we who have been saved by grace through faith put on the new man and abide in Christ, day by day, for we have been made a new creation in Him: Created according to God's likeness - in righteousness and purity of the truth.
The song Zachariah sang when his newborn babe was about to be circumcised, is a most beautiful expression of faith in practice.
The words of faith he spoke were factual words that would be realised at the Cross and yet will be fully executed in future time.
May we be those whose faith is established and anchored to the facts of Scripture, for when faith is founded on God's unchangeable Word, we know ALL that He has promised WILL be completed, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Throughout the book of Hebrews, faith in the Word of God and the superiority of Christ have been the author's focal point, together with a series of warnings against unfaithfulness, immaturity, falling short of God's perfect plan, or making the same mistakes that Israel made throughout their chequered history i.e.
Having been saved by grace through faith in Christ, obtaining eternal redemption through the one and only means of salvation (by trusting in the Cross of Christ, for the forgiveness of sins) we are warned not to become legalistic, by reverting back to the Levitical system.
We are encouraged to continue to walk in spirit and truth and to live by faith, not by works of the Law: For we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, (legalists or carnal believers) but are those who have faith to the saving of the soul, (spiritual believers).
We are those who have faith to the saving of the soul.
We are not the sort of Christians that revert back to the former, legal system that believers followed before the Cross... we are not those who shrink back to perdition. There may be times when a believer does shrink back through fear, lack of faith, leaving our first love, or falling into some fleshly lust but we must never forget that ALL truly born again believers are held securely in the hands of God - and cannot shrink back unto perdition.
We have God's assurance that nothing can pluck us out or His hands and nothing can separate us from the love of God which is eternally ours - by faith in Christ Jesus.
'We' in this verse, distinguishes the saved from 'those' that are unsaved. 'We' separates genuine believers from 'those' that are false converts or apostates. 'We' are those that overcome - and John tells us that whoever is born of God overcomes the world - and this is the victory that has overcome the world - even our faith.
The saving the soul and our eternal victory in Christ is diametrically opposite of shrinking back to perdition and eternal destruction. Because we have been eternally redeemed by the blood of Christ, let us live by faith - to the saving of the soul so that we may reap a reward and not suffer loss of reward.
For an unbeliever, the saving of the soul is salvation by grace through faith, BUT when we are already born again, the saving of our soul occurs when a believer lives their life for Christ and dies to self.
Now faith is a well-grounded and sure assurance of that for which we hope for, in Christ.
May we live by faith - in spirit and in truth, and not by sight, to the glory of God - for the saving of our soul.
The first thing that Paul wrote, after his characteristic greeting of grace be to you and peace, was a grateful word of thanksgiving to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, for the faith which was being proclaimed throughout the whole world by these dearly beloved saints in Rome.
However, his earnest desire to visit these believers, share their common faith, and give one another spiritual encouragement, was evidenced in the historical record of the book of Acts, and elsewhere.
Paul's heartfelt desire to visit the believers in Rome was to further establish them in the faith which is reflected in this verse of Scripture: always in my prayers I make request, if perhaps now at last, by the will of God, I may succeed in coming to you - For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established..
that is, that I may be encouraged together with you, while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine.
We do not know who initially shared the good news of the gospel of grace with the people of Rome, but we do know that the epistle to the Romans that Paul wrote to the saints there, was the most comprehensive and structured exposition of every aspect of our Christian faith which we would all do well to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest - to be established in the faith and grounded in the truth of the glorious gospel of God.
Every attack on Christianity has its roots in Satan's demonic agenda which is designed to blaspheme the God of heaven and earth, to discredit His holy Word, to belittle the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus on the Cross, to blind the eyes of the unsaved who are perishing, and to shipwreck the lives of those that have been saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.
The Christians at Galatia had started their Christian life so well by trusting in the Lord Jesus for salvation by faith.
Earlier in his letter, Paul had already challenged them with the question: Did You receive the Spirit by works of the Law or by the hearing of faith?
But having begun in the Spirit by the hearing of faith, these believers were now trying to perfect themselves by the flesh.
Let us be earnest in our search for truth, and in His strength seek to remain steadfast in our faith and true to the gospel of God.
Let us run the race that is set before us, looking away from the world and looking steadfastly to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Let us never forget that just as we were justified by faith when we first believed, we are to spend the rest of our lives being sanctified by faith in the power of the Spirit, as we abide in Christ and submit to the leading and guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
As Christians, we have a been brought into a family relationship with God through our union with Christ, by faith.
But we are expected to take responsibility for walking in spirit and truth, living as unto the Lord, trusting in the Word of God, depending on our Heavenly Father, submitting to the Holy Spirit, abiding in Christ, and appropriating all that is ours in Him, by faith.
We are presented with a feast of all the privileges that are ours in Christ Jesus Who has delivered us out of the power of darkness and translated us into His kingdom, by grace through faith.
Salvation is indeed by grace alone - through faith alone - in Christ alone, but never let us ignore that tremendous price that God Himself had to pay so that you and I could be given this free gift of salvation.
He won’t leave you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the Lord’s house is finished. These and other examples demonstrate that courage and faith are closely linked in the life of a believer.
Faith in God's promises fuels our courage, while courage is the result of trusting God's Word.
Christ was giving His disciples an important lesson in courageous faith - for He has promised never to leave us or forsake us, even to the end of the age.
He has purposed to bring the work that God has determined to do through us to completion if we have courage - if we have faith, for He has promised to supply ALL we need.
The Lord could have prevented the storm and kept the disciples safe in peaceful waters, but He could not have called out His reassuring word to have courage so as to demonstrate that He is an ever-present help in need.He could have left them to rely on their own skill or encourage a self-generated, self-reliance that is independent of God, but He wanted to reinforce their faith in Him.
But we have to develop that courageous faith that knows that the Lord is near and His ear is open to our every cry - for He cares for us all.He knows the difficulties and fears that we are facing and He is well-able to prevent every one of them, for He is the master of the creation and upholds the world in the palm of His hand.
But He sometimes allows the storms to batter our lives, for He wants us to trust Him in all situations and to cast all our cares upon Him so that as we increase in faith, we depend on Him more and more - trusting in His never-failing faithfulness.
Having set the scene of our present privileged position and glorious future destiny in the first three chapters, Paul opens a section which calls Christians to stand fast in the evil day, to press on despite the difficulties we face, and to live by faith and not by sight: We do not lose heart, are his inspiring words: We don't give up or faint from fear, for although our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
The new life we received at salvation is being transformed into the image and likeness of Christ, as we mature in the faith, grow in grace, and gain a more intimate knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
And it is all by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, our only God and Saviour.
The woman's reply greatly blessed the Lord Jesus, for it demonstrated a faith that was rare, even among His own Jewish nation: O woman, he replied, Great is your faith.
Salvation must come through faith in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father and prophesied Messiah of Israel.
This Gentile woman may have addressed Jesus incorrectly at the beginning, when she appealed to Him by His Messianic title 'Son of David', but she acknowledged Him as her LORD, and so her faith was credited as righteousness.
And because of her faith, her demon-possessed daughter was also made whole.
The lesson we all have to learn is that it is only by faith in Christ that we are redeemed by God and declared righteous, for salvation is by grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord and Israel's Messiah.
This verse is a simple, yet timely reminder, that we are to live by faith in the Word of Truth, and to trust God's judgement in all things, for He sends blessings on the just and unjust alike, and He takes the foolish schemes and rebellious actions of men and turns them to His greater glory, in order to fulfil His ultimate plan and purpose, which is that Christ is all in all.
However, salvation was not automatically credited to Israelites simply because of their earthly parentage, but by their faith in God.
They were not redeemed by being born an Israelite, but by faith in God.
Both before and after the Cross, salvation is by grace through faith and righteousness is credited to ALL who believe God's Word... but before the Cross, there was a distinct difference between Jew and Gentile, the circumcised and the uncircumcised.
Not only have we been declared righteous by faith but also we have been given the indwelling Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which has set us free from enslavement to the old sin nature and freed us from the power of sin in our daily lives.
We have been renewed by faith and not by adopting a religious system.
We are clothed with a new spiritual life by faith and not by works, and begin a process whereby we are being transformed into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ, Himself.
We have been clothed with a new self, simply by faith which is being remoulded and remade into an increasingly fuller knowledge of Christ so that we become like Him Who created us.
Such men and women have rejected God's free gift of salvation by faith and have lives that are characterised by conflict with God, discord with God, disobedience towards God, and the disputing the truth of of God's Word.
There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus (which is accessed by faith) for God's wrath was poured out upon Him in our stead and we have been forgiven and have received the gift of eternal life by God's grace and through faith in Christ.
The Lord knows His people, but His people must know their Lord and trust in the power of His might, by faith – so they can say in full assurance, The Lord is my strength I will not trust in my own abilities; the Lord is my strength and I will trust in Him.The Lord not only gives us His strength in time of need, but He also blesses His people with peace.
Having defended his divinely appointed apostleship, clearly expounded the gospel of grace, and insisted that justification is by faith alone through faith in Christ, and not by works of the Law, he turns his attention on how to put his teachings into practice; how to live by faith.
In this section, Paul wants his readers to apply the truth of God's Word and appropriate what is already ours by faith in Christ, for we have ALL we need for life and godliness, as a gift of God's grace.
We are to stand firm in the faith by looking to Jesus.
We are to refuse to find 'favour' with God through practices like circumcision, rather than by faith in Christ alone.
There is only one way to please God and gain His approval and that is by faith in Christ (believing His Word and fulfilling His will).
We are to walk worthy of our position in Christ by faith.
Not by trying to carry out a list of 'conditions' but by believing His Word, for without faith it is impossible to please God.
We are to live by faith and to walk in spirit and truth.
But as a good steward of the manifold grace of God, through faith in Christ, Peter urges us to live a God-honouring life, reminding us that as a soldier of Christ we should not be surprised when we suffer for His sake, but consider it both a privilege and an honour.
It is designed to test your faith to the degree with which you share in the sufferings of Christ.
Our time of earth is very fleeting in comparison with the eternal state that awaits all who are saved by grace through faith.
We, who are been born again by grace through faith, can see an astonishing parallel between Esther's story of deliverance for her people, and God's redemptive plan of salvation for the whole of mankind.
But the day is coming when their eyes will be opened and they will cry out in faith, Blessed is He - JESUS - Who comes in the name of the Lord.
It was his love for Christ that compelled Paul to share relentlessly the ministry of reconciliation through the glorious gospel of grace; whereby Christ died for all so that by faith in Him we should not live for ourselves any longer, but for Him Who died and rose again.
The Father gives to the Son all those who have demonstrated faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of Christ.
The whole company of believers who trust in Christ for salvation becomes a sovereign love-gift from God the Father to God the Son, through time and into eternity We are also given God's supreme assurance that all who come by grace through faith in Christ, will be given to Him by the Father and none shall pluck them out of His hands, and this is God's sovereign will.
Everyone who comes to Christ is given the assurance that: The one who comes to Me (by grace though faith) I will certainly not cast out.
Those who are saved are simply those who have chosen to believe God's Word and by faith have trusted Christ as Saviour, while those who perish are simply those who have chosen to reject God's free gift of grace.
This beautiful truth nestles in the midst of the section in Romans where Paul expresses his deep desire that all his fellow Israelites, who had not accepted Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah, would come to saving faith in Him as the Messiah of Israel and the Saviour of the world.
We do not have a righteousness of our own. Our spiritual nakedness is covered by Christ's righteousness which comes to us through faith in Him.
But being saved by grace through faith and clothed in Christ is not the end goal but the beginning of our new life in Him, and every day we should strive to know Him more, to love Him better, to listen to His voice, to obey His Word, and to develop an ever-closer relationship with Him. This demands a singleness of purpose, a sole objective – one determined aim.
The single-minded fervour we see in the lives of Paul, James, David, and even the Lord Jesus points to the fact that a man with a single aim is a man God can use and that single aim is to carry out the will of the Father, in all His ways.The complacent Christian does not have an urgency to be about his Father’s business and the proud believer has an alternative agenda, while those that are lukewarm in their faith seem indifferent to their spiritual growth.
And although the northern kingdom of Israel was never brought back to Jerusalem like the southern kingdom of Judah, there has always been a faithful remnant who believed God, and their faith is credited as righteousness.
They responded to the good news Paul taught, by placing their faith in the Lord Jesus.
The fact that these believers displayed the work of faith, labour of love, steadfast hope in the Lord, and joy in the Holy Spirit, despite the many tribulations they underwent, is something we should seek to emulate.
While the title and content of Hebrews suggests that its initial audience were immature converts from Judaism who were in danger of leaving their Christian faith and returning to the Law of Moses, the subject matter, instructions, and warnings offered in Hebrews are equally pertinent to Christians of today who have legalistic teachers, or trust in a works-based salvation message.
Rather, we are exhorted to be steadfast in our faith and press on towards spiritual maturity.
They are commissioned by God to be of service to those that are His children by faith in Christ.
Paul's letter was to encourage them to stand strong in the faith - even in the midst of great trouble and strife.
He explained that instead of silencing the gospel, his incarceration in a Roman prison had the opposite effect - even members of the prison guard understood that Paul was in chains for Christ's sake, and many were coming to faith in the Lord Jesus through Paul's ministry... despite his unjust imprisonment.
Let us read the Bible with the eye of faith, with an understanding heart, with godly discernment, and in its correct historical context, and let us apply it in our lives in spirit and in truth.
This healing was highly significant, not only because the leper was cleansed, but because of the man's demonstrable faith and Christ's compassionate actions.
The very words of this man showed the genuine, depth of faith this leper had in Christ's power to heal, for he acknowledged Jesus as 'Lord'.
May we never lose track of the incredible privilege God's gift of salvation is to each of us who are saved by grace through faith.
Blessed are the poor in spirit for it is only the heart that is broken before the Lord and truly humbled under a deep conviction of one's own unworthiness before a holy and righteous God, that a man or woman of faith can offer to the Lord the sacrifice of a broken heart - a living sacrifice, worthy of His acceptance.
Such lowliness of spirit proceeds from a heart of faith, which is looking to Christ as Advocate.
They, however, had to spend those same 10 days exercising faith in Christ and believing His word would come true.
The precious promises and many assurances of His never-failing presence would not fail for His Word is true, but they were to exhibit FAITH in His Word.
John's ministry was well known, for people throughout Judea were flocking to the river Jordan to come back, in faith, to the God of their fathers, confessing their sins, and undergoing his baptism of repentance.
God is the source of all love, and herein is love: Not that we loved Him but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. And we who have become part of His family by faith, are obligated to love as Christ loved us and to give our lives in sacrificial service for the benefit of others and to the glory of God.
He had been saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus and set free from the curse of the Law.
Paul came to realise that it was Jesus Whom he had been persecuting in his murderous attempt to wipe out the Christian faith, and that in so doing he was fighting Almighty God.
What a wake-up call to Paul, who in his religious fervour, discovered that it was Jesus Who gave His life sacrificially so that by faith in Him, he might find forgiveness of sin and life everlasting.
Paul now recognised that as a follower of the despised Nazarene, the troubles, trials, dangers, disappointments, discomforts, and distresses that he faced were a result of his Christian faith.
While money can be an excellent servant of man and is able to do much good, the writer to the Hebrews identifies the love of money as a key hindrance to inner contentment. In his letter to Timothy, Paul also warns that the love of money is a root of all sorts of evils and that some believers have so hankered after money as to be led astray from the faith.
Well, godliness with contentment is great gain, while a discontented soul breeds murmuring against God, as was seen in Israel’s wilderness walk, and grumbling is a poisonous root of unbelief that demonstrates a lack of faith in the Lord our God.
Titus was a trusted minister of the gospel, and Paul's 'true son in the common faith'.
Titus was a prominent minister of the gospel, and Paul recognised that the out-working of his life could be offered as an exemplary model of the Christian faith for others to imitate, for his godly lifestyle was a practical demonstration of the doctrine he taught: In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, Paul urged, Conduct yourself with purity in doctrine and be dignified and sound in speech, which is beyond reproach.
When we are faced with difficult decisions or find our faith is being challenged, we should turn to God's Word and read through this series of Psalms which will bring our focus back to the Lord our God and the joy of our salvation.
The bruised reed in this verse is an illustration of a man or woman who has been battered and broken through life's circumstances and whose faith is failing or whose Christian resolve has worn thin.
We may face injustice in this world as the enemy of our soul seeks to discredit our testimony, discourage our hearts, and destroy our faith, but Jesus has promised never to leave us and to be with us whatever betides.
Though already justified by God through their faith in Him, Moses set before them a choice - life and prosperity OR death and adversity.
The first generation of Israelites demonstrated their faith in God by obeying His command - killing a Passover lamb and smearing its blood on the lintels of their houses, as instructed by the Lord.
This second generation of Israelites were also justified because of their faith.
Like Abraham who believed God's Word, this generation of Israelites were also justified because of their faith - not because of their parentage.
Jew and Gentile alike are only justified by grace through FAITH.
Like Abraham, and all the redeemed, we are justified by grace through faith.
We either grow in grace and mature in the faith, through submitting to Him OR remain in spiritual infancy and waste our opportunities to honour His name.
We either work the works of God by faith and enjoy sweet fellowship with our Heavenly Father, OR ignore the work that God has prepared for us, go our own way, and remain estranged from our God and out of fellowship with our Lord and Saviour.
This was the choice that lay before this second generation of Israelites as they prepared to cross into the Promised Land and that day, Moses set before them life and prosperity, victory and honour - through living a life of faith, OR death and adversity, defeat and dishonour - through living a life of disobedience.
Men's hearts were turned away from the Lord and they became obsessed with a man-centred faith rather than a God-focussed trust.
So God made a covenant with Israel... that they would be His people and He would be their God, but the covenant was conditional upon their obedience and faith and from the very beginning they turned their hearts away from the Lord.
Do we trust in the works of man or place our faith in the strength of fleshly achievements?
This is a true story, but it is also a beautiful picture of developing faith; a simple childlike trust in the Lord Jesus which gave birth to the salvation of the soul for the forgiveness of sins, life everlasting, and spiritual growth.
He talked of man's relationship with God as His children, which was something that these idolators related to, but he did not mention that we were dead in our trespasses and sin which has estranged us from the living God until by faith we are born again into His family.
Paul described the Man Whom God had appointed to judge the world, but he did not mention the name of Jesus Who died to pay the penalty for sin and Who would save them by grace through faith in His finished work at Calvary.
This verse was not only a blessing to the believers at Corinth but to all Christians; to all who have been saved by grace through faith.
Oh, we are certainly being sanctified in this life as we grow in grace and mature in the faith through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, but even this group, whom we discover to be the most carnal Christians in the New Testament, have been sanctified in Christ Jesus and set apart unto God.
David knew that God’s loving-kindness was ever before his eyes, for he was a man of faith who trusted God's Word.
Despite his faith in the Lord and in spite of being a man after God's own heart, David had to endure many difficulties and dangers, but he knew that God would not fail Him nor forsake him.
The Lord took his problems and pain so as to increase David's dependence and faith on Him.
Let us trust in His unfailing promises, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks, knowing that through the difficulties we face, our faith in Him will be increased and strengthened, and His holy name will be honoured.
The Messiah had to come through the Seed of Abraham, the father of faith.
Whosoever will, may have their spiritual eyes opened by grace through faith in Him.
Whosoever will, may come to Him freely and drink of the water of Life, eat of the living Bread, and be transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son, by faith.
Such people seem to go out of their way to provoke others to anger, rather than displaying a living faith through godly wisdom, understanding, a Christlike kindness, and graciousness of heart.
Paul used his own life as an example of how to live in spirit and in truth - how to live by faith and not by sight.
He demonstrated a life that had died to its own desires and lived for Christ alone, until he was enabled to say, The life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God... it is not I that live but Christ Who lives in me.
Not only are we to stay true to the never-changing written Word of God, which was inspired by the Spirit of truth, but this glorious gospel of God is to be delivered with faith and shared in love - and should remain our benchmark for truth.
Without faith it is impossible to please God and love, alone, comes through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Faith must never be compromised but the truth must always be delivered in love.
Similarly, the truth must never be compromised BUT the truth should always be shared by faith and in love.
We who by God's grace have been placed in Christ by faith, are identified with Him and He with us.
Christ identified with our sin and took the punishment that we deserve so that we might identify with His righteousness by faith, and not only be forgiven of our sin but also receive in our body His very life.
Christ, the sacrificial Lamb of God, paid the price for sin so that His eternal resurrected life could become the present and eternal possession of all who trust in Him by faith.
Just as He identified with our sin and died on our account, so we by grace through faith are identified with His life.
Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again, and we who are identified with His life by faith, have the same relationship with death.
Simeon was a righteous man who had been promised by God that he would not die before he had seen the promised Hope of Israel, and his faith in God's Word was not disappointed.
Paul's closing remarks in his epistle, start to challenge the more spiritually mature believer who may rejoice in the gracious liberty he has in Christ Jesus while harbouring his own ungodly attitudes towards the personal practice of those that are weaker in the faith, exposing an unchristian bias against those that are spiritually immature or weaker in certain doctrinal issues.
Contrary to finding fault with those that are weak in the faith or deliberately entering into arguments with those that are disadvantaged in their spiritual maturity, such brothers and sisters should be welcomed into our fellowship and be received with Christian love and grace.
We are called to accept those who are weak in faith or whose spiritual maturity is somewhat lacking.
Instructions for the post-Cross Church are also written in the New Testament, by the Word of the Lord: FAITH in the shed blood of Christ, for there is salvation in none other than Christ, the crucified Lamb of God Who shed His own blood for the sin of the whole world.
Just as blood is required to maintain the life of mortal man so the Holy Spirit is required to maintain the life of the one who has been saved by grace through faith in Christ; for we have been given His life in us.
While the opening verses are a cry for help and the concluding ones confirm his future deliverance, this middle stanza is David's statement of faith: Behold, God is my Helper.
And God found in David a man after His own heart; a man whose faith was credited to him as righteousness, because he trusted in Him.
As we trace the life of this man from the hills of Bethlehem to the end of his life, we see his faith in God develop and grow.
From the time he faced Goliath as a lad, to the day he 'slept with his fathers and was buried in Jerusalem', we trace David's faith developing, growing, and maturing into a man who died knowing that God is faithful to keep His Word.
Without faith it is impossible to please God and this short, simple psalm is a beautiful example of a man who demonstrates a growing faith in God.
The trusting faith David expressed in this Psalm is an example of the secure faith we all desire to develop in our Christian walk.
But this is the faith that pleases God.
But how much more difficult it is to translate that secure faith into our own unsettled heart?
We have received a free and full salvation and have been quickened and made alive, by faith in Christ.
The outworking of the new life that we received by faith in Christ, is set out clearly in the Word of God.
Although this is a divine principle which is true in the lives of sinner and saint alike, this particular passage is speaking directly to those that are saved by grace through faith in Christ, and we would do well to pay heed to Paul's instructions on godly living.
It is only by faith in the sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ that we receive the right to be called children of God and to address God as Abba, Father.
It is only those that have been saved by grace through faith in the sacrificial work of the Lord Jesus Christ that have the right to approach the throne of grace for help in time of need.
How we praise God that we were not only born into the human race, but that by faith in Christ we were born again into His heavenly family and have become part of the new creation in Christ.
He received cruel stripes, humiliation, and death so that we might be forgiven of our sin by faith in Him and be redeemed from eternal separation from our Creator.
When Christ was lifted up on the Cross, He was made sin for us, by receiving the full weight of God's wrath against sin on our behalf so that by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, we might be made the righteousness of God in Him, through time and into eternity.
But it procured our healing, by grace through faith.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and a knowledge of the holy One gives understanding – but godly wisdom is rooted in faith and faith always comes back to trusting the Lord at all times and for all things.
While the natural man seeks after the polluted waters of human wisdom and places his faith in the grand accumulation of worldly wealth, the believer in Christ is exhorted to reject such worldly philosophies and is warned not to become influenced by this pagan mindset. In this passage, Paul was warning that the accumulation of monetary wealth can cause someone to become conceited.
We should place neither trust in our own sufficiency nor fix our hope on that which is fading away, but maintain faith in the Word of the Lord which reminds us that our hope in today’s provision is from His gracious hand, and that our secure hope for the future comes from Jesus Christ alone.
When approached by those who desired healing, the Lord Jesus made sure he addressed the 'faith' issue, and the healing of the demon-possessed boy demonstrates this in a beautiful way.
Not only did they question God's power to heal in their own hesitant hearts, but undermined the faith of this anguished man causing him to doubt Christ's ability to heal.
It was from the glory of the transfiguration to the desperate situation of a failed healing and the faltering faith of His chosen disciples, that Christ came.
The very men that were to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and empowered to perform mighty miracles in Christ's name and preach the gospel of the kingdom, were powerless to cast out this dumb spirit, and so they received the strongest of rebukes for their lack of faith from their Master.
But Christ's compassionate heart quickly turned to the man and his mute son and Jesus gently picked-up on his faltering faith and hesitant entreaty: If You can?
It was the man's FAITH in Christ that had been severely impacted.
It was his faith that Jesus needed to restore.
But by God's grace, he was able to cry out, LORD I believe, help my unbelief, and he was rewarded with a son who was healed and a faith that was increased.
Faith sets no limit on God's ability, for the one who is ready and willing to trust Him in all things, submit to His will, and not permit mountainous problems or seemingly impossible situations to adversely influence their faith in God's ability, is the one who will witness great things in their life.
The letter to the church in Thyatira is no exception and despite being commended for their love, faith, service, and perseverance, church members are fiercely rebuked for permitting sexual immorality to infiltrate the Body of Christ, admonished for embracing other pagan practices, and challenged to change their ways.
The little remnant at Thyatira who refused to go the way of Jezebel, were instructed to do nothing more than to hold fast to what they had; to hold on to their faith until the return of Christ for His Church.
It was God Who searched for us, found us, and convicted us of our need of a Saviour, and it is the Spirit of God Who breathed the breath of life into our inner being by faith, when He found his sheep that was lost and we trusted Him as our God and Redeemer.
But God in His grace found us and saved us, by faith.
Those of us who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, are able to testify with David that we also sought the Lord for the forgiveness of sin and He graciously delivered us out of the hands of the enemy - triumphing over sin and death and redeeming our life from the pit.
He fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the Law in our place so that by faith, we are no longer under the curse of the Law but under the protection of His blood.
Jesus was not made like an angel, for the angels that sinned cannot be redeemed from their sins by faith.
Rather, Jesus had to be made in the likeness of human flesh in order to offer redemption to fallen man, by faith.
He was to be the one through Whom all the families of the earth would be blessed, by becoming the firstborn from the dead, the first of many who, by faith in Him, will rise into newness of life; body, soul, and spirit.
In God's divine plan, His eternal Son was to become a full member of the human race in order to make propitiation for the sins of the people who would believe in Him, by faith.
Timothy was entrusted, by Paul, to be pastor of the church at Ephesus, but being the leader of a Christian community in the first century under Roman rule was no easy task, and Paul's letter to this 'son in the faith' contained personal encouragement, many warnings, and a lot of wise instruction on how to deal with a myriad of theological and practical issues that Timothy was likely to meet as he shepherded the little flock of believers in their spiritual journey through life.
The Christian life is a difficult struggle that contains many problematic pitfalls, which Paul describes as a good fight: Fight the good fight of faith, were his reassuring words to Timothy, take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Fighting the good fight of faith is not so much hostile combat against a physical enemy, but rising to the challenges of our Christian life or confidently taking hold of the eternal life that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.Each enemy is harmful to the soul and detrimental to our spiritual growth and so each must be earnestly resisted with fortitude and determination.
Praise God that this is not an evil fight but a good fight, for the battle has already been won by Christ’s victory on the Cross and we are to face all the challenges of life by maintaining an unfaltering faith in Him - trusting in His sufficiency to bring us through victoriously.We are to fight the good fight of faith by seizing hold of every opportunity, trusting His all-sufficient grace to bring us through by faith, rather than wilting at the enormity of a problem or caving in to the temptation that faces us.When we fight the fight of faith, we are trusting Him in all things and in so doing we are taking hold of eternal life.
This verse tells us that Timothy was called by the Lord and chosen to carry out this important ministry, and it concludes with a reminder of Timothy's personal confession of his faith - in the presence of many witnesses.
While Timothy appears to have been a quiet, unassuming young man, he was nonetheless a stalwart in the faith for he gave a bold and beautiful testimony before many witnesses.
And like Him, our life is to be a testimony to His faithfulness – for it is as we run the race that is set before us, with patient endurance and a determination to do all to the glory of God, that we will also fight the good fight of faith and take hold of the eternal life to which we are all called – so that with Timothy and a great cloud of saints, we too may ensure a good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Having been redeemed by grace through their faith, they started to doubt God's Word and disobey Him.
Lack of faith caused them to become apostate.
Some use this passage as a 'proof text' to teach that salvation can be lost through an unbelieving heart, but this contradicts the clear, biblical teaching on soteriology, which dictates that salvation is by grace through faith.
Israel were saved out of Egypt by God's grace because of their faith, but were not returned to Egypt because of unbelief.
Similarly, Christians who are genuinely saved by God's grace through faith will not lose their salvation, but will suffer loss of a promised reward.
Having been saved, we have been given power to live by faith and gain victory over our enemies.
True humility is a fruit of the Spirit that buds and blossoms in the heart of someone who is submitted to God, walking in spirit and truth, growing in grace, and maturing in the Christian faith.
I wonder if he ever discovered Who it was Who told him, My kingdom is not of this world's system. I wonder if Pilate, who boasted I have power to crucify You, and the power to release You, ever came to a saving knowledge of Jesus and discovered that He is the great Creator-King of the universe, and the One Who loves us so much that He died so that we might live - that Pilate might live - by faith in Him?
He came to earth at God's appointed time to bring Israel to repentance and return them back to true faith in God.
Christ's ministry was popular with the people because they were fascinated by His wisdom, His words, His miracles, and His healings, but they were deaf and disinterested in the truth that sinful man needs a Saviour and that only faith in His death and Resurrection as payment for our sin, is acceptable to God the Father.
Let us be careful not to emulate the prideful Jewish leaders whose lust for power, love of money, and craving for control, blinded their eyes by blocking their ears to the truth of the gospel: For faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
Although these instructions from Paul to Titus may appear to be predictable, and list behaviours that are appropriate for every man or woman of God and expedient for sound doctrine... nevertheless, there are greater numbers of people who reject God's offer of salvation by grace through faith in Christ... and remain enslaved to this satanic world system.
And so we, who are saved by grace through faith, need to be careful that we do not become entrapped in the wiles of the evil one.
The book of Hebrews is written to enable growing Christians to mature in the faith.
The verse in question, which immediately follows an important warning against spiritual immaturity and some elementary instructions on reaching full maturity, gives some great encouragement to believers who are seeking to stand firm in the faith, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.
The hallmark of true faith is active, Christian love which is carried out in the power of the Holy Spirit.
And the faith of these dear saints was manifested in the ongoing work they performed to the glory of God, together with their selfless labour of Christian love, in ministering to their brothers and sisters in Christ.
The Bible lists over 200 things that are true of all believers who have been saved by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And for His sake, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, giving us the right to call Him: 'Abba Father' As His children we have received the authority to boldly approach His throne of grace in Christ's name, for we are accepted in the Beloved by faith.
We are no longer part of the satanic kingdom of darkness, but a member of Christ's Body; having been transferred into the kingdom of His dear Son, and having become children of the light, by faith.
We are to be covered in His truth, covered in His righteousness, and rest in His peace and His salvation which is ours by grace alone through faith alone in His finished work alone.
But sadly today, as in the days of the apostle Paul, there are many that consider that we should still be under the Law and in bondage to the Law, not recognising the glorious truth that after faith has come, we are no longer under the restrictions of a guardian.
We need to realise that after faith has come, we are placed IN-Christ and are set free from the curse of the Law and its eternal consequences.
Before faith in Christ the nation of Israel (and humanity as a whole) was incarcerated by the demands of the Law and imprisoned by its devastating curse - a curse that could only be lifted by the ONE Who was made a curse on our account: But since that faith had come, we are no longer under the guardianship of the Law.
Let us also rejoice that even on those days when our faith wears thin and we lose heart, HE always remains faithful, His right hand always supports us, and the satisfaction that comes from Him fulfils us completely.
Israel holds a special place in God's redemptive plan for it was through the nation of Israel that JESUS, the Redeemer of the world was born, and we who have been saved by grace through faith in Him are beneficiaries of this blessing, in this unique age of grace.
Judah will celebrate the Rock of Ages and the Lord Himself will rejoice over His redeemed people, with singing. It is in the middle of chapter 26 that a remnant of the house of Judah are seen celebrating a future event, when a repentant, redeemed, and restored Israel will have been reinstated as God's righteous nation, and set apart unto Him. They rejoice in their restored faith in the God of their salvation, on Whom they depend and through Whom comes the perfect peace of God which confounds all human understanding.
Their song of praise reminds us that when God acts in judgement, it causes the people of the earth to know that He is God and to learn that the way of righteousness is by faith in Him.
When Paul was converted to the Christian faith, he suddenly discovered the shocking consequences of his own unbelief because he recognised that his religious legalism had kept him estranged from God and excluded him from fellowship with the One he claimed to follow.
He wanted them to share in the hope we have in Christ and experience the great freedoms we enjoy by faith in Him.
He felt constrained to teach and preach the good news that Christ died for our sin, was buried, and rose again on the third day so that by faith in Him, we could be forgiven of our sin and receive eternal life as a free gift of God's amazing grace.
He was instructed to teach that by faith we may receive forgiveness of sins and receive a share among those who are sanctified by faith in Him.
Like the apostle Paul, we have received our salvation by faith in Christ, and like him we have nothing to boast about, for our salvation does not depend on what we do but on what Christ has already done on our account.
May we, like Paul, rejoice in the privileges that are ours by faith and consider the accompanying responsibilities as blessings to share rather than a burden to carry.
But when you consider the plan of salvation that God has designed, we can only wonder at His goodness and grace in sending Jesus, His only begotten Son, to pay the price for the sin of the world so that whoever will trust in His name is identified with HIM and declared righteous through faith in Him.
Faith in Him not only provides those who believe with the forgiveness of sin, but He gives us so much more.
Every aspect of God's amazing plan of redemption that is received by faith in Christ's sacrificial death and His glorious Resurrection, was in accordance with the eternal purpose and plan of God, which was hidden for ages and generations... but which God finally carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord.
together with the creation of the Church, which is His Body, were kept under wraps so that Jews and Gentiles alike could be saved by grace through faith in Him - and become part of His spiritual Body on earth.
This false gospel exchanged salvation, which can only come as a gracious gift of God through faith, into a striving type of salvation that can only be gained through man's legalistic works and depends on man's merit rather than God's grace.
Paul went on to point out that having been saved by grace through faith in Christ, they were to live by grace through faith in Christ, grow in grace by faith in Christ, and mature as Christians by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
They had not understood that Christ was the fulfilment of the Law on behalf of all who believe in Him for salvation, and that salvation (both our justification and sanctification, as well as our final glorification) is ours by faith in Christ alone and not by works.
Salvation is not dependent on any type of legalistic practices, but on grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ's finished work alone.
Let us hold fast to the truth which is plainly taught in the Bible: that salvation of the spirit, salvation of the soul, and salvation of the body, is dependent on grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, with no extra fleshly works.
How we praise and glorify God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for He has poured out every single blessing in the heavenly realms upon us, simply because we are united with Christ by faith and are One with Himself.
He has redeemed, sanctified, and sealed us with His Holy Spirit and by God’s grace, there is laid up for us an inheritance in Christ – and He is building us all up in the most holy faith.He has made us to be part of His new creation and we are members of the one new man in Christ.
While rejoicing in the truth of election - where God chose us before the foundation of the world, some reformed denominations sadly reject the need for unsaved men to use their free will to respond to the truth of the gospel through faith in Christ.
May we who are the elect of God use our free will wisely and for the glory of God.How we should praise and glorify our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, for He has poured out every single blessing in the heavenly realms upon us, simply because we are united, by faith, in Christ.
Praise Him that we were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world and accepted in the Beloved by faith in Him.
Paul warns that such rites, rules, rituals, and regulations, are human commands, man-made doctrines, and deceptive arguments, designed by the enemy to neutralise our faith, entice us away from the truth of the glorious gospel of grace, destroy our testimony, and dishonour the Lord Jesus.
Paul had already made it clear in this passage, that such activities are worldly philosophies based on the elemental forces of the world and not founded on Christ Who is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
He explains the only way to attain spiritual maturity is through faith; firstly, being justified by grace through faith in Christ, and secondly, by living a sanctified life of faith in Christ, day by day, through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Indeed, the Law of the Lord is perfect and was given by God to Moses, but any law, whether man-made or given by God to Israel, cannot bring us to perfection which comes by faith in Christ alone.
The Law was given as a means to identify man's sin, not as the way to forgive man's sin, which is through faith in Christ alone.
He gave thanks for the good news of their eternal salvation and rejoiced over their work of faith, their labour of love, and the steadfast hope they had in Christ.
Although Paul understood that faith comes by hearing and hearing from the Word of God, which is generally communicated through speech, verbal communication, or the direct teaching of a minister, he wanted to get across that the gospel he delivered is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes; to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
He was the one who boldly claimed by faith: You are the Christ the Son of the living God, and Peter was also the one who, having denied his Lord three times, was thrice called to feed the flock of God.
Indeed, everyone who has been saved by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and life everlasting, is part of that elect group.
God does not will that anyone should perish. Indeed, He longs that all should come to repentance and faith in Christ, but God knew in advance that not all would use their free-will to make the right choice.
He knew from before the beginning of the world who would be saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus as their sin-substitute and, and He called us His 'elect'.
All who are saved by grace through faith in Christ have a holy and noble calling, and as members of His Body we are living stones that are being built up into a spiritual house.
We are not only saved by grace through faith in Him, but we are to be continuously sanctified by grace through faith in Him and to live our earthly life by grace through faith and dependence and trust in our Saviour Jesus Christ.
And one day, we will be glorified by grace through faith in Christ Who brought salvation to whosoever will.
And in the future Christ will reward us by grace through faith, simply because Christ appeared bringing salvation to all who would trust in His name.
Speaking in tongues without love becomes a clamouring noise, and without love, prophesying or preaching, knowledge or faith, demeans the preacher, dishonours the Lord, and does not edify the saints.
Indeed, should one feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the destitute, tend to the sick, visit prisoners, educate the disadvantaged, or even become a martyr for one's faith - without love - we are told: We gain nothing.
He gave His only begotten Son to die for them, and those who believe (those who exercise faith) are not condemned.
Those who do not believe (those who do not exercise faith) are condemned because of their unbelief.
It is ONLY the believer who is instructed to cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear.
Those who have never trusted Christ as Saviour are unbelievers - they are faithless - they have no faith on which to cling.
As believers, we are instructed to cling to your faith, but we can choose to OBEY this instruction, or we can choose to DISOBEY God's Word.
As God's children we either trust in the Word of God and submit (yield) to the Holy Spirit, in which case we are clinging to our faith in Christ and keeping our consciences clear.
Or we do not trust God's Word and grieve or quench the Holy Spirit, in which case we will violate our consciences, which will result in the shipwreck of our faith.
Paul is reminding Timothy that he has been saved by grace through faith and now he ought to live his life by grace through faith.
Paul wants to impress on Timothy the truth that those who live by faith are pleasing to God, while those who try to live their Christian life in any other way will end up with a faith that has been shipwrecked. They will be living a carnal life that is not pleasing to the Lord and will actually have fallen from grace, like the Galatian believers, because they have tried to live their life by works of the law or by submitting to their fleshly desires rather than submitting to the Spirit of God.
Oh, this does not mean that a believer whose faith is shipwrecked has lost his salvation, but it does mean that he has made a deliberate choice NOT to hold fast to his faith by ignoring God's will for his life (to live by grace through faith as outlined in Scripture).
Should not we who have been saved from the penalty and power of sin and death, cling more tightly to our faith in Christ?
Let us not be those who shipwreck our faith by deliberately refusing to do the things we know in our heart we ought to do.
But rather, let us run the race that is set before us and cling more tightly to our faith in Jesus Christ.
Such a work of the Spirit takes place in the ongoing refining process of sanctification as we die to self, live for Christ, rejoice in the Lord, pray without ceasing, grow in grace, and mature in the faith.
Apart from two solitary people, the Israelites did not trust His Word and stand fast in the faith, and so, apart from those two solitary people, they all died in the wilderness.
Although many of the matters he addressed were specific to the time and place in which they lived, during those formative years of Christianity when the foundations of our faith were being laid, the principles and practices Paul propounded are as relevant today as the day he picked up his pen to compose that first epistle to the Corinthians and instruct the saints there.
Enoch became a man of faith at 65 years of age, and for the next 300 years, he communed with God.
Yes, Enoch was a man of faith, for without faith it is impossible to please God.
It was because of his faith that Enoch was taken by the Lord, so that he did not experience death.
Hebrews tells us that, Enoch was not to be found because God took him away, for prior to his removal he was approved, since he had pleased God. Enoch was approved by God at the age of 65, because of his faith, and his faith was reckoned as righteousness.
Like Enoch, we are to walk with God all our days - from the day when we were saved by faith, to the day He takes us to be with Himself - at the Rapture of the church, which will be ushered in at the resurrection of the dead in Christ.
We are to be SAVED by faith, and then we are to WALK by faith for the rest of our earthly life.
Let us be faithful in prayer and let us be diligent to live a life of faith and to walk in spirit and truth with our heavenly Father.
Having been born-again, let us live by faith all the days of our life, despite the multiplied evils that flood our present age, and let us keep on walking with Him, and maintaining sweet fellowship with our heavenly Father, until we too are taken to be with Him, into heavenly glory.
However, as he started to write his letter his thoughts were interrupted, and he felt compelled, by the Spirit, to change his focus and talk about 'The Faith'.
He was deeply concerned about the apostate teachers and heretical doctrines that were increasingly infiltrating the Church, and his deep desire was to impress on his readers the importance of contending for the faith.
Jude wanted all true believers to fervently fight to maintain the purity of the whole counsel of Scripture, and to contend for the faith.
We are to contend earnestly for the faith that was given to us in the Holy Scriptures, and maintain unbroken fellowship with the Lord.
We need to realise that both heretical teachers (unbelievers who have an agenda to destroy the truth of the gospel) and apostate teachers (believers who have partially or wholly renounced their Christian faith) exist in Christendom today.
But God's wonderful plan for man's redemption was such that the price for sin is made by faith in Christ's shed blood.
By faith in Him, Christ's heavenly, spiritual, eternal righteousness became our own heavenly, spiritual, eternal righteousness.
By faith, we were made heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.
Although fallen, fleshly, sinful bodies could never enter the heavenly realm, it was through His glorious Resurrection that BY FAITH, we became identified with His clean, pure, immortal, imperishable, resurrected body with the certain promise that we too would receive a pure, immortal, imperishable, resurrected body, like unto His glorious body - a body of flesh and bone which would be animated by the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
By faith in Christ, we all face physical death... but have a sure knowledge that we will rise to life immortal in a resurrected body of flesh and bone like unto Christ's body... for flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable, but thanks be to God Who gives us the victory over Satan, sin, death, and hell through our risen Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Bible scholars debate whether this means a spiritual apostasy in the Church where there is a falling away from the faith – or the physical departure of the Church when it is removed in the Rapture.
Many believers like to focus on the love of Jesus because they think that this will cause unbelievers to get saved but they prefer to allow Christ's death, burial, and Resurrection to be side-lined in a blurry background, in case it offends or puts the unbeliever off the Christian faith!
But for a time, He chose to lay aside the heavenly position that he had enjoyed with the Father for all eternity, and enter into His own creation as a member of the human race so that as Man, He could redeem the human race from their sin, and restore them into a right relationship with God, by faith.
It was on our account that Christ willingly set aside His heavenly position and His eternal glory so that by faith, we could be redeemed from slavery to sin and the penalty of death.
Because He was willing to lay aside His glory for us, we have been returned into fellowship with God and positioned in HIM through time and into eternity - by faith.
Only believers can produce good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do, as only believers have the indwelling Holy Spirit of God. When we abide in Christ, trust His Word, and walk in spirit and truth, we are demonstrating faith – for without faith, it is impossible to please God.
A multiplicity of temporal blessings in the world and eternal blessings in the ages to come are already ours, by faith in Christ, and while our eternal security is assured and God graciously causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous... there are blessings today and rewards to come for the man who chooses not to walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
Paul not only took pains to explain that the Law could not save us, but identified it as a simple tool used by God to identify our need of a Saviour and thus bring fallen man to faith in Christ, our 'sin-substitute'.
James also reminds us that those that are saved by grace through faith in Christ, also fall into two, distinct groups; those that are spiritual and those that are fleshly; those that are walking in spirit and truth and those that are living a carnal life with a worldly perspective and an arrogant attitude.
In chapter 4, we find James warning that the pursuit of pleasure and relying on our own plans too often results in a compromised faith and lack of dependence on the Lord Who is the Giver of life and through Whom all good gifts come.
May we remember that none of us stands still in our Christian walk - we either grow in the grace of God and mature in the faith as we submit to God, humble ourselves before Him, seek His face and are led by the Spirit of truth - or we can regress into spiritual infancy through our arrogant behaviour and puffed up boastings.
All humanity had been infected with sin, but God's redemptive plan was designed to circumnavigate the wiles of the devil, through a people of faith.
All who believed God's plan of salvation would be reckoned as righteous - just as Abraham believed God and his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness.
However, as soon as this Gentile woman addressed Him as 'LORD' and asked Him to heal her daughter, she was saved by grace through faith in Jesus as the Saviour of the world - for Salvation is of the LORD.
Salvation is of the Lord - the Lord Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, and all who believe on Him, whether Jew or Gentiles are saved and declared righteous by faith.
And so, despite some good works, love, service, and faith... the gross participation in pagan practices that persisted in this church at Thyatira continues to this present day.
Praise God that in every area of Christendom, there are those that hold fast to biblical truth and reject the extra-biblical mysteries and philosophies, that too often captivate the minds of those that are not strong in the faith.
But once we are saved by grace through faith, the inner perfect peace OF God which rules our hearts and minds is dependent on us maintaining a right relationship with God.
This is achieved through humble praise, reverent prayer, grateful thanks, and a submissive heart that has faith in God's Word and trusts that God will keep His Word, in all things.
Paul's letter was designed to reassure them and establish them in the faith.
Paul was justifiably angry that the faith of these dear believers had been shaken by other church members who refused to take heed of Paul's earlier teachings.
He commanded his readers to separate themselves from these people who were deliberately undermining the faith of other believers by distorting Paul's own teachings.
This was designed to strengthen their faith in God, Who would fulfil His promise by bringing them into a land flowing with milk and honey and giving them victory over their enemies.
God purposed that through the sacrificial blood of His only begotten Son, members of the first, fallen creation, could be born again as sons of God and become part of a new creation, a perfect creation - by faith.
Today and forever, Jesus is our Sabbath rest because we are saved by grace through faith in Him.
A supernatural love that mirrors the love of God is the essence of Christianity and can only be demonstrated in a life that is saved by grace through faith.
Paul was prepared to endure ALL THINGS in order to proclaim the whole spectrum of Christian salvation and service, for not only did God save us according to His great mercy, but having been saved by grace through faith we are exhorted to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord, which is our reasonable service.
He longed that lost souls would be brought to faith in Christ for initial salvation, but he was also eager to endure all things for the sake of the elect.
His dear desire was not only that the unsaved came to faith in Christ, but that all the elect of God (the Body of Christ, which is the Church) were taught how to walk by faith, to grow in grace, and mature in the faith so that they may obtain all the many benefits of their full and free salvation; spirit, soul, and body.
And so we find Paul (a bond-servant of God and a special messenger of Jesus Christ), delivering sound doctrine, exposing false teaching, preaching the Word, promoting the faith of those who would trust in Christ for salvation, and stimulating all believers to godly living on the basis that God Himself has promised eternal life to all who trust in Christ for salvation and God's Word can never be broken, and His truth stands fast for ever and ever.
God purposed in the eternal council chambers of heaven that fallen man would be given eternal life as a free gift of grace through faith in the redeeming blood of His only begotten Son.
Christ is our blessed Hope, and we have been told in both the Old and New Testaments of our hope of eternal life by faith; an expectant and excited hope; a confident and a sure hope; a certain and an unwavering hope in the never-failing Word of God which He promised long ago by His holy prophets.
Our hope in Christ is not only a future expectation, but it is already our present possession, for when we were saved by grace through faith in Christ, we were made children of God, citizens of heaven, heirs of the grace, and joint-heirs with Christ.
Let us rejoice and be glad that God has given us eternal life both now and in the ages to come, which is ours by grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Saviour.
Having joyfully recalled his trust in Jesus, as well as the sincere faith of his mother and grandmother, Paul called on Timothy to: Fan into flame the gift of God, which was in him.
The book of Romans presents the gospel message in clear, logical, structured steps, and the theme for the entire book is found in chapter 1, verse 17: For in it (in the gospel), the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to more faith, as it is written, 'the righteous man shall live by faith.'
Romans makes it clear from the start, that the very nature of man is at enmity with God and every man remains under God's eternal condemnation, unless they are saved by grace through faith.
Once a man is saved by faith, he is to live by faith. Every man remains under the judgement of almighty God until they are covered in Christ's righteousness, by faith.
But once they are born again, they are to live their life, by faith.
The unsaved sinner who is dead in their sin and at enmity with God can only be justified by faith in Christ.
A man's salvation is judged according to their FAITH in Christ's sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, as payment for their sin.
The ungodly pagan says in his heart: There is no God, and by rejecting the existence of God, he rejects Christ Who is the object of our faith and the only means to salvation.
Similarly, the self-righteous moralist is a sinner who trusts in his own goodness rather placing his faith in the goodness of Christ.
By trusting himself instead of Christ, such a man rejects the very foundation of our faith; faith in Christ's sacrificial work, and such a man remains under condemnation.
The only path to peace with God and a right standing before Him is faith in Christ.
Paul was also called by God to function as a priest of the gospel of God, bringing the gospel to those that were dead in their sins and at enmity with God enabling access into the throne-room of the Father which is by grace through faith in Christ alone.
Second, over time each believer would begin to grow in grace, develop their faith, walk in spirit and truth, and move from spiritual infancy towards spiritual maturity (progressional sanctification).
The apostle Paul set us a wonderful example of a minister of God whose dear desire was to bring many to saving and sanctifying faith in Christ Jesus.
And Christ Jesus calls each of us who are saved by grace through faith in Him to become His ministers; His hands, His feet, His voice, and His witness as we point people to Christ Jesus and develop that caring concern for our brothers and sisters in Christ that is so honouring to God.
And may we one day be able to say, I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith.
Faith in the sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ - the Son of the most high God - is the single requirement for salvation.
Nicodemus was a teacher of the Law, but he had to come to a deeper understanding of salvation by grace through faith.
And that price was paid by Jesus Christ the sinless Son of God at Calvary, but it is only by faith in the sacrificial offering of Himself upon the Cross can that heavenly forgiveness become ours: for we must be born from above, by faith in Him.
And so, Jesus used a beautiful Old Testament illustration to demonstrate to this highly educated Jewish rabbi that salvation is a free gift of grace which can be accepted or rejected by faith: For as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, on the Cross, to pay the price for the sin of the world.
And God said that whoever looked upon the serpent, by faith in His Word would live.
And it was out of love that God sent His only begotten Son so that all who trust in Him for their redemption are saved by grace through faith: transferred from being a member of the kingdom of Satan through physical birth into Adam's fallen race, into becoming a member of Christ's Body through spiritual birth, a child of God, and a citizen of heaven through spiritual birth into Christ:
And the book of James both begins and ends with the 'prayer of faith'.
Some use this verse to teach that sickness is always the result of a specific sin, an attack of Satan, or a judgement from God, and that a prolonged illness identifies a serious lack of faith.
The anointing of a sick body was indeed a medical practice during the times of Christ, and God often combines natural medication with supernatural healing, but James clearly is identifying i) illness, and ii) anointing with oil in verse 14 with a) illness and b) the prayer of faith in verse 15.
James' instructions to both the sick person and to church elders is simply an outward demonstration of an inward trust in God; a prayer of faith.
It takes humility of heart and faith in God for a sick person to admit their own limitation and to cry out for help to those in church leadership.
It also takes an act of faith for the elders of a church to collectively gather to pray for the healing for a sick member of their congregation, and to anoint that person's body with oil, while praying collectively, in faith, for their healing.
Whether we are in good health of suffering some malady, whether we are an elder in a church assembly or not, let us remember that prayer is a great privilege for all Christians, but let it be the 'prayer of faith'.
We read that we are justified by grace through faith in the only begotten Son of God, and that we are clothed in His righteousness, redeemed by His blood, made a new creation in Christ, and set free from slavery to the world, the flesh, the devil, and the Law.
Paul accurately describes the evil intent of humanity's hypocritical heart, and how we who are saved by grace through faith delight to wag our finger of accusation against the misdemeanours of the unsaved in order to publicise our superior standard!
All His righteousness, all His merit, all His life, all His grace, and all we can do is glory in these mysteries of the truth that have been made known to us by faith.
Although they were saved by grace through faith in Christ, these believers were being deeply influenced by the fleshly world system, rather than being led and guided by the indwelling, Spirit of God.
He expected them to grow in their faith, become mature believers, and develop the mind of Christ.
These Christians at Corinth should have become spiritual giants in the faith, but sadly remained spiritual babies who could only stomach simple gospel teachings.
Solomon believed in God, and no doubt his faith was reckoned as righteousness, but it seems that the profession Solomon made with his lips was insincere and despite the many spiritual gifts he received from the Lord, he engaged in carnal desires and indulged in fleshly pursuits, tarnishing a life that should have been a beacon of light and truth to his pagan neighbours.
And we have the indwelling Holy Spirit of God Who guides us into all truth, convicts and corrects us, chastises and trains us so that we may mature in the faith and live a fruitful life that honours the Lord, as empowered by His sufficient strength.
He is both the eternal Son of God Who created the universe, but He is also the gracious Son of Man Who died and rose again so that through faith in Him we can come to the throne of grace.
Only through faith in Christ have we been justified, forgiven of sin, and covered in Christ's perfect righteousness.
By grace through faith in His death, burial, and Resurrection… Christ, the Lamb of God and great, High Priest of heaven, has flung wide the golden door into the Holiest of all - to all who believe on His name.
This caused David to rejoice in songs of praise which in turn encouraged others to see the wonderful works of God and restore their own failing faith in their God.
However, Christ fulfilled all the requirements of the Law on our behalf and by faith, returned us into sweet fellowship with the Father - JUSTIFIED SAINT!
By faith in Christ, we are no longer enslaved to sin.
And so, before we can walk in His ways by faith and respond to His call to walk in spirit and truth, we are to abide in Him and He in us.
Our salvation is by grace through faith in Him, but not every Christian abides in Christ, which results in a carnal walk, a fleshly lifestyle, and a wasted life that is influenced by the old sin nature rather than being enlivened by the new life in Christ.
He lived his life looking to the Father moment by moment, just as we are called to keep our eye looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Paul was praying that his dear friend Philemon would be an effective witness as he shared his faith with others. He further prayed that he would come to a deeper knowledge and understanding of the incredible riches of God's unfathomable grace that are discovered in Jesus Christ alone.
We need to pray for one another, just as Paul prayed in the book of Philemon, that the fellowship of OUR faith may become increasingly effecting as together we all grow in grace and in a knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Let us pray for our fellow believers that the fellowship of our faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in us, for Christ's sake.
When Paul bid Timothy farewell and departed to Macedonia, he urged his beloved 'child-in-the-faith' to remain in Ephesus.
This letter to Timothy was written to reinforce the instructions he had received earlier, and this verse specifically mentions Paul's concern about 'myths' and 'genealogies': Instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, he charged Timothy: Do not pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.
All are counter to the freedom we have in Christ and inevitably choke one's faith and enslave one's soul.
They are false teachings which cause untold damage in the spiritual development of believers while hindering the dissemination of the gospel of God, which is by FAITH.
In Romans 5, Paul moves from God's case against unbelieving sinners and their need to be justified by faith (born-again), to the overwhelming benefits of the justified man who is positioned in Christ.
He has declared US to be righteous before God, simply because of our faith in Christ!
After listing the superabundant privileges that are the right of all who are saved by grace through faith in Christ, Paul takes us back to the root of sin.
They were entrusted to be a light to the Gentiles so that pagans could also be justified by faith, also be brought into the camp of Israel, and have their sins covered.
Before the Cross, those who believed His Word were justified by faith as they looked forward to their promised Saviour Who would redeem them from the slave-market of sin.
Before the Cross, Israel were equally sinners who needed to be justified by their faith in God's Word, and their sins were covered with the blood of innocent animal sacrifices, until their promised Messiah came to earth to save His people, by dying for them on the Cross.
Everyman is faced with the inevitability of death (eternal separation from God), but every man can choose to receive God's gift by faith or foolishly reject it, for everyone has freewill.
During this Church Age, we are also justified by God's grace and forgiven of all our sin, by faith.
Paul did not want those who are saved by grace through faith in Jesus to be rescued from the slave-market of sin, only to live a defeated life in this world, and fail in the work that God has prepared for us to do.
Every one of them was saved by God's grace through faith and they were all led by God and protected by Him under the cloud of God's Shekinah glory, which overshadowed the people of Israel.
Moses trusted God, and his faith was reckoned as righteousness.
God opened the waters for him to pass through safely, by faith - and the whole company of Israel passed through the sea with Moses, for they believed God and were identified with their leader.
Paul's faith was not a force to be exercised or a positive mental manoeuvre.
Paul's faith stood firmly on the facts within the Word of God.
His faith was anchored on scriptural facts and not on human speculations.
Paul knew that we are not only saved by grace through faith, but that we are to live each day of our life by grace through trusting the Lord to fulfil all His plans and purposes in his life.
Three times in the New Testament and once in the Old, we read that the just are to live by faith.
One of the mysteries that was hidden for ages and generations but which was revealed to Paul for Church age believers is the indwelling Holy Spirit of Christ for all who are saved by grace through faith in Him.
How astonishing that our body has become a temple of the Spirit of God by faith, and that we have the resurrected Spirit of Christ dwelling in our heart, living in our body, empowering us to live godly in Christ Jesus, and enabling us to live as God designed us to live.
It is only by grace through faith in Christ that we are made spiritually alive.
It is only by faith in the finished work of Christ at Calvary that we are given the indwelling Spirit of Christ and Christ's imputed righteousness.
But if Christ is in you, then you have been born again by faith in His finished work; saved by grace through faith in Christ; spiritually alive with the actual Spirit of the resurrected Christ living within your actual body!
Although our spirit has been made alive and we have a new Christ-like nature by faith in Him, our body remains subject to death due to sin and our imputed sin nature.
Our once dead human spirit has been made alive because of the imputed righteousness we received by faith in Christ, at salvation.
Only as we submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit and depend on Him by grace through faith in Christ, are we able to walk by the Spirit and be enabled to live as God as intended us to live.
We are to trust in the person of the Son of God, to put our faith in the one and only object that has the power to save - the Lord Jesus Christ - the only begotten Son of God - humanities unique Son of Man - the God-Man Jesus, Who is Creator of heaven and earth, the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world.
But once we are saved through faith, we are to live and grow and develop through faith.
And all we need to know about sanctifying faith for the saved man or woman is also found in the Scriptures.
God's divine revelation is in His WORD – for faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God.
Faith is the key that opens our understanding to the Christian life.
We are to be SAVED by faith; to STAND by faith; to WALK by faith; to RUN by faith; to FIGHT the good fight of faith by faith; to PRAY by faith; to LIVE by faith.
Indeed, we are to do ALL that we do by faith in Christ.
Let us not cloud the simplicity of the gospel with any of our human reasoning, rules, or regulations, but simply tell people who want to know how to be saved, by faith in the death and Resurrection of our precious Saviour, Jesus Christ.
For three long dark hours, the wrath of God had been poured out in full measure on the eternal son of God so that by faith in His death, burial, and Resurrection, we might be forgiven of our sin and made one with Him.
Indeed, had one small section of the Law or the Prophets remained unfulfilled, His sacrifice would have been both insufficient and incomplete, and our faith would have been in vain.
At the beginning of his epistle, James called his fellow believers to be patient in trials, tribulation, difficulties, and dangers, for the result of patient endurance is a firm, precious, and perfected faith which cannot be shaken by doubt or fear.
He uses the great patriarch, Abraham and the Gentile prostitute, Rahab to illustrate the importance of faith in action, and contrasts a wealthy man, dressed in fine clothes and wearing a golden ring with a poor man, clad in dirty clothes, to emphasise the evils of prejudice and the need for impartiality.
May we take to heart James' exhortation to be patient in the difficult circumstances we face when life seems unfair, to love as Christ loved, and to be rich in faith.
Abram believed God's Word and his faith was credited as righteousness.
Over the course of his life, his faith developed and grew and translated into actions that honoured the Lord.
He is known as the father of faith and the great patriarch of Israel, but perhaps one of the most beautiful titles of this God-fearing man is found in James, who calls Abraham: A friend of God, demonstrating an intimacy he enjoyed with the Lord that each one of us should seek to emulate.
He warns of the deeply held view of gnostics who did not accept that Jesus came to earth in the flesh (one of the fundamentals of the Christian faith - that Christ was not only fully God but also fully human).
We can compromise our faith by allowing unbiblical doctrine, legalistic practices, a works-based salvation, a watered-down gospel, angel-worship, and a plethora of extra biblical practices, including Chrislam to influence us OR we can behave like Nehemiah.
We have a choice to either maintain the Word of God as the plum-line for truth OR compromise our faith by accepting the status quo.
And so, having come to an understanding of salvation by grace through faith, Paul was able to say without hesitation: Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
We who gain Christ by faith may suffer much persecution and derision and we may lose everything that is valued by the world.
And despite many preachers of righteousness (like Noah), men of faith (like Abraham), and God's covenant people (Israel), all of whom knew the truth of their origin and their need for salvation, man in general was ignorant of their roots and estranged from the God Who created them and Who came to earth to redeem them from their sins.
May we seek to tell others the good news of salvation who, like these men of Athens, remain dead in their trespasses and sins and eternally estranged from the God Who created them; the same God Who died for their sins on Calvary's Cross so that by faith in Him, they might live with Him forever.
By grace through faith in Him we are eternally joined with the Lord Jesus, identified with His righteousness, in union with Him, and a member of His body.
For those that are saved by grace through faith in His redemptive work, the Lord gives and continues to give innumerable benefits - but without faith it is impossible for His children to please Him.
And having laid out the most thorough treatise of our faith, Paul concludes his weighty epistle with a section that gives guidance on practical Christian living.
In this thorough treatise of our faith, Paul insists that the man or woman of God should demonstrate in their lives a godly love, which shows forth deep reverence for the Lord and a tender affection for those that are in the household of faith - according to the gifts and ministries that we have been awarded by the Spirit of God.
While Paul gives a resounding call to patient endurance in life's difficulties, purity in personal conduct, and faithfulness in Christian ministry, he is equally eager to warn us of perilous times ahead, the ploys of the enemy to shipwreck our faith, and the insidious dangers of false teachers.
When we worry and fret about things, it displays a lack of faith in our heavenly Father.
We are to reason that IF God has provided such abundance for common little birds, and dresses insignificant, wayside flowers in such beauty, surely He will care for those who have become His children, by faith.
When fear is fermented in our heart, it displaces our faith in God.
It is unbelief that deposes faith in His Word and it is worry that dislodges a simple dependence on God as our faithful Provider.
Perfect love casts out fear, so let us replace fear with faith and let us reflect upon, think about, mull over, ponder, contemplate, and simply consider the lilies of the field and how they grow, they neither toil nor do they spin; but not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
But God in His love, pity, mercy, and grace sent Jesus, His beloved Son, to be the propitiation for our sins, and all who believe on His name are saved by grace, through faith.
For many centuries, Christians have been hated by unbelievers because of the Person in who we have placed our faith.
By remaining immersed in division, discord, and even depravity, these believers identified themselves as carnal Christians who had reverted to spiritual infancy instead of maturing in the faith, growing in grace, and being built up in a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It was a hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages of creation and the generations of men, but now has been made known to those that are saved, by grace through faith in Christ.
God predetermined that the message of the Cross, which is so ridiculed by the unbeliever, is something that will bring glory to those who are saved by grace through faith in Christ.
We were born into this world as a slave to sin, and until we were saved by grace through faith in Christ, our life was governed by our fallen nature; a sin nature which was at enmity with God and without hope in the world.
If, by grace through faith in Christ, we have been made alive (born again) by the Spirit of God, we also need to live the rest of our lives in the same way; by means of the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.
And the answer is, by faith.
We were saved by faith and, for the rest of our life, we are to live by faith, to pray by faith, to walk by faith, by means of the Spirit.
To walk by the Spirit is to walk in faith; to trust God in all things and to heed His Word despite external circumstances.
To walk in the Spirit is to walk by faith and to immerse ourselves in the Word of God, to encourage one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, as we sing with grace and thanksgiving in our hearts to the Lord.
We are to walk in the Spirit, by faith and not by sight, so that we are enabled to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
The good news of peace with God and an eternal relationship with Him has come by faith in Christ's shed blood for the redemption of the body and the forgiveness of sins.
The body of believers who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, are becoming a sanctified dwelling which is set apart unto God, and in Whom resides the living Lord.
It was Christ Who said that He would build His Church and one by one, down through centuries of time, men and women have come to faith in Christ Jesus and one by one, they have each been fitted into the growing Temple of the living God.
We are being changed from glory to glory as we mature in the faith and grow in grace, for He Who began a good work in us the moment we were saved by grace through faith, will continue to transform our new born-again life in Christ, into the image and likeness of Himself.
This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and a knowledge of God's Son, that we will become mature in the Lord and measure up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
Christ's one sacrifice has made perfect all who are saved by grace through faith in Him.
If the gift of prophecy, faith, knowledge, or understanding is not ministered in love, it means nothing.
Even if we were endowed with prophetic utterances, enabled to understand all God's secret purposes, obtained all knowledge, or endowed with enough supernatural faith to move mountains, it is of no consequence without love for one another.
If we are to truly grow in grace and mature in the faith, we are to do the good works that God has already prepared for us to do.
If we are to mature in the faith and press on to the goal of our calling, we ought to live our lives as unto the Lord and not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not grow weary.
The simple gospel of grace requires no effort, for we are saved by grace simply through faith in Christ Jesus.
But immediately, his simple faith was rewarded with a promise of paradise in the company of the Redeemer Himself.Though salvation is conditional on the repentant sinner turning to Christ, this beautiful passage gives assurance that it is never too late to look to the Lord Jesus and live.
It demonstrates that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ, and is not dependent on any liturgical sacraments, baptismal rituals, good works, man-made doctrines, or legalistic requirements.
It is faith in the Person, the Work, and the Word of the Saviour that secures for us the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.It was by the sin of the first Adam that paradise was lost, the way to the Tree of Life barred and guarded by mighty angels with flashing swords, and it was by the sacrifice of the second Adam that paradise was regained, and the way to the Tree of Life was once again flung wide open, to whosoever will believe.The door to paradise was unbarred and the gates of heaven were thrown wide open to this repentant sinner who hung next to our Lord, for he gained the right to eat from the Tree of Life, which is in the paradise of God, simply because he trusted on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin.
They had to know if works were necessary for salvation or if they were saved by grace through faith alone in Christ alone.
Faith, not circumcision has always been the means of salvation.
Faith was the means of salvation in the pre-Cross dispensation of Law, and circumcision is clearly not required in post-Cross salvation, which is also by grace through faith in the trustworthy Word of God.
Before the Cross, people were saved by grace through faith in God's Word.
Post-Cross believers similarly are saved by God's grace through faith in Christ.
But like the Law, it was not the means of salvation which has always been by God's grace through faith.
Paul knew that the purity of the true gospel of grace was under attack from these Jewish sources and that clarity needed to be reached and implemented across the leadership of the fledgling Church, if the Christian faith was to remain untainted and flourish, but how similar to the world of Christianity today.
As overwhelming as this gift of justification by faith in Christ may be, there is so much more associated with our free gift of salvation.
Not only is our faith in Christ reckoned as righteousness but we also have access into God's grace, even though we were born in sin and were under God's wrath.
May we never allow the joy of our great salvation, our identification with Christ, and the astonishing privileges, position, and promises we possess through faith in Him, to become commonplace in life.
They were not to compromise their faith or follow after the ways of the world, and were instructed not to make alliances with the surrounding nations, who would draw them away into worldly ways.
We are given similar warnings not to compromise our faith with unbelieving nations or those that have an alternative religion or preach a watered-down gospel with a compromised 'truth'.
May we study to show ourselves approved unto God and not compromise our faith in any way, but stand firm to the end.
It is not necessarily the specific words that Christ was teaching His disciples to pray, but an approach towards praying that is important - where an attitude of dependent faith is adopted - a trusting faith which flows from a humble heart of grateful thanks and worshipful praise.
It was not a series of words that had to be repeated by rote in some legalistic ritual, but a model framework on how to petition the Sovereign Creator of the universe Who has also become our Heavenly Father and great Provider - by faith.
The instruction Christ was giving us in this request was about developing dependent faith in the child of God, and the prayer requests that we make to the Lord are designed to increase that faith and to enlarge in us a loving trust in our Heavenly Father and a trusting love for our gracious Lord.
We have a God Who answers prayer... and as God is petitioned, day by day, as the great Provider of all daily needs, so faith in Him and His promised Word increases with every tick of the clock.
Indeed, without faith it is impossible to please Him, for we have to believe that He exists and that He is the rewarder of all who come to Him and diligently seek Him, by trusting in His promised provision as we petition Him, day by day, to give us this day our daily bread.
As part of the same Church, members of the same mystical Body of Christ, and disciples of the same divine Saviour, that eternal, infinite love continues to travel down the corridors of time to embrace all who have been saved by grace through faith in the Him.
We were placed into the Body of Christ the moment that, by faith, we trusted Jesus for salvation, and all who would one day come to place their trust in His finished work at Calvary were crucified with Christ.
And because we have a new nature in Christ, we do not need to respond to the persuasive pull of the old sin nature, but we are called to exercise our new life in Christ by faith so that we may grow in grace and in a knowledge of our Lord.
We were identified with His sacrificial death by faith, and we can be identified with His perfect life by faith when we walk in spirit and truth and keep the old sin nature nailed to the Cross, moment by moment, and day by day.
This does not mean that the sin nature is eradicated or rendered inactive, but it does mean that we have the potential to live godly in Christ Jesus and to develop the fruit of righteousness, by grace through faith.
The faith of this Roman general stands in stark contrast with the unresponsiveness of the Jews.
He not only showed compassion for his slave but also approached the Lord Jesus with great humility and a faith in the Lord Jesus that was sadly lacking in Israel.
Jesus marvelled at the great faith this Centurion demonstrated.
How this answer must have rejoiced the heart of our Saviour for it demonstrated true faith in the Word of God.
He had not found such genuine faith amongst His own people, the Jews, as He did from this Gentile: And Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.' And the servant was healed that very moment.
Jesus explained in this passage that faith is rewarded in proportion to the level of trust and depth of confidence we have in God's Word.
The faith that delighted the Lord Jesus is the absolute assurance that God is true to His spoken Word and to His written Word.
Faith is holding fast to the truth of God's Word.
The faith that pleases God is an unshakable assurance that God is true to His Word.
May we use every obstacle we face as an opportunity to exercise our faith in Him and use every stumbling block in our path as a springboard in developing our faith in our ever-faithful God.
He lists many of the incredible privileges and blessings that are ours by faith in Him, and which the Lord has showered upon all of us in great abundance.
He praises God for the bountiful supply of spiritual blessings that are ours by faith in Him.
He spoke of the great deliverance we have all received through faith in the blood of Christ.
He expounds the doctrine of salvation and reminds us of the numerous benefits we have been granted by faith in Christ.
It is under these circumstances that James starts to address the important issue of faith - a living faith - a demonstrable faith - a faith that honours God and demonstrates true Christian character.
He quite correctly states that Christian faith should be accompanied by acts of kindness, good deeds, and worthy works.
They fear that if a Christian does not demonstrate good works in their life, their faith is dead - which they interpret to mean that they have lost their eternal salvation.
However, when the whole council of God is sought, it is very evident this position conflicts with the vast majority of Scripture which clearly teaches that we are saved by grace, through faith - and not by works lest any man should boast.
James is pointing out that a lack of good works in the life of a Christian demonstrates dead faith.
However, dead faith does not equate to loss of salvation as many teach, but rather loss of reward.
They are good works that are fulfilled through God's sufficient strength and they are described in Scripture as a 'living faith'.
The spiritual Christian who works the work of God in His power and strength, has a 'living faith'.
The carnal Christian who does not work the works of God, has a 'dead faith'.
The former has a living faith, while the latter who does not honour God in his Christian life, is said to have a 'dead faith'.
The carnal Christian who tries to do good deeds in his own strength or does them for his own glory, has a dead faith.
He remains saved by God's grace, because of his faith in Christ's finished work at Calvary, but he is saved as though by fire.
Saved - but demonstrating a dead faith.
May we live by faith and carry out good works by faith so that we demonstrate a living faith to the glory of God.
May we look to Jesus with childlike faith, humility of heart, simplicity of spirit, and total trust in our heavenly Saviour.
May we live in a way that honour the Lord and sing out in joyful abandon like those little children in Jerusalem, for we have been saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, our God and our Redeemer.
It is at the end of the Tribulation, when Israel as a nation will cry out in faith: Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord, and it is at that time that this amazing prophecy of Joel will be fully and finally fulfilled.
The good tidings of great joy that ignite faith in the man or woman who is dead in their sins and at enmity with their Creator, is peace with God and reconciliation with our Heavenly Father.
Our reconciliation comes through the blood of Jesus Christ which cleanses us from all sin, but faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the message of Christ, the incarnate Word of God.
The message of peace with God through our Saviour, Jesus Christ, is the gospel of grace that continues to be proclaimed today to the fallen race of man, but faith in Him comes by hearing this message of reconciliation.
Faith comes by hearing the truth of the gospel of Christ Who is Himself the only way, the only truth, and eternal life.
How beautiful are the feet of those who are shod with this gospel of peace and who bring the good tidings of great joy to a lost and dying world who need to hear of salvation by grace through faith in Christ.
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the truth of the gospel of Christ, the quickening Word of God.
May our feet be shod with the good news of peace with God, knowing that all who hear this proclamation and respond in faith to its call will be forgiven of their sins, made one with Christ, be clothed in His righteousness, and receive everlasting life by faith which comes by hearing, and hearing through the truth that comes through Christ, the living Word of God.
He yearns to see them and to minister to them, and so he tells them of his eager plans to visit them shortly for their mutual edification, to encourage their spiritual development and to strengthen their faith in the Lord.
The first and most important thing on the mind of Paul was thanksgiving for the faith these believers had in the Lord Jesus, because testimony of their trust in God had reached to the farthest extremity of the known world.
This was the thrilling outcome of Job's encounter with God and this is the lesson of faith and trust that God desires for all His children to understand; that God can do anything and God has the right to do whatsoever He will, and nothing that He plans and purposes is impossible, for He alone is God.
Being born of the Spirit through faith in Christ and cleansed of our sin through His shed blood, demonstrates the incredible love and generous grace that the Father has lavished upon us - His children.
The only way we fallen sinners can purify ourselves and be declared righteous, is to fix our hope on Christ by faith in His finished work on our behalf.
And when our hope is in Him, and by faith we have trusted Him as our Saviour, we become increasingly like Him through the power of the Holy Spirit.Like the Lord Jesus, we too are despised by this pagan world system and increasingly have become targets of ridicule and ill-treatment by a world which does not understand what manner of love the Father has towards you and me... who by faith in Christ have become His children and been made joint-heirs with Christ.
Let us hold firmly to this sure hope that is set before us, looking to Jesus - the Author and Finisher of our faith, knowing that those of us who have fixed our hope upon Him, purify ourselves just as Jesus is pure.
He is the Beginning and the End, and He alone holds the keys of death and hell, for HE is JESUS, the Author and Finisher of our faith. It is in Him that we live and move and have our being, and it is through Him that we have been made a New Creation in Christ.
By His grace, through faith in Him, we have been granted the forgiveness of sin and life everlasting.
We are all saved by grace through faith, and God's Holy Spirit has individually and selectively conferred different and individually selected gifts and graces on all His children so that we are enabled to live by grace and serve Him in newness of life, by grace.
Jesus did not mean that his friend would not die physically, but that his death would not be the final outcome of his sickness, and the terrible time of mourning his sisters were facing would be replaced with joy and faith in believing.
But although the nation had to be punished, God's call to come, buy, and drink milk and wine freely, is to the individual whose heart is right towards the Lord and whose faith is reckoned as righteousness.
They would be enabled to feed in their heart, by faith, on the milk of God's Word.
James did not sugarcoat the gospel of God, nor did he pull his punches when teaching the truth... because he knew the serious and eternal consequences of rejecting the gospel of grace, or of feigning faith in Christ's finished work.
Unless intellectual assent or a mental agreement is mixed with saving faith in the person and work of Christ - that faith is false and remains fruitless.
Polytheism, (the belief in many gods) and pantheism, (the belief that god is in everything) are recognised as false teachings... but there are many who hold to a monotheistic faith (the belief in one God) who are still deceived, because the object of their trust must be secured in the shed blood of Christ for salvation.
There are many that profess faith in one God which is a teaching that not only dominates Christianity but also Judaism, Islam, and other religious groups and certain cults.
Belief in One God is a step towards biblical faith, but believing in the wrong God is an unbiblical faith that leads to condemnation.
True faith must be placed in the One and Only, True, Living, and Eternal God, and His Son, Jesus Christ, Whom He has sent.
Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in the Person of Christ and His sacrificial work on the Cross.
Let us examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith - for even demons, many cults, other religions, and Satan himself, believe in the existence of God, but they do not know Christ as their Saviour - and so they remain under God's eternal condemnation.
Jesus died to pay the price for humanity's sin - and not the sin of fallen angels or demons - and only faith in HIM brings salvation.
Just before being stoned to death for his faith in Christ, Stephen (a beloved disciple of the Lord Jesus, who was full of grace, truth, faith, hope, power, wisdom, and filled with the Holy Ghost), was falsely accused by various groups of religious legalists of sedition and blasphemy, and hauled before the Jewish court; the Sanhedrin.
For 2000 years, God has stayed his hand of judgement on a Christ-rejecting sinful world, answering the prayer of Stephen that Jew and Gentile alike have been offered the free gift of salvation by grace through faith in Christ and brought into the family of God.
And He did this so that we might live, by faith in Him.
Thousands came to faith in Christ in the early years of the Church, through the ministry of their spoken word in the book of Acts, and multiple millions have come to faith through the witness of their written word, down through many centuries of time.
By faith, our old life in Adam died with Christ, we were made a new creation in Him, and given the life of Christ.
Christ is not only the substitute for our sin, but He identified with our sin so that we might become the righteousness of God through faith in Him, and when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
Being part of 'The First Resurrection' is the privilege of everyone who has been saved by grace through faith in God's trustworthy Word.
Every believer, from both Old and New Testaments and up to the present day, who have died in faith by believing God's Word, are reckoned as righteous and will participate in 'The First Resurrection'.
This is not a subject that should be swept under the Church carpet, as so often happens in Christendom today, but is a serious subject that should be faced, and unbelievers should be challenged so that they may hear the glorious gospel of grace and believe the message of redemption by grace through faith in Christ, and be SAVED.
Only the reader realises Job's faith is being tested and God's character is under assault from Satan.
Satan had assumed that Job's faith in God was because of the abundant blessings he received from the Lord and falsely accused Job of being a hypocrite who kept his faith in God to save his own skin.
They did not know this evil enemy had wagered that Job would not maintain his integrity and stand fast in the faith if sorely afflicted, but the Lord knew the heart of his servant: For there was no one like Job in all the earth.
Like Job, we live in a fallen world where we have trials and tribulation which may be a messenger of Satan which will require us to stand fast in the faith and trust in the Lord with all our heart OR it may be the consequences of sin which the Lord will use to teach and train us if we have a teachable spirit that is honouring to the Lord.
The trials of life and temptations of Satan serve as tests of our faith in God.
However, there are many instructions Church age believers have been given, if we are to honour the Lord, to walk in spirit and truth, to grow in grace and in a knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and to mature in the Christian faith.
We have been adopted as sons of God and accepted in the Beloved - as a gift of God's grace through faith.
And we, who have been saved by grace through faith in this Church dispensation, have received equally precious and unfailing promises - which are all 'yes' and 'amen' in Christ Jesus our Saviour.
This worldly mindset is diametrically opposite from God, and unbelievers and certain carnal Christians seek to deceive the spiritual man or woman into compromising their faith with empty words, false teachings, twisted doctrine, and ungodly behaviours.
Before we were saved by grace through faith, we also walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air.
But now that we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, we are children of the light who are to have no part in ungodly behaviour, for to do so not only dishonours the name of the Lord Jesus but it also shipwrecks our Christian testimony.
The unregenerate man is born in sin, he is a slave to sin, and remains separated from his Creator throughout his life – until and unless he is saved by grace through faith in Christ.However, the man that is born from above is no longer a slave to sin.
The regenerate man is no longer in bondage to the principle of sin that entraps all who are born into the fallen race of Adam. The man or woman who has been saved by grace through faith in Christ has been set free from slavery to sin and is returned into fellowship with God from the moment of salvation.
It is by faith in Christ that we have been saved, and it is also by faith in Christ that we have been liberated from the power of sin. Therefore, Paul urges us to keep sin in the place of death and not to allow sin to reign in our mortal bodies, since we have been freed from its power.
Because we are saved by grace through faith and positioned in Christ, we are instructed: Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts.
We are to know that the power of sin has been broken in our life – because we believe, by faith, in His sacrificial work.
When we are saved by grace through faith, we are given a new nature - a new, Christlike nature and because of this, we are exhorted not to allow sin to have sway in our mortal body.
BY grace through faith in Christ, 'old man' is dead and we have a new life within - our old life is dead and we have the life of Christ.
God is not mocked, and He has clearly told us that the just shall live by faith, while those that deny His name and reject His Christ will suffer the eternal consequences of rejecting the one and only sacrifice for sin.
This could cause the liberty one believer enjoys to destabilise the faith of a weaker brother-in-the-faith.
It is ironic that foolish divisions and judgemental condemnation have often resulted from our freedom in Christ, but we also have a responsibility towards our brothers and sisters, especially those that are weaker in their faith.
May we respect the choices and decisions of others who lack the freedom we enjoy in our Christian life and be careful not to judge others who, for some reason, are less emancipated in their faith.
Faith comes by hearing and the blind man's cry for mercy demonstrated an attitude of trust, humility, and dependence.
Go your way, Jesus told him, Your faith has healed you. And from that point, Bartimaeus could see. He was made whole and began to follow the Lord along the road.
Although he started his Christian life by grace through faith in Christ's finished work on the Cross, Peter reintroduced certain aspects of the Law into his Christian walk.
And having been saved by grace, through faith, we are to live by grace through faith, and not try to mix bits of the Law and human merit into our daily living.
We who are saved by grace through faith, should take this issue of trying to become righteous by the Law very seriously.
Christ died for us, not as an example of what we should do, but as a demonstration of God's unconditional love for us. There is no other way to gain salvation but through faith in Christ. We must never forget that our whole salvation - body, soul, and spirit - our justification, sanctification, and glorification ALL rely on Christ's finished work.
Prayer can be powerful - but prayer is simply the means we have been given to approach our Heavenly Father, in faith... for God alone is the power behind our prayer.
He exposes carnal Christians as spiritual babes in Christ who, although saved by grace through faith, remain spiritual infants, out of fellowship with the Father, and not walking in spirit and truth.
Instead of growing in grace and maturing in the faith he is thrown aside as an unfruitful branch and his opportunity to live for Christ withers away.
Praise God that the rest of the book of Romans gives us clear guidelines on how to be saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, the one and only Saviour Whose sacrificial death paid the full price for our sin, and Whose glorious Resurrection imparted to us His resurrected life, making us part of an entirely new creation, children of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, by faith in Him.
Salvation (grace) came through the only begotten Son of the Father, the unique God-Man, Christ Jesus the righteous: For by grace are You saved, through faith in HIM and not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Because of Israel's rejection of their Messiah King, Christ's kingdom had to be postponed for a season but the plans and purposes of God will one day come to fruition when Israel, who have been spiritually blinded for many centuries, will recognise Jesus as their Messiah-King and will once again cry out in FAITH, Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord.
It is YOU and ME, who are saved by grace through faith in Christ, who are directed to examine our faith, by reflecting on the person, work, roles, and responsibilities of this unique and holy Person, in Whom we have placed our trust.
Paul is keen to show the difference between US and THEM - between Christians and unbelievers; between those that are saved by grace through faith in Christ and unregenerate men and women: WE are of the day and WE are sons of light, Paul reminds us.
There is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus - God's wrath fell on Him at Calvary in place of us, and we are no longer under the wrath of God, but have received the citizenship of heaven, by faith.
We have already put on the breastplate of faith and love by trusting Christ as Saviour, and as a helmet to protect our thoughts and mind, we have the hope of salvation.
Faith, Love, and Hope are three of the most important elements that are ours in Christ.
Faith in our Heavenly Father and love for His beloved Son is our eternal protection, both inwardly and outwardly, while the blessed hope we have in our salvation will guard our minds from the wiles of the evil one who would seek to flood us with fear, ship-wreck our mission and ministry, and destroy our testimony, through worry of what is coming on the world.
Despite being incarcerated in a Roman prison, Paul penned this epistle to the Philippians... demonstrating a holy joy in the Lord and mandating the need for Christians to hold fast to the faith and to keep the unity of the Spirit - in the bond of peace.
Timothy had a deep and loving concern for the flock of God that reflected Paul's own deep concern for them... and so Timothy, who was Paul's son-in-the-faith, was dispatched to give encouragement and instruction to the Philippian Christians.
He had learned the holy Scriptures from childhood and was saved by grace through faith - through the ministry of Paul.
Timothy was also entrusted to minster to the believers in the city of Ephesus... and here in Philippi, it was this son-in-the-faith, who was chosen by Paul to help establish the believers there.
He is a patient God Who is long-suffering and of great goodness; an immutable God Who is unchanging and unchangeable; a God Who will never go back on His Word, either the earthly promises which He gave to nation of Israel or the many precious promises which by grace through faith in Christ, He has given to the Church, which is His Body.
Indeed, he even used the word bewitched to describe the serious nature of their departure from their faith.
Paul, like all the apostles of Christ, proclaimed that salvation is by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ; the eternal Son of God and perfect Son of Man.
How sad that having heard and believed the saving message of the Cross and that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ's finished work alone, as written in the Scriptures, that many today follow this same pattern or reverting to legalism or seek to impose the restrictions of the Law on their brothers and sisters in Christ.
And so, Paul challenged the Galatians with a one searching question: This is the only thing I want to find out from you; did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law or by hearing with faith? Oh, this was a rhetorical question for the only answer in Scripture is that salvation is through the work of the Holy Spirit, within.
It is through the work of the Holy Spirit that unsaved men and women are saved through faith.
We received the Spirit by faith and we are to live the Christian life by faith.
Having been born into God's family through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we enjoy a union with Him that can never be broken.
While some unbelievers falsely claim to have fellowship with God, which is only possible through faith in Christ, Christians may also falsely claim to have fellowship with the Father.
We have an eternal, unbreakable union with the Lord Jesus, for we have been eternally accepted in the Beloved by grace through faith – but sweet fellowship with Him can be broken and our life can dishonour His name – for if we choose to walk in darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth.Holy living is not simply a spotless exterior but an inner mind that is clean, and a heart that is broken before the Lord; a spirit that rejoices in the truth; a soul that delights itself in the Lord.
He chose to do this to redeem us - through faith in His shed blood and glorious Resurrection.
He has a name that is above every name and has been identified as the Founder of a New Creation, and the Author and Finisher or our faith.
And yet He chose to become part of the human race, in order to take the shocking punishment for all the accumulated sins of fallen humanity so that we would not have to go through being punished for our sin - but would receive forgiveness of sin, eternal life, and become part of a new and perfect Creation - by faith in Him.
We were slaves of sin and we were enslaved by Satan because of our sin - and yet Christ willingly sacrificed His own sinless life, so that He might free ALL, who through fear of death, were subjected to slavery. How sad that so many refuse to be saved by rejecting God's offer of salvation, as a free gift which is ours by God's grace - through faith.
Paul taught the Galatian believers that salvation is from the Lord and that it is received as a free gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Paul was shocked that having been saved by grace through faith in Christ, they were now reverting to a gospel of works: Which perverts the gospel of Christ.
May we, who were born again by the Spirit of God by grace through faith in Christ, live, walk, and pray in spirit and truth by grace through faith in Him.
May we, who were called into the gospel of the grace of Christ by faith, be guided by the Spirit of truth.
May we, who heard the gospel by the hearing of faith, be careful not to seek to be perfected by works of the flesh, but may we learn to walk in sprit and truth, by grace through faith.
Have faith in the truth of God's Word and the shrouds of doubt will be lifted from your veiled heart.
Christ is the Alpha and Omega of our faith, the Way and the Truth; the Resurrection and the Life – and one day we will be with Him and see Him face to face.
Knowing how God used Mordecai and Queen Esther to save the Jewish race from extinction, and being able to rejoice at the wonderful way that God saved His people from the hand of wicked Haman, who was obsessed with exterminating the Hebrew race, does not absolve the ungodly behaviour of Mordecai and Hadassah, nor does it excuse the people of God from compromising their faith in the Lord, or adopting pagan principles and practices.
Both Daniel and Joseph lived as enslaved captives under ungodly rulers in a pagan land, but neither sinned against the Lord or compromised their faith in God.
Although we continue to rejoice at the wonderful way God saved His people from the enemy who sought to annihilate them, I am sure that the Lord could have used them in a different way to rescue Israel from extinction, without them needing to compromise their faith.
May we, who live in a society that is deeply flawed, have the courage to stand fast in the faith to which we hold, and trust in the Lord to bring us through to victory, even when our circumstances appear to be hopeless; for God is able to make all grace abound unto each one of us and to provide His sufficiency in everything.
The Bible exhorts parents to instruct their children in the things of God, to train them in the way they should go and to teach them the Holy Scriptures, which are able to give them the wisdom that leads to salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.
But it is those with poverty of spirit, humility of heart, and a childlike faith in Him, that can approach His throne of grace, with a simplicity that is so precious to our Lord.
And his faith was credited to him as righteousness.
There were times when Abraham was faithful in his walk of faith and other times when he was disobedient, but God's promise to this man was unconditional.
Abraham is called 'the father of faith' and God's promises were given to him.
Let us look to Him as our provider with faith. He will never let us down, and He will give us the strength and courage and the resources we need to face each day, for His grace is sufficient.
It stresses the importance of living by faith and not by works of the law, for without faith it is impossible to please God - for faith in Christ is the key to the promised kingdom which He holds in His pierced hands.
Jesus is the Mediator of the New and better Covenant of which we have been made ministers by faith in Him, and today He is acting as our intercessory High Priest, after the order of Melchizedek.
Many do not believe that Jesus is fully God because they are unwilling to come to Him so that they might have life and have it more abundantly, by faith.
There is only one message of salvation from our Father in heaven and that is: Salvation is a free gift of God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
God commissioned the teaching of the gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord, to the apostle Paul, and we do well to take note of his sober warning.
Nothing is more thrilling for a Christian parent, or a believer who has been influential in pointing one younger in the faith to the truth of the gospel, than to see them living according to the truth, walking in fellowship with the Lord Jesus, living in submission to the Holy Spirit's guiding hand, living under the influence of the new man in Christ (and not the old sin nature), and reflecting the grace, truth, love, and humility that flows to them from their Saviour.
Christians are eternally united to Christ by faith.
Christians are declared righteous by faith in Christ and once we are saved, there is nothing that can remove us from our redeemed status - nothing that can cancel God's glorious promises to us.
Make your hearts pure, you who are half-hearted towards God and wavering in your faith.
But those who are covered in the righteousness of Christ, by faith in Him, have been given the right to draw close to Him – for He has promised to draw close to us.
But this can only happen when our hearts are purified before Him, our lives consecrated to Him, and we have separated ourselves from the world - with our conscience washed, our sins confessed, and our mind looking to Jesus, the Author, and Finisher of our faith.
By faith, we have been positioned in Him, and through the sacrifice of Himself, we have been transferred from the old creation in Adam into the new creation in Christ.
By being identified with Christ by faith, we are also associated with all that He accomplished through His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection.
Through faith in His indescribable act of love, our sins are forgiven, our certificate of debt is cancelled, and He has disarmed the rulers and authorities that enslaved our soul.
He has broken the suffocating power they exerted over us and by grace through faith, has equipped us with His own sufficient strength to triumph over them in this life.
The enemy of our soul may not be in a position to remove or invalidate our eternal salvation which is ours is by grace through faith in Christ, but he comes as a roaring lion to tear our testimony to shreds, and also as an angel of light peddling many deceitful tactics and subtle deceptions, to cause us to stumble and render our testimony null and void.
We should remember that praying for ministries and ministers is a great privilege as well as needful, as the prayers of faith mingle with the faithful work of others, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
The entire nation had been redeemed from Egyptian slavery by faith, and their faith was reckoned as righteousness.
Praise God, that even when we are weak and our faith fails, He remains faithful, for His Word is true and He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
The Stone that was rejected 2000 years ago is the Lord Jesus, but today, we who believe know Him to be the most important Foundation Stone on which our entire faith is founded.
Back in the time of Moses, Jesus was the Rock from which water flowed, and throughout the Old Testament there are many references to the ROCK on which our faith is founded.
Hebrews reminds us that Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith, and in Ephesians, the apostle Paul explains that the Christian Church, which is the Household of God, is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the Chief Cornerstone.
May we build our lives upon Christ, the Cornerstone of our faith, and trust Him in all our doings.
Paul was a man who interceded for others in the Body of Christ, and often we discover him to be lifting up Christian brothers and sisters in pleading prayer, earnestly asking the Lord that all who are born from above might mature in the faith, and grow in grace in accordance with the riches of God's super-abundant glory and His perfect will.
This verse in Ephesians is only the first part of an amazing and powerful prayer, for Paul's prayer continues: So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
May we all die to self and live for Christ as we all mature in the faith, grow in grace, and, in accordance with the riches of God's super-abundant glory and His perfect will, are strengthened with all-power in the inner man.
We are to ask and keep on asking, with full assurance that He hears our cries and answers the prayer that is offered in faith and in line with His will.
The more we seek the Lord, the more our faith will be established in Him.
We are to knock with confidence and humility even when life's circumstances seem to test our faith and sap our strength.
And even when God’s presence seems very far removed from us, we are to knock and knock and keep on knocking, for the testing of our faith develops perseverance, and such endurance must finish its work within so that we become mature and complete, lacking nothing as we tightly cling to His all-sufficient grace.
Let us ask in faith, seek diligently, and knock frequently, knowing that He is a God that hears and answers prayer.
It contains vital truth for all born again Christians and reminds us of the importance to mature in the faith, to work the works of God, and to live the sanctified life of a Christian who is walking in spirit and in truth.
Our salvation does not depend on OUR endurance, but our faith in HIM.
We are saved by grace through faith and not of works (nor by holding fast to the end) lest anyone should boast.
While Christianity's rapid growth in the early days of the church must have been wonderful to behold, there were some who wanted to be healed without exercising faith, in the risen, ascended, glorified Christ.
And I am sure He honoured the faith of many who carried out these unbiblical practices, by putting their ailing loved-ones into the streets and placing them on mattresses, so Peter's shadow might fall on one of them.
The Jews were also a race, who throughout their history, required a sign from God, and no doubt, the Lord used many of these sign miracles in the early church, to bring Jewish people to faith in Christ.
And while it is possible that putting people on the pavement for Peter's shadow to fall on them was rooted in a pagan custom, it would also demonstrate a simple faith in God, by baby Christians, who had to learn to live by faith and trust God's Word, rather than trusting in signs and wonders.
Jewish believers (who require a sign) and Gentile Christians, (who desired wisdom) would ALL have to learn to live by faith and not by sight or signs or works of the Law, or the healing power of shadows.
They reject God's gracious gift of salvation through faith in Christ, and they pour scorn on the Christian's hope in Christ’s return and the coming judgement of God on His fallen creation: What happened to the Messiah's promise to return?
Throughout the Scriptures, we discover that faith in the Word of God and trusting Him to fulfil His promises, is dear to the heart of the Lord.
We read in Hebrews that without faith it is impossible to please God, and we discover many places in Scripture where the faith of people like Abraham, who believed God's Word and placed his trust in Him, are credited with His own righteousness.
Twelve times in his writings we see this man fall to his knees in submissive supplication, indicating that he was a humble man of faith who made himself available to the Lord and believed that God meant what He said.
We may not live in the same dispensation as Nehemiah, but the principles of faith, trust, dependence, supplication, and submission, apply in every dispensation, for without faith, it is impossible to please God.
We have been saved by grace through faith and are called to live our lives by grace as well.
We are to exercise our spiritual gifts by grace through faith and are not to rely on our own strength, but to depend upon our Heavenly Father in all things, for without faith it is impossible to please Him.
We are saved by grace through faith in Christ's work on Calvary and there is no ritual, religious activity, Sabbath rule, or Church-imposed regulation, that could ever elevate our position before God or exaggerate our spiritual importance.
God has given us all that we need for life and godliness, because we trusted in Christ's finished work, by faith.
All spiritual gifts are given by grace and all are exercised by faith.
We were saved by faith, we are to live by faith, and we are to exercise our spiritual gifts by faith - and all is to be done to the glory of God and not for the elevation of self!
Each one of us has been blessed by God with certain spiritual gifts and we are to exercise those gifts according to the measure of faith we have received and according to the grace we have been given.
Paul's desire was that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith, and that each one might be rooted and grounded in love: So that they may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width, and length, and depth, and height of God's amazing love, and to know the super-abounding love of Christ which passes all understanding.
He further details our complete and unconditional acceptance by God because we are positioned in Christ by faith, and he rejoices in the hope of our calling, the riches of His inheritance in the saints, and the exceeding greatness of His power towards us which is manifest in the salvation of Jew and Gentile together in one new Man.
Paul knows what is ours in Christ, and his prayer is that we appropriate all that is ours by faith.
John rejoiced because the truth of the glorious gospel of grace abode, remained, and rested in the heart of this precious sister in Christ and her family (as it does in all who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ), and John gave additional assurance that this gospel truth would remain with them all forever.
is the memorable question he put to them: Did you receive the indwelling Holy Spirit by the works of the Law, or through hearing with faith?
For there is neither Jew not Greek in Christ, we are all ONE in Him – ONE Church, ONE Faith, ONE Body, ONE God and Saviour.
Others suggest that it refers to the whole nation of unsaved Jews, and that in some way they do not need to be saved by grace through faith in Christ but are automatically redeemed because of their Jewish genealogy.
Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, we can trace a small, unbroken remnant of believing Jews who trusted God and whose faith is reckoned to them as righteousness.
We pray that many unbelieving Jews will come to salvation through faith in Christ and become part of that blessed 'Israel of God'.
In Hebrews 11, we gain a tiny glimpse into the life, expectations, and endurance of men and women of faith in Old Testament times.
The various trials and tribulations they faced are catalogued in breath-taking detail, but most of these heroes of the faith remain an unidentified 'cloud of faithful witnesses'.
Problems and persecution, destitution and defeat, became the food of faith on which these unnamed champions fed.
They walked by faith, believed God's Word, gained His approval, and trusted Him to fulfil all that He promised.
Each one is identified as a person of faith who endured the problems they faced by means of their faith. They conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were tortured, mocked, scourged, chained, and imprisoned.
The world was not worthy to have these godly men and women in their midst, but each one held fast to their faith.
Each one believed God rewarded those that diligently seek Him, and God bore witness of their faith in this beautiful chapter of Hebrews.
But having gained approval through their faith, none of them received what was promised!
Despite their great faith we read that this cloud of worthy witnesses: Did not receive the things God had promised them.
At first glace one might consider their faith was in vain and God failed them, but that is not the case.
May we be prepared to hold fast to our faith, no matter what difficulties and dangers we face so that together with that glorious cloud of worthy witnesses, we may testify of His goodness and grace to us, and to all men.
But Jews and Gentiles alike are lost sinners in need of salvation, and reverential fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and faith in Christ is the only way of salvation.
And He went further, saying that if anyone eats of this bread, if anyone feeds on HIM in their heart by faith as their spiritual food, he will live eternally.
A significant part of Paul's epistles are either encouraging us to live godly lives, explaining what is expected in our Christian walk, giving examples of how to live to the glory of God, or enabling us to grow in grace through faith in the glorious gospel of Christ - where JESUS is the centre of our life and our conversation is heavenly.
We receive suggestions of things to avoid, counsel on how to mature in the faith, and encouragement to finish the race that is set before us, both joyfully and victoriously.
They testified to the truth that Paul's imprisonment and all the problems that this had caused to him and others, was a wonderful tribute to the Lord Jesus and evidence of God's faithfulness towards his servant, for many in the palace guard and elsewhere had come to faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.
He instructs them to be subject to those that are older in the faith, and to clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.
But humility is not only a great grace that needs to be developed in those that are young in years or young in the faith, humility is a fruit of the Spirit that should be the goal of all Christian men and women, however mature in the faith they have become, or however young they are in the Christian life, for God gives grace to the humble as well as wisdom, faith, understanding, and holiness, but He resists and opposes all those that are proud.
And so, we are encouraged to draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
He came to fulfil the righteous requirement of God's Law so that we would not remain under condemnation but be raised up into newness of eternal life.It is with a heart of humility, a spirit of purity, an unblemished conscience, and in full assurance of our hope in Christ, that we have confidence in this glorious invitation to draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.We have been purchased with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God Who was slain from the foundation of the world.
It is the one who trusts in Christ that can draw near to the Lord with the full assurance of faith - and in prayer and in praise.It is the one that has been washed by His cleansing flood and covered in His garment of righteousness that has boldness to enter into the holiest of all.
The man or woman that has been cleansed from sin, by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus, is encouraged to draw ever closer to the Lord with fervent faith because they are a new creation in Christ whose heart has been made free from the sense of sin and whose body is washed with clean water.
Only a heart that has been cleansed by grace through faith in the saving blood of Christ, is enabled to produce the fruit of righteousness - for the good man produces good things from the treasury of a clean heart, while an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of a soiled heart.
The washing of the body through water baptism is a simple sign and lovely testimony of the inward cleansing of the heart that took place when a man or woman was redeemed by faith in Christ.
It is by faith in HIM that we have been made clean and our bodies have been cleansed with the pure water of the Word.
Similarly, the mandatory Trespass Offering pictured Christ enduring the Cross so that we, who are dead in sin and without hope in the world, can be fully restored, by faith in Him.
Today, Christians are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise and proclaim the gospel of the grace of God to every creature: For we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. In the Tribulation, the 144,000 Jewish evangelists will preach the gospel of the kingdom throughout the world, proclaiming the imminent arrival of the King of kings - and a multitude without number will be saved.
The price for our salvation was paid at Calvary through the shed blood of Christ, such that whosoever BELIEVES on the Lord Jesus Christ is saved by God's grace, because of their faith.
Jesus is the God-Man, Who by God's grace, tasted death for every member of the human race so that by faith in His sacrificial death for the forgiveness of sin and His glorious Resurrection for life everlasting, we might be redeemed and adopted into the family of God and become part of the Body of Christ.
The moment that we are saved by grace through faith, we are set apart unto God forever: we are 'Positionally Sanctified'.
He sanctified Himself for our sake by going to the Cross for us so that by faith in Him we too might be sanctified sons of God and joint-heirs with Christ.
In their desire to defend the truth of the saving message of salvation (by grace alone through faith alone in Christ's finished work alone, as recorded in the Scriptures alone), these enthusiastic legalists add a wide range of works to this God-breathed message of the Cross.
It was this plain, uncomplicated message that Paul preached to the Corinthian Christians, who received it by faith and were saved by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the God-Man, Jesus Christ the righteous.
And when we are turned towards the Lord, we discover that we are resting on a sure foundation.When the thoughts of our mind and the ponderings of our heart have the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ as the focal point, they will indeed be pleasing to the Lord, for we are instructed to keep the eyes of our hearts on Jesus Who is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
The bloody sacrifice that Abel offered to the Lord to cover his own sins when he killed the firstling of his flock, was acceptable to God, for Able was a man of faith who trusted God’s promise of a coming Saviour... by sacrificing a lamb on an altar as a covering for his sin.But the sacrifice of Christ is infinitely superior to that of Abel, for Jesus offered His own blood which paid the price for the sin of the whole world, including your sins and mine.
And God is satisfied with Christ’s sacrifice of Himself on our account... and on account of all who live by faith.
It was by faith that Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain.
The shedding of innocent blood covered Abel's sin, but the basket of fruit, the work of Cain's hand, could never cover sin - and so Abel obtained the testimony that he was righteous – for the righteous live by faith.
And it is by faith that we too have been saved by grace - and like all the fathers of faith, our faith in Christ is credited to us as righteousness.Praise God that we are sprinkled with the blood of a New and better Covenant – the precious blood of Jesus Christ, the one and only Mediator between God and man – and God is satisfied with us - IN Christ.
The simple truth is that we who were once dead in our sins and at enmity with God, have been made alive by faith in Christ Jesus, brought near to the Father, adopted as His children, and indwelled by His Spirit: And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us, that same Holy Spirit will also give life to our mortal bodies, through the Spirit who dwells within each of us.
We who have been positioned in Him through faith, will, in like manner, be raised from the dead both spiritually and physically, for the Holy Spirit is the One Who gave us spiritual life when we were born again and He is the same Spirit Who will give life to our mortal bodies at the resurrection of the dead. He is indwelling our bodies and empowering our lives.
And is it ours by grace, through faith in Christ.
We were saved by grace through faith in Him and at that moment of salvation our human spirit was made alive and we were positioned in Christ.
Never let us become complacent about the incredibly great salvation; spirit, soul, and mortal body, which is ours by faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.
How blessed we are to be recipients of the astonishing ministry of the Holy Spirit and beneficiaries of the mysteries that are ours in Christ Jesus, by grace through faith in Him.
May we hold fast to the faith and grow in grace for His greater glory.
Suffering for the sake of Christ is the inevitable consequence of trusting the Lord Jesus for our redemption, but Peter reminds us that if we stand firm in our faith, relying on the Lord and proclaiming His name, we can resist the devil.
We can even rejoice in our suffering, because when our faith is tested God will be with us, and His grace is perfected in our weakness and our helpless estate.
The gospel message was given to Paul by divine revelation: That Christ died for our sins, that He was buried, and rose again, and Paul reminds us that we received our salvation as a free gift of grace, through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
But to us who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus and who continue to 'be being saved' through the wonderful, sanctification process of the indwelling Holy Spirit conforming us day by day into the likeness of Christ Jesus our Lord, the message of the Cross is the power of God and the wisdom of God, to Whom be all praise and glory for ever and ever amen.
Although we have no tangible evidence of our future hope, nevertheless we accept it by faith because God has spoken in His Word, and God is faithful to His Word for God has even set His Word above His holy name.
We may have no tangible proof of our home in heaven, but faith is the evidence of unseen and invisible things, and we are to govern our lives by truths that have eternal and lasting value and not to set our hearts on the passing things of this temporal world.
God purposed that through Israel, the nations would know that He is the Lord so that they could also pass from darkness to light by faith, and be saved – but Israel failed in their covenanted commitment and followed after other gods, which necessitated a time of punishment.
The circumstances of the day, the emotions of the heart, the imagination of the mind, and a lack of faith, caused these followers of Christ to have a selective memory of His Word.
He could only save us by faith in the righteous act of a perfect Man; faith in His sacrificial death on the Cross.
But in His mercy, He designed a way of salvation, where sinful man is cleansed and declared righteous, by the washing of regeneration, and renewal by the Spirit of God through faith in Christ.
Spiritual renewal takes place the moment faith is placed in the Lord Jesus Christ and His work on Calvary's Cross.
Although we are to be subject to rulers and authorities, we are by no means to compromise our faith.
Each one, who is mature in the faith, should be a godly example of a spirit-filled believer... speaking, exhorting, and rebuking with authority, those that do not maintain the high, biblical standards that God expects from all His children.
He told us that all who were once were far away from God, could be brought near by faith in the blood of Christ; a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.
Though baptism is a beautiful outward sign of a miraculous inner change effected by the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the man or woman who trusts in Christ by grace through faith, baptism was not Paul's primary mission.
Paul was to share the gospel by grace through faith, as led by the Holy Spirit.
They teach us not to lust after the things of this world, but to seek the things of God and His righteousness, to keep our eyes upon the Lord Jesus, to get our priorities in order, to live by faith in Jesus Christ, and simply trust Him to fulfil all our needs.
When we live by faith and keep Him at the centre of our lives, His peace will flood our heart.
But when we live by faith, we are trusting Him in all things - even when times are increasingly difficult and our supply seems to have dried up.
Progressive sanctification is a lifelong process for the believer, as we continue to grow in grace, mature in the faith, and become gradually conformed into the image and likeness of the lovely Lord Jesus.Positional sanctification happened in the past (the moment we were saved) and progressive sanctification continues in the present, but our full, final, and perfected sanctification will only be completed in the future, when we go to be with the Lord.
It is not until we all reach unity in the faith, in the knowledge of the Son of God, (either through our physical death or the Rapture of the Church) that we will finally attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, and our sanctification will, at last, be complete.Every one of us that trusts in the Lord for salvation is already sanctified.
But every believer is also going through a process of practical sanctification, for it is also a maturing in the faith as, day by day, we are being progressively conformed into the lovely image of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.It is through the Word of God that we are sanctified: Sanctify them in the truth, Jesus prayed, Your Word is truth.
As an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God, Paul set out the pure doctrine of Christianity in both his 'church' epistles, and the letters he sent personally to Timothy and Titus who were his true 'children in the faith'.
Paul never deviated from furthering the administration of God, which is by faith.
Nevertheless, we frequently see him having to address issues that strayed from the things of God which caused many to turn aside from a pure heart, sound doctrine, a good conscience, and sincere faith, into endless fruitless discussions and other futile debates.
When it is used to show an unsaved man or woman that they are sinners in need of God’s forgiveness, it fulfils its purpose, but when it is manipulated by false teachers to cause believers who have already been justified by grace through faith in Christ, to turn aside to vain discourses, useless discussions, frivolous arguments, and ungodly philosophies – it is very dangerous and very wrong.
It was not for those who had been redeemed and declared righteous through faith.
We are blessed to know that we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ. We have been born again into the heavenly family of God, as part of a new and better creation with a perfect Federal Head - we are members of the New Man, Christ Jesus.
It is by FAITH in Him that we are saved, not of works lest anyone should boast.
Whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—even our faith!
It is our faith that overcomes the world.
But faith must have an object... and the object of our faith is Jesus Christ.
It is our faith in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus that gains victory over the world.
It is our identification with Christ and His finished work by FAITH, that causes us to be overcomers.
As members of Christ's Body, we are accepted by God, in the Beloved, and have also overcome the world - by faith in the Beloved Son of God.
By faith in Christ, we have overcome the ungodly world system that is saturated in sin and seeks to entrap us all in its many and varied temptations and enticements.
We who are saved by grace through faith, praise God because Christ fulfilled the Law on our behalf, removing us from its curse and guilt and forgiving us our sin.
As believers, we have been removed from the Law of sin and death by faith in Christ, and are now under the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
Both the death and the Resurrection of Christ are crucial to the salvation message, for if Christ had not died and risen again, our faith would be futile.
Without a fixed foundation and secure biblical content, our faith would be in vain.
Without this core truth, our faith would be rendered irrelevant, for it is by Christ's death that we are forgiven and it is by His imputed, resurrected life that we too shall live.
Paul was keen to clarify the foundational truth of the saving message of the gospel of Christ that He had proclaimed to these believers on at least one previous occasion, and which they had heard with their ears, received in their heart, and personally appropriated in their lives, by faith.
And we in the twenty-first century are witnesses of that same saving message of God's grace by faith, which has its roots in the book of Genesis (when Adam fell), and reaches its climatic conclusion in the book of Revelation (when Christ rules as King of kings and Lord of lords).
It was to these believers that Paul spoke when he started to defend the truthfulness of the glorious gospel of Christ and carefully clarified for them, that their faith must be built on the firm foundational facts of Christ's death, burial, and Resurrection.
This truth is grounded in the unchanging Word of God, where Christ's death, burial, and Resurrection is the anchor of our soul and the immovable foundation upon which our faith must stand.
As the floodgates of apostasy and paganism continue to pour into the lives of believers today and pollute their faith, it is important to remain securely anchored to this important message of clarification from the apostle Paul: the gospel message of salvation which we have received, accepted, welcomed, and appropriated in our hearts.
As soldiers of the Cross, we are called to live by faith like so many in that great list of Old Testament saints whose exploits were recorded in Hebrews 11.
He is the Mediator of a new and a better covenant and by example and position, He is the Alpha and Omega of our faith.
We are to fix our eyes on Jesus, the Saviour of our soul and Perfecter of our faith.
It is also Jesus to Whom the indwelling Spirit of God directs our gaze, and it is Jesus Who demands our worship and praise, our adoration and grateful thanks – for just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so that all who looked upon that bronze serpent would live, so Jesus Christ, our blessed Saviour, was lifted up on the Cross of Calvary so that all who look to Him would be saved by grace through faith and have forgiveness of sins and everlasting life.In this passage, we are exhorted to look away from all things that hinder or halt our spiritual growth and to turn our gaze trustingly, intently, and purposefully toward the lovely Lord Jesus.
We are to look to Him with the spiritual eye of faith, for it is well-pleasing to the Father that we gaze on His beloved Son Who loved us and gave Himself for us.
Jesus was a Man Who knew that the crown of glory would not be gained without the cruel Cross.Let us fix our gaze unswervingly upon the Lord Jesus, our Prince and Leader in the faith, and the Author and Finisher of our faith.
The day is fast approaching when the trumpet will sound and the Lord Jesus will come in the clouds to take us to be with Himself forever – but until that day, let us keep on looking unto Jesus the Author and Perfecter of our faith – Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and is seated today at the right hand of the throne of God.
Not a day should go past without the believer in Christ checking him or herself to make sure that they are in the faith and not tossed about by every doctrinal 'wind-of-change'.
We are to look earnestly and continuously at the perfect Law of the Spirit of life, which is ours by faith in Christ, and we are to keep on concentrating on Him and focussing on His Word, which sustains us with spiritual strength, guards and protects us from the ravages of the enemy, and guides us into all truth as we grow in grace and mature in the faith.
JESUS took upon Himself our sins at the Cross so that by faith in Him we can 'die to sin' or 'give up' the sinful life and have it replaced with a righteous life; a life that identifies with Christ.
It was a testimony of someone's faith in Israel's Messiah.
Being baptised in water has nothing to do with spiritual rebirth, but is an outward proclamation of faith in Christ.
Being baptised with the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ is perhaps one of the most misunderstood concepts in the Bible, but perhaps 1 Corinthians 12:13 offers the clearest description of this once-for-all, supernatural event that takes place in the life of every Christian, the moment they place their faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting: For in the power of one Spirit, we have all been baptised into one Body; we have been placed INTO Christ's Body; we have become a Member of Christ's Body, which is the Church, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bondmen or free, and have all been given to drink of one Spirit.
The damage carried out by false teachers and unbiblical doctrine today, as in Paul's day, is incalculable, as the foundational truths of our faith are being chipped away and discarded by unbiblical teaching which does not stand true to the Word of God and the beautiful truth of the gospel of Christ.
Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in the finished work of Christ alone, for there is no other way to the Father, except through the SON Who gave His life as a ransom for all who would believe in Him.
Hebrews gives us a wonderful list of people who are commended by God for their faith.
They are called a great cloud of witnesses, and indeed their lives demonstrate a trust in God that stands as a wonderful testimony to the faithfulness of God in their lives, and a great encouragement for us to run the race that lies before us, and press on for the high call of God as we look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith Who endured the Cross for our sake: Therefore, we are exhorted, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
Despite the many trials and tribulations they were called upon to face, these men and women obtained a good testimony through faith.
And as we look at their example, we are challenged in our own race through life, to forget the things which are behind, to discard anything and everything that might impede our progress or hinders our witness, as we reach forward to complete God's plans and purposes for our lives.It is the sin of unbelief that can so easily ensnare and entangle us, for unbelief can become an unbearable weight on our hearts which fosters fear and chokes our faith.
During those times when we are tempted to feel that we are the only one that is facing difficult challenges in life, it is good to reflect on that great cloud of witnesses who trusted God despite the enormous trials and tribulations they were called upon to face in their uphill walk of faith.
It is not so much that these Old Covenant saints are spectators of our progress through life, but their lives bore witness of their faith in God and trust in His Word - a faith that we are to emulate as we press on in our Christian walk.Life is a race which has a finishing line, and we are exhorted to set the eyes of our hearts and the determination of our spirits on to the goal of our calling – and that goal is a Person, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Knowing that we too are following in the footsteps of such a great a cloud of witnesses, let us endeavour to lay aside every weight that hinders our personal Christian life so that we do not fall into the sin of unbelief which can so easily beset us in the race of life – and let us run with patient endurance the race that is set before us, looking to JESUS, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
They want to dilute our faith and encourage us to compromise the truth of the gospel of grace with a watered-down gospel that dishonours God and causes our testimony to be destroyed.
Faith comes by hearing and Rahab had heard of the exploits of Israel and believed the God Who fought for them was to be feared.
She believed Canaan had been given into their hands and chose not to trust in the protection of Jericho's fortified city walls, or the strength of the king's fighting men: The LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath, she confessed to the Israelite men, demonstrating a saving faith in God.
And her faith was reckoned as righteousness.
Rahab was a lost sinner, but she heard God's Word, believed in her heart, and was saved by grace through faith; and her conduct in helping the spies demonstrated faith in action.
Rahab's saving faith came when she heard and believed the Word of God but her good works were the product of that faith.
Rahab had no faith in the pagan deities her neighbours worshipped, but protected the two spies from the federal authorities.
She informed them of the kingdom's defence strategies, planned their escape, and believed their promise to protect herself and her family if she agreed to their terms and did not expose their plans to the authorities; thus putting her heart faith in tangible action.
The time that passed from Rahab tying that blood-red sash in the window of her home until the time of the spies return, must have severely tested her faith and the faith of those with her.
I wonder if certain family members refused to remain under the shadow of God's protective wings or if their faith was tried, and like Rahab, they came forth as gold.
But God knows that the testing of our faith produces endurance, and patient endurance in God's promises brings its treasured rewards.
The wonderful grace of God that we read about in Rahab's life-story is no less true of every man or woman who is saved by grace through faith in Christ.
Should we not make sure that we put our heart-faith into tangible actions?
And He is the incarnate Word - the Light and the Life of God, Who clothed Himself in human flesh, so that mankind could be redeemed, by faith in Him.
He was born into this fallen race so that the saving light of His truth and love could shine into the recesses of man's blackened heart and rekindle a spark of hope in the soul of men - so that whosoever believes on Him by grace through faith, would be removed from the kingdom of darkness, and placed into the brightness of God's eternal kingdom of light.
The only way that we can be removed from the curse of the Law and its enslaving dominion over us is through faith in Christ.
But by grace through faith, our old man, our old sin nature is nailed to the Cross with Jesus, and our relationship with sin is rendered null and void.
By faith in Him, His death becomes OUR death, releasing us from the power the Law has over us.
Paul makes it very clear that if we have died with Christ (by grace through faith which releases us from the demands of the Law), we shall also live with Him because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again.
Only through faith in Christ can the curse of the Law be lifted in our lives, and its crushing hold over us be broken.
He confirms that His ministry is according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, by faith... before addressing Timothy as, my dearly beloved son.
Timothy had come to a deepening faith in Christ through the ministry of the apostle Paul and is identified in Scripture as one of the men who would wear the mantle of leadership in the Christian Church.
May God pour out His grace, mercy, and peace on all His children, until the day of Christ Jesus our Lord, and may we all follow the example of Paul in his ceaseless prayer-life, for all who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ.
The Colossian Christians exemplified a little group of believers who were walking in spirit and truth and who had brought forth the spiritual fruit of faith, hope, and love in abundance, and Paul rejoiced to hear that individually and collectively they were growing in grace and in a knowledge of their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
The faith of this little church had spread far and wide, and their heartfelt love for the Lord Jesus and for each other was similarly known to Paul.
Their faith came by hearing the Word of God, and their fruitfulness resulted as they acted upon their trust in Christ, their faith in God's Word, and their dependence upon Him.
When evil and distressing situations happen to thwart our personal plans, we have a number of choices: We can wallow in the slough of despond, murmur against God for our misfortune, and bemoan our sorry state as we become embittered with our lot OR, by faith we can rest in the promises of God, knowing that no matter what happens in this life, God WILL bring good out of evil.
Opposition to the Word of truth and the testimony of God is as old as the hills, and hostility toward the Christian faith, the Church of God, and the truth of the glorious gospel of grace, continues to rumble around the globe today and ravage many ministries, just as it did when Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt.
It was near the end of his life, when Paul knew that he had finished His earthly race and had steadfastly kept the faith, that he wrote to Timothy with even more serious predictions of shocking faithlessness that was occurring in the Body of Christ, and warned of even more difficult times to come.
It shows the concern he has for their spiritual welfare and the establishment of their faith.
It was to train them in righteousness, mature them in the faith, arrest their carnality, and put them back on the path to spiritual growth and so he wrote, I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts - to die together and to live together.
Spiritual reproof comes to us in various ways - through increased familiarity with the Word of God from brothers in the faith and through a humble heart that has a teachable spirit.
We are called to be saved by grace through faith but we are also to live by grace through faith as we apply the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus in our everyday lives.
If Paul, in these early days of the Church, was so viciously attacked by these legalistic, Pharisaic teachers who deliberately tied up heavy legalistic burdens on men's shoulders in order to entrap them, manipulate them, enslave them, and place them back under the curse of the Law... how much more do we, in these closing days of Christendom, need to be equally vigilant in our defence of the glorious gospel of God - for Christ died for our sins and rose again the third day so that by faith in His sacrificial work on the Cross and glorious Resurrection, we have been freed from the curse of the Law - which is death - and have been born anew where we walk in spirit and truth under the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
In the previous Psalm, David identified the man who denies the existence of God and who refuses His offer of salvation by grace through faith in His Word of truth, as the natural man, the unbelieving fool who has said in his heart: There is no God.
In this precious Psalm, he lists the qualities of the spiritual man whose faith is credited to him as righteousness.
The fool may say in his heart that there is no God, but the born-again believer is the one who, by grace through faith and in the power of the Holy Spirit, is enabled to walk with integrity, work the works of righteousness, speak truth in his heart, guard his words, and tame his tongue.
David knew that the person who walks with integrity, works the works of righteousness, and speaks the truth in their heart by faith, is the man or woman who trusts in the Lord with all their heart and does not lean on their own understanding.
May we like David walk with integrity, work righteousness, and speak truth in our heart, by faith with thanksgiving.
But by the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus, every single sin, past, present, and future, has already been removed as far as the east is from the west.
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter and was smitten of God for our sakes – so that by grace through faith in His selfless, sacrificial work on Calvary’s Cross, we might be forgiven of our sin, brought back into fellowship with God, clothed in Christ's perfect righteousness, receive access to the throne of grace, and be endowed with the riches of God’s abundant blessings towards us – in Christ Jesus our Lord.
During the time that Israel is set aside, it is the Church that has been called to preach the gospel of grace and proclaim the Saviour of the world to Jew and Gentile alike so that whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, by grace through faith in Christ.We must never forget that Israel is the nation to whom Isaiah is speaking, and we must always remember that the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Noah believed God when He told him of His plan to destroy the earth, and his faith was credited to him as righteousness.
Because Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, this man of faith, together with his family, exited the safety of the ark onto a cleansed land.
But it is only by faith alone in Christ alone that salvation is given as a free gift of God's grace.
It was by grace through faith that God covered Adam and his wife with the skin of a sacrificed animal which pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.
It was through faith that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord when he believed God's Word, and it was by grace through faith that when warned about the coming judgement, that he was motivated, by godly fear, to build an ark to deliver his wife, his sons, and his sons' wives.
It was by God's grace that Noah was permitted to preach righteousness to his wicked generation, and it was by grace that when the world was judged by water, Noah became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
And every person that has sprung from Shem, Ham, and Japheth, has the opportunity to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved by God's grace through faith in Him.
And Paul used Israel's escape from Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, and their 40-year long wilderness wanderings to teach the Church this important lesson, for they all were baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, when they were rescued from Egypt, by faith - just as the Church are all baptised into Christ, when we are rescued from the slave-market of sin, by faith.
Saved by faith, but failing to run the race victoriously.
Saved by faith, but failing to LIVE by faith.
Israel passed from death to life - by faith, on that momentous occasion.
Let us remind ourselves that we were saved by faith and are to LIVE by faith and not by sight, for without faith it is impossible to please God.
Let us anchor our faith on the Word of God - for faith comes by hearing the Word and not by seeing miracles.
Abraham trusted God from the beginning, and his faith was credited to him as righteousness, but the Lord continued to build up his faith over many long years through various trials, temptations, and tests.
Later, when Abraham set off to Mount Moriah and laid his beloved son on the altar, his inward faith in God's Word was demonstrated outwardly and openly by his actions.
It was after Abraham's display of faith in God, by offering his son on the altar, that the Lord restated His promise and said, 'By Myself, I have sworn,' says the LORD, 'because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, with blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.' And the Lord concluded His promise by telling His servant, in your Seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.
Hebrews 11:1 clearly tells us: Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, and Abraham, who is often called 'the father of faith', is a wonderful example of a man who trusted God's Word, even though most of the promises he hoped for would not be fulfilled until many centuries after his death.
As members of Christ's Body, we are identified in Scripture as the spiritual seed of Abraham and if we are to learn the lesson of faith that Abraham demonstrated, we should lay aside all self-dependence and live our lives in total dependence on the Lord.
Well, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
Abraham's faith rested on the Lord Who made certain promises to him.
Should we not believe God's Word and trust in the promises of God completely, for without faith it is impossible to please Him?
Should we not develop an inward faith in God's Word and demonstrate it outwardly and openly by our actions, knowing that this is precious to the Father-heart of God?
Individual eulogies can escalate into a cacophony of joyful celebration and lyrical language, when brothers and sisters unite together to lift up the wonderful name of Jesus, resulting in a beautiful explosion of adoration for our God and Saviour - for by faith in the lovely name of Jesus we have been saved and at the name of the Almighty Lord, Jesus Christ - Creator of heaven and earth - every knee will bow.
Magnification of the Lord and the jubilant exaltation of His holy name, should be a dear desire in the heart of all who have been forgiven of their sins by faith in Christ and have received eternal life by the goodness and grace of Almighty God.
The doorway of this day of grace has been standing open for 2000 years for whosoever will repent of their sins, turn to the Lord, and be saved by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
No matter what ceases from view and no matter what is blotted out from our memories, the exceeding riches of God’s amazing grace in His kindness towards us, through Christ Jesus our Lord, will stand firm as an everlasting memorial of God’s astonishing grace and His unconditional love.Our elevated position, our heavenly possession, and our redeemed person, are trophies of the incredible kindness that God has shown to each of His blood-bought children, in saving us by grace through faith in the sacrificial offering of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross.
Before we were saved by grace through faith in Christ, we were dead in our sins, at enmity with God, slaves of Satan, and governed by the old, fallen sin-nature.
Peter was writing his letter to believers, but he knew that many of the people to whom he was writing had engaged in these and other ungodly practices, before being saved by grace through faith in Christ.
Nothing that Christians do before they are justified by faith has any value to God and Peter spells it out clearly: For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do, living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.
Although positionally sanctified, they were living an unsanctified, fleshly life, which was more reminiscent of their pagan neighbours than godly men and women of faith.
They needed to be reminded that spiritual revelation and the Christian faith must not be based on the human wisdom they appeared to honour, but on the power of God and His perfect, holy wisdom and Word.
Instead of behaving like unsaved man, with their carnal cravings and proud imaginings, they ought to be spiritual believers; growing in grace, maturing in the faith, and living in a manner that pleases God, as should we!
It is by faith that we have the indwelling Spirit of God, and should appraise ourselves to see if we are in the faith, walking in spirit and truth, growing in grace, and maturing in our Christian witness.
Thoughts fly back to the start of Israel's conquest of the Promised Land and of Rahab, the harlot of Jericho whose spiritual eyes were opened to the truth of God's Word and her faith was reckoned to her as righteousness.
At the start of His ministry, Jesus had taught His disciples the importance of the prolonged persistent prayer of faith.
They had witnessed the faith of the Centurion whose servant was healed, and the Samaritan woman whose demon-possessed daughter was delivered, and they had been taught that faith the size of a mustard seed could remove mountains.
Jesus instructed many people: Go in peace, your faith has made you whole, and told others: According to your faith be it unto you.
But He also admonished others for their lack of faith.
His question was not to get information, but to encourage Bartimaeus to hold fast to his faith, to make his request known to God, and to trust in the Lord with all his heart and not to lean on his own understanding.
Bartimaeus made his faith in Christ very clear, for he addressed Him as: My Lord... my Master.
David did not simply plead for God's protection, but in faith, he claimed God's precious promises as his own.
David's statement of faith in God was a demonstration of faith in action as he claimed God's promises to Israel in his particular situation.
Too often, as Church age believers, we plead, and petition, and ask, and beg the Lord to give us what is already ours, by faith in Christ.
In His divine power, He has given us everything required to live a holy life, through the knowledge of Him - through faith in Christ, Who called us by His own glory and goodness.
Why SHOULD we be afraid? Should we not ALL be ready and able to declare the truth? Should we not declare boldly, and in faith... It is God, whose word I praise!
AHH, but be careful Christian, that you do not fall into the trap of the ungodly Word of Faith movement, who promote their unbiblical 'positive declarations', and delight in their heretical, 'name-it-and-claim-it' behaviour, which is an abomination to the Lord.
These Word of Faith preachers deceive countless numbers of people, who buy into their false gospel, in the belief that God will supply all they want... if they simply make a positive proclamation!
GOD FORBID, that David's beautiful demonstration of trust in God... when he declared the Lord's faithfulness in fulfilling all His precious promises, by proclaiming the biblical truths, be used to support the unbiblical, and heretical Word of Faith teachings!
May we be prepared to access ALL the many privileges we have, because we are positioned in Christ - by faith.
Paul understood that the practice of prayer would result in spiritual growth and maturity in the faith, because of the power of God and His precious promises.
By encouraging the Thessalonian believers to be partners with him in praying for the idolatrous city of Corinth, Paul was also enabling them to be partakers of the joy of hearing that many in Corinth were coming to faith in Christ and being saved by God's amazing grace.
He wanted all his readers to realise that genuine prayer demonstrates a deep dependence on God, and it is an activity that can help to bring us to a mature faith in Him so that we may be complete in Christ, lacking nothing.
Oh, they were saved by grace through faith in Christ, for they were identified by Paul as 'saints.' They had also been equipped with many spiritual gifts and were described as being positionally 'sanctified in Christ' and 'set apart' unto God.
They were not growing in grace or maturing in the faith and Paul had to deal with a multitude of problems which they needed to address, both individually and collectively.
keep certain feasts, visit certain places, eat certain foods, or act in certain ways, as part of our 'religion' or faith.
Let us not fix our eyes on the Antichrist, but on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, our blessed Saviour, the true and faithful Shepherd of His sheep.
We are exhorted by Christ's apostles to live by faith and not by sight.
It is by God's grace that the Father gave His only begotten Son to pay the ransom price for our sin, and it is by faith in His finished work on Calvary's Cross, that salvation (the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting) becomes our eternal possession.
It is only those that have entered into a relationship with the Lord through faith in His finished work who can be truly wise and participate in all the blessings that accompany godly wisdom.
And all who are saved by grace through faith can rejoice in Christ Who is the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
His understanding is a table that is overflowing with good things, and all these good things are all found in Christ – Who is the wisdom of God and the power of God - and by grace through faith, we are one with Christ and He is of God.
It is at the very end of the most glorious chapter on 'faith' that the writer explains to his readers why his long list of men and women of faith did not receive the promises God made them: God has provided something better for us, so that apart from us, they would not be made perfect.
Whoever's faith is credited with righteousness will be able to eat of its life-giving fruit: Whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.
Those who feed on Christ in their heart by faith with thanksgiving, have eternal life and are freed from condemnation, because He is the Source and Sustainer of life.
Wherever the Tree of Life is mentioned, we see an important link with faith in Christ Who is the personification of all-wisdom, in Whom dwell the words of eternal life, and through Whom comes the fruit of perfect righteousness.
And ALL who feed on Him in their hearts by faith, with thanksgiving, will eat of the Tree of Life and find Him to be their Source and Sustainer through time and into eternity.
God often permits the people who trample over us, fight against us all day long, and cause us to go through such misery, to test our faith and produce patient endurance.
Hebrews 11 gives us additional insight: By faith, we read, after Moses was born, he was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they didn’t fear the king’s edict.
But the Lord also saw the faith of Moses' parents, and their faith was rewarded for the princess gave the baby back to Jochebed and her husband, instructing her to nurse the child for her until he was older, and paying her to look after him.
For unless the heart of man is being transformed into the likeness of Christ, by the daily renewing of our mind, through faith in Him, a life can never be truly reformed.
They were to shed abroad the wonders of His name and proclaim throughout the world the glorious news of salvation by grace through faith to those who were dead in sin.
Paul disclosed that this body of believers was part of a new creation who would be born again into the family of God, by faith in Christ's sacrificial work and glorious Resurrection.
And He also rose again to give us eternal life by God's amazing grace - through faith in the only begotten Son of God.
Having been born from above, Peter wanted to ensure that all his readers appreciated that by faith in Him, they had escaped all the shocking corruption and evil desires of the world, which are conceived and incubated in the heart and mind of fallen man.
And so, along with their faith, he encouraged them to diligently seek after moral excellence, self-control, perseverance, and godliness in all they said and did so that their lives could be a mirror of Christ's own character, and they could be a reflection of His brotherly kindness and godly love.
Peter knew that he must never stop bringing to their remembrance the joy that is ours in our great salvation and he diligently and repeatedly reminded his listeners of the many precious promises that are ours by faith.
For 40 years the children of Israel had wandered in the wilderness instead of entering the promised land, due to their lack of faith. They were saved from Egypt, but because of unbelief, they lived a defeated life and failed to enter their promised rest.
Having been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, we too are to keep the eyes of our heart on Jesus - the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Every one of God's people can give evidence of the wonders the Lord has done in each of our lives, for we have all been saved by grace through faith in HIM.
Bring him here to Me. The men who were in training to carry on Christ's ministry after Israel's rejection of His offer of the kingdom and His forthcoming sacrificial death on a Roman cross, had failed miserably in this test of faith.
And so He said to them: Because of the littleness of your faith; truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
Despite walking with Jesus for years, seeing Him perform many mighty miracles, proclaiming Him to be 'the Messiah - the Son of the living God', and being endowed with miraculous power themselves, Jesus scolded His disciples for their weak faith.
It was not the amount of faith that was lacking but trusting in the object of their faith - which is Jesus.
It was not the quantity of faith that mattered but the Person upon Whom their faith was founded.
The faith of the disciples should have been rooted and grounded on the Person of Christ, but instead, they were relying on themselves and their own abilities instead of Christ's strength.
Because of their lack of faith in Jesus, none of His disciples could cast out the demon. Due to their lack of faith in Christ, He could not or would not work the works of God through them.
The value and outworking of our Christian faith is found in Christ alone and not in the strength, intensity, or size of our faith.
It is not pumping up faith in our own faith and abilities.
The tiniest amount of faith placed in the correct OBJECT is the key to moving mountains.
When the object of our faith is Christ, then nothing will be impossible, because God will be enabled to work His work through us.
The value of our Christian faith is to rest our trust entirely on Christ Who must be the singular object of our faith.
When faith is anchored on Christ, we may be sure that He will not disappoint us.
May we never forget that faith is dependence upon God and this God-dependence can only develop when self-dependence ends.
Just as the body needs a daily intake of food, so the soul needs a continuous intake of Christ, the Word of God: For faith comes by hearing and hearing from the Word of God. And it is as we grow in grace and mature in our Christian walk that we will discover that we can apply faith correctly; for the glory of God.
Faith is like a muscle that needs to be exercised every day, and when faith is anchored on Christ, it will grow and be strengthened: And THIS is the victory that overcomes the world - even our faith.
The strong language that Paul uses to refute this false teaching and the stern denunciations he makes about these legalists, who were insisting on adding to the simple truth of the gospel message (that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in the finished, sacrificial work of Christ alone) serves only to demonstrate how dangerous Paul considered this legalist teaching.
Now, as then, any form of legalist work that is insisted upon as being a necessary addition to God's free gift of salvation by faith alone in Christ's death, burial, and Resurrection, is strongly to be rejected, and Paul spends two whole chapters in this book of Galatians using the strongest possible language in defence of justification by faith in Christ's finished work on Calvary's Cross alone.
In both the Old and New Testaments, the just are saved by grace through faith and are to live by grace through faith.
While it is true that through the Law comes the knowledge of sin, it is faith in Christ's finished work alone that justifies the sinner.
Faith in Christ's finished work alone causes sinners to be made right with God.
Faith in Christ's work on the Cross and His shed blood alone is the price that the Father demands for payment for our sin, and whoever believes in Him is saved by grace.
Let us praise God for His saving grace, and may we continue to live our life by grace through faith in Him.
By grace through faith in Him, Ruth became one of the most exquisite 'types' of the Church we discover in the pages of Scripture, and found herself elevated to be grandmother to the great king David and a descendent of the Messiah of Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Having prayed very specifically that the Thessalonian believers would increase in faith, abound in love, and live blamelessly before the Lord, Paul urged each one towards practical sanctification and godly living: For this is the will of God, he writes, even your sanctification that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality.
They include the bestowing of spiritual gifts and His 'filling' office, for we all receive spiritual gifts according to the proportion of our faith, and we are all are commanded to 'be filled with the Spirit'.
And when we walk in spirit and truth, we will grow in grace, mature in the faith, produce spiritual fruit, and live a life that honours our Father in heaven.
Christian children and grandchildren should not only consider it a responsibility and a privilege to take care of their aging mother and grandparents, but should also welcome it as an opportunity to put faith into action, because it is the right thing to do, and it greatly honours the Lord.
However, it seems that unbelief, doubt, indecision, or uncertainty may have trumped John's faith in Christ's physical Resurrection for a time, for he and Peter simply returned home after seeing the grave clothes undisturbed but empty, with the head covering neatly folded by itself.
Paul structured the first few chapters of the book of Romans to bring every member of the human race, whether Jew or Gentile, to the stark realisation that we are ALL under sin and we ALL need salvation by grace through faith - and he used a string of Old Testament verses to verify the truth and to seal his argument:
Let us celebrate the wonderful truth of God's amazing gift of salvation which is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ - not of works, lest any man should boast.
Paul always kept the believers at Thessalonica in his prayers because he was well-aware of their work of faith, their labour of love, and their patience in hope.
Before we were accepted in the Beloved by grace through faith in His sacrificial death and Resurrection, we were spiritually dead and doomed to eternal separation from God.
They also had to understand that Jesus was the Messiah, promised of old, Who would redeem them by grace through faith in Him: You believe in God, He challenged them, believe also in Me, for Jesus alone has the words of eternal life.
Praise God that we gain salvation, union with God, and fellowship with our Heavenly Father, not by what we do, but faith in what Christ has DONE.
The stoning of Stephen, who was the first Christian martyr, set the course for the rapid spread of the good news of salvation to faraway regions as men, women, and children began to be rounded up and imprisoned for their faith.
The Lord Jesus knew the deep distress they were facing and the shocking persecution that they were going through, and His letter must have given them much comfort and encouragement - enabling them to hold fast to their faith during this time of extreme oppression.
And truly ALL who are saved by grace through faith, have overcome because of their position in Christ.
However, like the saints in Smyrna, we are not only saved by grace through faith, but as believers, we are also called to live by grace through faith.
May we be willing servants who are quick to confess our sins; faithful to obey His commands; obedient to trust His word, walk in spirit and truth, and day by day continue to look to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.
In this passage, which was written to instruct Church leaders on godly conduct, we discover that the mystery of godliness is connected with 1) faith in Christ and 2) a spiritual walk.
He died on the Cross for our salvation and destroyed the evil work of the devil so that by faith in Him, we might be identified with His godliness, covered in His righteousness, and become a part of His mystical Body which is the Church.
It is only by grace through faith in these astonishing historical facts that a lost sinner can become a saved saint.
Only those who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ have the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
And in this passage, Paul clearly links spiritual conduct and godly behaviour with sound doctrine and a firm faith that is securely established on the unchangeable biblical truths of the unchanging Word of God.
The faith of deacons and leaders, together with all who trust in Christ for salvation, must be rooted securely in sound doctrine: That Christ was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world and received up into glory.
The book of Romans lays out the clear path of condemnation and destruction that foolish and rebellious men choose to pursue, when they refuse to acknowledge the truth, but praise God that Paul also goes into great detail on how to be saved by grace through faith in Christ and details the many privileges that are ours in the Lord Jesus, our God and our Saviour.
Although many of the stern warnings in his short book were fulfilled when the southern kingdom of Judah was finally swept into Babylonian slavery, the ultimate and final fulfilment is yet future: The Day of the Lord's wrath, will be poured out during the 70th week of Daniel, that future time of Jacob's Trouble, when the full force of God's wrath and anger will be spewed out on a world that rejected His Son and refused to be saved by grace through faith.
Although they were born-again believers, they were weak in the faith and being influenced by unbelieving pagans to revert to certain idolatrous practices from which they had been delivered.
When we were justified by faith, the Holy Spirit came to indwell our mortal frame permanently.
The Corinthian Church is a good example of saints of God who neglected the truth, opened their heart to false teaching, and were not diligent in their spiritual growth or maturity in the faith.
Jerusalem was the location where the Lord Jesus Christ died on the Cross for the sin of the whole world, and Jerusalem was the place where the veil of the Temple was torn in two, opening up the way for sinful man to be declared righteous before God, through faith.
They may be rich in worldly goods, well-fed, famous, and popular, but if they reject Christ's offer of salvation, by grace through faith in Him... they are men most miserable for they are eternally cursed and excluded from His eternal kingdom. Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
Though God is a God of justice and must punish all sin, nevertheless He is a God of love and mercy, kindness and compassion, long-suffering and of great goodness, and as His children, we are instructed to display the same godly qualities and merciful attitude that He has shown to each one of us who has been saved by grace through faith in Him.
Paul emphasises the importance of Christians living together in spiritual unity and godly harmony, and of the eternal benefits that we derive from our salvation by grace through faith in Christ.
He obviously recalled the sincere faith that so exemplified this special young disciple as he wrote his final epistle, but so too did he recall the sincere faith of Timothy's mother and grandmother.
We who are saved by grace through faith have already trusted in Christ for salvation, and in so doing have not only found our rest in Him already, but as the writer to the Hebrews reminds us, there remains a Sabbath rest for ALL the people of God, an eternal Sabbath rest in the ages to come that is ours by grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Saviour.
We are certainly privileged to be saved by grace through faith in Christ and to have been freed from the curse of the Law through His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, but we must maintain an attitude of eschewing that which is evil and seeking to do that which is righteous in the eyes of the Lord.
We should not become smugly complacent in our privileged position in Christ and the freedom that we enjoy in our Christian walk, for on those occasions when we think we are standing firm in the faith we can all too easily fall into sin.
Despite Israel's rejection of their Messiah-King, Paul is giving full assurance that God's gracious offer of salvation by grace through faith in Christ finished work, is wide open to both Jew and Gentiles alike and he gave the assurance to both Israel and the nations: If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Paul interrupted his in-depth dissertation on the universal need of the gospel and the way to be saved by grace through faith in Christ, by devoting three chapters to Israel, the nation God elected to fulfil His plans and purposes.
Starting with Abraham whose faith was reckoned as righteousness, Paul begins to expound God's sovereign choice of Isaac over Ishmael, and Jacob over Esau, and explains the difference between the spiritual seed of Abraham and the natural descendents of these great patriarchs.
God alone determined that the wages of guilty sinners is death, and He also determined that salvation would be His gift of grace, through faith alone in His only begotten Son, and that nothing in our character, conduct, natural descent, or human merit, would influence or affect our salvation.
Salvation is by grace ALONE, through faith ALONE, in Christ ALONE because God determined it to be so.
Nothing but faith in the Person and Work of Jesus is sufficient to reconcile us back to God and save us from our sin.
When we are saved by faith, we are positioned IN Christ.
Being the spiritual seed of Christ, I am imputed with His righteousness, making me the righteousness of God in Christ, by faith.
By faith, I am part of a new creation in Christ which means that death no longer has power over me - nor does sin, Satan, or the Law, for I am dead to sin, dead to the Law, dead to self, and dead to Satan.
It is for this glorious reason that I can say with Paul, I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.
The Holy Spirit of the resurrected Christ indwells my mortal body so that although I remain in this perishable body of flesh and blood, I live by faith in the Son of God so that it is not I that lives but Christ that lives in me.
Because of my faith in Him, I will one day exchange this perishable body for an imperishable one.
It is by faith that the world is overcome.
It is by faith that the flesh is overcome and it is by faith that the devil is overcome.
The more we die to self, the more we live for Him, until with Paul we will be able to say, I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
He was a man that boasted of his loyalty and love for the Lord in the early days of faith.
Peter also came to understand that growing in grace and maturing in the faith is only achieved as we decrease in our own importance so that the might, majesty, dominion, and strength of Christ may be seen in us and exalted on high.
In this second epistle, this seasoned saint introduced himself as a bond-servant and apostle of Christ... and delivered a call for Christians to apply all diligence in developing a godly character and a mature faith in a world at conflict with God and all that is holy.
Peter taught the good news of the gospel of grace and the glorious message of salvation by grace though faith in Christ, and made clear to us the power of the Cross and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ Whose sacrifice of Himself at Calvary and glorious Resurrection is the single thing that is worth living for - and the one thing worth dying for.
Paul often lays the foundation and fundamentals of faith early in his writings.
Having been freed from the restrictions of the Law, through faith in Christ, Paul's earnest desire was to instil in us the higher life that we have in Him.
He rejoiced in our reconciliation with God, through the shed blood of Christ, which was not by works of the law but by faith in Him.
His emphasis was that in Christ, we have been born into a second creation - by grace through faith!
Christ dismantled the principalities and powers that held us captive - and because we are identified with Him by faith, we are also identified with His victory over sin and death.
As guilty members of the old creation we were under God's condemnation, but by faith in Christ's redeeming work, we are part of a new creation, which has been set free from the requirements of the Law and have been declared forgiven saints.
We need to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith or if our itching ears and lustful leanings are being enticed into the camps of heresy and apostasy (spiritual adultery).
But thanks be to God that we have a Saviour Whose own perfect life and sacrificial death broke the power that the Law had over our old sin nature, by grace through faith. Faith in the finished work of Christ on Calvary alone can break that binding contract between the sinner and the Law.
The question continues to rage and appears to contradict Paul's teaching that we are not justified by works, but by faith in the finished work of Christ on the Cross.
Luther was unable to reconcile this doctrine with the many Scriptural verses which teach we are justified by faith and not by works, lest any man should boast.
The question must be addressed: Are we justified by faith or by works?
The natural result of being saved is the production of good works, and James cites Abraham as an example of a man who had been justified by faith, and whose works demonstrated his trust in God.
Abraham believed God and left his home by faith, not knowing where he was going.
Abraham was saved / justified in chapter 15 (if not before) because of his faith.
The offering of Isaac was a work that flowed from a life that trusted God, from an already justified man who was already saved by grace through faith.
Justification in this context happens at a point in time; the moment we are saved by grace through faith.
Justification in Scripture generally refers to a sinner, saved by God's grace through faith.
James is calling Christians to godly living, a mature faith, patience when tested, a joyful attitude in trials, a gracious compassion for others, and someone who is to be a 'doer' of the Word and not simply a hearer only.
We who are saved by grace through faith, find our everlasting refuge in Christ Who took the punishment for our sin and became our strong Fortress, our everlasting Refuge, and the Rock of our salvation.
No doubt, the man who penned this Messianic psalm was himself convinced of the wonderful security that is found in the Lord his God, because his faith was credited to him as righteousness and he could legitimately confess that his trust was in the Most High God, the Almighty King of the universe Who is signified as the Sovereign Ruler of all and the Divine Protector of those that believe on His name.
As faith begins to fail so fear starts to overtake the soul, and the prospect of life without Jesus plummeted His disciples into utter despair.
And in the confusion of the hour, the faith of His loyal followers was severely tested.
He was to be another Christ-like Comforter Who would guide their hearts and minds into the way of truth - so that by grace through faith, they would have the mind of Christ!
He seals each one with the protective seal of God, unto the day of redemption - when faith will blossom into sight and we will be with the Lord forever.
One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit for the unbeliever is to convict a guilty world of three important issues; 1) of sin and its terrible consequences, 2) of the righteousness of Christ which is available to all by faith, and 3) of judgement - the judgement of sin, the condemnation of Satan, and the eternal consequences for the unrepentant sinner.
The clear teaching of Scripture is that God chose each one for salvation based on the choices He knew we would one day make, in respect of His offer of salvation, which is by grace through faith in Christ.
It is not God's will that any should perish but that all should come to faith in Him, but in His omniscience God knew the choice we would make before we were even conceived in our mother's womb, and how we thank God that He chose us from before the foundation of the world, based on that freewill choice.
How we praise and thank God, and glorify His holy name that by grace through faith in Him we were positioned in Christ, set apart unto Him, and brought into His heavenly family, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
James also wanted to explain that our personal trials are a test of our faith and the daily difficulties we face in life help to develop our Christian character and mature our spiritual walk.
We can seek to battle through in our own strength, wondering if God really cares as the pressure increases until we finally give-up, or we can remember that God is in control, we can rejoice in the Lord and consider it pure joy, recognising it as one of the various trials which God will use to fine-tune our faith, increase our dependence upon Him, develop our Christian character, and bring us closer to spiritual maturity.
Rather, they were a captive audience, for all of his jailers heard the gospel and many came to faith in Christ, which must have given Paul great joy.
Rather, he finished his account by relating the spreading of the gospel into the Gentile world and the amazing accomplishments that can be achieved by a defender of the faith and a devotee of Christ, whose life is spirit-filled and completely surrendered to God.
He outlines the godly conduct that should be evident in the lives of all who are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whom Peter confessed as the Messiah of Israel and Son of the living God.
But by faith in the finished work of Christ, we have been born anew - born from above - born of the Spirit - born again.
We have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ and there are numerous other eternal privileges and promises that have been given to us as a free gift of God's grace - by faith in Him.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God and new birth happens when the truth of God's Word is translated from intellectual, head knowledge into confident, heart faith through the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit of God.
However, the means of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ is found in the Word of God.
We are all sinners and the wages of sin is death - but God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son to be the substitute for man's sin so that by faith in Him, we may be born again into newness of life and transferred from the fallen race of sinful Adam into a new creation of the eternal Christ.
By grace through faith, we receive an incorruptible salvation, together with an incorruptible inheritance through the incorruptible Word of God which is living, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.
Those who have trusted in Him by grace through faith have the mind of Christ, which will guide us into all truth, for the Spirit of Christ Who indwells our heart is ready to lead and guide all who will willingly submit their lives into His keeping.
Don't Be Afraid, He Is Risen, are words that we should reflect upon in our heart by faith with thanksgiving, until we are flooded with the thrilling joy that must have been the experience of those faithful women... 2000 years ago.
It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him.
Abraham, who had already received God's promises by faith, was also ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac.
And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead because by faith, he obeyed God's Word, even when circumstances seemed to scream the opposite: So Abraham called that place Yahweh-Yireh - Jehovah-jireh - The Lord Will Provide.
Let us not be of little faith, but men and women that trust His Word implicitly, knowing that the Lord will indeed provide for all our needs, according to His riches in glory.
Paul also knew that spiritual wickedness in high places would seek to disrupt his important ministry, but as a soldier of Christ, he relied on the weapons of righteousness which the Lord Himself provides: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.
He was to be brave and very courageous in a world where those who followed 'the Way' were despised, marginalised, imprisoned, and even killed for their faith.
Paul was writing to Timothy, his 'son in faith' from his prison cell, in Rome.
Firstly, he was not to be ashamed of: The testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the glorious gospel of salvation by grace through our faith in Jesus.
Paul wanted to remind Timothy, and us, that we should not be apathetic or diffident in our Christian faith.
John knew that love for God and love for one another is an essential element of our Christian faith, and he recognised it in this lady's life, but biblical love can often become distorted when formalism, legalism, mysticism, socialism, and other 'isms' are added to the pure gospel.
He knew the enemy will often approach God's children as a roaring lion, whose evil desire is to destroy our faith in Christ.
We are to die to self, grow in grace, and mature in the faith so that the indwelling Holy Spirit may work in and through us to the glory of God the Father (our sanctification).
If we leave our first love, grow weary of well-doing, fall into legalism, compromise the truth, become lukewarm in our faith, or allow false doctrine to shipwreck our testimony, we will not lose our salvation, but we will forfeit any rewards that God has prepared for us to do.
May we run the race that is set before us looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
We must contend earnestly for the faith that was given to us, that God the Son came to earth as the perfect Son of Man, that he died according to the Scripture, that he was buried and rose again, and is today seated on the throne of God the Father until He returns to set up His kingdom on earth.
When Peter quoted these words from the Psalmist, however, he excluded that final, sombre sentence from his epistle... for today we live in the dispensation of the grace of God, when guilty sinners can be cleansed from all sin - by grace through faith in Christ's redemptive work on Calvary's Cross.
He warned that we are all under God's righteous condemnation and that we all need to be redeemed by the blood of God's only begotten Son Whose shed blood alone is the only acceptable price for sin, and is gained through faith in Him.
We do NOT 'become little gods' as false 'prosperity gospel' proponents proclaim and as 'word of faith' teachers in Christendom outrageously teach today.
His divine power is only ours on account of our union with Christ, by grace through faith in His finished work at Calvary.
It is by trusting His Word, by believing that His great and precious promises are true, and by acting on that knowledge by faith, that we may partake of His divine power.
Praise God that by faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice, we have escaped the corruption that is in the world.
It is by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection that we are redeemed from the slave-market of sin.
It is by grace and grace alone that we have been saved, through faith in Christ.
The perfect Son of Man demonstrated to the fallen race of men how God designed all man to live on earth; by faith and in dependant submission to the Father.
When Adam was created, he was to live by faith and in dependant submission to God, but he failed.
If we trust in the person and work of Jesus, we are saved by faith in Him, and saved unto eternal life as a free gift of God's grace.
But disciples are believers who move to the next level of faith, living life by faith, through a process of progressive sanctification.
Disciples are those that are not only SAVED by grace through faith but also LIVE by grace through faith.
But this was not a surprise to the Lord Who knows the end from the beginning, and Israel's rejection of Christ 2000 years ago has given us the opportunity of becoming sons of God, through faith in Christ Jesus.
We find him exhorting believers to stand firm on the truth of the gospel of God, to preach the Word of truth at every opportunity, to be constant in the faith of the saints, and to persevere, by God's grace, under the difficult trials that were coming on the earth.
This shocking catalogue of evil doers whom Paul identifies in this letter to Timothy, are those who subvert the truth and destabilise the faith of many.
May we eschew evil and be given the discernment to recognise anything and anyone that seeks to shipwreck our faith - or the faith of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
To those who are being sanctified by grace through faith in Christ and are maturing in the faith, the message that Paul delivered is heavenly wisdom that surpasses our understanding.
For this reason, Paul was able to clarify to the confused Corinthians, who had started to be influenced by worldly wisdom, that the message that HE spoke was the only true wisdom - but it was a wisdom that can only be assimilated by those who are growing in grace and maturing in the faith.
How important that our faith is not founded on the sinking sands of this world's vain philosophies.
How essential that our faith is anchored to the wisdom, the power, the promises, and the faithfulness of God - Who deserves our undying honour and grateful thanks.
He was pursued by those who made false accusations against him, but David had faith that God would establish him, vindicate him, and judge ungodly people according to His righteousness.
This should comfort us, for we have been accepted in the Beloved, by grace through faith, and no matter what we have said or done or will do, God knows us and He loves us.
He suffered at the hands of wicked men so that we could be clothed in His righteousness, drink of His spiritual milk, and be fed on the Bread of Life, by faith in Him.
Because these deceptive people had gone out from the Body of believers, they had demonstrated they were not genuine in their faith; for had they been genuine, they would have remained.
If the only way to escape that terrible time to come is through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, should we not take every opportunity to tell our loved ones, our friends, our relatives, our neighbours, our work colleagues, and those we meet, the good news of the gospel of grace and the terrible consequences of rejecting God's offer of salvation?
Joshua would have to face many tests of faith in the days and years ahead, as he battled to win the Promised Land for God's people.
But perhaps the greatest trial he was to face, would be to maintain his own faith in God.
However, Joshua's greatest struggle was to be the battle for his faith in God.
He had to fight the inner conflict between faith and doubt, and keep trusting the Lord to fulfil His Word.
Throughout the Old Testament, we discover that the just shall live by faith, faith in the Word of God and faith in His precious promises - for the battle is not ours but belongs to the Lord.
However, we are faced with the same dilemma as Joshua - the battle for our faith in God.
Our victory has already been won by Christ - we simply have to live by faith and not by sight.
We are not only saved by faith, we are also to live by faith - faith in the Son of God.
The just shall LIVE by faith - not by feelings, intuition, or any other human reasoning.
The truth is that those who see God... have already been given a pure heart, as a free gift of God's grace, by faith.
As Church-age believers, we 'see' God because we have been clothed in Christ's righteousness, by faith.
The moment that we are saved by grace through faith, we have an assurance that we are part of the group that are blessed by God and will indeed see Him... not because of what we have done to make our hearts pure - but because of what Christ has done for us so that by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, we are given a pure and holy heart - which will see God.
We are given a pure heart because of our faith in what He has done on our account.
We will see God... because our sinful heart has been cleansed, by faith, through the shed blood of Christ, for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.
They were to believe on God the Father... but also, they were to believe on the One Whom He had sent - the Lord Jesus Christ - for we are saved by grace through faith in HIM and not by works of the law.
It explains the way those that have been saved by grace through faith should live their lives.
A heart is purified by the inner work of the Holy Spirit in the man or women who is rightly related to God - through faith in Christ.
God has given every man and woman volition to choose their eternal destiny, either faith in Christ as Saviour OR rejection of the One Who died for their sins and rose to give life to all who would believe in His name.
God elects everyone who by faith choose to trust in Christ for salvation.
Our election was established on what each one of us would choose to do with God's free gift of salvation, which is by grace through faith in Christ.
For once we are saved by grace through faith, God accepts us in Christ, we are positioned in Him, we are accepted in the Beloved, we are sealed unto the day of Christ by the Spirit, and we are also elected and called because we believed on the only begotten Son of God.
Having been saved by faith, let us confirm our election and our calling by walking in spirit and truth, and trusting in the unchanging Word of God so that we will live our lives as He intended and produce fruit to His praise and glory.
The Church was not to be founded on Peter the person, but upon the wonderful and eternally significant confession of faith about the person of Christ that God revealed to him.
We are living stones who have put our faith in the confession that Peter once made, so many years ago: JESUS is the Messiah.
And on this confession of faith, Jesus said, On this Rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Christ was sent, as foretold in Scripture, as their Kinsman-Redeemer and the final sacrifice for sin, because their faith had been reckoned to them as righteousness.
Paul cautioned Timothy to Stay away from such people. Paul was warning the Corinthian Christians that they too, needed to be sober, and vigilant; because their adversary, the devil, can come as a deceptive angel of light, OR as a roaring lion, who walks about, seeking to devour gullible believers and shipwreck their faith.
Hebrews was originally written to strengthen the faith of Jewish believers and to warn against drifting away from the truth, neglecting our great salvation, the dangers of unbelief, the hindrances caused by an immature faith, and the foolishness of rejecting God's grace.
To hear that the way of righteousness was a gift of God through faith in Christ and then to turn back to a system that was no longer operative, was shocking and futile.
We are not only SAVED by grace through faith but we are to LIVE every moment of our lives by grace through faith.
Christ was seeking to show the immensity of our sin against the goodness of God so that He could provide the message of salvation - by grace through faith.
It is by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we..
He had revealed Who He was to His faithful followers, and was shortly to go to the Cross to finish the redemptive work that God had determined for Him to do so that by faith in Him, lost sinners might be redeemed from the pit and changed into saved saints with an eternal inheritance.
In these last days, may we be united together in the truth of God's Word and united together in the will and purpose of God's plan, so that by our word and witness, lost sinners might be saved by grace through faith in Christ, and Jesus Himself would be glorified.
Having summarised the position and privileges of the believer and the glory of our salvation, the apostle Peter exhorts Christians to live their lives in a godly manner, and points out the responsibilities and duties that are incumbent on all who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ.
We were born dead in trespasses and sins, separated from God and eternally damned, but by faith in Christ Jesus our Saviour, our sins were forgiven, all our past, present, and future sins, and we were cleansed from all unrighteousness.
And we even became entitled to call Him 'Abba, Father' by grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Although we were justified by grace through faith in Christ, we are too often willing to be influenced to sin by our old sin nature; our old Adamic nature.
He is the Author and Finisher of our life of faith, the Pioneer and the Perfecter of all we believe, for it was CHRIST that endured the Cross, disregarding its shame for the joy that was set before Him, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
There are an increasing number of people who delight to give extra-biblical 'revelation' from God, which is of serious concern, and there are many cults that have taken away the basic foundational truths of our Christian faith and superimposed a false gospel which is designed to deceive and destroy.
He was the one who walked on water and sank down into the angry waves when his faith failed, and Peter was first to confess: You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
Instead, they would be universally hated, hunted down, and killed for their faith.
The peace we have WITH God through faith in Christ; the blessed hope we have in Jesus, when He comes to take us to be with Himself at the rapture; and the incomprehensible peace OF God that governs our hearts, when our minds are focussed on Him, will be unavailable to those who enter the great and terrible Day-of-the-Lord.
He took the punishment that we justly deserve, but by faith, we have been forgiven and clothed in Christ's righteousness.
The sad thing is that Christ's died for THEIR sin too, but they have to BELIEVE to be justified in the sight of God - for we are justified by faith.
His arm is ever-ready to provide the help we need, and His ear is always open to our cry, but He wants us to approach Him through earnest prayer and cheerful praise so that our faith in Him and our trust in His Word may germinate, grow, blossom, and bud - and bring forth much fruit to His praise and glory, as we journey through life to our promised heavenly home.
Jude warns of the many ways that we believers can be enticed away from the Word of truth into unbelief through heretical teachings, apostate teachers, and false prophets, and he exhorts each one of us to contend earnestly for the faith which was given to us through God's holy apostles and prophets.
We have a vicious enemy that is seeking to shipwreck our faith in the goodness of God.
But the trials and tribulations that are designed by the enemy to unsteady our faith, can be used as the catalyst to strengthen our trust in God if we will but persevere in His sufficient strength, for this brings honour to our Father in heaven and an eternal reward for those that patiently endure.
He had come to save guilty sinners from their sins and to give them a measure of faith, a blessed hope, and a love that passes human understanding.
He had been sent from His Father in heaven to offer mankind a gift of salvation, by grace through faith in Him, so that whosoever would believe on His name might be saved by grace.
The faith of the four men who brought their friend to Jesus for physical healing must have blessed the Lord, and He responded to their need.
I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly from house to house, Paul recalled, during the make-shift meeting on the sea-shore, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
During his years in Ephesus, Paul had taught many different Church-age doctrines, but the one highlighted here was 'repentance towards God' and 'faith in our Lord Jesus Christ'.
On closer examination, we find the meaning of 'repentance toward God' and 'faith in the Lord Jesus Christ' are interchangeable with one another, and co-dependent.
True, biblical repentance is towards God, and means to change one's mind about Jesus Who was sent by the Father to be the propitiation for our sin. 'Repentance to God' is turning away from sin TO Christ. 'Repentance' is ineffective unless one turns, in faith, to the Lord Christ for forgiveness.
Conversely, saving-faith or 'salvation' is impossible without repentance towards God.
In this verse, 'faith in the Lord Jesus Christ' pre-supposes 'repentance of sin towards God', but sadly many churches continue to insist there are two steps to salvation: 1) repent and 2) believing, when there are multiple passages that demonstrate that salvation is by GOD's grace, through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ.
David was a sinner from his conception, like all humanity, but he had been saved by grace through faith in God's Word and his faith was reckoned as righteousness.
She substituted her own preconceived imaginings for the Word of truth, and like the other disciples, Mary lived through those difficult days by sight and not by faith!
Love for our Lord and love for others is the new, and better commandment that Christ has given to all who are saved by grace through faith in Him. But I wonder how different things would have been if Mary, and the other disciples, had lived through those three days - expectantly waiting for Christ's prophesied resurrection from the dead, just as He had told them beforehand.
May our own, personal love for the Lord grow and develop and increase, with every passing day, but may we also take to heart ALL that is written within the Word of God, trust all that He has told us, and live our lives by faith in His Word and not by the circumstances that surround us.
There is no division in the Church, for we are all fellow members of His Body, fellow-partakers of the unconditional promise made to Christ through Abraham, and fellow-inheritors with the same birthright that is given by grace through faith to all the redeemed in Christ.
Christ took upon Himself the curse of the Law so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him, by grace through faith.
How important, therefore, to examine ourselves to see if we are living by faith, walking in spirit, appropriating His truth, praying without ceasing, giving thanks in all things, trusting God's Word, and depending on His faithfulness in all things.
Let us treasure the things of the Lord, and unrelentingly pursue after righteousness and godliness, faith and love, perseverance and gentleness, humility of heart and joy in the Lord, for when our treasure is rooted and grounded in Jesus, then our heart will be anchored to the Rock of our eternal salvation.
We are saved by grace through faith and expected to adhere to the instructions issued in God's Word.
Our relationship with the Father depends on faith and not of the following of rules and regulations.
As new creatures in Christ, we have already found true rest through our new, regenerated life of faith in Christ, while Israel's Sabbath is a picture, which simply points them towards the Person and Work of Christ the Saviour, in Whom they will finally discover eternal rest.
We are made children of God and joint-heirs of His heavenly kingdom by grace - through faith in HIM.
And having just spread before us the most astonishing array of privileges that are ours through faith in Jesus Christ and which describes God's unfailing plan and purpose for us through the gospel of Christ, Paul finally asks the rhetorical question... If GOD is for us, WHO can be against us? And the resounding answer can only be - no-one! - no - one!!
Such large numbers of Gentiles were coming to faith in Christ during Paul's work among them, that it became necessary for him to visit the apostles in Jerusalem, to ensure that they all were teaching the true gospel of Christ and that there was no doctrinal conflict.
The book of Galatians was written because certain Judaisers and religious-minded legalists went from church to church challenging the person of Paul and his work, his ministry and message, his teachings, his calling, and the gospel of the grace of God that is accessed through faith. They believed they were saved by their Jewish ancestry and taught that Gentiles could not be saved unless they first converted to Judaism and participated in circumcision and other Jewish practices.
They could not accept that salvation was by faith in Christ's sacrificial work and glorious Resurrection.
Because of the opposition to his teaching and ministry, it was necessary for Paul to not only defend the truth of the gospel that he taught and justify his own apostolic calling, but to clarify the true gospel of salvation that he taught; that every man, Jew and Gentile alike, is a guilty sinner who is under God's eternal condemnation, who can only be declared righteous by God through FAITH in Christ Jesus. And so Paul penned his epistle to the Galatians to vehemently condemn their false teaching and meticulously set out the one and only way to be saved - as a free gift of God's grace which is accessed by Jews and Gentiles alike - BY FAITH.
Let us stand firm in our faith, trust in God, and not be fearful of challenging false teachers and corrupt teachings.
God knows that when we start to come to terms with the unfathomable mercy that He has shown to us - in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us so that by faith in Him we might be forgiven of our sins and receive eternal life - that His perfect life will be formed within and we will be enabled to diffuse mercy to others because of the mercy that our Heavenly Father has so graciously bestowed on each one of us.
Legalistic rules about giving, together with the unbiblical 'word of faith' movement and its prosperity teaching has given Christians an unbiblical focus, dishonoured the glorious gospel of grace, and brought Christianity into disrepute.
Peter and other apostles, who walked with Jesus from the beginning of John's baptism, were the men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit to pen much of the New Testament, which would become the bedrock upon which our faith is founded, with Christ as the Cornerstone.
What a comfort to hear Paul explain that God has not destined us for His wrath during the first part of the Day of the Lord, because we have obtained salvation by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Peter's heart desire was to establish believers in the gospel of Christ so that we diligently add virtue to our faith and supplement our virtue with moral character, perseverance, godliness, kindliness, and brotherly love.
The truth that is contained in this section of Scripture is as vital for Christians in the 21st century as when it was first penned, for we have all obtained the same precious faith as did this old fisherman who walked with Jesus for three long years and who, like us, was saved by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Like us, it was by faith that the old apostle Peter obtained the righteousness of Christ Jesus, our God and Saviour Who died for us all.so that we might live for Him.
We became overcomers by faith at the point of our salvation (which was by faith), we were united together in Him by faith, and we are also to live an overcoming life, by faith.
And praise God that even if we falter in our faith or fail in our witness, He remains faithful to the promises He has made to His blood-bought children, for He cannot deny Himself.
Let us seek to live a godly life in Christ Jesus our Lord, and let us praise God that in all things we overwhelmingly conquer by faith in Him Who loved us, and gave His life for us.
Whether he was imprisoned for his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, travelling on his missionary journeys to far-flung places, or simply employed in his craft of tent-making, Paul's heart was ever open in intercessions and prayer towards his fellow believers.
We who were once dead in our trespasses and sins and estranged from God by sin, have been forgiven of our sins and brought near to His throne of grace, through faith in Christ Jesus our Saviour.
Once we have a knowledge of the Law, we have no alternative but to admit we are wretched sinners in need of forgiveness, which only comes by faith in Christ.
Timothy was Paul's 'son in the faith' and the older apostle wrote his first epistle to this young pastor, who was ministering in Ephesus.
He warned this young man that the 'end times' would be marked by apostasy, deception, fables, and false teaching, and that some would depart from the faith.
He wanted Timothy to be aware that the systematic teaching of God's redemptive plan that operates by faith and a life that honours the Lord, is what is truly beneficial, for it produces an eternal weight of glory.
And so, we see Jesus suffering death on our account... but we also see Him having faith that He would be raised from the dead with honour and great glory.
He tasted death for every man so that by faith in Him, all who believe may be redeemed and restored.
He lived His life as we should live our lives - by faith in the Word of God - in total dependence upon our Heavenly Father - in full submission to the Holy Ghost - and walking in spirit and truth by presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice unto the Lord.
But His life was lived and His blood was shed for our sake... so that by faith in Him we may become a part of His risen Body and a member of the new creation in Christ.
Setting aside His heavenly glory, enabled the Lord Jesus to say of all who are saved by grace through faith in Him, Behold - I and the children which God hath given Me.
The intimate unity and beautiful relationship between God the Father and God the Son has been extended to us, by grace through faith.
Abraham was saved by grace through faith, and God credited it to him as righteousness.
Much time would have to elapse before the promised Blessing which God had pledged to this father of faith, would came to tabernacle among men and give His life as a ransom for many so that through Him, all the families of the earth would be blessed and many would be made righteous, by faith.
He denounces Asceticism and severe self-discipline as a means of gaining God's favour, rather than salvation being a free gift of God's grace by faith in the finished work of Christ Jesus.
Noah was a sinner saved by grace, through faith in God.
By grace, through faith, Noah and his family were kept securely by the power of God, while the wicked were condemned for not responding to His offer of salvation: For whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned because he has not believed in the name of God's Son.
But Noah had faith.
Noah believed God and by God's grace his faith was credited to him as righteousness.
Timothy was a young pastor who needed the encouragement of the older man to remain loyal to the faith, and to hold fast to the sound pattern of teaching he had received from Paul.
He even mentioned Phygelus and Hermogenes by name, in order to embolden Timothy to stand firm in the faith and preach the gospel with authority, and not to become anxious about his critics' influence.
Every one of us can develop and maintain the same personal relationship with the Lord Jesus as we walk in spirit and truth, grow in grace, and mature in the faith.
ALL who believe are positioned 'IN CHRIST', by faith.
By faith, we become part of God's NEW CREATION, and the opportunity to be born of the Spirit of God, washed in Christ's blood, and become a member of His Body, is available to ALL.
The old life is replaced by the new - and by faith, we have become new creatures with a heavenly destiny and a glorious inheritance.
Paul himself was a prime example of a life that was radically changed, by grace through faith in Christ.
Let us accept this truth in righteousness and true holiness by faith, and in everything we do, let us do ALL, to His praise and glory, from this day forward - even forevermore.
They failed to recognise the freedom they were given in their post-Cross Christian life, which is by faith alone in Christ alone, and not by carrying out good works of the Law.
The Law causes the sinner to acknowledge his sinfulness and reach out to Jesus Christ, our perfect sacrifice - for whosoever believes on Him by accepting His gracious offer of salvation through faith, will be saved.
By the time the author has reached chapter 12, the need for faith rather than works has been clearly outlined and explained... and believers are exhorted to hope in Christ and to recognise that the terrors of the Law and the wrath of God, have been removed from all who believe, by faith, in the shed blood of Jesus Christ Who cleanses the heart and affords for us an eternal pardon from the God of the universe.
In consideration of all that God has given us freely, by faith in His Son, there should be no question that we should live our life in thanksgiving and praise for His goodness and grace, and offer to Him our acceptable service - with reverence and awe.
Earlier, James pointed out that the man who perseveres under trial is truly blessed, for God uses such trials and temptations in life to mature us in the faith, as we hold fast to the Word of truth which draws us into ever closer fellowship with Himself.
The plain truth is that none of us deserve any blessings from the Lord, but in His goodness and grace He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places and given us all we need for life and godliness; and it is all by His grace through our faith in Christ, Who is our life.
Paul's Damascus Road experience also portrayed the profound change that takes place in the life of a sinner who is saved by grace through faith in Christ.
Like Paul, all who have trusted Christ by grace through faith, have become ministers of the gospel.
What a joy that because of Christ and our faith in Him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence.
We are intimately connected to Him through faith in Christ, and He loves us with an everlasting love.
Let us live our lives in a manner that is pleasing to Him, for we have the freedom to approach our God in confidence, knowing that He hears and answers all our needs and intercessions through faith in Christ Jesus.
Let us use our time wisely, for we can come with confident access into the presence of God in prayer and praise, through faith in Christ.
Never let us forget that through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we have boldness and confident access to God. Day by day, let us know and apply this glorious truth in our situation in our life, and in the time we have left on this mortal realm.
How clearly the writer to the Hebrews reminds us to consistently and continuously keep our focus on Jesus, Who is the both the Apostle and the High Priest of our Christian faith and our heavenly calling.
Nothing can snatch us out of His hands and nothing will pluck us from the hand of our Father in heaven, for we are saved by grace through faith.
We in turn, give an outward profession of our faith and are called on in this passage to 'prove all things' by walking in spirit and truth.
We are to grow in grace, mature in the faith, and live a life that identifies us as His hallowed household.
Having been justified by His blood, we are reminded that today is the day that we should continue to be maturing in the faith and be progressively sanctified.
We must never forget that we are to listen to His voice, heed His instructions, and live by faith 'today'.
Whether this was a long-term paralysis or something that happened during Christ's recent absence we are not told, but we are informed that these men had faith in Jesus because they brought their paralysed friend to Christ for healing.
It was when they brought the paralysed man to Jesus, that He saw their trust in Him and their faith in God, and responded to their call.
The healing of their friend's twisted, disabled body was what they expected, and their expectation was rewarded, for we read that when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic: Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.
Jesus saw the faith of his friends, but it was to the paralysed man that He offered a word of encouragement when He said: Take courage.
Those with a tender heart towards Him grew in their understanding and faith, while those who followed Him out of selfish ambition missed their greatest opportunity to be healed of their sickness and sin.
God in His mercy stooped down to humanity so that the sacrificial death of the sinless Lord Jesus would pay the penalty for our sin through faith in Him.
He carried the guilt of every man and every woman and bore the shocking penalty that we justly deserve so that by faith in Him we might be declared righteous, and become the righteousness of God in Him.
Christ identified with sinful man and was imputed with the grossness of our sin, and by faith, we are identified with Christ and imputed with His perfect righteousness!
Paul tells us that as Church age believers who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, we are not appointed to wrath, for Christ took the punishment for our sin and we have been declared righteous in God's sight and covered in His robe of righteousness.
It is only through faith in Him as the substitute for our sin and His finished work on Calvary that they will be saved.
Once we are saved by faith, we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ and no matter what our situation or station in life, we remain His children - justified by faith.
Salvation is offered as a free gift to ALL - by faith, and born-again believers are to live by faith.
When believers live by faith, according to His purpose, and fit into His plan, then they will receive their promised reward - while those who do not live as outlined in the Word, will receive the consequences of the wrong which they have done.
What joy it must have been to have been a member of the Ephesian congregation, and to read: I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints.
God expects His children to trust Him and believe all that He has written in His Word: For without faith it is impossible to please Him.
Despite the many ungodly behaviours and pagan customs that had infiltrated the camp, the gracious hand of God was ever present to bring good out of evil and to turn the hearts of His people back to a trusting faith in Him.
Each one discovered that His grace is sufficient in the lives of those who live by faith and reach out to Him for help, in time of trouble.
It was not so much the bargain that Hannah appeared to be trying to make with the Lord that touched His heart, but a cry of faith from a woman who trusted God.
He responded to Hannah because she had a heart that trusted Him, and the Lord was able to read her thoughts and know that her faith and trust in Him was honest and genuine.
And it is only by faith in Him we can be forgiven of our sin and receive His gift of eternal life.
Only those saved by grace through faith in His death, burial, and Resurrection are Christ's at His coming and are destined to be part of the 'Resurrection to Life'.
The 'Resurrection to Life' is also called the 'First Resurrection' and covers ALL the saved of history, from Adam to today, who are credited with righteousness, by faith.
Their lack of faith and foolish choices caused them to feel the sting of God's chastening fist, but He is long-suffering and kind, merciful, and of great goodness, and His providential hand was always there to protect and guide them back into the way of peace.
Paul lays out the most comprehensive and thorough presentation of the gospel over the next few chapters of this glorious epistle, unfolding the pivotal doctrines of justification, and sanctification for all, who by grace through faith will trust in Christ as their sin-substitute.
While we can lose our heavenly rewards, become a carnal Christian, remain a baby believer through our Christian life, and not mature in the faith.
Throughout the book, God's constancy was highlighted against a dark backdrop of Israel's carelessness, disinterest, and unfaithfulness, and Isaiah's writings make it clear that although fallen men cannot attain righteousness on their own, God understands our limitation and is able to make it available to us, by faith in the work of His Servant Messiah, Who would be born at God's appointed time.
May we meditate on the Word of God, day and night, and systematically study the Scriptures and apply it in our lives - to show ourselves approved unto the Lord so that we may prosper in our spiritual walk, grow in the grace of God, mature in our Christian faith, and become instruments that the Lord may be willing to use for His greater glory.
It is through faith in Him we have access to God's amazing grace which enables us to stand fast in this evil day... and causes us to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
In his enthusiasm to share the good news of the gospel of grace, Paul not only reminds us about justification by grace through faith and the hope that we have in Christ, but he adds, and not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance.
Paul named Timothy, Epaphroditus, and even himself as men that exhibited this same Christ-like attitude which should be the outflow of all who are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.
He was to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ which is freely given to all who trust in the Lord Jesus as Saviour (by grace, through faith in God's only begotten Son).
Paul longed that the Lord would undergird these dear saints, strengthen their inner man, and establish each one firmly in the faith.
He had recently received an encouraging report about these believers through Timothy, who brought good news about their developing faith and the spiritual fruit of love they were now bearing.
Paul rejoiced to hear that these Christian converts were not only standing firm in the faith but growing in grace.
Indeed, Paul wrote that he not only rejoiced before our God on their account, but kept on praying most earnestly, night and day, that he might visit them in order to bring any deficiencies of their faith to perfection, to fill up what was lacking in their faith.
Despite their obvious growth in the faith, Paul knew that all Christians, however mature they may be, must press on to the next level of faith, and so he encouraged them by writing: I pray that God the Father Himself and Jesus Christ our Lord would direct our way to visit you… and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you, so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.
However difficult we find the circumstances of life, within our family unit, or our national boundaries, we must never forget that God uses the difficulties of life to hone and strengthen our faith, and to draw us into closer fellowship with and dependence on Him.
I am the one Who heals your spirit - when you were justified, through initial faith in Jesus as Saviour - PAST salvation.
I am the one Who heals your soul - through the sanctification process, as you walk in faith and grow in grace - ONGOING salvation. I am the one Who heals your body - at the Rapture of the church and resurrection of the dead-in-Christ - FUTURE salvation.
We have been delivered from the wrath to come, are no longer under condemnation, have been given every spiritual blessing, and are a partaker of His promise in Christ by faith in the gospel.
Although we were born dead in trespasses and sins and at enmity with God, we must never forget that by grace through faith in Christ, we have been saved.
The Lord Jesus is the ultimate example of a Man Who walked by faith and not by sight.
We are exhorted to die to self, walk by faith, and live a holy life of self-sacrifice and praise as a testimony to the truth of God's Word - which is well-pleasing to our Heavenly Father.
The subject of both dialogues is the gospel of the kingdom, and Jesus begins His discourse in Luke with four blessings for those who by faith follow Him, and four woes for those who reject Christ and His offer of salvation.
His kindness towards us can indeed be described as good measure–pressed down, shaken together, and running over, for by grace we have been saved and by grace we have received many precious promises which are ours by faith in Christ.
He warned them not to be spiritually tossed about by his critics who accused him of being fleshly because of his bold profession of faith, or of being spiritually weak in their company!
He knew the importance of challenging false teachers, exposing false doctrines, contending for the faith, preaching the Word, and being ready to give an answer for the hope we have in Christ.
Justification for Jew and Gentile alike is by faith. One must believe on God and the Lord Jesus Christ Whom He has sent, in order to be saved. Eternal life is not gained by doing something: What must I DO to be saved? Eternal life is gained by believing on someone: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.
Whether we have a specific 'thorn in the flesh' or whether we are simply encompassed about by the difficulties and dangers of normal life, God is no respecter of persons, and the grace and strength that Paul received throughout his ministry is the same grace and strength which is freely available to all who have been saved, by grace through faith in Christ.
The eternal consequences of our sin are shocking, but by contrast the goodness and grace of God are exhibited in the sacrificial death of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and accessed by faith.
But God in His goodness and grace determined that He would redeem mankind from this shocking state of slavery into which we had fallen, as a totally free gift to all who would believe in the sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection of His only begotten Son, by faith.
And even though He could have terminated His whole fallen creation in a single breath, God purposed in His heart to show grace to a man of faith.
And so Noah, being forewarned by God of impending judgement on a God-rejecting, unbelieving, sinful world: Became an heir of the righteousness, which is according to faith.
Jesus' death on the Cross was a sweet smelling savour to the Lord, and by His blood we have been redeemed by faith, made children of God, heirs of His righteousness, and joint-heirs with Christ.
As we mature in the faith and progress in our spiritual walk, we should reflect on the enormous sacrifice that the Lord Jesus Christ made for us on the Cross.
As believers who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, we are encouraged to develop an attitude of grateful praise and ceaseless thanksgiving to our Father in heaven, for a man's spiritual maturity is reflected in a heart of thanksgiving and praise for all that the Lord has done for us.
OR, we are justified by receiving salvation as a free gift from God, by faith in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But this teaching contradicts the numerous passages that show that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ and not by works of the Law.
When an unsaved man or woman seeks to be made right with God through keeping the Law, they have cut themselves off from the one and only way to be saved - as a free gift of God's grace - by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
May we never stray from the truth the glorious gospel of grace, that we are justified by grace ALONE, through faith ALONE, in Christ ALONE.
Prayer is the means to maintain unbroken fellowship with our Heavenly Father, and unless we develop persistence in prayer and devote ourselves to praying, we are in danger of becoming lazy, disinterested, and compromised in our faith.
In chapter 2 we read the saints were: Firmly rooted and being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude and thanksgiving.
Let us remember that when the prayers of the saints are offered to the Lord in steadfast faith, combined with grateful thanks and a trusting heart, we have the authority of heaven behind all that we carry to the throne of grace, through His nail-pierced hands and feet.
But they have strayed from living by faith, that depends on His work within, to living a Christian life through personal performance and their own human merit.
They have fallen into the trap of the Galatian Christians - for having been saved by grace through faith in Christ, they foolishly try to live their lives by carrying out works of the law and striving to attain a godly disposition by personal merit.
But the only virtue we possess and the only righteousness and strength that God will accept from His children is the righteousness of Christ - which only comes by faith in Him, and has nothing to do with our own personal performance or human merit.
We are to worship the Lord our God in spirit and in truth, for our Heavenly Father seeks worshippers who live by faith, walk in spirit, trust His Word, and worship only Him.
However, since we have been saved by grace through faith, we have become children of God and joint-heirs with Christ.
Paul warned us that all who live godly will suffer persecution, while James adds that we should embrace our various trials with joy, knowing that the testing of our faith produces patient endurance which will bring us into spiritual maturity and Christian completeness.
We have been brought into sweet fellowship with the Heavenly Father by grace through faith in our Saviour, Jesus Christ, but this can only be maintained and strengthened as we walk in the light.
But Christ not only identified with our sins so that in-Him we could walk in the light of His love by faith and be imputed with His own righteousness, but He is also our heavenly Advocate Who continuously pleads our case before the Father.
Christ sacrificial death is so all-encompassing that it is sufficient to remove every barrier between God and return mankind into fellowship with the Father, through faith in His sacrificial death.
Knowing that the Day of the Lord is fast approaching, and also knowing that our citizenship is reserved for us in heaven by grace through faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, Paul outlines what sort of life a believer should live.
But God is also a God of justice and truth, and those who choose to reject His offer of salvation by faith in Christ are condemned already because they have not believed in the only begotten Son of God.
Paul told us: The Law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
And the mission of God's people was to be a light to the Gentile and bring into the camp of Israel: to bring them to God so that they might be saved and justified by faith.
The Word of the Lord is rejected and ridiculed on all sides, and soon a day is coming when the world in which we live will be catapulted into a time of Great Tribulation (the Time of Jacob's Trouble), when God's wrath will be poured out on a world that has rejected the Truth and refused God's saving grace through faith in Christ.
Let us rejoice that we have been saved by grace through faith in Him and that NOTHING, absolutely nothing is too difficult for Him.
The first few chapters are addressed to the Church and explain where we are in history and what is God's expectation of those that are saved, by grace through faith in Christ.
It is a time of Great Tribulation when God's wrath will be poured out on a God-hating, Christ-rejecting, sinful world, with the purpose of bringing repentant Israel back to faith in God and to trust in Jesus Christ, their Messiah and King.
All are welcome to participate in the free gift of salvation which is given freely, by faith in Christ's finished work on Calvary.
One that He mentions, is of the man or woman dead in their trespasses and sins who comes to Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and by grace through faith in Him are raised into newness of life and receive the free gift of life everlasting.
Though their sins may have been scarlet and their fleshly works as filthy rags, they are accepted in the Beloved through faith in Him, clothed in His righteousness, and freed from all condemnation.
Those who by faith have trusted Christ for salvation will come forth to the resurrection of life.
We are been ransomed from death and destruction and rescued from defeat and decay, for Christ has won the victory on our account, by grace through faith in Him.
Paul was Timothy's spiritual adviser and here we find him solemnly charging Timothy in the most sombre terms to contend earnestly for the faith, to boldly preach the Word of God, and to teach the gospel of grace that was given directly to Paul from the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself.
If our faith is firmly founded on the truth of God's inerrant Word, we will be thoroughly equipped to preach the Word in every circumstance of life and encourage, reprove, rebuke, and exhort our brothers and sisters in Christ, with great patience and instruction.
Scripture instructs to be rich in faith, and that those with material wealth are not to be conceited.
And we are to remember that many have erred from the faith through their craving for wealth, and as a result have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Earlier in this passage, James deals with the trials and temptations of this life, which God uses to increase our faith in Him and develop godly patience and a Christlike attitude.
Both rich and poor are equally in need of salvation, by God's grace through faith in Christ.
The previous section presents us with a panoramic understanding of who we are in Christ and the tremendous privileges that are ours by faith in Him, but once we arrive at this section, he instructs us on the correct response all believers should have to the amazing grace bestowed on us, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We should never forget that before we were saved by grace through faith in Christ, we were part of a condemned group of unbelievers who, because of the hardness of our sin-sick hearts had become callous and given over to sensuality - while practicing every kind of impurity and greediness.
No matter where Paul ministered, his greatest concern was to preach the gospel of Christ, and so we discover that in Ephesus as elsewhere, Paul preached boldly in public places and went from house to house testifying to Jew and Gentile alike, of the need of repentance towards God and faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul preached the whole counsel of God so that he could stand unashamed before the Lord, knowing that he had fought a good fight, he had kept the faith, and finished the good work that God had prepared for him to do.
But he also knew that after his departure savage wolves would enter the Church and not spare God's little flock, and so he encouraged the elders in Ephesus (just as he urges church-leaders today), to stand firm in the faith, to guard their spiritual well-being, to care for God's people, and to feed the flock of God.
But Christ continues to build His Church, often in secret and often without our knowledge, but Paul's admonition still stands today that we guard our hearts, stand firm in the faith, and take heed of the whole counsel of God, not only on our own account but in order to protect those whom God has chosen to place in our care.
All those who are saved by grace through faith, during the dispensation of grace, will appear before Christ's judgement seat.
Christ took the punishment for our sins so that by grace through faith in Him, we might be forgiven of our sins.
Let us keep our eyes on the goal of our calling, and may the life we live in the flesh be lived by faith in the Son of God so that in all things we will be well pleasing in His sight.
Only when the old self life remains nailed to the Cross and the new life in Christ feeds on Him in our hearts, by faith with thanksgiving and praise, can that love of Christ be manifested towards others: And this is the way that we will know that we love God's children, if we love God and obey His commandments.
Ruth was taught about the Lord and trusted God through the instruction she received from her mother-in-law, and her faith was credited to her as righteousness.
It was by grace through faith that Ruth found favour in the eyes of the Lord, and her mother-in-law was blessed as well.
It is by grace we have become His sons and daughters through faith in Christ, and no matter how far any of us have strayed from the Lord, He is always ready and willing to bring His lost sheep back into the fold, and by His grace will even reward us as well when we die to self and live for Him.
Will you serve God or Satan, the spirit or the flesh, light or darkness, life or death, faith or fear, the truth or the lie, for its answer has both temporal considerations and eternal consequences.
This choice challenges the believer to examine himself to see if he is in the faith and trusting God; to see if he is walking in spirit and in truth, and if Christ is all in all.
Those that are saved by grace, because of their faith during this terrible time of trouble, and yet are killed for their faith, will be resurrected to life immortal.
Those that are saved by grace, because of their faith during this terrible time of trouble and endure to the end, will be those that enter into the Millennial Kingdom of Christ in their physical bodies.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, (my human body) I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Let us rejoice that because we received the sinless nature of Christ, by grace through faith, we cannot sin!
But it would all be by grace through faith in Christ's sacrificial work on the Cross.
Just as we were born into the old creation through natural means: conception and a physical birth into the old creation in Adam (where we all inherit an old sin nature and are estranged from God), so too by faith we are born again into a NEW creation by SPIRITUAL means and returned into fellowship with God.
By God's grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Son of God, we are born again for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.
By faith, we are born from above into the heavenly, spiritual sphere, through the power of the Holy Spirit of God, thus becoming a fully fledged citizen of heaven.
In this passage we are called to: Conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, and to: Stand firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.
We are to stand firm on the foundational truth of the Word of God and to contend earnestly for the faith once offered to the saints.
Standing firm in one spirit with one mind, and striving together for the faith of the gospel means: For me to live is Christ.
They had been saved by grace through faith, and ought to be living godly lives; lives surrendered to the Spirit rather than lives living in the lusts of the flesh.
All we have to do to please God is to trust in Jesus as Saviour, by grace, through faith, knowing that He is God and that He rewards all who diligently seek Him.
Although our salvation is secure in Christ, Paul wanted us to be fully aware that all His blood-bought children will either be rewarded for the good we have done by faith, or suffer loss of reward for our worldly ways and fleshly deeds.
Paul knew that he had fought a good fight, kept the faith, and finished the race that had been set before him, but he also knew that he was soon to die and so he wrote: I am already being poured out as a drink offering before the Lord.
In his letter to the Philippians, he explained the joy that such self-sacrifice brings to the faithful servant of God: For even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, he explained, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.
Paul may have been thrown into jail by Rome, but in God's eyes, it was the faith of those to whom Paul ministered that had become a beautiful sacrifice to the Lord, and Paul's incarceration and death was like a precious drink offering, being poured out for the glory of God.
Both in his letter to Philippi and in this final letter to Timothy, Paul was content, even joyful, to know that his life was being 'poured out' in martyrdom and death for the sake of the gospel, and that the living faith of believers would always be a beautiful sacrifice to the Lord.
Our faith is not blind as some people like to believe.
For believers, faith is the assurance that things hoped for will happen and the conviction that things that can't be seen (and the promises of God), will be fulfilled.
Abraham is called the father of faith because he believed all that God told him and his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness.
Hebrews 11 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please the Lord, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
The unbeliever pleases God when he trusts in Christ for salvation, but once saved, we are to keep on living by faith and trusting His Word day by day if we want to please the Lord.
Faith is developed by believing God's Word, but too often, fear of man and anxious thoughts causes faith to falter.
It was a lack of faith that caused the people of Israel to wander for 40 years in the wilderness.
This lack of faith prevented the Israelites from entering the land.
However, because of their lack of faith, that whole generation of Israelites were not allowed to enter the Promised Land.
We discover in Deuteronomy that the distance it took to walk from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea was only eleven days, and yet Israel wandered for 40 years in the wilderness due to that lack of faith in God's Word.
Jews that were steeped in the Mosaic Law were prepared to add elements of Christianity to their Judaism by believing in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin, but they were not prepared to live by faith alone - preferring to revert back to the Law as they lived out their daily lives through works of the flesh.
Circumcision was not a condition of salvation following the Cross, and neither is water-baptism or any other additional requirements than to simply trust in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ through Whom we are justified before God - through faith.
As Church-age believers we are called to live in spirit and truth - to live by faith and not by sight, as directed by the Word of God and as guided by the indwelling Spirit of God.
We are saved by God's grace, when we have faith in the work that Christ has done for us on Calvary.
Indeed, the 70 were reminded to pray earnestly about their ministry, asking God to send more labourers into the harvest-field so that lost souls could hear the good news of the glorious gospel of grace and be eternally saved by faith in Christ.
It was the gospel (good news) of salvation by grace through faith in Christ (justification) and it was the gospel (good news) of life and liberty in Christ (sanctification) and not the legalistic bondage suffered under the Law and the curse that brings in it wake.
He fulfilled the Law on our behalf so that by faith in His finished work we might be redeemed from the curse of the Law, which is death.
He had heard of their genuine faith in the Lord, their deep love for one another, and their joyful hope in that which was laid-up for them in heaven.
Paul's prayer was a prayer of thanks and rejoicing for their faith, hope, and love, and it was a request to their Heavenly Father that they might be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom, grace and spiritual understanding.
Although he was undeserving, he received grace and apostleship from the Lord Jesus in order to bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations.
Yes, Paul was commissioned to call men and women from every tribe and nation to faith, and to deliver to them the good news of the glorious gospel of grace so that by repentance and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, they might be saved by grace through faith in Him, and receive life everlasting.
It was through his ministry that the mystery of the glorious gospel of grace, which was hidden in ages past, was made known to the Gentile nations; that all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (whether Jew or Gentile, male or female, old or young, bond or free) might be saved by grace through faith in Him.
By faith in Him, we who were once dead in trespasses and sins and estranged from God through sin, have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
This good news is given to us through the pen of the apostle Paul, in order to produce in us the obedience that God requires from those who have been forgiven by grace through faith in Him.
Let us therefore heed His Word and live by faith and not by sight.
Well, our dear compassionate Saviour KNEW that on the other side of the lake there was a wild, naked demon-possessed man, who needed to be saved, by grace through faith in Him, and He also knew that He had 12 disciples who needed the coming storm in their lives to be stilled.
Not only did Jesus instruct them: Let not your heart be troubled, but He gave them tools to keep them from worry and fear, and it all comes back to FAITH.
We live in a world that is filled with stresses and strains, and although we are not able to prevent the pressures of life, we have an assurance from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself that because HE overcame the world, the flesh, and the devil, we too are overcomers in Him, for THIS is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith in Christ.
This was to be a time for them to grow in their faith.
No matter what difficulties they faced; no matter what giants barred their way; no matter what problems loomed over them; no matter what circumstances they had to face... God was teaching His people to trust Him implicitly, and depend on Him entirely so that their faith in Him would grow and flourish, as they witnessed God dealing with difficulties, giants, problems, and the many, onerous circumstances they faced.
God was teaching His people to walk by faith and not by sight.
The raging waters would have swept the people to certain death, but God wanted Israel to trust that He would prevent the overflowing waters from overtaking them. For 40 years they had learned that the Lord was with them in the fire and in the cloud, and now their faith was to be tested once again.
The Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and like Israel, we are also to walk by faith and not by sight.
Like Israel we are to live by faith and to trust the Lord with all our heart, no matter what difficulties we may have to face, no matter what giants bar our way, no matter what problems loom above us, no matter what circumstances overtake us... we are to step out in faith and remember that the Lord our God is with us, whithersoever we goest.
Too often we want God to act so we can believe in His deliverance, but God wants us to demonstrate faith before He acts, in order to increase our faith - so that we may grow in the faith.
Many times the Lord used Israel, as an example to the Church, of faith in action, as well as faltering faith.
And David's faith was credited to him as righteousness, just as Abraham's faith was also credited to him as righteousness.
David gave us a wonderful example of a man who lived by faith, trusted God Word, and confidently expected God to fulfil all His precious promises, in His time and in His way.
Hosanna - Save Us. This shout of faith will happen at the end of the coming 7-year Tribulation Period when Christ will return as King of kings and set up His Millennial Kingdom on earth.
But when, by faith, we submit to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to govern our new life in Christ, it means that we put to death those ungodly lusts.
This call to worship in the 'Old Hundredth' is a call for every Christian to worship our Saviour in the beauty of holiness, for we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ.
Within the body of his letter Paul encourages his readers, both specific individuals and the wider Church congregation, towards appropriate Christian conduct and the need to mature in the faith and study the Word of truth.
The fellowship of believers and genuine concern for the well-being of our brothers and sisters in Christ is an important element of our Christian faith, and an area of Christian living which plays an important part in Paul's teaching.
David acknowledged his faith in God when he called on the Lord to avenge him, rescue his soul from the bitter raging of his enemies, and save his life from his adversaries who were baying for his downfall and clamouring for his defeat.
But God is still in control, and every day is one more day of grace when men and women are saved through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We are all justified by faith in Christ Jesus - there is NO other way.
There are even those today who similarly do not consider that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone - as the Bible teaches.
Never forget that man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus.
Even Paul, a strict Pharisee, set aside his firmly held biases to believe in Christ Jesus so that he too was justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law - since by the works of the Law NO flesh will be justified.
They would tell the world that by faith, they would be free from the condemnation of death, which is upon all men due to sin, and by faith they would receive the free gift of everlasting life.
God is the singular author and finisher of history (and of our faith) and although we have freewill to make our own choices which may result in self-imposed difficulties, it is God Who determines the course of mankind, and God Who directs the steps of His children.
There are certain scriptural truths that should be so much a part of our inner being that we have not the slightest doubt or uncertainty of their veracity: 1) God's sovereign rule. 2) His goodness and grace to all. 3) The duty of all people and nations to exalt His holy name. 4) For those who are saved by grace through faith in Christ, to develop an ever-deepening knowledge of the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus.
All people are exhorted to KNOW the Lord and be saved by grace through faith in Him, and freed entirely from condemnation.
He is the One Who died and rose again so that by faith in Him we might live in newness of life, and the duty and responsibility of ALL is to KNOW God and to KNOW Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, to glorify Him forever, and to tell forth the glories of His holy name, to all.
Job, even in his ignorance of events, did not denounce His Lord or curse His God, and yet we who have the full council of God in the completed canon of Scripture, can too often allow doubt and fear to shake our faith, influence our decisions, and even cause us to deny our Lord.
Do we posses the faith of a man like Job who refused to deny the Lord despite the evils that befell him?
Today, men do not put their trust in chariots and horses, but too often our faith is in a healthy bank-balance, or our well-built houses, governmental handouts, a secure job, a quick-witted intellect, or a myriad of consumables.
At a time when everything that can be shaken is being challenged, we need to place our faith in the one sure Foundation - the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is only those that have been saved by grace through faith in Christ that can be disciplined in this way, for only those who are born from above have a relationship with the Father.
May we all have a teachable spirit and learn all that God would teach us from His chastening work in our life - so that we may grow in grace and mature in the faith, to the glory of God the Father.
The vital clue to understanding this verse is to recognise the significance of that little phrase: FOR CHRIST's SAKE. We have been saved by grace through faith in Him, and for His sake and His glory we should endeavour to graciously share the glorious gospel of Christ with those that insult us and cause us distresses and difficulties.
The clear teaching of many passages in Scripture is that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ's sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, and not on the basis of works or any human merit that we may carry out in our flesh, lest any man should boast.
And yet, this verse seems to contradict the clear testimony of the Bible that salvation is solely by believing faith.
Well, the Bible never contradicts itself and this passage gives greater illumination to the truth that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, and that forgiveness of sin and everlasting life is not dependent upon our good deeds but on His good work on the Cross.
We are to live by faith and not by works of the flesh.
It is only through His sacrifice on the Cross, faith in His finished work, and humble submission to His authority in our lives, that we will become established in the faith and overcome the perils of the flesh.
Sin would be dealt with through the death and Resurrection of this perfect, Kinsman-Redeemer - the incarnate God, and faith in HIM would be the means to have sins forgiven, be proclaimed righteous, and receive God's great salvation.
The conditions of the Law were not set aside, but through the birth of Christ into the human race and His sinless life and ministry to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, God purposed that Jesus would fulfil every legal requirements of God's holy Law on behalf of every fallen sinner - and the single requirement to benefit from His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, was faith in HIM - to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ - and by believing, be given salvation as a free gift of God's grace: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
He describes the human eye as the lamp of the body. It is through the physical eye that a man's pathway is lit and through the spiritual eye of faith that truth is seen.
As His children who have been saved by grace through faith, our spiritual eyes are open.
Hebrews is written to seasoned believers who should be increasing in faith, growing in grace, and enlarging their knowledge of the truth.
They had to come to terms with the truth that Christ fulfilled the promise of God, given to Abraham, and that due to faith in Christ's death, burial, and Resurrection, they were now ministers of a new and better covenant.
It is also a book that lays great emphasis on faith... faith in the inerrant Word of God, trust in the truth of His Word, and assurance that the things that God has promised are 'yes' and 'amen' in Christ.
Paul was called and chosen to be used by God so that countless millions might receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified and positionally set apart for God, by grace through faith in the redeeming work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The grace of God is beautifully demonstrated in the life and witness of Paul, for this blasphemous, murderous, pharisaical Jew was arrested in his forward march of spiritual blindness and eternal damnation into a position where he was commissioned by God to be His personal representative on earth so that many might be saved from the wrath of God, by grace through faith.
The message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are wise in their own understanding and who are perishing, but to us who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ's sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, it is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Should we not similarly be willing to suffer for His name-sake in a world that, in the main, has rejected His amazing gift of salvation, by grace through faith.
Timothy is encouraged to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, to take to heart the many nuggets of wisdom and teaching that he gained from his teacher, Paul, and to pass on this truth to other trustworthy believers who are also strong in the faith so that the good news of Christ Jesus will continue to be spread abroad, throughout the world, to the glory of God.
Instead of trusting God to fight the giants in the land, their faith in God failed, and He swore in His wrath they would not enter His promised rest.
Israel's failure to enter God's rest is a cautionary tale which warns Christians not to follow their example of unbelief: Redeemed but living a defeated life on earth; Saved, but forfeiting all that God planned to do in us and through us during our journey in life; Saved from eternal death by faith in Christ, but living a defeated Christian life and forfeiting our spiritual inheritance.
Despite witnessing God's amazing power in bringing them out of Egypt and in-spite of the destruction of their enemies in the Red Sea, Israel lost faith in God's power to defeat the giants of Canaan and the victory they could have enjoyed was forfeited forever.
The warning of this cautionary tale is that we do not to lose faith in the precious promises of God, for He has promised that His grace is sufficient in every difficult circumstance of life, and no matter what 'giants' we may encounter as we journey through life, we have His assurance of a victorious life with spiritual blessings - and rest for our soul.
May we take to heart this warning in both the Old and New Testament to hold fast to the faith we have in Christ and to trust in God's unchanging Word, for He has promised a rest for the people of God, and that rest is found in Christ.
So often, those that are standing firm in the faith are attacked in this way by the enemy of our soul, who seductively twists the truth through a false teacher or someone who is not standing firm in the truth.
But Noah was also a man of faith who believed the Word of the Lord, and his faith was credited as righteousness.
Noah was saved by grace - through faith in God.
Noah demonstrated his faith by obeying God's instructions to build an ark for the saving of his family.
He was a man who walked with God, by faith.
He was declared blameless in his time and was credited with righteousness - by grace through faith.
He is also mentioned in the hall of faith in Hebrews 11, for when Noah was warned by God about the conditions that were to befall the earth, he believed God before destruction was sent.
He trusted God's warning of terrible things to come, by faith, and reverently prepared an ark to save his family, at God's command.
And so, by faith, Noah condemned the unbelieving world who mocked his message of hope and scorned his word of saving grace - and Noah was granted the righteousness that comes by faith.
Peter informs us that Noah not only demonstrated his faith in the Lord by building an ark, but he faithfully preached the message of salvation for 120 years.
Well, John, who wrote the book of Revelation, explains who will overcome in 1 John 5:4-5 For whoever has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.
What a privileged grace - that even when we fail in our Christian witness, God is faithful and just and gives us ample opportunity to remember that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, and that it is by His grace we have been saved - through faith.
Although a fleshly Christian life and a legalistic leaning does not necessarily mean gross indulgence in sexual immorality and other unseemly practices, it does mean that our actions are in opposition to the will of God for our life - for the appetites of the flesh are not necessarily sinful, but they do refer to any works of the flesh that emanate from the old sin nature (our fleshly heritage before we were born-again) rather than the new-life-in-Christ which we received as a result of our faith in His finished work on the Cross.
Before we received the freedom to walk in spirit and truth through faith in Christ, we were in bondage to a law that we could not keep and a fleshly nature that we could not control.
But this requires us to be able to say NO to the continuous pull of the flesh and to resist the old sin nature, that constantly and consistently is at enmity with our new life in Christ, our new born-again spirit which was made alive by faith in Christ.
We can either respond by faith or we can react in the flesh.
We can grow in grace and mature in the faith when we choose to abstain from fleshly lusts, which can only be carried out in the power of His Spirit.
It also speaks of the promised regathering, restoration, and ultimate redemption of a remnant of righteous Israel, and despite the shocking proclamation that their King would one day be led as a lamb to the slaughter, Isaiah also trumpeted a message of hope for the righteous remnant who trusted God's Word and lived their life by faith.
The faith of this remnant of Israel (and indeed all Old Testament saints) is credited to them as righteousness, as it was to Abraham of old.
The first chapter of James is dealing with the subject of trials that are sent by God to strengthen our faith and sharpen our Christian resolve.
It talks of temptations that come from the enemy, designed to trip us up or shipwreck our faith.
It was through the hearing of the Word of God, by faith, that we were saved from the penalty of sin, but it is also the Word of truth that delivers us from the power of sin.
An inner change of heart by grace through faith in Him should be translated into an outward demonstration of a changed life that is being transformed into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ, through the power of the indwelling Spirit.
May we who have been saved from both the penalty of sin and its power in our lives by faith in Christ, be ready and willing to live our lives as unto the Lord.
Paul had never been to Rome, but he longed to visit the Christians who lived there, because news of their exemplary faith and reports about their stoical obedience to the gospel of Christ was being spoken of throughout the world.
Paul not only wanted to enjoy mutual fellowship and encouragement with these fellow-believers in Rome, but he also wanted to develop their spiritual understanding and establish them, even more in the faith.
He was only too aware that there were false teachers and demonic doctrines infiltrating the Christian Church, which were designed to deceive the elect, divide the flock, and to shipwreck their faith, and so he encouraged them to be wise in respect to that which is good, while being guileless in respect to that which is evil.
He warned that engaging in these false teachings would cause them to stumble in their Christian walk, and fall away from their faith in God.
We are to stand fast in the truth, grow in grace, mature in the faith, walk in spirit and truth, and utterly abhor that which is evil, while clinging to all that is good.
While detailing Israel's incredible privileges... by being chosen, of God, to be the one nation through whom He would reveal Himself to a lost and dying world of sinners, Paul makes it clear that God is no respecter of persons and that Jew and Gentile, alike, must approach Him in exactly the same way - by faith.
Jew are credited with righteousness in the same way that Gentiles are declared righteousness - by God's grace, through faith in His Word.
Jews have most certainly been given many wonderful privileges as God's chosen nation, but they are saved in the same way that Gentiles are saved; by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ, the promised Messiah, alone - as recorded in Scripture.
Paul is showing that all have sinned, Jew and Gentile alike, but that God loved the world so much, that He gave His only begotten Son into the world to pay the price for the accumulated sin of the entire race so that whosoever believes on Him, whether Jew or Gentile, would NOT perish but be reconciled to God through the shed blood of His dearly beloved Son... and that through faith in Him, they may be forgiven of their sin and receive life everlasting.
Although the way of salvation is always by grace through faith in every dispensation... the way that God works through His servants may differ from one dispensation to another.
As Christians, we are privileged to be part of the outworking of God's eternal plans and purposes in the dispensation of the grace of God... and as believers who are living during the Church dispensation, our daily testing is to live by faith and not by sight.
Adam was tested one way, Noah was tested another way, and Israel were tested in yet a further way - but in every dispensation, men are saved by grace through faith.
Those of us who are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, live in the dispensation of grace.
Paul wants us to really know this truth in our own lives and to grasp hold of it with our whole being so that we may be filled to all the fullness of God, which is ours by grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Saviour.
On his first visit to these believers at Philippi, Paul was flung into jail, but his midnight songs of rejoicing resulted in the salvation of the jailer and all his house, by grace through faith in Christ.
May we recognise that every day that passes is one more day of grace that God, in His long-suffering mercy, has permitted so that other lost souls may be brought into the kingdom of Christ, through their faith in Jesus Christ.
But this is a Scripture that we would do well to recall to mind on those occasions when the stresses and strains of life cause our faith to be tested, or on those occasions when the pressures of life start to bear down on us or we find we despair or doubts flood into our being.
He works in the lives of those who are living by faith and not by sight, and His love is perfected in the lives of those that are growing in grace and in a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
John is calling all born-again believers to live their lives by faith in Christ, and not through works of the flesh, for in so doing we will remain in fellowship with God Who will provide the sufficient grace and power to love others as Christ loved us.
Only when we are growing in grace, maturing in the faith, and walking in spirit and truth, will we be empowered to carry out this command that we have received from Him: That those who love God will love his brother also.
Because there are many anomalies in the Christian faith, Paul often sets out the truth of our great salvation and the glory that is ours in Christ, in a very systematic way.
But by faith in Christ, we are born into the new creation with Jesus as the Federal Head.
The encouraging truth in verse 3, is that having been born again into the family of God by faith in Christ, we have an assurance that when we pass from this life into the next, we will be given a new, glorified state.
He will lure many away from their only hope of salvation, which is through faith in the shed blood of Christ Jesus - the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world.
The whole world will wonder after the satanically inspired beast, and except for those whose names are recorded in the Lamb's book of life by faith, they will discover themselves to be part of a lost, deceived, unbelieving humanity - and will face eternal separation from the God Who made them.
God in His omniscience knew in advance of man's terrible fall into sin, and determined from the foundation of the world, to save mankind, by grace through faith in the sacrificial death of His dearly beloved Son - Jesus Christ the righteous.
May we accept this simple, biblical truth of God's Word, with trusting, childlike faith.
After his comforting reassurance that the terrible Day-of-the-Lord, which was spoken about in the prophets of old, would not happen until the Church has been, gathered together unto Christ, Paul seeks to establish them in an unshakable faith that is anchored in the Word of God.
We do not deserve forgiveness or eternal life, and yet by His grace, through faith, we have been eternally saved and fully forgiven.
Salvation is exclusively and eternally given on the one condition that God has implemented: FAITH.
Salvation is by faith alone in Christ's finished work ALONE. Fallen man can do nothing to make himself more acceptable to God and there is nothing that fallen man can offer to add to Christ's finished work on the Cross.
Man is justified by faith alone, and that means that salvation is apart from any deeds of the law or any legalistic requirements.
God's free gift of salvation was not only for the Jews but reaches out to whosoever will believe on the name of the only begotten Son of God, whether they are Jew or Gentile, for all have equal access to His goodness and grace and all receive His forgiveness and life everlasting, by faith in Jesus Christ the righteousness.
In the power of the Spirit, Paul offered the most thorough and convincing arguments: that because man is justified by faith in Christ alone, apart from works of law, that justification was not only for the Jew but also for the Gentile.
Praise God that Paul let us know that there is one God who will justify all mankind in the one and only way He made it possible: by grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.
For He justifies the circumcised Jews, and He also justifies the uncircumcised Gentiles by grace, through faith.
But we all have been saved by grace through faith, and not of works nor due to our own personal achievement or skill.
Partiality is diametrically opposite to the basic principles of our Christian faith and highly offensive to the Lord, and James gives a good illustration of ungodly partiality, by contrasting the response to two men.
James reminds us: God has chosen the poor in the world to become rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that He promised to those who love Him. Our love for the Lord is demonstrated in the way that we honour all our brothers and sisters in Christ, and consider them before ourselves.
Water baptism (though not essential for salvation), is a beautiful outward expression that is carried out in our physical body, which demonstrates the precious, inward, spiritual change when by grace through faith we died to the old self and were raised into newness of life, in Christ.
Though we have been eternally saved by grace through faith in Christ, and though we have been eternally freed from slavery to sin and severed from the old sin nature, attacks from without and failures from within can cause every one of us to stumble and fall.
When we have been eternally saved by grace through faith, our steps are ordered and established by God our Saviour Who is our heavenly intercessor.
The unprecedented growth of the Christian faith is often considered by preachers as a thing to be celebrated, but closer consideration causes questions to rise in our hearts, for 'the birds of the air' in many biblical passages are symbols of evil.
But there is only ONE way to be saved, there is only one way to gain forgiveness of sin, there is only one way to receive life everlasting, and that is by faith in Christ's finished work on the Cross.
Those that are steeped in legalistic practices also find the profound simplicity of the uncomplicated gospel to be insufficient to deal with the guilt of sin and its awful consequences and so they insist that certain works of the flesh or some other form of human merit or sacrifice must be added to the simple, child-like trust. BUT there is no other way to be saved except by faith in the Person and Work of Christ on the Cross: That Christ died for our sin according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He rose again, according to the Scriptures.
Jesus not only points the way to our heavenly Father and our eternal home, but He is the Way, for salvation is not a state but a Person, and no one comes to the Father except by faith in the Son.
Jesus Christ is THE Life, Who breathes His own resurrected life into a fallen man, by faith.
It is through faith in Him that we are made a new creation in Christ.
It is by faith in Him that we are in-dwelt by the Spirit of God Who enlivens us - body, soul, and spirit... in time and throughout eternity.
No other religion, no other faith, no other path, no other philosophy, and no other gospel leads the sinner to God the Father, tells the truth about Him, and gives us His eternal life - other than JESUS.
Let us ponder this magnificent truth and seek to grasp the enormity of what it means, for the one who is saved by grace through faith in Him.
Paul gave us many faithful sayings and offered some wise instructions in his epistles, and as this short but masterful letter to Titus is drawing to its close, Paul exhorts him to make sure that those that have put their faith in God, devote themselves to good actions, and are eager to do good and help other people.
Such fruit of the Spirit should be evident in the lives of all Christians, but there are also many traps to avoid and snares to circumvent, and Paul's final words of instruction to this younger brother in the faith was to recognise and avoid many of the heresies, unbiblical teachings, and legalistic rituals, that were infiltrating the Christian Church of his day.
Other practices that Paul warned against, in this passage, were developing a lop-sided view of the truth, allegorising Scripture, politicising religion, and engaging in petty quarrels over unimportant theological issues, because they divert the believer's attention away from their focus on Jesus and the important issues of our faith and living for Him.
Paul knew how vital it was to silence their voice, challenge their error, and expose their motive, knowing that they were able to shipwreck the faith of many who would blindly follow after them: For they taught what they should not teach, in order to accumulate wealth dishonestly.
Let us contemplate these glorious truths that are ours by grace through faith in Christ Jesus and let us conclude that He is worthy to receive all power, riches, wisdom, might, honour, glory, and blessing.
Our old sin nature has been nailed on the Cross and self has been put in the place of death in order to allow our new nature in Christ to grow and mature in the faith.
The indestructible life of Christ Jesus, was greater than king David, for He was raised from the dead by the almighty power of God and was the perfect Sacrifice for their sin – and by faith in Him, redemption would be theirs.
This is the gospel that must be preached to unsaved Jew and Gentile alike, that through faith in the Man, Christ Jesus is received the forgiveness of sin.
For by grace we are saved, through faith.
We are not saved by works of the Law, but by faith in the sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection of Jesus, the eternal Son of God and sinless Son of Man.
He died that we could be united to Him by faith, and live together with Him, forever.
Before our salvation, we were under God's wrath and eternal punishment, but having been saved through faith in Christ, we are no longer destined for God's wrath, because Christ took the punishment we deserved.
There are those that are saved, by grace through faith in Christ, and there are those that remain dead in their sins and are facing a lost eternity... unless they trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sin and life everlasting.
We who have been enlightened with the truth of the glorious gospel of grace, understand that we who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, are 'of God'.
No matter what position we are given in this world... and irrespective of the gifts and graces we have received from above, our everlasting joy should be in the fact that we have been saved by grace, through faith - and have an inheritance that is kept for us, in heaven.
Our gifts differ according to the grace God gives to each of us, and we are instructed to exercise them in accordance with the proportion of faith we have received.
Like so much of the Church today, these Christians in Corinth were trying to grow in grace and mature in the faith through worldly ways, not having understood that the foolishness of the simple gospel of Christ (Who died for our sins and rose again the third day, to pay the price of sin and break its power in our lives), is the only power and wisdom that is acceptable to God the Father.
He was governor of a city in the centre of the Canaanite stronghold of paganism, satanic evil, and demonic wickedness, and yet he greeted Abraham with the most cherished emblems of our Christian faith: bread and wine.
But this incident with the intriguing individual called Melchizedek, king of Righteousness, king of Peace, king of Jerusalem, and priest of the most High God, no doubt heightened Abraham's faith in the Lord and strengthened his resolve to fight the good fight of faith.
Being the last letter Paul would write, it is not surprising that this second letter to Timothy, his 'child in the faith' is intensely personal and charged with emotion.
This is a letter that was meant to give Timothy much encouragement and support, while providing him with detailed instruction on remaining true to the faith, and sound in doctrine.
He even provided a comprehensive list of the ungodly characteristics that would expose these deceivers, to help Timothy identify evil-doers, and avoid those who are corrupt, worthless, resisting the truth, and disregarding the faith.
Paul knew that Timothy could be timid and was sometimes intimidated, and so he encouraged him not to be embarrassed to testify of the Lord Jesus, nor to be ashamed of Paul, his father in the faith: Rather, share in suffering for the gospel, by relying on the power of God, were Paul's encouraging words.
We are redeemed by faith in the precious blood of Jesus.
Paul reminded Timothy of the training he received from his mother and grandmother in his youth and the precious faith he placed in Christ, for salvation.
The gospel Paul preached to Timothy is the same gospel that we adore, for sin and death have been abolished in our lives, and by faith in Him we have been given life and immortality.
It is trusting that His atoning sacrifice paid the price for our sin, and that by faith we are born again into the family of God.
It is believing that Jesus took the punishment that we deserve, and that through faith in Him our sin has been blotted out forever, we have been declared righteous by God and covered in Christ's own, perfect righteousness. Believing on His name is the start of an amazing, everlasting journey that has given us the authority and privilege of being adopted into the family of God and being awarded the right to be called children of God.
It is by faith in the Person and work of the only begotten Son of God, that we are granted this stupendous privilege, for as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.
But with the privilege of becoming a child of God comes responsibility, and our part is to receive Him - through faith.
Faith in Christ comes by hearing the Gospel, receiving the truth, and believing that Christ was crucified, died, was buried, and rose again, according to Scripture.
And when we reach that position of faith - then God the Father grants us the right to become His child - and we are born of the Spirit and washed in His blood.
Men and women, both Jew and Gentile alike, who will place their trust in Christ as their Messiah during the coming 'Time of Jacob's Trouble' - and survive to the end - will likewise be saved by grace through faith, and will enter Christ's Millennial Kingdom in their physical bodies.
Those who place their trust in Christ as their Messiah, during the coming 'Time of Jacob's Trouble' - but are killed before the end - will likewise be saved by grace through faith, and will enter Christ's Millennial Kingdom, in their risen, glorified bodies.
Entire doctrines have been written on this unscriptural imagination and entire denominations have been founded on this false assumption - for the Lord Jesus alone is the underpinning Bedrock of our gospel and the singular Foundation upon which we are to build our faith.
Jesus is the Cornerstone that underpins our faith.
He alone suffered, died, and rose again, so that we might be forgiven of our sin and receive life eternal - by faith.
But let us be unshakable when it comes to the Rock upon which our faith is founded, for no man can lay a foundation, other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Throughout the whole of man's history, salvation has been by grace through faith in God's promised Word.
Many men and women of faith are listed in Hebrews 11, as a cloud of witnesses who trusted God and held fast to His promised Word.
All were credited with righteousness because of their faith.
If salvation were not by grace through faith in God's Word of truth, not one of us could be saved; for we are all sinners under condemnation.
But by God's grace we are credited with His righteousness, by faith.
We are saved by grace through faith and this is an unchangeable principle of God.
Salvation is by faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
But sadly, there were those in Paul's day who were being urged to add works to their faith in God.
Adding anything to salvation by faith, demeans and devalues Christ's finished work on Calvary.
Requiring works of the Law to be added to faith in Christ renders His sacrifice on the Cross as insufficient.
Christ is the one and only means of salvation, which is by faith alone.
It is by faith we were justified and by faith we are going through a process of sanctification, as we are conformed into the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It was by faith that we were saved from our sin and it is by faith that we will receive our glorified bodies.
It is by faith alone and not by works of the Law.
Paul pointed to Abraham as the prime example of faith.
Abraham believed God and his faith was credited to Him as righteousness.
He was saved by faith and he lived by faith.
God's method of salvation both for pre-Cross Israel and post-Cross believers is by faith alone and not by works of the Law.
We were saved by faith and we are to live by faith.
May we not be influenced by those who misunderstand the reason the Law was given and misrepresent the truth of Scripture with an insistence that the Mosaic Law must be added to our faith, for we are accepted by faith in the Beloved and not by works of the Law.
As with all the apostles, the dear desire of James is to see all believers in Christ maturing in their faith, growing in grace, trusting God unwaveringly, and developing an ever-increasing faith in His gracious provision and sufficient grace.
It is for this reason that James encourages all believers to develop a joyful attitude in life, even when circumstances are screaming to the contrary, for faith is always tested in the life of a believer.
A humble believing heart, a surrendered submissive will, a focused mind, and a life that is dependent on Him in all things, are vital factors in the life of every believer, and James knows that only those who have an unwavering faith in God are the ones who will do what is right in the sight of the Lord - for they will love mercy and walk humbly with their God.
What could be more glorious than to know that we are forgiven of our sin, redeemed from slavery to sin, and saved from eternal condemnation by God's amazing grace through faith in the redemptive work of Christ.
Because of our new position in Christ, by grace through faith in Him we are clothed in Christ's righteousness.
Nothing is more glorious than to know that we are forgiven of our sin, redeemed from slavery to sin, and saved from eternal condemnation by God's amazing and super-abounding grace through faith in the redemptive work of Christ: God forbid that we who are dead to sin, should continue to live thereby.
The faith of this little congregation was anchored upon the message of truth; the good news of Christ, the gospel of the grace of God that Christ died for our sins and rose again to secure for who believe in Him, an eternal home reserved for us in heaven.
The hope upon which their faith was founded and their love expressed, was the mystery of Christ and the Church, which is His Body.
May our faith in Him overflow in love for our brothers and sisters in Christ, knowing that our hope in Him is reserved for us in heaven, for this is God's message of truth to us all.
We are to trust the Lord, believe on His Word, and stand firm in the faith that was once given to the saints so that we too can be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power... for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go... and His grace is sufficient.
Moses was a steadfast servant who was faithful to God's call on his life, but like all sinners whose faith is counted as righteousness, he was only one part of God's vast household.
As believers in the dispensation of the grace of God, every Christian both Jew and Gentile alike, are reminded that we are holy brethren who by faith in Christ, have a heavenly calling to honour the Lord Jesus.
He is both Apostle and High Priest of our professed faith in Him, for He died for our sin, was buried, and rose again to break the power of sin and death in the life of all who would believe in Him.
It was in his priestly capacity that this intriguing individual met God's servant, Abram, bearing the two precious emblems of our Christian faith in his hands, bread and wine.
He came out to greet Abram, the blessed servant of God who would become Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel and exemplary father of all who live by faith.
Because of his faith, Abram soon discovered that God was His Shield and his exceedingly great reward, and his name would be changed to Abraham.
Abram is an amazing example of a man who believed God and his faith was credited to him as righteousness.
When faith falters or hope is lost, it gives room for fear, but when God is in control, fear evaporates like the mist in the morning sun, as faith is exercised.
God often suspends His plans and allows us to wait for answers to prayer as a test of faith and to produce patient endurance in His people and greater glory for Himself.
I wonder if David knew that the Psalm he was writing in his deep distress would be a peculiar pointer to great David's greater Son - God's Anointed Saviour, Who would be despised and rejected of men - a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief - so that the fallen race of man could be redeemed by faith.
The only escape is to be positioned in Christ, by faith, and empowered by His Holy Spirit.
Though Timothy was younger in the faith than Paul, he had a spiritual maturity that equipped him for the pastoral work that was entrusted to him.
However, the old apostle knew the wily ways of the devil who prowls around as a roaring lion seeking to shipwreck the faith of all God's children, through the lust of the flesh and the pride of life.
And so we discover Paul warning Timothy, his son in the faith, to separate himself from wicked men and to shun the many lusts of the flesh, the temptations of the eye, and passions of the heart, that are designed to separate us from fellowship with our heavenly Father and the many negative consequences that sin brings into the life of a Christian man or woman.
Now flee from youthful lusts, was Paul's serious warning to Timothy, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord, from a pure heart.
Paul also encouraged Timothy - and us, to pursue the spiritual fruit of virtues - righteousness, faith, and love.
Flee from youthful lusts, was his sombre warning, and pursue righteousness, faith, and love, is Paul's earnest plea.
The action to pursue righteousness, faith, and love, is a definite decision of the will which can only be achieved as one purposes in one's own heart to turn away from every kind of fleshly pursuit and craving for self-recognition - and follow after righteousness, faith, and love.
Let us earnestly pursue righteousness, faith, and love, and live in peace with those that call on the Lord with a pure heart - for the honour of His holy name, and for our own eternal benefit.
Because we are saved by grace through faith, we are identified with JESUS and so we receive the benefit of identification with Jesus.
We are placed in union with Christ by the Spirit - we are baptised, by the Spirit, into the Body of Christ, by faith.
Whether talking about our spiritual baptism into the Body of Christ by faith, or our water baptism as the outward sign of our trust in Christ's finished work as Saviour - we can say, with all other members of the Body of Christ, I have been crucified with Christ and buried with Him in baptism, through faith in God.
We are also raised up with Him, through faith.
We are not only co-crucified and co-buried with Christ for the forgiveness of sins - but we are ALSO co-resurrected with Christ unto eternal life - through faith in the working of GOD.
The spiritual nature of our salvation, where we are baptised into the Body of Christ by faith, is outwardly demonstrated when we go to the waters of baptism.
But His righteousness is only given by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.
The righteousness of God is revealed in our justification by grace through faith in Christ and there is no other way.
Indeed, the Law was simply a tool to expose men's sinfulness and Old Testament prophets testified to this fact, reminding us that the just will live by faith and not by works of the Law.
Scripture is a witness to the truth that the righteousness of God is only imputed to man by faith, and not as a result of merit, parentage, nationality, colour, race, age, or sex.
Paul wants to make it crystal clear that apart from the unattainable righteousness of the Law, the righteousness of God is attainable to all, but it is only obtained through faith in Jesus Christ.
It makes no difference if one is Jewish or Gentile, male or female, black or white, young or old, the righteousness of God is freely available to all, through faith in Christ's finished work at Calvary.
We have been declared righteous in Him, not by works of the Law, for by works of the Law shall no man living be justified, but by the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God Who became the perfect Son of Man and the only sacrifice for the sin of the world.
Events that were veiled to the eyes of these great men were brought into sharper view when the Holy Spirit started to move in the lives of the apostles, who unfolded the mystery of the Church (which is the Body of Christ), and the free gift of salvation, which is given by grace through faith to all who will believe in the only begotten Son of God as Saviour and Lord.
We are called upon to rejoice and to keep on rejoicing, for in so doing we will establish a Christ-focussed attitude of heart and an ever-present antidote to all that would rob us of our faith, hope, and joy in the Lord.
Let us reverently rejoice in the Lord, keep on rejoicing, and encourage others to do the same - knowing that is a God-given safeguard against all that would rob us of our faith in Christ.
The previous verse details the future bodily resurrection of Church age saints who have already died, while verse 17 explains what will happen to Christians who are still alive when the Church age closes: We who are alive and remain [on the earth] will be caught up together with them [Church-age saints, who died in faith and have just been resurrected] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
This is the most astonishing promise which is given to ALL who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ. The spirit and souls of Christians who are already with the Lord will be united with their new, eternal, resurrected bodies, which will be freed from the ravages of death.
We also read that Melchizedek, king of Salem, came out to greet Abram and brought him bread and wine, the very symbols of our great Christian faith, which we take and eat and drink in remembrance of Christ Who died for our sin, is risen from the dead, and is coming again to take us to be with Himself.
Although Abram would soon be renamed Abraham and become the great father of faith and renowned patriarch of Israel, through whom the priestly line of Aaron would come, the greater blessed the lesser.
Israel were saved from Egypt, and their faith was reckoned as righteousness, and like all Old Testament saints, they looked forward to the One Who was to come - the Messiah of Israel; the Saviour of the world; the Lord Jesus Christ.
Just as Christians today look back to Christ's finished work and are saved by faith in Him, so pre-cross believers looked forward to the coming Messiah, and their faith was credited as righteousness - they were saved by grace, through faith in the coming Lord Jesus Christ.
They were all saved by grace through faith in God's promised Messiah.
Paul also made it clear that, despite being wonderfully redeemed from Egyptian slavery by God's grace, through faith, that first generation of Israelites failed to become a sanctified people.
Every individual was saved by grace through faith in God's Word... and so they were ALL fed with the same, supernatural, spiritual food.
Everyone who is saved by grace through faith in Christ's finished work is given power from on high to live a victorious life.
We are ALL given everything we need for life and godliness through faith in Christ.
Like Israel, we ALL have access to the living Head on Whom we feed by faith.
May we learn the lessons of godly living, which are laid out in the Word of God, May we learn from Israel's failure and feed on Him in our hearts by faith, with thanksgiving - as we die to self and life for Him.
Paul taught that Christ died according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and rose again, according to the Scriptures, and that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and did not depend on keeping the Jewish Law, legislation, rites, rituals, and feasts.
Peter knew that the Christian life begins with precious faith in the finished work of Christ and continues with maturing faith, as it is implemented day by day throughout our earthly walk.
The one that deeply desires to live as Christ commanded, will make every effort, in the power of the Spirit, to respond in faith to God's many precious promises by believing His Word, standing on His promises, and acting upon them.
And as simple faith is exercised, it will become increasingly grounded in the Word of God and will be supplemented with a generous supply of godly qualities such as moral excellence, self-control, patient endurance, gracious godliness, brotherly affection, and love for all.
But it is only through His divine power that we have been equipped by God to live such a godly life, for we have been imputed with Christ's righteousness, indwelt by Christ's Holy Spirit, identified with all His goodness and grace, and have been accepted by the Father in the Beloved, by grace through faith in Him.
It is only by God's divine power that we were saved through faith in Christ's sacrificial work at Calvary, and it is only by God's divine power that we are enabled to live our Christian life as unto the Lord.
All that pertains to life and godliness in a believer is achieved through the ministry of the Holy Spirit within our heart and the intercessory ministry of our great High Priest in heaven, for it is God Who works in us, to equip each believer to mature in the faith, to grow in grace, and to come into a fuller and deeper knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
The Bible tells us that we are saved by grace and that we access this salvation through faith: For you are saved by grace through faith. Then the Bible tells us that salvation has nothing to do with us.
In Him, we have an everlasting reality with a better sacrifice, for Christ Jesus presented His shed blood on the sacrificial Alter in the true Sanctuary above so that by faith in Him we are forgiven of our sins, and made one with Christ.
Having reminded him of the rise of false teachers who compromise the truth of the glorious gospel with a 'comfortable' creed designed to tickle men's itching ears, Paul's final instruction to his 'son in the faith' is: But you, be sober in all things; endure hardship; do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry.
But unlike his uncle, he did not translate his faith into good works for the honour of God.
What a lesson for all of us who are saved by grace through faith in Christ, to LIVE by faith and to do only those things that honour our God.
In the ages to come, Lot will receive his free gift of salvation, because he was SAVED by faith, but he will have forfeited any reward because he did not LIVE by faith.
May we live by faith and store up for ourselves treasure in heaven; gold, silver, and precious stones.
His imprisonment was because he had faithfully preached the Word, in season and out of season, to a lost and dying world, and Paul described his life as being poured out as a drink offering for the sacrifice and sake of these precious saints in Philippi, who by grace through faith in Christ had been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son.
Paul knew that gaining an understanding of heavenly things is a difficult concept due to our human limitation and finite comprehension, but he wanted to give us a good grasp of the incredible contrast between what we were before we were saved and what we are now that we are saved by grace through faith and positioned in Christ Jesus.
Christ is often called the Bridegroom and the Christian Church is similarly identified as His Bride, for though we are many in number, we are one Church who, by faith in Him, have one hope of our calling.
May we who have become His Body and Bride by faith, also live every day of our life by faith in the Son of God Who loved us and gave Himself up for us.
We are to be a living testament of God's goodness and grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but we are to avoid partnership with the enemy camp which can lead to a compromise of the truth of the glorious gospel of God.
The blessed man or woman will not wither when seasons of difficulty and drought come to test their faith. They will not be overwhelmed by the enemies wiles, for they will be covered in the armour of light. They will not be unsettled by problems and pain, for they are anchored to the Rock of our salvation and protected under the shadow of His wings.
What we see with our physical eyes and experience through our five senses is generally sufficient evidence to make a statement of fact, about the material world in which we live... while faith is the absolute assurance that the God-breathed Scriptures are factually accurate, and provide us with tangible proof of the spiritual sphere and irrefutable evidence about the invisible realm.
Faith is the intangible organ of our being, that provides evidence of the invisible domain.
But faith is very real, and spiritually discerned - giving evidence of things not seen, and proving a reality that is more palpable than the physical world we currently inhabit.
Both Old and New Testaments are brimming with men and women of faith, and Hebrews 11 provides a picture-gallery of personalities who believed God's Word, and their faith is reckoned as righteousness.
Many are the unsung heroes and heroines of the past, present, and future, who believed God and whose faith is reckoned as righteousness.
Some are identified by name and Abraham, the father of faith, is mentioned a number of times within this chapter.
Abraham stepped out in faith when he set out from Ur of the Chaldees to a place that God promised to show him.
His faith was further tested, and he faltered at times along the way... as we read in the book of Genesis.
And He passed over his many indiscretions in this chapter of 'faith'..
Abraham stepped out in faith and lived as a 'sojourner' in a foreign land.
But the final chapter of the story has yet to be lived out, for Abraham was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Abraham's faith has yet to be played out in a future reality.
It must have been amazing to watch the apostle Peter grow in grace and mature in his Christian faith, in his advancing years.
Peter grew from the young petulant man who boasted that he would die for the Lord, even though others would forsake Him... to that old seasoned saint who came to understand that the trial of our faith is more precious to the Lord than gold.
May we who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, study to show ourselves approved unto God, so that we be able to discern what is false and identify those that are distorting the Word of God... so that we may be in a position to help to warn others who may have been deceived by their flattering words and ungodly ways - and point the way to Christ.
Although this was a command that was given to the chosen nation of Israel and related to the specific covenant that God made with them, it embraces an important principle for all God's children in this Church dispensation; There are important lessons to learn by all who have been rescued from slavery to sin and have been brought into the family of God, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Even death is the doorway into the presence of God Who Himself has promised to finish the good work that He began in us the moment we came to faith in Christ Jesus our Saviour, and were born into His heavenly family.
James considers the various trials that come our way to be 'all joy' and calls us to 'rejoice in our sufferings' knowing that through them our faith will be tested.
And this will produce in us patient endurance and a chance to grow so that we may become mature in the faith, and be made perfect and complete in all things.
And at the start of his second epistle, we find Simon Peter (bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ), offering words of encouragement and advice to all who by God's grace, had the obtained the same precious faith that he had received; for in Christ Jesus our God and Saviour, we have all become the righteousness of God in Him.
We all enjoy equal acceptance by means of this same precious faith, simply because we trusted in the death, burial, and Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour for salvation.
And although a Christian may like to engage in certain enjoyable feasts, cultural festivals, or national celebrations, they must never be allowed to compromise their faith.
However, the Lord's warning is of even greater significance, for to embrace worry instead of casting all our burdens upon the Lord, demonstrates a serious lack of faith in God's Word.
Christ ends His dialogue with the accusation: Oh ye of little faith.
Faith in God and trust in His Word, is the foundational principle that floods Scripture from beginning to end.
The Bible is replete with verses instructing us to FEAR NOT, to HAVE FAITH, and to cast our burdens upon the Lord Who has promised to keep and sustain us.
He was filled with joy when others came to a saving faith in Christ and he rejoiced when sinners were transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son.
And what a wonderful example he is, of a man whose love for the Lord Jesus was demonstrated through his caring concern for those who had been brought to a saving-faith in Christ.
Memories of Christian brothers and sisters should be bathed in love and grace, forgiveness and faith, care and compassion, joy and thanksgiving.
He is reminding us of the supernatural position and privileges that are ours, simply by grace - through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
As lost sinners who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ and forgiven of our sin, we are now saints of God and children of the light.
It should be incumbent upon us to recognise the incredible grace that God has extended to all... who by faith are now His blood-bought children.
Before we were saved, we were all sons of disobedience who remained under the wrath of God, but now we are saved by grace, through faith in Christ.
Paul is saying that since God has bestowed on us the riches of His grace, seated us together with Christ in heavenly places, positioned us in His Christ by faith, and made us one with Himself, we should remember the depth of depravity from which we have all been rescued and live in a manner that honours His name.
What Paul is reminding all who have been redeemed from the kingdom of Satan, is that those who have not been saved by grace through faith and engage in such evil ways, are the sons of disobedience.
Paul was keen that these Corinthian Christians... and all who would follow them in the faith, would not be enticed to build their faith on the smooth-sounding, persuasive words of worldly wisdom or the eloquent rhetoric of some great orator - as was the practice of those days.
The plain message of the gospel of Christ was simple and straightforward so that the faith of these Christians, and those that would follow, would not be founded on the wisdom of men - but on the power of God.
However, we who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, do have a responsibility to share the good news with others - as led by the Holy Spirit, so that their faith and ours does not rest on man's wisdom but on the power of God - alone.
Although Christ is the potential Saviour of all men, He is the actual Saviour of those who truly trust in Him alone, by grace through faith.
Because God provided adequate provision for the salvation of every single man, woman, and child by faith, Paul can legitimately call the Lord Jesus Christ: The Saviour of all men.
Everyman has the potential for salvation, but those who reject His free gift of grace by faith alone in Christ alone, will one day be fully and finally separated from God.
Although Christ is the POTENTIAL Saviour for all men, He is the ACTUAL Saviour only for those who truly trust in Him alone, by grace through faith.
When we come to the Lord in prayer or praise, we must decrease and He must increase, for there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism into the Body of Christ, and there is one Head, Who is to guard and guide us individually and corporately.
We must decrease so that it is Christ's beautiful Spirit of unity in the faith that leads us and guides us as we come together in His name - for prayer and petitions, conversation and communion, for a simple communal meal or a meeting of fellowship and fun, for where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them.
Paul warned that this impending danger would cause many to fall away from the Christian faith because they foolishly paid attention to these deceitful spirits and their doctrines of demons.
One method the enemy has found to be most productive for his nefarious cause, is to infiltrate the Church with apostate teachers who seek to undermine the faith of Christians from within.
The Holy Spirit explicitly tells us in this chapter of Timothy, that in later times some will fall away from the faith because they paid attention to these deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.
The scheming enemy of our soul, selects individuals who delight to suppress the truth in unrighteousness and inserts them into congregations, where gullible women and lazy men, who care little about the correct exegeses of Scripture, are caused to fall away from the faith, and render their opportunity to serve God as fruitless.
Satan has many ways he seeks to shipwreck the faith of God's people, and the sowing of lies and deceit is one of the destructive weapons about which Peter is warning us.
Only those who are saved by grace through faith in Christ, are forgiven of all their sin and declared righteous in the sight of God.
John is speaking to believers in this verse: If WE Christians say that we have not sinned, because we are clothed in Christ's righteousness and declared righteous by God through faith, THEN WE Christians make Him out to be a liar and His Word (of truth) is not in us.
John is not talking about initial SALVATION, when we are saved by grace through faith.
This sanctification process, starts at rebirth, when we are born of the Spirit, through faith in Christ.
God alone started the work in our life by faith when we were born again.
Only God can continue His work of sanctification during our earthly life, and only He can finish the good work He started, when we were declared righteous, by faith – for in no sense can a man make himself perfect - for by works of the flesh will no man living be justified, sanctified, or glorified.
it is by the grace of God alone that we are saved. We were saved by faith and are to live by faith.
It is by grace alone through faith, that we were redeemed from the slave-market of sin, and He alone can work the works of God in our earthy life in the ongoing process of sanctification.
It is only as we believe the truth of the glorious gospel of Christ, that we are saved by grace through faith in His finished work at Calvary.
Christ is our living Head and we are clothed in His own perfect righteousness and declared to be holy before God, by faith in Him.
Once we have been placed in Christ by grace through faith... and positionally sanctified and set apart unto Him, we are to continue in our day-to-day spiritual battle by participating in a progressing, practical, ongoing sanctification process.
Let us hold fast to the truth of the glorious gospel of grace that was once delivered to the saints and stand firm under the covering of Christ's own purity, wherewith we are clothed by faith.
But although God's way of salvation is foolishness in the eyes of the world, it will be to the eternal loss of all who do not repent of their worldly ways and recognise that the one and only path to eternal salvation and everlasting life comes from faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ; the eternal Son of God and perfect Son of Man.
Paul opens his epistle to the Colossians expressing his profound joy and grateful thanks for them all, because of their sincere faith in the gospel of Christ, the deep love which they showed for one another and because of the obvious future hope they possessed: Which is laid up for us in heaven.
It was because of their sincere faith in the gospel, their future hope in God's promises, the abundance of fruit being produced in their lives, and the deep love they had for one another, that Paul did not cease to pray for them and to ask that they might be filled with the knowledge of God's will, in all spiritual wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.
May we live as unto the Lord - with sincere faith, godly love, and a glorious hope that is laid up for us in heaven.
How often have we recognised the idolisation of certain preachers or the development of a greedy, self-seeking attitude in certain Church leaders, which too often encourages apostate teachers to sneak into the Church and start speaking lies in hypocrisy, causing many to fall away from the faith.
Early in his Gospel, John not only stressed that Jesus had come from above, but made it clear that the requirement for our reconciliation with God and our eternal salvation was a rebirth from above, the New Life in Christ that only comes by faith in Him.
And He sanctifies us both positionally (in Christ) and progressively (as we grow in grace and mature in the faith).
No surprise that John the Apostle was careful to record every beautiful detail of the incarnate Word of God, for by His grace we have been saved from the slave-market of sin, by grace through faith we are clothed in Christ's righteousness, and by amazing God grace through faith, we are given the Holy Spirit without measure.
He grieved when they were slow of heart to learn, reprimanded them when they fell into sin, corrected them when they were lured into error, rejoiced with them as they grew in grace, and instructed them so they would become increasingly mature in the faith.Paul’s great desire for the saints at Philippi was that they become rooted and grounded in the Word of truth, so that their love for God and their love for one another would continue to grow and multiply.
But he continued by strongly commending these dear believers for the wonderful growth of their faith in God and the abounding love they had for one another, which was being demonstrated in their midst.
This is the victory that has overcome the world, the apostle John writes, even our faith.
As those who have been saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ, how easy it is for us to be critical of Israel's ongoing rebellion and apostasy.
How quick we can be to condemn God's chosen people for rejecting the Lord's gracious message, shunning His many messengers, refusing to believe His holy Word, and failing to translate their special, covenant relationship with Him into personal repentance, trusting obedience, abiding rest, quiet confidence, and a secure faith in the gospel of God.
Paul writes: But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation, if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.
It is the collective Body of Christ that is being called to continue in the faith in this verse, and it is Christ Himself who has promised to build His Church and to sustain all members of His Body to the end so that together we will all be found blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As we read this chapter, we discover the overflowing riches of God's grace and the tender love that the Father has bestowed on all who trust in Christ as Saviour, for we are accepted in the Beloved and have become eternally united with our Saviour, by grace through faith in Christ alone.
We who were once estranged from our Creator have been brought near by the blood of Christ and placed in eternal union with Him having been given above all that we can ask or think, by God's grace through faith alone in Christ alone.
For we were saved by grace through faith when we were baptised into Christ's Body and we are to live by grace through faith and to serve the Lord by grace through faith.
Like so many of Paul's epistles, this second letter to the Thessalonians opens with a prayer of thanksgiving and praise for the faith, hope, love, and patience of these believers, amid the serious trials and tribulation they were facing.
He knew that patiently enduring the various trials they were facing would test and develop their faith, producing patient, uncomplaining endurance, and Christian maturity, for the honour of His name.
God has promised to finish the good work He has started in the life of all who are saved by grace through faith in Christ.
Because of our faith in His sacrifice on the Cross, when He took the punishment for our sin, God looks at us through our covering of Christ, and because of Him we are declared righteous.
As the Father has loved Me, so I have also loved you - abide in My love. If we who are saved by grace through faith in Him would take to heart this simple truth and obey Christ's simple command to Abide in my love, we would discover its transcendent significance and its unfathomable benefit.
However, in the midst of the Great Tribulation and facing fierce oppression, they believed God's Word, trusted Christ as Saviour, and overcame the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony... and their faith was credited to them as righteousness.
However, this innumerable multitude is seen rejoicing before the throne of God and we read that by His grace, they have been saved by faith in Christ's sacrificial death and have, washed their robes..
By grace through faith in Christ, we have been given the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us to live the godly lifestyle that God demands; a life that is set apart unto Him; a life that reflects His character and attributes.
The maturing Christian must not only speak the truth in love, but practice their faith in every aspect of their life.
We are not simply to believe in a statement of faith with our intellectual mind, but we are to live out our personal, trusting faith in Christ in every aspect of our daily life.
It is the Resurrectoin on which our faith rests on.
And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
And just in case we still have not understood the importance of Christ's Resurrection, Paul continues: And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
BUT CHRIST, Paul triumphantly states, has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. The Resurrection of Christ, the pivital point in history, is a fact that we can confidently trust in and rest our faith upon.
Once faith in the truth of who we are in Christ starts to kick in, we can claim God's promises, for He is a faithful God Whose promises are yes and amen in Christ.
Once we stop looking at our overwhelming circumstances in fear, our faith begins to blossom in God Who alone can help us in our distresses - for the heaven is His throne and the earth is His footstool.
The first flickering flame of faith was lit when this weeping man when he remembered God is the eternal Creator and cried out: Long ago You established the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. He continued to proclaim the eternal qualities of God: Even they will perish, but You endure forever; they will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them, and they will be changed. Finally, he rejoiced that God is faithful and unchanging: You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end.
The prayer of a frightened man that started with a focus on self and his own mountainous problems, concluded with a prayer of assured faith and worship of his God, the Creator of the world – the Maker of heaven and earth – the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, all-wise, loving, righteous God of the whole universe – Who knows each of us by name and cares enough to take the difficulties of life to cause us to turn our focus on Christ and not on ourselves.
For when we rest in the promises of God, fear is replaced by faith.
He encouraged believers to grow in grace, to know more of Christ, to mature in the faith, to foster a compassionate nature with a clear conscience, and to develop a Christlike attitude in thought, word, and deed.
He sent letters of instruction and encouragement to believers who like him had trusted Christ for their salvation and been declared righteous before God, because of their precious faith in Jesus.
Although many individual Jews believed on Christ and were saved by grace through faith, the full and complete fulfilment of Joel's prophecy was postponed and is still future: When all Israel will be saved.
May we not miss the truth that is available to ALL who have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that is ready to know the truth, so that we might be set free from the world, the flesh, and the devil - through faith in the efficacious blood of Jesus Christ our God and Saviour.
We are to flee from worldly pursuits and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness, which is honourable in God's sight.
We are to fight the good fight of faith and hold fast to that which is - to the very end.
We are to take hold of the eternal life to which we are all called, and we are encouraged to make a good confession of our faith in the presence of many witnesses - and we are to do this for Christ's sake.
And yet God in His mercy took upon Himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men - so that by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, we could be conformed into His image and likeness and be clothed in His perfect righteousness.
He believed in the integrity of God's character and had faith that God would fulfil all His promises to Israel.
God seeks servants who are prepared to trust Him through all the difficulties and dangers of life and to step out in faith when confronted with the raging waters that hamper our progress or flood our path.
May we like Joshua live our life as unto the Lord, knowing that He is well able to finish the good work He started in us when we first trusted Him by grace through faith in Christ our Lord.
As believers, we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ and not by keeping works of the Law.
As believers, we were saved by grace through faith in Christ and at the moment of our salvation, the Holy Spirit of God placed us into the Body of Christ.
My identification with Christ means that I died with Him, arose with Him, and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God Who loved me and gave Himself for me so that I might no longer live for myself, but live for God, to His praise and glory, for ever and ever.
He died for our sins and rose again the third day so that whosoever would believe on His name would not perish but receive God's free gift of everlasting life, by grace through faith in Him.
Should we not treasure these things in our heart and ponder them daily in our heart, by faith with thanksgiving?
Having matured in our faith and having grown in our spiritual walk, we should never forget what we have learned, nor should we turn away from the fount of all knowledge or leave our first love, Christ Jesus, our Lord.
He lived in such a way that he did not offend the Jews by flaunting the liberty he had through faith in Christ, nor did he impose the legalistic restrictions of the Mosaic Law on the Gentiles, for we are not under law but under grace.
When the cares and concerns of this world are given to the Lord in humility of heart, He pours into that life His peace that passes understanding, and we discover we have a godly wisdom, an enlarged faith, supernatural love, and His sufficient grace, despite the circumstances that hem us in on every side.
When anxiety is permitted to dominate a life, faith submits to fear, unbelief is substituted for a trusting heart, and dependence on our Heavenly Father is replaced with prideful self-dependency.
But righteousness is credited to those who have faith in the Anointed of God, not those who boast in their physical genetics.
He warned that, No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day. In our fallen state, we need God to attract us to Himself, so that we can choose wisely, place our faith in Christ, and receive eternal life.
Condemnation for all resulted from Adam's ONE sin, but righteousness is awarded to all by faith - because of Christ's ONE act of righteousness.
However, we are identified by Christ's righteousness by our rebirth through faith and as a result, have become righteous by association with Christ.
BUT, where sin increased (through the giving of the Law), grace abounded all the more (through faith in the sacrifice of Christ).
Once we start to recognise that we are sinners, we start to understand the amazing love of God, the forgiveness of sins, and His over-abounding grace which is ours by faith in the sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Once sin is exposed in our life - the more precious the grace of God and the forgiveness we receive by faith becomes.
Grace upon more grace is poured out upon all who by faith in Christ's sacrificial work on Calvary - as we are not only forgiven of our sins - but declared righteous before a holy God.
Paul was most thorough in his outstanding epistle to systematically set out every aspect of Church-age doctrine so that we have no doubt that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ.
He reminded believers that God is generous to all and will give wisdom willingly and uncritically to everyone who asks Him for it, in faith.
Every one of us that submits to the Lord in faith has generous access to the wisdom of God, for the one that walks in spirit and truth will be the one that exhibits the sweet character of Christ, as we rest in Him and He lives in us.
In this final letter just before his death, the aged apostle Peter wrote to all Christians: To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.
When Jesus rose from the grave, He broke the power of death and hell in the lives of ALL who are identified with Christ and positioned IN Him, all who are saved by grace through faith in Him, all who have been born of the Spirit of God and have received a NEW and eternal life in Christ.
The fifteenth chapter of Corinthians is a passage that gives hope in the hearts of all who are saved by grace through faith.
He points out that if Christ had not risen from the dead and remained in the grave, our faith would be worthless, but we serve a risen, ascended, and glorified LORD.
Changed from living by faith, to seeing Christ face to face, as we are transformed into His lovely likeness.
Her life-style seems to be somewhat suspect, and she even appeared to flirt with the Jewish Rabbi, who asked for a drink! But her eternal salvation was at stake and she soon realised that Jesus was a prophet of God and asked some searching questions, that brought her to faith in Him and cause her entire village to welcome the Saviour into their midst, and to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was the prophesied Messiah of Israel.
May we be like the Samaritan woman, who came to Jesus, listened to His Word, and chose to drink deeply and daily of the living water that is ours by faith.
What a glorious future hope, that we will be forever with the Lord in the company of all the saints of old who by grace through faith have trusted Christ for the remission of sin and the redemption of their spirit, soul, and body.
As believers on the Resurrection side of Calvary, we are partakers of the divine nature by grace through faith in Christ, and as a child of our Heavenly Father we may call Him: Abba, Father.
We who have trusted Christ on the Resurrection side of Calvary, have been brought into God's family by grace through faith in Christ's finished work and are now children of God, through Christ.
The purpose of the Law was to reveal unrighteousness and to bring a sinner to repentance before a holy God, but the Word of God identifies two types of righteousness: one that stems from a works-based morality, which is achieved by rigorously keeping the Law, and one which is a faith-based righteousness, which comes from humbly trusting Jesus as Saviour and depending on Him at all times and for all things.
Let us never forget that He is the immortal, invisible God Who has set eternity in the hearts of all His people and that by faith in His only begotten Son we have the forgiveness of sin and life everlasting.
David had come to so firm a faith in the Rock of his redemption, that assaults of the enemy and even death itself did not infect his peace, and he acknowledged he was held securely in the Father's hand.
David demonstrated a living faith in the Lord because his trust was in God.
The anticipation of Christ's Resurrection brought Him great joy, for it conquered death, and brought many sons to glory by faith in Him.
Well, as members of God's family by faith, every believer was 'IN CHRIST' when He hung on the Cross and died - just as we were 'In Adam' when he sinned in the garden.
Being baptised with the Holy Spirit is to be immersed in the Holy Spirit, just as being baptised with water, as a declaration of our faith means being immersed in water.
They should have known that faith... not works, worldly wisdom, or religious knowledge, is credited as by God righteousness, for we read in Genesis that Abraham believed God, and his faith was credited to him as righteousness.
We are all born dead in trespasses and sins, but by faith we are given new life IN CHRIST and made a new creation in HIM.
It is only by faith in Him that can we be born from above, as His spiritual seed, become part of the new heavenly creation in Christ, and are promised positions in His coming earthly kingdom - when all His enemies will have been placed under His feet.
John knew that the salvation of mankind was initiated out of love for fallen sinners, but also that judgement is the inevitable result of those who choose to reject His gracious offer of salvation by grace through faith in Christ's sacrificial work at Calvary.
Salvation depends entirely upon one's relationship to Christ; either faith in Him or rejection of Him, and the Bible makes it clear that the outcome is non-negotiable.
He was not sent to judge the world, but to bring everyone to salvation through faith in Him.
Sadly, there are those that reject God's free offer of salvation, which is accomplished by faith in Christ's sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection for the forgiveness of sins.
Just as the same sun which gives light to the world casts a shadow, so also the Son of God Who shines Light on trusting faith casts the shadow of judgement on rebellious unbelief.
The Light of Life, in the Person of Jesus Christ, came into the world to save mankind through faith.
They are in danger of becoming lukewarm, disinterested, or legalistic in their faith, or succumbing to carnality and falling short of their high calling in Christ Jesus.
We have already been made righteous in Christ, by grace through faith, and the day is coming when we will put off this old mortal body and finally be clothed in our promised, glorified body.
We are already members of His Body and identified by grace through faith with our God, but we also wait for our promised inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, unfading, and reserved for us in heaven.
We are to abide in Him and rest in Him, as through the Spirit of God we watch and wait for His any day return, when we shall see Him as He is and be forever with the Lord: Through the Spirit of God, by faith, we wait for the hope of righteousness.
We have been eternally saved by grace through faith in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is no disgrace in being a Christian, even though we may be despised by others for our faith, shunned by the world, deserted by carnally minded friends, shunned by family, abused by ungodly laws, or mocked by co-workers.
When we suffer in this world because of our faith we participate in His pain.
The Law, the covenant, the prophets, the priesthood, and Israel's high priestly office, were part of the old order that was replaced by a new and better covenant, with its heavenly High Priestly office after the order of Melchizedek, the king-priest who was honoured by Abraham, the father of faith.
Over the years, Eliezer had witnessed Abraham's faith in God and seen the Lord working in his master's life.
Abraham also realised that his son's wife must be brought into the family while Isaac needed to submit to his father's choice of a bride, and understood the dangers of associating with those outside the commonwealth of faith.
He learned not to 'second-guess' what God would do, but to step out in faith and be led by Him.
There are many more lessons we can learn from the actions and attitudes of every character in this beautiful story, but like every person in this narrative, faith in God is the key to success.
God's plan of redemption was not fully known until He sent JESUS, His only begotten Son into the world - that we might live through Him and be declared righteous by God's grace - through faith in His redemptive blood.
Faith in God's Word has been the non-negotiable way that sinful man could be declared righteous in the eyes of a holy God from the beginning.
There is no other way to be saved and credited with righteousness other than by faith in Christ.
God purposed that salvation would be a free gift of God's grace which would be appropriated by faith - and no attempt, by man to achieve righteousness any other way or through any other person, would be accepted by God.
The apostle Paul used both Abraham and David as evidence that salvation in the Old Testament was similarly by God's grace, through faith in His Word.
Abraham believed God... and that faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.
Abraham did not earn his salvation, but received it as a free gift of God's grace - by faith.
From the beginning of creation to the end of Christ's millennial reign on earth, salvation can only be received as a free gift from God - through faith.
Men are reckoned to be righteous by faith and never by works of the Law.
And Abraham was one of many men and women who believed God would keep His Word - and their faith was credited to them as righteousness. When we trust the Word made flesh - that He died for our sins according to the Scriptures and was buried and rose again the third day - we will be saved by God's grace - through faith.
Paul reminds us that before we were saved by grace through faith in Christ, we spent our life in malice, envy, bitterness, and hatred towards one another, and also towards God.
It must be a broken and a contrite heart that has an unshakable, confident assurance of our faith which is anchored to the faithful promises of an unchanging God.
We are to seize hold the many precious promises that relate to our salvation by grace through faith in Christ, and we do this by appropriating His cleansing flood in our own indifferent or bloodied hearts.
How blessed we are if we can reflect on our own lives and identify those that by God's grace, patiently and lovingly provoked us to love and good works, by grace through faith in Christ.
Nevertheless, many men of Israel and Jewish proselytes came to faith in Jesus in those early days of the Christian Church.
There were no New Testament Scriptures and no doctrinal statements for the early Church to call upon, and despite Christ's intense training, the apostles were young in their faith.
They had to agree on the profession of their faith and the basic elements that made up the Christian gospel.
They had to be united in the essentials of the good news they were teaching, and their articles of faith took time to develop into the truth of the glorious gospel of Christ, to which we adhere today.
Praise God for the foundation of God’s holy apostles and prophets, who laid the foundations of our faith upon Christ as guided by the Spirit, when: God's chosen apostles and elders met together to look into this matter.
And so, God sent His dearly loved Son into the world to be the propitiation for our sins so that all who believe on Him would be forgiven of their sin, justified in the sight of God, and declared righteous before Him, by faith.
Compassionate Christian conduct, a humble Christ-like attitude, godly and gracious service, and a childlike faith that finds its strength in the Lord when faced with suffering and pain, brings Peter to the point in his epistle where he charged Church elders with new and important responsibilities, Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder, and witness of the sufferings of Christ, to care for Christ's flock.
And as the time for his departure drew ever closer, Peter wanted to ensure that those who had grown in grace and matured in the faith, were equipped to continue Christ's ministry of reconciliation, and to care for the flock of God - and so he spoke directly to the elders of the Church who had the authority over God's people.
The way that Peter addressed his fellow elders, as he sought to equip those that came after him in proclaiming the gospel of grace, forwarding the cause of Christ, and feeding the flock of God, demonstrates true, Christian humility, and a life that is dedicated to equipping others to carry on the message of salvation by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord
Just as we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, we have also been called into one hope of that calling and exhorted to live at peace with one another.
Paul was certainly not encouraging doctrinal compromise, for he was a man who contended earnestly for the faith in all his epistles.
He was certainly zealous in stressing the importance of keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace - where by grace through faith in Christ, we are ONE Body and ONE Spirit... with ONE hope, ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism into the Body of Christ - and ONE God and Father, Who is above all, through all, and in us all.
He travels to and fro on the earth seeking whom he may devour, but we are called to resist him and to stand firm in the faith, knowing that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing similar kinds of persecution and pain, as together, we journey through life from the Cross to the Crown.
We are to cling to this great encouragement by grace through faith, as we travel through this hostile, antagonistic world from grace to glory, for our various trials are but for a season.
The Cross of Christ procured our salvation through faith, and whatever starts with God's grace results in God's glory.
Before being justified by faith every Christian is an unbeliever.
It is only at the point of the 'new-birth', when the Holy Spirit of Life breathes the resurrected life of Christ into a sinner saved by grace through faith, that the human spirit is revived and spiritual death is changed into spiritual life.
Every believer is delivered from the wrath to come by faith, and everyone who believes in Christ receives the remission of sins.
It is God's amazing grace that made us alive in Christ and by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, we are set free from condemnation and eternal separation from our Creator.
for faith in the Word of God is His will for each of our lives.
Having faith in God is the fountain-head of all that is good – and it pleases our heavenly Father, for without faith it is impossible to please Him.Trusting the Lord with all of our heart is not only a positive and beneficial duty, but it negates the elements of fear and doubt, it holds us firm in life’s storms and stresses, and it replaces self-confidence with a trusting 'God-confidence.' Trusting the Lord with all our heart is to set aside one's own desires and imaginings to do His will.
The one who places their faith in the Lord does not seek help from those that are proud and deceitful, because the faithful love of the Lord surrounds them, protects them, and underpins their lives.
There continues to be much persecution in the Church today and although the methods of torture may differ, the aim is to shipwreck the faith of the saints and render their testimony impotent.
In an earlier letter to these believers in Corinth, Paul described the fate of the apostles of Christ as, men condemned to die in the arena, and a spectacle to the whole universe - to angels as well as to men. But despite the bitter persecution and grievous attacks that Paul received from Jews, Gentiles, legalists, and religionists - he discovered God's sufficient grace. Paul found out that despite his own human helplessness in the face of such evil, God's divine enablement meant he could stand firm in the faith.
Well, God in His wisdom knows that a path that is free from troubles does not develop in us the faith that matures and pleases God.
Although God does not cause the problems and pain we go through, He permits difficulties and dangers, sorrows and sicknesses, anxieties and afflictions, pain and persecution, in order to perfect our faith in Him.
Our brokenness is permitted, so that we may grow in grace, mature in the faith, and day by day become increasingly conformed into the image and likeness of our heavenly Saviour - so that we may shine as lights in a darkened place as we share the good news of salvation to a lost and dying world.
In his final meeting with those who were saved by grace through faith, Jesus made reference to approaching the day of Pentecost when He said, You will be baptised not many days hence.
However, faith is the constant that unites all believers.
The imputed righteousness of Christ is received only by faith; by believing the Word of God, by trusting the Lord to carry out His promises, and by obeying His Word.
Abraham was living in a pagan society which had strayed far from the God Who had saved them through the flood waters of judgement due to Noah's faith in God.
We are told in Hebrews that he obeyed God by faith and we are told in Romans: Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
The glory of salvation is that it is all by God's grace, through faith.
Forgiveness is by God's grace, through faith, and righteousness is imputed to all who believe what God has promised, by faith.
Righteousness is credited by grace through faith in God's anointed Saviour, and by faith we are to continue living lives obeying God's Word.
Abraham looked forward to the coming Saviour by faith.
We look back to the crucified Saviour, and it is all by faith.
Faith is trusting God's Word.
Faith is believing God's promises to be true.
Faith is obeying the Word of the Lord, just as Abraham obeyed when he was called to leave his homeland to gain an inheritance, even though he had no clue where he was going.
Like Abraham, we were saved by faith, called out of the world, credited with God’s righteousness, promised an inheritance, and are travelling along the path of life towards the goal of our calling. We are now to live our life by faith – listening to His voice, trusting His Word, obeying His instructions, believing His promises to be unquestionably true.
Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
This is what was commended in Abraham and this is what will be commended in all who live – by faith.
He was a man after God's own heart whose patient endurance and trusting faith brought him deliverance, encouragement, hope, and salvation.
Perhaps the Man Who sank into the deepest pit of destruction and Whose patient endurance eclipses all others is our Saviour, Jesus Christ Whose trust in His Father never failed, despite the cesspool of sin into which He willingly sank when crucified on a Roman cross so that we might be raised up from our pit of destruction into life immortal, by faith in Him.
Jesus was utterly astonished by this message because it demonstrated a secure faith in the Person and work of Christ.
Now when Jesus heard this, we read, He marvelled at the centurion, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, 'I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.' How sad that Jesus came to His own people, who rejected Him, yet this heathen man demonstrated such astonishing faith.
And yet, this Gentile showed a strong faith, deep humility, and a simple confidence in Christ - three complementary qualities that are so necessary in a man or woman of faith.
Jesus marvelled at the simplicity and strength of this man's faith, for he expressed an understanding of Christ's authoritative word and exhibited an unprecedented awareness of His sovereignty in the spiritual sphere.
His amazement at the faith of this centurion stands in stark contrast to the amazement he had at the unbelief of the Jews in His hometown of Nazareth.
The one... showing great faith in the spoken word of Christ and His supreme authority over nature, and the other... demonstrating such a lack of faith, that He was prevented from doing any mighty miracles in Nazareth, except to lay His hands on a few sick people and heal them.
Sometimes healing is delayed or even withheld to bolster our faith.
Similarly, there are those that declare that if a prayer for healing goes unanswered it demonstrates a shocking lack of faith - but once again these are totally unbiblical teachings which should be avoided.
It was not the amount of faith this soldier demonstrated that is important - but the Person in Whom he placed his trust - the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is not faith that is the issue but the Person in Whom we place our trust.
May we cultivate the sort of faith demonstrated in the words and actions of this Roman centurion and cultivate a faith that believes in the authority of God's Word and the knowledge that His Word is TRUE.
Peter knew that the road to the kingdom of Christ must pass via the Cross - and this is no less true for those that are saved by grace through faith today.
We, as born again believers who have been saved by grace through faith, are eternally redeemed.
He was far more concerned to establish the Church in sound doctrine than to refute specific errors, for Paul knew that only as we are established in the Word of God and continue to mature in the faith, will we be in a position to recognise, refute, and challenge false teachings.
They were steadfast in the faith and had not been enticed away from the truth of the gospel, and yet Paul proceeds to give his sober warning to this group of mature believers.
Having been rooted in Christ at salvation, believers should be continuously growing in the faith in order to became increasingly stable in doctrinal knowledge and our understanding of the gospel, which will manifest itself in an ever increasing mental attitude of thanksgiving and grateful praise.
But however secure we consider ourselves to be in the faith, Paul's warning is clear: Take care, lest there be someone who leads you away as prisoners, by means of his philosophy and idle fancies, following human traditions and the world's crude notions instead of following Christ.
Every one of us is in danger of falling for false teachings and of being led astray by enticing philosophies, and Paul exhorts us to keep on growing in the faith as we have been taught from the bible.
It is only as we stand firm in the faith and continue to grow in the knowledge of Christ, that we will be able to stand firm on the truth, for Paul tells us that our stability stems from biblical doctrine and sound teaching.
In his final words to this group of believers, Paul was challenging them to test themselves and examine their hearts and behaviours, to see if they were truly living the life of faith.
Like so many believers, they were quick to criticise others, and feigned a false spirituality that was self-induced and not from God. These believers were encouraged to examine their hearts to be sure that their faith was founded on Christ, and that their witness was true and not counterfeit.
We should not be examining the spirituality of others, for only God knows their hearts, but there are many ways that we can examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith.
And by God's grace through faith in Him, we too have an assurance that no matter what troubles and trials we may face in this life, God will use them for our good and His eternal glory, for we are His children and the sheep of His pasture.
The man who is not imputed with sin and speaks no deceitful word, is simply the one who has believed in God's Word, his faith is credited as righteousness, and his lips are commended as pure.
Earlier in this chapter, Paul used Abraham, the patriarch, as an illustration of a man who was justified, by faith.
Here, in this section, he used David the shepherd-king of Israel to emphasise that we are not saved by works of the Law, but by faith in God's Word.
Our salvation only comes by God's grace through man's faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We do not earn righteousness by works, but are imputed with His righteousness by faith, which takes us OUT OF Adam and the domain of sin and death, and places us INTO Christ and the realm of righteousness and life.
But how blessed is the saved sinner who must progress in their faith and grow in grace, not through works of the Law, but by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
It is because we are so blessed, and our sin is no longer accountable, that we are called to eschew all forms of evil, to mature in the faith, and to live in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and to be increasingly conformed into the likeness of the lovely Lord Jesus as we die to self and live for Him.
The first four judgments depict four horsemen, who gallop onto the world scene bringing devastation and distress to a world that has rejected God's offer of salvation, through faith in Christ's sacrificial death on Calvary and His glorious resurrection from the dead.
The Holy Spirit was sent to permanently indwell all who by faith in the Lord Jesus, became sons of God... but even in those early days of the Church, we see many resisting the gospel of grace and rejecting the inspired words of Stephen, the first Christian martyr - who was himself filled with the Holy Spirit.
Stephen's faith in Christ and his godly life did not exempt this man from the vicious darts of the enemy, nor did it prevent his apparently premature death.
When we were saved by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we were positioned in Him and identified with Him.
By faith, we became One with Christ and identified with Him, such that His righteousness became our righteousness and His resurrected life became our eternal life.
Before we were saved, we were estranged from God, but when we were saved by grace through faith in Christ, our sin was forgiven and we came into a living union with Him; a spiritual union which joins all believers to Christ our Saviour Who is the Head of the Body.
Our position in Christ has nothing to do with us but is simply a free gift of God's grace, by faith in Christ, and remains eternally unchanging and eternally secure.
He was a suffering servant, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and yet before we were saved by grace through faith in Him we just couldn't care less.
And salvation is only bestowed as a free gift of God's grace through faith in Christ.
And by grace through faith in Him we are healed, forgiven, saved, redeemed, and freed from bondage to Satan, the curse of the Law, and the enormous and eternal consequences of our sin.
However, the spiritually hungry Gentiles heard the good news and spiritual revival broke out in their ranks, prompting the early Church leaders to agree on the fundamentals of the Christian faith, how it applied to both Jews and Gentiles, and what the foundational principles and practice were.
Both men urged their readers to be diligent to grow in grace, mature in the faith, be found in Christ, and to understand that any perceived delay in Christ's return points to God's long-suffering kindness towards men, for it is not God's will that any should perish but that all come to repentance and find peace in Him.
Every generation of believers, from the days of the apostles to the current time, have been called to live by faith and not by sight.
It is nearer than when we first heard the truth of the gospel of grace and placed our faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ: Therefore, we should lay aside the deeds of darkness and clothe ourselves in His protective armour of light.
We want to be those that are living by faith, carrying out His will in our lives, and living a life that is honouring to God as we lay aside every deed of darkness and any activity that discredits His name.
Being the last identified letter of the apostle Paul, we can recognise an urgency in his message to Timothy, his trusted son in the faith and pastor to the Christians at Ephesus.
Paul knew that his faith was not vain, and was able to confess that he knew the One in Whom he trusted, and was persuaded that God was able to finish the good work He had started in His servant's life.
They had been chosen to be Christ's personal ambassadors and the tools through whom the world would hear the wonderful news of salvation by grace through faith... in Christ.
Does that not speak volumes to we who are God's children by grace through faith in Christ?
By grace through faith in Christ we are not under the Law, but how important that we do not see our own privileged position in Christ as an open ticket to live in unrighteousness.
How blessed are we who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, and how often we find encouragement, comfort, peace, and hope in the Psalms of David.
David had been credited with righteousness because of his faith.
Although the whole earth belongs to the Lord, for He made it and by His Word everything was created, Israel was to be His chosen nation, by whom the rest of the world would hear that God is the Lord, and through whom would come a Saviour Who would redeem all whom God credited with righteousness, by faith.
They were to teach the nations about the kingdom of God and bring lost souls into the camp of Israel, through faith in God.
What communion can a holy God have with a fallen sinner? At salvation, we were enlightened to the truth of the glorious gospel of grace, and by faith, we have become light in the Lord and are called to walk as children of light.
It is as we are enlightened to the truth of the gospel, that we begin to understand the tremendous price that Christ paid on the Cross for us, for it is only by faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, that we are forgiven of our trespasses and sin.
It is only by grace through faith, that we have been called out of the darkness of sin and death into the marvellous light of His righteousness and life.
It is only by placing our faith in Christ's finished work on Calvary, that we have been given access into the throne-room of grace.
It is only through faith in Christ's finished work that God can pronounce a sinner to be saved.
But let us never forget that in Christ are found ALL the treasures of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, and we who have been saved by grace through faith have direct access to the Lord Himself, for we have the mind of Christ - and any of us who lack wisdom are entreated to ask God - Who will give generously to all, without finding fault.
He told them that the gospel of the kingdom, which was curtailed at His first advent would eventually be taught throughout the world by Jewish evangelists who put their faith in Christ Jesus as Lord, and He warned of the abomination of desolation that is to be set up in a newly constructed temple.
Having been saved by grace through faith on that epic journey... his entire outlook on life and his understanding of the Law was radically changed.
Paul discovered that the only way to victory over the principle of sin, was by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ - as he allowed His Holy Spirit to rule and reign within until he could say, it is not I that live, but Christ that lives in me.
We are to build ourselves up in our most holy faith, where the Cross of Christ is central and we depend entirely upon our Heavenly Father in all things.
We are to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ, and to guide them towards sound doctrine, for the time has come when men are departing from the faith and will not put up with wholesome teaching at all.
Let us, therefore, encourage one another and seek to build each other up in our most holy faith, praying in the power of the Holy Spirit, as we wait for the any day appearance of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ Who has given us eternal life, by grace through faith in Him.
In a world where satanic deception, doctrines of demons, and multitudes of false teachers, apostles, prophets, and priests seek to shipwreck the faith of Christians and render their lives fruitless, the inspired and inerrant Word of God is profitable for sound doctrine, godly correction, spiritual growth, and instruction in righteousness.
Only the God-breathed Bible is profitable for sound doctrine, godly correction, spiritual growth, and instruction in righteousness in order that the man or woman who has been saved by grace through faith, may be thoroughly equipped for every good work that God has prepared for them to do.
God has furnished us with godly instruction on how to mature in the faith and to grow in grace, and it is recorded in His Word.
It is by grace that every man and woman who has been redeemed by the blood the Lamb has all that is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness in order to mature in the faith and grow in grace.
Many people have a historical faith in Jesus Christ.
To some, their belief in Jesus remains a historical fact and not a saving faith.
When belief in the historical Jesus becomes faith in the person and work of Christ as Son of God and Son of Man, He is removed from being an unapproachable historical figure to a very present personal Saviour Who loves us and gave His life for us.
Christians are also to circumcise their hearts by clinging fast in faith to their Father in heaven and being separated from worldly desires, the lusts of the flesh, and pride in our own self-help skills.
Christ came to the circumcision first so that they could be forgiven of centuries of apostasy, by faith in Jesus, the eternal Son of God and perfect Son of Man.
God did not leave His servant in any doubt that He would carry out a national chastening, but also gave him some reassurance: Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; BUT the righteous will live by his faith.
We are not only credited with righteousness by faith in God's Word, but we are to LIVE our life by faith: The righteous will live by his faith.
HOWEVER, the righteous one will live by his faith, which may be better translated 'the justified-by-faith one SHALL LIVE'.
Those declared righteous by faith WILL live, while those who are not justified by faith will not live; they shall surely experience the wrath of God.
Although the guiding principle of justification can be traced through every book of the Bible, it was to Habakkuk that the unchangeable truth of justification was given; the just shall live by faith.
The man or woman who is justified by faith WILL LIVE.
Eternal life is a free gift to ALL who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and once we have been covered in Christ's righteousness we are called to LIVE the rest of our life BY FAITH.
May we KNOW in the inner recesses of our heart and mind that: A man is not justified by the works of the Law, but through faith in Christ Jesus.
May we have that assurance that eternal life is already ours, because we have been justified by faith, and having been justified, by faith, may we LIVE by faith as we trust in Him to supply all our needs, day by day.
Praise God that WE, who have believed in Christ Jesus, are justified by faith in Christ.
God has given humanity an amazing gift, and that gift is salvation - the salvation of the spirit, the salvation of the soul, and the salvation of the body, which was procured through the shedding of Christ’s blood in payment for the sins of the whole world - For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.
God has given humanity an incredible gift, and that gift is salvation – but it only comes as a gift of grace - through faith in His only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour.
All we have to do is to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour… to have faith in Him… to believe on His name.
God has given humanity the amazing gift of salvation which is given freely, to whosoever will trust in His redeeming work on Calvary – because God is gracious and God is good.God’s gift of salvation is given by GRACE – for it is by grace that we are saved, through faith in Jesus Christ.
Faith in Him and His finished work on the Cross is ALL that is needed, and whosoever will, may access this free gift of salvation by grace.
For by grace we are saved… through faith, and that not of ourselves: it is the gift of God.
Salvation is the amazing gift of God’s grace, and does not have anything to do with us. All that is required of you and me is to believe – believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.Those of us who believe this by faith are justified, saved, redeemed, declared righteous, positioned in Christ, clothed in His righteousness, in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit, and have been given a whole host of other supernatural and eternal benefits, simply by believing on the finished work of Christ at Calvary, for He died for our sin according to the Scriptures, was buried and rose again according to the Scriptures.
There are many opponents and adversaries that can assail the believer in their walk of faith.
However, the people of God, have received the salvation of the Lord because they have been counted worthy and declared righteous, by faith in Christ's sacrifice for their sin - and although in this world, they are ridiculed, threatened, persecuted, and abused, they will inherit the kingdom of heaven.
May we, who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, conduct ourselves in a manner that is worthy of the gospel of Christ.
May we, who have been counted worthy by faith in Christ, stand firm in one spirit, with one mind, as we strive together in the unity of the faith, for the hope that is ours in the gospel of Christ.
Praise God that we have been granted salvation from God, because of our faith in Christ.
As we see the systematic destruction of sound doctrine in Christianity today, as apostate teachers and false prophets infiltrate the churches of Christendom and seek to destroy the very foundation of our faith... and as we watch the shocking inhumanity of man towards his fellows, and the unbelievable corruption that floods the corridors of government - our hearts also grieve..
What a thrill to see them growing in grace, maturing in the faith, and serving the true and living God in spirit and in truth.
Like us, these believers had come to faith in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Like us, the Christians at Thessalonica believed by faith that God poured out the full fury of His anger against sin upon the Lord Jesus Christ, Who was God's sacrificial Lamb and our sin-substitute.
Christ's perfect sacrifice on the Cross forgave us of our sins (past, present, and future), saving us from the penalty of sin and returning us back into irreversible fellowship with the Father, by grace through faith.
It clothes us in His righteousness so that by grace through faith, He may live His life through us until it is not I that live, but Christ living in me.
And we are one with Him: we are eternally united with Him, permanently positioned in Him, and forever accepted in the Beloved, for by grace through faith we have become His Body and He has become our Head.
There is no more intimate union than the Head with its Body, and as such we have been chosen by God to complement Christ, by grace through faith in Him.
Just like believers today, Tribulation saints who live in the final seven years of Daniel's great end-times prophecy, will also overcome the enemy because of their faith in the cleansing power of the blood of the Lamb.
Exalting the Person and work of the eternal Son of God, and detailing His incarnation, His substitutionary death, His heavenly Priesthood, and the importance of faith, are the broad themes that flow through the book of Hebrews.
Hebrews is an epistle that targets maturing believers, and its clarion call is to live godly lives in Christ Jesus - the Author and Finisher of our faith.
God knew that man was incapable of fulfilling the righteous requirements of God's holy Law with HIM, and so He purposed in His heart that the impossible standard of the perfect Law would be the schoolmaster that would point them to Christ - so that by faith in Him they would receive a new heart.
Instead of a simple salvation message, Jude's letter was written to encourage believers to contend earnestly for the faith in an increasingly godless society.
Jude quickly reminds us of Israel's escape from satanic bondage in Egypt, the blasphemous angelic rebellion, the righteous judgement of Sodom, and the various ungodly acts of men like murderous Cain, greedy Balaam and the rebellious Korah, in order to warn us against being influenced by similar ungodly people in our own age and generation who try to infiltrate the Church and contaminate our faith.
In the Old Testament, men and women were saved by grace through faith in the Word of God.
People in the Old Testament who believed God's promise in connection with the coming Messiah, were saved by grace through faith.
Christ was made a curse for us so that we might receive the blessings of God, and it is all by grace through faith in Him.
And the eternal, heavenly, glorious, UNCONDITIONAL blessings that follow the one Who believes in Him by grace through faith, are beyond our human comprehension.
No conditions, simply by grace through faith in Christ.
It is an outward symbol of an inner change of heart, a seal of God's approval, through faith.
Just as water baptism is an outward demonstration of the born-again believer during this Church Age, circumcision was given as a teaching tool, a visual aid, an explanatory picture of the regeneration that takes place by faith.
May we remember that true circumcision is a broken and contrite heart before our Heavenly Father, and glorify in the One who has declared us righteous in God's sight, by faith in Christ.
While the Church will be raptured BEFORE the Great Tribulation, unbelieving Israel will have to go THROUGH this terrible time, but like Old Testament saints and Church age believers, they will be justified by faith in Jesus. And though many will be killed - He will bring them through.
We have the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit to ward off all evil advances - and we have the wonderful weapon of prayer - praying ALWAYS with all prayer and supplication - in the spirit, to rout the enemy's attacks.
A day is coming when all practical atheists as well as those that by choice have chosen to become indifferent to the glorious gospel of God and rejected His offer of salvation by grace through faith in Christ will stand silenced.
As we read of men and women of faith (like those listed in the Hebrews 11 role of honour), we discover that many were enslaved, exploited, and exterminated for the sake of Christ.
Timothy was exhorted to reignite the flickering flame of his faltering faith, for although he was saved by grace through faith in Christ, he was timid, afraid, and felt pressurised by the increasingly hostile world in which we all live.
By grace through faith, we have put off the old Adamic self and put on the new life in Christ, for having been baptised into Christ's body and becoming a new creation in Him, we are to remember that we have also been baptised into His death.
There must be death to self, death to sin, death to legalistic tendencies, death to all that is not of Christ, so that we may live as God intended us to live: in complete dependence upon Him, by grace through faith.
It is by grace through faith that we are saved and it is also by grace through faith that we are to live, moment by moment, and day by day.
We are united with Christ by grace through faith.
We know that the serpent of old, who is called the devil and Satan, is a liar and a murderer from the beginning, who deceives the whole world and seeks to shipwreck the faith of all God's blood-bought children.
As blood-bought children of God we must avoid the many mistakes Israel made and be careful not to fall into apostasy, doubt God's Word, or live a defeated life due to lack of faith.
How we all delight to read through the chapter on faith in the book of Hebrews, and rejoice as we consider the exploits of so many godly men and women of faith.
How often we wish that we were like these spiritual heroes, and that our faith was as sure and strong as that great cloud of witnesses, who by God's grace, were saved by faith, lived by faith, gave honour to God, and found their way into the holy Scriptures.
He had become a double-minded man, who showed a lack of faith and a compromised character.
He pleaded his inexperience and inferiority to execute such a calling and demonstrated his lack of faith in the angel's promise by destroying the false god in his father's household in the dead of night!
But Gideon, like all the other saints of old, is recorded in Hebrews as a man of faith, whom God's used in a mighty way to forward His plans and purposes.
Gideon was one of the named people in the Hebrew's chapter on faith - And what more shall I say?
For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms; performed acts of righteousness; obtained promises; shut the mouths of lions; quenched the power of fire; escaped the edge of the sword; from weakness were made strong; became mighty in war; put foreign armies to flight.
He does this in order to develop our faith in His Word and to enlarge our trust in His never-failing goodness and grace.
He does not provide His help too soon, for this would not allow the necessary time to build up our faith in Him or deepen our trust in His never-failing Word.
But this is not only a Psalm that has helped countless generations of men and women to develop their trust in the Lord and increase their faith in His Word.
May we who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, follow in the footsteps of our Saviour and wait patiently for the Lord, knowing that His plans and purposes are perfect... and that in due time He will incline His ear to our cry and graciously provide all we need, according to His riches in glory.
As members of the human race who have been saved by grace through faith, we have volition.
Having set out this important life-principle, Paul finally explains the reason for his forceful emphasis: having been freed from sin, by grace through faith in Christ, we became salves of righteousness.
Day by day, may we make the right choices in thought, word, and deed, so that we may remain in sweet fellowship with our heavenly Father as we abide in Christ, submit to His leading, mature in the faith, and grow in grace, for our eternal joy and for His greater glory.
God planned in eternity past that whosoever believes in Him by faith was to become part of a new creation in Christ (by means of 'eating' of His flesh and 'drinking' of His blood), and those that were reborn as part of that new creation in Christ would also live because of Him.
And in the same way that the living God sent the eternal Son into the world to live a life of total dependence upon His Heavenly Father, we too are sent into the world by Jesus to live a life of total dependence upon Him by faith and through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
When the Lord spoke of eating His flesh and drinking His blood to the unbelieving scribes and hypocritical Pharisees in this passage, He was pointing them to the Cross, where His body was soon to be broken for them and His life blood was soon to be poured out so that whosoever believes in Him by faith might be saved and live.
And today, when the sacrificial offering of Christ on the Cross is believed by faith, His resurrected life is imparted to the one who trust in Him as their substitute for sin: As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, will also live because of Me.
Jonah eventually obeyed and preached repentance to this huge hotbed of sinners, who all repented and became a vast city of people that were saved by grace through faith.
The early verses of Hebrews 11, begin an in-depth exposition of faith.
It explains that faith is required to receive God's acceptance, approval, and rewards.
It begins by listing examples and the achievements of a succession of Old Testament men and women of faith.
An extended discourse on the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, begins in verse 8, together with a testimonial of the faith of Abraham's wife, Sarah.
However, from verse 17, the author introduces the theme of faith that is tested through life's trials and tribulations and the blessings that come through faithful obedience to the Word of the Lord.
We read it was by faith when Abraham was tested that he offered up Isaac, his only begotten son.
Abraham's faith in God did not waver when he was tested in this way, even through he knew the inheritance he was promised could only come through his son, Isaac.
This is one of many stories or happenings in the Old Testament that God uses to point us to Christ, which gives us greater understanding of His plan of redemption, and encourages us to live by faith and not by sight.
By obeying God's instructions, Abraham effectively received his son back from the dead when he was halted at the last moment, and serves as a great example of a man of faith who believed God and lived his life by faith.
Like Abraham, we are all not only called to be saved by faith but also to live by faith, even though we may not understand some of the painful circumstances we are called to undergo.
James encourages us to consider the various trials we encounter as a joy, knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance and develops godly patience which causes us to grow more and more like our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
May we be temperate, dignified, sensible, and sound in faith, while demonstrating love and perseverance, like the elders and older men in Paul's letter to Titus.
May we give encouragement to those that are younger than we are, while imitating the godly traits of those that are mature in the faith.
We are told that these three, spiritual fruit of God’s amazing grace will continue and will remain and abide into the eternal state - faith, hope, and love.In this earthly life, faith must remain a high priority.
Faith is vital, for we live by faith and not by sight, and the blessed hope we have in Christ, and His soon return, does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Who has been given to all who trust in Christ for salvation.
While faith and hope will certainly continue throughout the eternal ages, for our faith and hope will always be in our heavenly Father, it is love that will increase and multiply when we see Jesus face to face - for we see Him as He is and we shall be like Him.
The eternal God is perfect love and the perfect love of God has been eternally poured into our hearts, through faith in Christ, for we have been made His children, through faith.
Both faith and hope are a beautiful manifestation of the love of God in the life of a believer, because we live by faith and not by sight; and we live in hope of our promised, eternal state...for we live in incorruptible bodies.
When heaven is reached, the faith and hope we exercised in this life will be brought to a beautiful completion.
Their respective purposes will be rewarded with sight - yet we will always maintain faith in our God and hope in our heavenly Father, Who will continue to sustain us into the eternity of eternities - for He upholds everything by the might of His majestic hand.
The loving heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.In the earthly realm, both faith and hope will last, for without faith it is impossible to please God and without hope, we could not endure, as seeing Him, Who is invisible.
And it is by reflecting His love that we are to resemble the Lord – for God is Love and the love of God is broader than the span of our greatest imaginations, and the fondness of our Father towards us goes beyond our wildest dreams.But this life is the first step into an eternity of love with God; the love of God and our love for God, and these three graces of faith, hope and love must of necessity all continue beyond this mortal sphere, for the attributes of God are incomparable in their beauty, His perfections are unlimited in their number, His excellence is everlasting in its duration and splendour is absolute in its span.We, who have been saved by grace are to enter into the glories of the celestial sphere and our understanding and knowledge of God must continue throughout the ages to come.
Our faith in Him will stand fast forever, and our hope in Him will be forever realised.
It is the truth of God and the way to God and is unambiguously linked to faith in Christ's death, burial and Resurrection as the only acceptable sacrifice for the forgiveness for sins and life everlasting.
Indeed, we are exhorted to earnestly contend for the faith, and to beware... lest we be induced towards any false teaching, a counterfeit gospel, or twisted truths, which will play havoc with our Christian walk and spiritual growth.
Prideful man does not want to be accountable to a holy God Who reads our hearts, understands our foolish ways, and insists that salvation is only by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of our Kinsman-Redeemer - Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God.
Let us flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
May we be ready to fight the good fight of faith and take hold of the eternal life to which each of us have been called.
But faith in the finished work of Christ on the Cross, broke them free from sin's shackles, brought them into the liberty of fellowship with God, and made them servants of Christ.
We are also to be doers of the Word, for doctrinal truth must become a practical reality in the life of all who are maturing in the faith.
Let us never stop praising and thanking God that although we were once slaves of sin, we too have been set free by grace through faith in Christ.
But when we who have trusted Jesus as our Saviour recognise the enormity of this truth, we come to realise that the more we eat, ingest, imbibe, and drink of Christ Jesus our living Redeemer, the more He comes to dwell in our heart by faith and live His life in us as an abiding reality.
Although ALL men, Jew and Gentile alike, have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all need salvation through faith in Christ, the parable of the fig tree in the vineyard indicates that Christ's teaching was targeting Israel, His covenant nation who, for centuries, had refused to obey God's Word, turn from their sin, and return to the Lord their God.
From the beginning when Daniel and his friends were assigned new names, they demonstrate exemplary faith in difficult circumstances and proved to be men of principle, prayer, understanding, and wisdom.
As we reflect on these four boys who refused to be brainwashed by the society of the day, but courageously stood firm in their faith, may we seek to develop the same steadfast trust in God and allow their example to ignite our faith, sustain the blessed hope we have in Christ Jesus our Lord, challenge us to stand firm in the truth, and prompt us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord our God.
It is through faith in Christ Jesus that we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the incomparable greatness of the power within, will come from God and not from ourselves.The new, eternal life of the resurrected Lord Jesus was breathed into our bodies, which were dead in trespasses and sins.
Abraham believed God, and by faith he left his native city of Ur, and obeyed the Lord's instructions, to leave the place of his birth.
and for many long years this man whom God credited with righteousness because of his faith, was blessed in many ways.
For the great patriarch, Abraham, this was his greatest test of faith, for God commanded him to offer up Isaac, his dearly beloved son of promise, as a burnt offering to the Lord - the very son through whom the Messiah of Promise was to be born.
The Lord wanted to test His servant's faith.
And God continues to test the faith of all His children today, because He knows that the sort of decision Abraham had to make, would develop and increase his faith and reliance on God.
God knows that suffering produces fortitude, builds character, and develops our faith and hope in Him.
Indeed, Paul instructs us to be joyful when encountering various trials, for when we persevere under serious difficulties, our faith is strengthened.
God knows that through pain and heartache, our faith is fine-tuned and our trust in Him is sharpened through seasons of suffering.
God desires to hone our faith and develop an increasing trust in Him, even when circumstances appear to dictate a devastating outcome.
Abraham believed God when he left the pagan city of Ur, but his faith was tested and deepened when he was commanded by God to set out for Mount Moriah to offer his one and only beloved son of promise, as a love-offering to the Lord.
Death to self, persevering in prayer, identification with Christ's suffering, and a life of sacrifice for the glory of God, has been replaced with enjoying your best life now, living for self, and making great spiritual proclamations and positive confessions (where self-incited 'faith' becomes a force that creates one's own reality, or commands God to carry out everything that you speak forth!!) This is not biblical Christianity.
Christ's Resurrection from the dead is the foundation upon which the Christian faith rests, for it authenticates His divinity, proving Him to be the mighty Son of God, with the holy nature of God Himself.
His Resurrection proves His power to forgive sins: For if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then our faith is worthless and we would still be in our sins.
Having come to the point of confessing that we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and that there is no-one who is good or righteous in the eyes of the Lord, Paul starts to reveal the glorious truth that man is justified by faith.
Justified through faith in Christ.
We are justified by God's grace and pardoned of our sin as a free and unconditional gift, through redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Man is justified by faith - without the deeds of the law.
At the start of his letter, Paul writes an important truth: The just shall live by faith.
Not only has Paul reached a conclusion that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law, but he is also using this truth as a springboard to scale the greater spiritual heights of all that it means to be IN Christ.
Being justified by faith is the first step on a journey through life where the redeemed are also called to live their daily life by faith and not by deeds of the law.
Justification is not the final destination in our 'so-great-salvation' but the first step into a life where we are called to live by faith so that: The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Paul rejoiced when he considered the love and faith Philemon had for the Lord Jesus, and made reference to the joy, comfort, love, and refreshment he readily supplied to many other saints in the Lord.
But Paul was also an apostle of Christ who was ready and willing to supply advice to those that were confused, encourage those whose faith was faltering, edify those who were growing in grace, and to warn of false teachings.
Just as Onesimus was a fugitive under Philemon's justified condemnation, there was a time when we were slaves to sin and under God's righteous condemnation, but by God's grace through faith, we were forgiven of our wrongdoing and our sin is remembered no more.
They had come to an understanding that Christ was the Son of the living God, in Whom are the words of eternal life, and had obviously placed a certain amount of faith in God for their eternal future, and Jesus wanted that faith to extend to all things.
The disciples only needed to have a little faith in Christ as their Redeemer to secure their salvation; the forgiveness of sin and life everlasting.
No wonder He said to them - Oh ye of little faith!
The lost sinner is saved by grace through faith in Christ, but once that man or woman has been redeemed from the kingdom of Satan, and transferred into the kingdom of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, that believer is expected to continue living his or her life by faith.
All Christians are commanded to walk by faith and not by sight.
We are instructed to pray in confident faith, by maintaining an unshakable trust in the Word of God, and by standing on His precious promises, which provide all we need according to His riches in mercy, when we choose to walk in spirit and truth, and maintain unhindered access to the throne of God, Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, we are exhorted, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
We are to remain in fellowship with our heavenly Father, by confessing our sin before His heavenly throne, and we are to abide in Christ in humility of heart and in willing obedience to His Word... for without maintaining a day-by-day trust in the Lord, and a solid faith in His unchanging Word, it is impossible for the saved saint to please our heavenly Father.
There are dozens of spiritual blessings that are available to every born-again child of God, for we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing, through faith in Christ.
Indeed, Peter tells us that we have received EVERYTHING we need for holy living, a godly character, and spiritual growth - which means that we have received everything we need to be able to pray in faith, according to His will.
Knowledge of our sure salvation and our eternal inheritance should give every Christian the confidence to pray in faith and to pray expectantly, knowing that God hears our cries, and having the confident certainty that He will answer anything and everything that is asked, according to His will.
The eternal God and perfect Man did not come to abolish or abrogate the Law but to fulfil it, which He did on behalf of all who believe on Him, by faith.
The specific promises God gave to Adam, Abel, Enoch, and Noah before the flood, depended of faith; and by faith these men found grace in the eyes of the Lord and their faith was reckoned to them as righteousness.
The promises that God gave to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and so many of the heroes of faith in Old Testament Scriptures still stand, and find their fulfilment in Christ.
And the promises that God has given to the Church, which is the Body of Christ, following His death, burial, and Resurrection, similarly rest on faith; faith in the only begotten Son of God.
And like the heroes of old, our faith is also reckoned to us as righteousness.
We too are liberated sinners who are declared righteous by God through faith.
He came to fulfil it and did so on behalf of all His spiritual seed; men and women of faith who believe God's Word.
Salvation and the forgiveness of sin is simply by faith: Believe in God and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent, for Christ is the end of the Law to all who believe.
Jesus was required to live the perfect life in our stead so that by faith in Him, His death became our death and His life became our life so that His righteousness could be imputed to us.
Jesus submitted His whole life to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and depended on God by faith, all for you and for me.
However, the greatest blessings of all are the abundant, spiritual blessings we have received, through faith in our crucified and risen Saviour, for the means of grace and the hope of glory.
We can be forgiven of our sin by faith in the shed blood of the sinless Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour - Who takes away the sin of the world.
Having been saved by grace through faith in Christ, let us give Him the glory due to His name in our words, our actions, our attitude and our behaviour.
The development of the disciple's faith in Jesus as their God and their Saviour, can be traced from the time of John the Baptist to the final chapters of John's apocalypse.
For the three years of Christ's own ministry, we see evidence of little seeds of faith taking root, growing, and blossoming into a firm foundation of unshakable faith.
He warns that there is only one way by which man may be saved, and that is by faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ Who is the propitiation for our sins, and through Whom the redemption price for the sin of mankind was paid in full and accepted unconditionally by the Father.
Yes, the wages of sin is death, BUT the gift of God is eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Our sin nature and the sins we commit have to be punished, and Jesus took the full and final punishment that we deserve; but it is only and exclusively and unalterably by faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus that we can be fully and forever forgiven of our sins and placed in eternal union with Christ, by which we are brought back into a right relationship with our heavenly Father.
By the law of faith, which God Himself established before the world began.
For we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law.
Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness, and by faith the men and women of Hebrews 11 were all made righteous in God's eyes.
We too are saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ.
But to those who have been saved by the blood of the Lamb, are growing in grace, and maturing in the faith, it is the very power, and wisdom, and wonder of God.
God still knows the heart of man, and He is still seeking and saving those which are lost and bringing salvation to many souls who trust in Him by grace through faith.
All who believe the good news that Christ died for their sins and rose the third day to pay the price for their sins, have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ, by faith.
As righteousness has been credited to us on His behalf, let us live by faith so that all that we do is done by faith and not by our flesh. And just as we were credited with righteousness at salvation, let us continue to live by faith, with thanksgiving for all that He has done for us.
Daniel's calm and wise action, when faced with this life threatening situation and the wise way he dealt with this serious crisis in Babylon was a demonstration of his character, and a testimony to his unwavering faith in God.
who was obviously his 'son in the faith', was walking in spirit and in truth.
This practical outworking of his faith demonstrated Christian love in action, as he 'gossiped' the gospel of grace with all he met... and sent travelling preachers on their journey, in a way that honoured the Lord.
Paul understood that the more we comprehend the love and the grace of God - and recognise that the righteousness and justice of God is underpinned by His goodness and grace - the more we grow in understanding, mature in the faith, and are strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit in our inner man.
Oh yes, Paul desired that all believers are to be rooted and grounded in love, so that they may be able to grasp the multi-dimensional love of God, along with all those that are sanctified by faith.
However, when that same source of temptation from within is resisted, the coin is flipped over and the temptation to sin becomes a test of faith that God will use for our eternal good and for His greater glory,
Grace has often been described as God's riches at Christ's expense, for under grace we do not receive what we justly deserve and yet, by grace through faith in Christ, He freely gives us what we do not merit.
But the wonderful thing is that once we have been convicted of sin and trusted God's offer of salvation by grace through faith in Christ, the Law has achieved its purpose in us, for the Law was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.
The perfect Law of God was the guardian to convict us until Christ, for Christ is the fulfilment of the Law on our behalf so that by His death and Resurrection, we could be justified by grace through faith in Him, for we are not under law but under grace.
Old Testament saints and those who are saved in the Tribulation and martyred for their faith, will remain in their graves until the end of the seven-year Tribulation period.
This group were urged to call on the name of the Lord, to cry out to Him in faith confessing their sin while turning back to Him (for if a believer confesses his sin, God is faithful and just to forgive his many sins and cleanse him from all unrighteousness).
Even though Noah and his family had been declared righteous because of their faith, the fallen nature of every post-diluvian man and woman caused iniquity to fill up once more, resulting in the next judgement on humanity - in Babylon, where the one language everyone spoke was confused, to prevent them from pursuing doctrines of demons.
Christ's finished work on the Cross gave every member of the human race the opportunity to be bought back, from the slave-market of sin and Satan, and to become free to live the rest of our life as Christ's bond-servant - through faith.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of the Lord, and this nation was instructed to listen to the Word of the Lord.
May we be careful not to fall into the careless ways of Israel, but to learn from their waywardness, so that we may live godly in Christ Jesus... in our words, in our deeds, and in our manner of life, in love, in faith, and in purity of heart, to the glory of God.
Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are called, the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn, and through faith in Christ's sacrificial work on the Cross and His glorious Resurrection, our names are, enrolled in heaven.
Because of our faith in Christ, we have the right to be called 'sons of God' and through His glorious Resurrection, we will participate in the first resurrection - the resurrection to life.
We are exhorted to keep looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our life and our faith.
He wants each one of us to become firmly established in the faith and produce much fruit in our lives, to His praise and glory.
Peter points out how blessed we are that we have been given all we need to live a life of godliness, because God in His goodness and grace called us out of darkness into His glorious light, by faith.
Peter exhorts us to give all diligence to add moral excellence, godly knowledge, and self-control to our faith, and to strive after patient endurance, brotherly kindness, and godly love.
How sad when believers who have been saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ, forget who they are in Christ.
What a travesty when we forget that we have been cleansed from all unrighteousness, by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection.
In so doing, we become spiritually fruitful as we add moral excellence, godly knowledge, and self-control to our faith in Christ.
But Christ is also the Head of the Body, which is the Church, and His headship over the Church is one of our Saviour's many beautiful and glorious roles; a role which means so much to all who have been saved by grace through faith in Him.
If Christ had not risen from the dead, there would be no imputed righteousness, no new creation, no Head of the Church, and no resurrection of the Body: For if Christ has not been raised, our faith would be worthless and we would still be in our sins.
But we read in the following verses, that as they began their journey of faith, the call of the world enticed one young woman to stray from the path of righteousness and the highway of hope, and she returned to her pagan roots and the fleshpots of Moab.
Had Naomi remained with her husband and family in the land of Israel, repented of her sin, and returned to God in faith, she may never have experienced the severe problems and pain she was now enduring.
It also brings with it spiritual growth, for it tests our faith in God, and produces patient-endurance so we may be made perfect and complete, and lack nothing.
May we learn the lesson from this verse and avoid reaching the point of desperation, by maintaining our faith in God.
Although a believer can often see Old Testament types, metaphors, promises, and prophecies being fulfilled in the Bible and opened to their understanding, as we grow in the Christian faith, the mysteries of which Paul spoke so often and upon which the New Testament is anchored, are nowhere to be found in the pages of Old Testament Scripture.
The mistakes made by Israel in the wilderness and their slide into rebellion, unbelief, and disobedience during those 40 years of wandering, present some of the most serious warnings to the Body of Christ, for despite being saved by grace through faith when they made their exodus from Egypt, Israel lived in defeat for the rest of their lives, and failed to access God's precious promises of rest.
For those with eyes to see (those saved by grace through faith), this truth is a sober warning to live righteously in the sight of God, and not to fall into the same sin of unbelief.
Blatant disobedience of God's word translates into 'UNBELIEF' for without faith, neither lost sinner nor saved saint can please God.
As Church-age believers we have already received our promised rest, by faith in Christ.
By faith, we have already been given ALL we need for life, godliness, and all we need to live victorious lives as we rest in Him and He in us.
Eternally saved by grace through faith in Christ, and yet living a defeated life in the wilderness of their own fleshly wanderings.
Second Timothy was the last epistle written by the great apostle Paul to his son in the faith, for our learning, shortly before his impending death.
I have kept the faith.
Paul knew that he was soon to be removed from this earth under the 'axe' of the executioner, but his letter to Timothy was to become the greatest encouragement to the young pastor - and to us as well, to fight the good fight of faith, to run the race that is set before us, and to honour the Lord in all we say and do, by keeping the faith and enduring to the end.
Paul had learned that living a spiritual life and maturing in the Christian faith, did not depend on his own ability, wisdom, intelligence, or efforts, but on the power of the indwelling Spirit of Christ, working in him and living through him.
This was Paul's beautiful message of encouragement to Timothy as he wrote his final letter to his precious son in the faith.
He had fought the good fight, he had finished the course, and he had kept the faith.
Let us follow in Paul's footsteps and fight the good fight of faith, so that we may say, with Paul, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith and in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord Jesus Christ, the righteous Judge of the earth, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
From the very first verse in Matthew's Gospel to the closing statement in John's Apocalypse, the focal figure of the New Testament is Jesus Christ... and the thrilling testimony is salvation by grace through faith to all who believe.
The glorious gospel of Christ reveals the uncompromised righteousness of God, which is based on faith: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
The truth of the glorious gospel of God and His perfect plan to reconcile man back to Himself, without compromising His holy character, reveals God's perfect yet uncompromised righteousness, and it is all by grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The first step of faith is to BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
But God's righteousness is further revealed from faith to faith, for God is faithful to carry out the good work that He started in each of His redeemed children.
But foundational faith in Christ's sacrificial death needs to continue into a life that is lived by faith, for as we grow in grace and mature in the faith we move from one degree of faith to another measure of faith.
We are SAVED by faith.
We called to LIVE by faith and instructed to keep on living by faith, knowing that He who started a good work in us will be faithful to complete it in the day of Christ Jesus.
We are justified by faith, sanctified by faith and one day we will be glorified, when we shall SEE Him as He is.
That is the time when faith will be rewarded by sight.
He is the Lion from the tribe of Judah Who has broken the chains of sin and Satan, death and hell By faith in HIM, we are credited with righteousness, just like Abraham, the father of faith.
But God has taken the wicked, evil plan of Satan and turned it into eternal blessings for all who depend, by faith, on the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour.
The Lord promised that the Seed of the woman - the same promised Seed of Abraham, would come one day to crush the serpent's head and give freedom to all who would receive His salvation, by faith.
Paul needed to teach this terrible truth that we are all under sin and that the Scriptures themselves, have declared us to be sinners - so that he could link it with a tremendous truth - the Scriptures have shut up everyone under sin so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe!
The Scriptures were given to expose our need of a Saviour but those same Scriptures present the good news of the gospel - that God's promise of salvation - by faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
By faith in the promised Seed of Abraham, those imprisoned by sin (which is everyone born into the human race) can be freed from the curse of the Law.
Should we not read, mark, learn, inwardly digest, and apply all the treasures that are given to us through this open secret, which is His precious Word, for Scripture has shown that all are the prisoners of sin – in order that God’s promised blessing, which depends on faith in Jesus Christ, may be given to all who believe in Him.
Let us die to self and live our life to the glory of God so that we may mature in the faith, grow in grace, live a spiritual, God-honouring life, and become a living testimony to the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The book of Hebrews is not for unbelievers, but for those that are maturing in the Christian faith... and it has been beloved by countless generations of believers.
Born-again believers who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, are warned of the consequences of drifting from the truth of God's Word and the danger of failing to enter God's promised rest.
We are cautioned of the peril of not pressing on to maturity and warned against developing an attitude of indifference - while in this passage we are counselled of the danger of wilful sin and warned about throwing away our trust in God - our faith in His Word.
We are warned not to drift from the faith or doubt God's goodness.
We are not to shrink back from the courageous profession of our faith, but to be bold and stand firm on the truth of the glorious gospel of God, for which we will receive great recompense of reward.
In his introductory remarks, Peter scatters before us the manifold wisdom of God, the superabundant blessings that are ours in Christ, the multiplied glories of salvation, and the eternal inheritance which is kept for us in heaven; all of which we receive by His grace, through faith in Christ's sacrificial death, burial, and Resurrection.
He is quick to point out how valuable our faith is to the Lord Who regards our faith as more precious than perishable gold or silver, for without faith it is impossible to please Him.
But Peter references two types of faith: Faith that has not been tried in the furnace of affliction, and faith that has been through the purifying fires of suffering and pain.
Peter no doubt recalled his own untested faith when He denied his Lord and heard the cock crow three times, despite his earlier claims to loyalty.
Peter's faith had been tried and tested, and he came through with a deeper trust in his Lord and Saviour.
He had placed his faith and hope in Christ's sufficient strength to support him through this troublous life and in faith and hope he looked forward to that wonderful day when Christ would fulfil His promise to return to take us to be with Himself, when He will be revealed in all His glory.
And so, in the light of our superabundant blessings, the multiplied glories of salvation and our eternal inheritance which is kept for us in heaven, Peter encourages us not to faint at the problems and persecutions that pepper our path through life, but to allow our trials and temptations to develop in us a tried and tested faith that trusts God no matter what.
Peter had come to understand that seeking to serve the Lord in his own human ability would result in failure every time, but he came to this understanding when his faith was tested, for in his own strength he could only deny the Lord.
God is faithful to bring us to an understanding of our own weakness so that when our faith is tested and tried, we will not rely on ourselves but on His sufficient strength to establish us and develop in us a more secure faith in Christ.
God in His grace will use that trial to strengthen and develop our faith.
He marvels at the rapidity with which they turned from the glorious gospel of God's grace: By faith alone in Christ's finished work at Calvary, to a different gospel which was not an optional alternative, but a totally false gospel.
They were highly religious people who were in the process of surrendering the liberty they had freely received at salvation, by faith in Christ's once-for-all-offering of Himself, to a self-inflicted bondage to sin and enslavement to the Law.
They taught that we are saved by faith PLUS keeping the Law, and they further taught that we would only remain saved by faith PLUS keeping the Law.
It is given freely by faith in the finished work of Christ Who bore our sin alone, carries our burden freely, and keeps calling us: Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
And we are to live by faith alone in Christ alone as well.
When Christ died on the Cross, all who would believe in Him by grace through faith, also died to the power of the Law.
Before the death, burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we were all condemned under the Law, but in Him we have died to the Law, by grace through faith in Him.
We live in a fallen world where men of faith will always suffer trials and tribulations, but the Psalmist offers hope for all who trust in the Lord, even though there may be seasons of lack or times when we feel forgotten or afflicted.
And may we remember the truth as expressed by James: Knowing that the testing of our faith produces patient endurance, and endurance must do its complete work, so we may grow in grace and become mature and complete in Christ, lacking nothing.
But once saved by grace through faith in Him, we are reminded of the great love the Father has lavished on each of us, that we should be called children of God.
Let us not listen to the lies of the enemy, but prove our faith in HIM and stand fast on the word of TRUTH, by asking God for all we need and expecting Him to answer.
There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus, for He even gives forgiveness and healing to those who commit this sin, both in their pre-salvation and post-salvation life - for if we, who have been justified by faith, confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness - including this one.
Paul knew the importance of a spiritual understanding of the blessings we have already received as a free gift of God's grace through faith in Christ Jesus.
Like his first epistle, an important element of second Peter is to remind his readers of the fundamentals of our faith, establish believers in the truth, and feed the flock of Christ, while addressing issues such as suffering, false teachings, and standing firm in the sufficiency of God's grace.
We who are saved by grace through faith should rejoice greatly that our God is enthroned in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over ALL.
He wants us to come to him in prayer and praise regularly and to expect HIM to deliver us from every eventuality in life - for He knows that the testing of our faith through the things that we experience and the afflictions that assail us, produces patient endurance, a Christlike character, and steadfast hope in God, that will never be disappointed.
Fallen members of the human race are redeemed by faith in Christ's sacrificial death.
Adam's sin was imputed to all men, but God in His grace determined that by the sacrificial death of one MAN - the man Christ Jesus, ALL mankind, not angel-kind, would be given the opportunity to be saved by grace through faith in God's own anointed Messiah, Jesus Christ, Whom He would send.
God's knowledge is based on His omniscience wisdom: Those He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed into the image and likeness of our Saviour Jesus Christ, born into the old creation in Adam and then reborn into the new creation in Christ, by faith.
At rebirth we were positionally sanctified, we were set apart forever unto God by grace through faith in Christ, we were born again, we were accepted in the Beloved, and declared holy unto God.
Secondly: We are also being sanctified experientially by faith.
Not only are we called His children and have been permanently adopted into His family, by grace through faith in Christ, but we are told what we shall be in the future, for the day is coming when we shall see Him as He is and we will become like Him.
We are positioned in Christ, in union with Him, indwelled by the Holy Spirit, and accepted by God the Father in the Beloved, and it is all by grace through faith in Him.
Abraham was not told where he was going or what would happen along the way. His entire journey to the Promised Land (from Ur to Canaan), was embarked upon by faith. Abraham was saved because he believed God, saved by grace through faith in God's Word.
It was only after his death that the excursion to the Promised Land was resumed, and at 75-years of age, Abraham once again set off on his journey-of-faith.
Hebrews 11 tells us that Abraham left his home and set out on to receive his inheritance by faith.
Having the wonderful blessing that was to be his inheritance, this hero of the faith went a little further on and in verse 8 we read: Then Abraham proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD.
The saving faith that brought Abraham out of a pagan land and a godless world, was deepening into an ongoing sanctifying faith where God would continue to prove His faithfulness to his servant; provide for him, protect him from his enemies, make his name great, bless him abundantly, and cause him to be a great blessing to all the families of the earth.
In our Christian faith, it is salutary to be reminded of what we are apart from God's grace and to recall what we used to be before we were saved by grace through faith in Christ.
We who have been saved by grace through faith are not only participators in this very precious promise from God, but during this Church dispensation, we have been equipped to be ministers of the New and better Covenant.
He wanted to strengthen their faith in Him and also to explain the depth of responsibility that rests on those who hear the gospel and believe in Him.
God has done mighty works in the life of all believers, for all who have been saved by grace through faith in Him have been forgiven of sin and received everlasting life as a free gift of God's amazing grace.
Once we are placed in union with Christ by faith, the power of sin was broken because from that moment forward we became identified with His death which broke the power of sin in the lives of all who would believe.
The power of sin was broken in the life of all who are identified with Christ by faith, because Jesus gained the victory over sin, death, and hell through the sacrifice of Himself.
Praise God that the certain consequence of our identification with Christ's death and Resurrection by faith is our full and final sanctification: spirit, soul, and body.
Much time had passed since that meeting with Jesus on the Damascus road, but the testimony of his conversion to Christianity was told on many occasions, and in Acts 26 this champion of the faith was to once again share his supernatural encounter with some high-ranking Gentile officials.
Christ's Sermon of the Mount is not a treatise on how to be saved, for we are saved by grace through faith in His finished work at Calvary.
To believe His word and act in faith on His promises is the thing that pleases God.
Without faith, it is impossible to please Him and one of the biggest demonstrations of a lack of faith is worry... which is why Jesus concluded by addressing the issue of fretfulness and fear, anxiety and worry.
The child of God who anxiously frets over their daily needs and necessities is demonstrating a serious lack of faith in the word of God and behaving like the unsaved who do not know the Lord.
Too often it is fretfulness and worry that causes the Christian to remove our eyes from the God of our Salvation and Lover of our soul, onto the looming circumstances of life, and the more we feed our fear and fret over the future, the quicker our faith in God crumbles.
The quickest way to cause fear to evaporate is to focus the eyes of our heart, steadily on the Lord Jesus, and in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, to cast our care on Him and to make our requests known to God - and then the peace of God that passes understanding will fill our minds and flood our hearts and our faith will flourish.
Faith and patience, in the face of trials and tribulation, were two qualities of the Thessalonian believers.
James, the younger brother of the Lord Jesus, explains that the testing of our faith produces endurance, while Paul in this passage encourages us, by revealing that we who are afflicted, will certainly be given relief, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire. God is the righteous judge of the whole earth, and although we appear to be living in days when evil men prosper, and the righteous are treated unjustly... punishment and judgement awaits our persecutors, while peace and rest is the reward for the people of God who are abused, afflicted, troubled, and oppressed.
The man or woman who walks in newness of life, who has died to self and who lives for Christ, is the one that is growing in grace and maturing in the faith as they stand firm on the Word of truth.
Titus is encouraged to reprove believers severely so that they may remain sound in the faith, but he is also instructed to warn believers not to pay attention to: Jewish myths and commandments of men, who turn away from the truth of God's Word.
Unbelievers who do not have faith in the Lord, or those that distort the gospel of God and twist His truth for their own ends are defiled in the eyes of God, and to those that are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure.
To those that have been saved by grace through faith and are walking in spirit and truth, all things are pure.
It is through Israel that He can refer to Himself as 'the root and stem of David', but it is to the Church, which is His body, that Jesus is able to declare, I, Jesus, AM the bright morning Star. The day is fast approaching, when Jesus will come in the clouds, as that bright morning Star, to gather to Himself, those who have been born again - by grace through faith, in His sacrificial work at Calvary.
Let us rejoice and be glad that we have been saved by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, for Christ is the Head of the Church, we are members of His Body, in Him we have all we need for life and godliness.
The truth of this Scripture is an offense to all that are in the world, but to those that have been saved it is life – eternal life – abundant life, by grace through faith.
Jesus is the One that is the Author and Finisher of our faith, our great High Priest - our Shepherd and King.
Ruth is a captivating story where extreme hardship caused two bereft widows to exercise faith in God.
Boaz means 'the one in whom there is strength', and God knew that He would not only use this man to be the provider and protector for these women of faith, but the Lord had even greater plans for Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz.
May we adopt such an attitude of faith and live in active dependence on the Lord Who has promised that eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the mind of man the wonderful things that God has prepared for those that love Him.
Paul wanted them to KNOW it is by faith in Christ that we are beloved of God.
By faith in Christ we are called out of the world to be saints of the most high God.
Having been saved by grace through faith, all who are beloved of God are not only called to be saints, but are supplied with the sufficient grace that enables, empowers, equips, and commissions each child of God in their own appointed mission and ministry.
How we praise our heavenly Father that Christ was made a little lower than the angels for a short time so that by means of His sacrificial death, burial, and Resurrection, He should be become the firstfruit of the dead, be crowned with honour and great glory, and have everything placed in subjection under His feet, so that by faith in Him we might have life and have it more abundantly.
We are told in Hebrews that without faith it is impossible to please God.
Firstly, we must trust Him for salvation by grace through faith in Christ's finished work at Calvary.
Secondly, as born-again Christians we must continue to believe in the truth of His Word, to trust in His many precious promises, and to have faith that He hears and answers prayer.
He explains how God uses the suffering in our life as a way to test our faith, for James knows that faith in God must be exercised, even when we do not see or understand the reason for our pain: For the testing of our faith produces patient-endurance, which must flourish and develop so that as we grow in grace, we may become spiritually mature - perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect, complete and lacking nothing.
So often when we are suffering, we cry out to God for help and strength which is a natural thing to do, but too often we forget that the Lord has given us all we need for life and godliness, and we tend to forget that God uses these times of suffering to develop our faith.
It is not simply getting through the trials and tribulations of life that is important, but coming through victoriously by exercising our faith in Him and learning the lesson that God is teaching us.
We are to pray for wisdom, but we are to pray in faith.
We are to pray believing that God hears and answers the cries of His children, for without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him diligently.
But when we pray, we are to ask in faith, without doubting and without unbelief in our heart: For the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven to and fro and tossed about by the winds of change.
When we approach the throne of grace for wisdom and strength, we are to be sure that our faith is in God alone and that our prayers are not empty words.
Let us travel our journey of faith-in-God and learn the lessons of suffering so that we may grow in grace and mature in the faith.
Let us pray in faith and watch for His answers as we look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
We are urged to live a life that is becoming of one that has been saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, and upon whom our Father in heaven has lavished so much grace and favour, forgiveness, mercy, and love.
He is encouraging perseverance in the faith, an unswerving trust in God's Word, and a demonstration of good works.
Walking in the unity of the faith, being led by the Spirit, standing firm on the Word of God, holding fast to the glorious gospel of Christ, persevering under trials, and carrying out the good works that God has prepared for us to do, should be the normal way Christians live.
Someone who has been saved by grace through faith in Christ whose life is not a testimony of the truth (though they are eternally saved and secure in Christ because of their faith in Him), will live a defeated life and dishonour the Lord Who bought them.
Only the Spirit of God can breathe life into him, which is by faith in Christ.
Every man or woman who has trusted in the Cross of Christ for the salvation of their soul, becomes part of the Bride the moment they are justified by grace through faith in Christ.
Faith in Christ's work on the Cross is sufficient for each one to be saved by grace and covered in the righteousness of Christ... through time and into eternity.
From that point forward, we are called saints who are to live our life by grace through faith in Christ. We are justified by faith but we are also to be sanctified by faith, as we die to self and live for Christ.
And so, Paul is writing to this little band of believers while being chained up in a Roman prison-cell, to offer encouragement in their Christian life and to give instruction and direction on how to grow in grace and mature in the faith.
Paul urges these believers to live a life that is worthy of the gospel of Christ, to live as citizens of heaven and not to be influenced by the evils and enticements of this wicked, seductive world: Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, he writes, so that whether I come and see you or am absent from you, I may hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, as you strive side by side for the faith of the gospel.
Another important behaviour that the Philippians were encouraged to develop and maintain, was the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and to single-mindedly stand firm in the faith of the gospel of Christ, in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.
As members of the Body of Christ and citizens of heaven, we should confidently walk the earth in unity of the spirit, and consistently stand firm in the faith that was once offered to the saints - with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith of the gospel and in so doing glorifying our Father Who is in heaven.
Israel's millennial rest in the land promised to Abraham and his descendants, is one part of their promised sabbath-rest, and the 'rest' that Christians enjoy through faith in Christ's finished work on Calvary, is a down-payment for the full sabbath-rest in which we will one day participate: So there remains a sabbath rest for the people of God, in the eternal ages to come.
When we are positioned in Christ and united with Him by faith, we receive all we need for life and godliness.
When we were saved by grace through faith in Christ, we were transferred from Satan's kingdom into the family of God, and accepted into the bosom of the Father.
We had not been brought into fellowship with the Father, through faith in His Word and trust in His Son.
A true Jew is not only circumcised in the flesh, but one whose heart is also circumcised - through faith.
We are justified by faith and not by circumcision.
It is a matter of faith - a circumcised HEART.
WE ALL need to remember that formerly we were dead in our sin and estranged from the Father... but by God's grace, through faith in Christ, have been made children of God and imputed with Christ's righteousness... through time and into eternity.
Some were commissioned to be a pastor of a church or to appoint elders from the Body of Christ, so that the Church of God would be spiritually equipped, enabled to grow in their faith, and become mature men and women of God.
Their close, brotherly relationship, their singular passion for the gospel of grace, their fervent intercessions for their brothers and sisters in Christ, and their deep love of the brotherhood of the saints, appear to be areas that united Paul and Epaphras in their individual ministries, and bonded them together in a spirit of love - in the unity of the faith and in the bond of peace.
One is maturing in the faith while the other remains a spiritual baby, who is foolishly embroiled in worldly pursuits and fleshly desires.
Paul calls the unbelieving man or woman who is dead in their trespasses and sins and has not accepted the free gift of grace, by faith in Christ's finished work at Calvary: The natural man.
The Spirit is seeking to convict the sinner of sin, and righteousness, and judgement, so that he will turn from his unbelief to faith in Christ and be born anew, but until that happens, the one who is dead in their trespasses and sins is incapable of receiving spiritual truth, spiritual knowledge, spiritual wisdom, and spiritual understanding.
And until a sinner is convicted of their sin and guilt before a holy God and turns from the lie to the truth by faith, they will remain blind and deaf to spiritual things: For the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
As believers, we are saved by grace through faith, and once we are part of God's family, we are to mature in the faith and to live our Christian life as unto the Lord.
Having started our Christian pilgrimage by grace through faith, we are to continue living our Christian life the same way.
And we are to 'build' with the right motive so that God alone is to be glorified, by grace through faith in Christ.
Once we are saved, we can choose to live a spiritual, godly life where we mature in the faith OR we can take the carnal, legalistic route which results in an immature Christian life.
As believers, we are all saved by grace through faith, but if we live our Christian life in our own strength and not in dependence upon the Lord Jesus, we will still be saved but we will suffer loss, for the wood, hay, and stubble that results from works of the flesh will be consumed in the fire that tests each of us.
The only way to grow in grace and mature in the Christian faith is to put away all the influences and characteristics of the old sin nature that are exhibited in a wide range of outward actions, inward attitudes, and secret motives that are acceptable to God.
In the final section of chapter 2, James presents a step-by-step argument on the essentials of our faith and the connection between faith and works.
His teaching that we are justified by works appears to contradict that of Paul who insists we are saved by faith alone.
Paul is referring to initial salvation, where we are justified in the eyes of GOD by our faith, while James is talking about our ongoing salvation, where we are justified in the eyes of MAN by our works.
We are saved by faith, but good works should flow from that faith.
We were justified in the eyes of God when we first believed, but after salvation we are justified in the eyes of men when we produce good works because of our faith.
Abraham believed God's promise and was justified in God's sight in Genesis 15, but many years later when he offered Isaac in Genesis 22, he demonstrated to us that he was justified by producing a work of faith.
She feared God and protected them, and she demonstrated her faith through her deed.
Her good works did not redeem her but flowed from her faith.
Her faith was perfected by these works and resulted in spiritual growth.
James continues to use Abraham and Rahab in his ongoing reasoning on the close connection between faith and works: Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
James argues that faith without works is a useless, unproductive, and fruitless faith.
Just as a dead body can't be productive, neither can one's faith be of value when one does not carry out good works.
Faith that does not produce works is like a lifeless body which is incapable of doing anything.
In the same way, a man that has faith in God but does not produce good works is as useless as a human body devoid of a human spirit, and has no practical value.
It has been rightly suggested that faith without works is nothing more than 'dead orthodoxy' or the display of an ineffective, barren doctrine.
God began a good work in each one of us when we were saved BY faith in order for us to DO good works for His glory!
He made us alive in Christ Jesus - by faith - for the specific purpose of doing good deeds, which God has already prepared for us to do.
May we come to a deeper understanding of the joys that are ours through faith in Christ, and remember that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
As members of Christ’s Mystical Body, should we not joyfully identify with Christ’s earthly suffering – knowing that He lived and died so that we might be identified with His heavenly glory and live eternally?Yes, we should rejoice - exceedingly, that we as members of His Body and partakers of His sufferings – for it is by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection that we have not only been forgiven of our sin and clothed in His righteousness, but we are His blood-bought children, who have a blessed hope, a glorious future, and life everlasting - amen.
It is by faith alone that we are saved, not of works, lest any man should boast.
It is by God's grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, our Kinsman Redeemer, that we are born-again, have peace with God, and become a child of the Most High.
I wonder if any of those foolish men, who rejected the witness and testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ and His heavenly Father, during those days of His earthly sojourn, ever placed their faith in Christ.
We have been saved by grace through faith, not of works.
When we turn the attention of our inner heart onto Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith, the Sustainer of our life, and our Blessed Hope, circumstances of life and matters of living fall into their correct perspective.
Knowing that we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, let us bless the Lord at all times.
During the dispensation of the grace of God, He would carry out His redemptive plan and purpose for the world through the Church; those who by grace through faith trusted Christ for salvation..
Paul had already written about this earlier in his epistle, but this second reference to the dispensation of the grace of God, was to emphasise its significance so that the Ephesians, and all who are saved by grace through faith in Christ, would understand and gain greater insight into the mystery of Christ.
Others were grossly perverting that same freedom we ourselves have received by grace through faith in Christ, by turning it into an ungodly license to sin.
Preach the word and stand firm to the truth of the glorious gospel of grace, according to the faith of God's elect, was Paul's advice to his brother in Christ.
Paul was simply following in the path of his Master because he knew that Jesus suffered and died for our sake, so that by faith in Him we could be redeemed from the sentence of death... a death-sentence that is over every sinful man.
And yet this was the simple secret that Paul openly shared in many of his writings – that the evils of this life will one day be lifted like a silken shroud, which will quickly pass away like the melting mist of the dawn, which evaporates into the first golden rays of the early morning sunlight.However great and burdensome the afflictions of this life may prove to be, the magnificent rewards of the eternal glories that are ours by faith in the Lord Jesus, are by comparison very small, very insignificant, fleeting, and momentary.
The Lord had referred to Job as, My servant, and said of him, there is no one on earth like unto him. The result of Satan's dialogue with the Lord, and his evil accusations against Job, was that the Lord permitted the devil to test Job's loyalty to God and his faith in his Creator, Whom he served with reverent fear.
Job's response to his tragic loss, demonstrates a truly extraordinary man with a truly remarkable faith in God.
Job did not curse the Lord, as Satan had supposed, and despite his ongoing problems and pain, he retained his faith in God, which honoured the Lord.
He was a man who knew and trusted God's Word, and Job was a man who held fast to his faith in his heavenly Creator - despite not knowing why he was undergoing such tragedy, nor understanding the fierce spiritual battle that was being fought in heavenly places over his integrity and trust.
Often he gave thanks for the faith of the saints to whom he was writing and frequently we find Paul interceding for the saints and asking God for their continued well-being and spiritual growth.
We need to grow in grace, and become mature believers in our Christian faith.
We have to feed on spiritual food each day and be exercised spiritually in order to grow in grace and to mature in the faith, and Peter clearly tells us the importance of taking in the right spiritual food to ensure godly growth: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby.
It is the gospel of Christ upon which our faith is founded, and it is Christ Jesus Himself Who is the Foundation Stone upon which His Church is being built.
When this happens, just remember that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
In earlier generations, signs from heaven had been given to encourage God's people and increase their faith.
The Resurrection of Christ from the grave is the most compelling sign He could have given to these disbelieving Jews, and a few were brought to faith following His Resurrection and Ascension into heaven.
The Resurrection of Jesus continues to be a sign that has caused countless unbelieving people who desire to know 'who moved the stone' to come to faith.
It is ONLY faith in the incarnate Son of God, the eternal God made in human flesh, that is sufficient to pay for the price of sin and save us from death and hell.
Without faith in the humanity of Christ, there is no Christian faith.
Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, for You have been my stronghold and a refuge in the day of my distress.Remembering His past mercies is indeed a wonderful way to remove all the enemies of doubt and fear that trouble our minds and linger in our hearts, and recalling His many precious promises, help to strengthen our faith in God.
And we should follow his example for it helps to bolster our faith and lighten the load.
He detailed the Christ-like conduct, that by grace through faith in Him, we should be willing to demonstrate to a world enslaved by sin, Satan, and death.
One of the main messages of the ageing apostle Peter in his first epistle, was to endure suffering with a Christ-like faith and an unbreakable trust in God's Word, so that believers may be further identified with their suffering Saviour, Who when He was reviled, did not retaliate, and when He suffered, did not threaten His abusers, but gave Himself over into the hands of Him Who judges all things, righteously.
Our suffering becomes a testimony of the hope of salvation we have in Christ Jesus, and the peace that comes through faith in Him.
It is a sweet-smelling fragrance to those that are being sanctified by grace through faith, for we are passing from one type of glory to another.
And although his rhetorical question is not answered by Paul himself, we know we are ALL qualified, by grace through faith in Christ.
May God use each of us to minister to the saved and unsaved alike - so that many who are lost in sin and heading for eternal damnation may hear the good news of the glorious gospel of grace and come to faith in our one and only God and Saviour - Jesus Christ our Lord.
But those of us who are saved by grace through faith in Him, recognise the Cross as the power of God and the wisdom of God.
It is recorded that one high-born aristocratic lady, praised God for the letter 'M' in this verse: not Many who are mighty and of noble birth are saved as opposed to not Any being saved, for this lady had come to a saving faith in the message of the Cross.
We are to ensure that we are submitted to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit, by faith, and living our life in total dependence upon the Lord, in truth and in grace.
We also live in a world where the enemy of our soul is seeking to shipwreck the faith and witness of every one of us who are part of the Body of Christ.
We are justified by grace through faith and not by works of the Law.
The Law can never make us righteous before Him, but it places us under His condemnation, for the Law is not based on faith in God but on good works that are impossible for fallen man to achieve.
The Law is not based on gracious faith but on its own unattainable standard, which puts us under a yoke of condemnation.
And so, God used the perfect Law as the instrument to contrast our own imperfections and inabilities with Christ's perfect standard, for the Law is a schoolmaster to point us to the one perfect Person Who fulfilled the Law on behalf of all who have faith in Him.
Sadly, many Christians who are saved by grace through faith, fail to continue to live their lives by grace through faith and place themselves back under the unattainable, legalistic demands of the Law.
Let us keep that old self nailed to the Cross and let Christ live His life through us, as we rest in Him by grace through faith.
He argued and questioned God, showing that even men of faith can fall into carnal, fleshly ways.
Job's trust in God was a definitive 'knowing' and our faith in Him can also be an authoritative 'knowing' for our trust stands on the unshakable facts within the Word of God.
The Jews proudly relied on their family connection with Abraham and the keeping of the Law for their salvation, but we are not justified by works of the Law but by faith in Christ.
It is a gift of God's grace, through faith alone.
It is Abraham's spiritual seed (believing Jews and believing Gentiles), not his physical seed that are justified through faith.
It is his spiritual descendants who become sons and heirs, through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
When we were saved by grace through faith, we were positioned in Him and became one with Him.
Earlier in his epistle, Paul used a prison warden and a schoolmaster to illustrate that salvation was by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law.
In the same way, the one who is not enslaved to keeping the Law, but justified by grace through faith in Christ, is the one who has reached the age of maturity and has received the promise - Christ Jesus our Lord Who gives us victory in this life and great reward in heaven.
And may we walk in the freedom that is ours by placing our faith in Christ, becoming an heir to His precious promise.
Comparisons, contrasts, metaphors, and similes are all used by God to get a point across to His listeners or to teach those, who are justified by faith, an important biblical fact.
It was also the Holy Spirit of God who moved holy men of God to pen the Old Testament Scripture and cause the New Testament prophets and apostles to write the gospels and epistles, which are so necessary for our learning, if we are to grow in grace, mature in the faith and live a life that is honouring to the Lord, in thought, word and deed.
He wanted his readers to understand that as members of Adam's fallen race we are all part of the OLD creation and condemned to die - but through faith in Christ, we become members of a NEW creation, whereby we will all be made alive, and be resurrected from the dead like Jesus.
He reminded them that they were born into this world in a physical body, but that by faith in Christ, they would receive a new, perfect, heavenly body, like unto His glorious Body.
and give assurance to ALL who would place their faith in Christ, that the resurrection of the body is an indisputable, biblical truth, which we will all experience at God's appointed time.
Because we KNOW death has been conquered and eternal life with Christ Jesus our Lord is our free gift of grace, we should delight to do His will and never waiver in our faith, for our resurrection means that our work for God will not be ineffective.
Our trust in God's Word should be steadfast, and our faith in Christ should be immovable - no matter what trials and tribulations we may be called upon to face.
They were to listen to the Lord, trust His Word, and obey His instructions, so that their faith might grow when victory was complete.
Our task is to stand on His promises and exhibit faith - even when we don't understand what He is going to do.
It acknowledges His authority, it builds up our own faith, and deepens our personal relationship in our God and Saviour Who died for us and rose again - to demonstrate His great love towards us all.
Once Paul has hammered home this shocking truth about our sin and the hellish consequences that apply to Jew and Gentile alike, he then starts to give the good news of salvation, which is by grace through faith in Christ's finished work, and this good news is equally efficacious for Jew and Gentile alike: The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The narrow way, which is found by few, is rightly seen as a difficult path which is found by grace through faith in Christ, knowing that He is the only Way to the Father, and He is the only Gate into eternal life and heavenly bliss. The broad way is therefore identified as the road that the majority of the human race will take and is conversely seen as the easy path which leads to destruction and the fires of hell.
But although there is certainly a legitimate application to saved and unsaved people taking the narrow and broad ways respectively, Christ was not teaching about the two destinations of the whole human race (heaven or the lake of fire), but the two alternative routes that Christians are required to choose after they have been justified by grace through faith in Christ.
Whichever gate a Christian chooses to enter, God is faithful to His eternal promises to all who are saved by grace through faith in Him, and none will ever lose their eternal salvation.
We are justified, sanctified, and glorified in the sight of God one way: by grace through faith in Christ alone.
No one can ever be justified in the sight of God through works of the Law, and yet many, having started their Christian life by grace through faith, then seek to continue their Christian walk by reverting back to legalism.
They try to live by the law instead of living by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
This was so that we could live FOR Him and TO Him each day by grace through faith: For the just shall live by faith.
It is because of our faith in Him, that we have been clothed with the righteousness of Christ.
Because of our righteous standing in Him, we have been made His children and are called to LIVE by faith.
We started our Christian life by faith, and we are to continue our Christian walk by faith.
Faith is simply trusting God's Word and living a life that is fully dependent upon Him for everything.
Let us exercise our faith, from this day forward, trusting each part of our lives to Him.
There were many godly men and women, both Jews and Gentiles, who were saved by faith prior to Jesus coming into the world.
All men and women of faith that were born prior to Christ, were likened to underage children who were still under the tutorage of a schoolmaster; having a future inheritance but not yet able to access it.
God GAVE His Son so that all men and women of faith, past, present, and future, could be forgiven of their sins and receive eternal life.
In his defence, Paul was relating his life-changing event on the Damascus road which caused Him to renounce his Jewish faith and place his trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sin and life everlasting.
We do not know whether the dignitaries in the law-court became believers that day, or if the Jews who accused Paul came to faith in Christ.
Prayer is the combining of man's helplessness with his faith in God's gracious provision, and prayer translates into a heart that trust in His never-ending love.
The important message that Paul is sharing here is that we are justified by faith and not by works.
Man is justified by grace through faith and not by works of the law.
We are declared righteous by God through our faith in His Word and not the good deeds we carry out.
We are not justified because we merit God's favour through keeping the Law, but through faith.
Justification by grace through faith is not a new way to be saved.
We see that Abel, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah... Ruth, David, Isaiah, and many other saints in both the Old and New Testaments were all saved by grace through faith and not by works of the Law.
We see Christ's disciples, the apostle Paul, the woman at the well, the man who was blind, and Joseph of Arimathea were justified by their faith and not by their good deeds - and the same continues to be true today.
Paul may seem to be labouring the point... that being entitled to a wage or receiving a reward for working should never ever be considered the same as being given a free, unmerited, undeserved favour - and yet, then as now, there are many believers who insist that although salvation is a faith thing - we can't be saved without adding some works.
A reward for something we do is not the same as a free gift of God's grace, for what we believe and Paul quotes from Genesis 15:6 to emphasis that salvation ALWAYS has and always will be by grace through faith in God.
And the same is true of Abel and Noah, Sarah and Ruth, David and Isaiah, and all those who are identified in the Word of God as men and women of faith as we read in Hebrews 11.
Praise God that we are saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ at Calvary and receive forgiveness of sins and life everlasting as a free, unmerited gift of God's goodness and grace.
Because we trusted the Lord Jesus as Saviour, all that we need for life, godliness, and spiritual growth is ours already, but it is accessed by faith.
We started our spiritual journey by grace through faith in Christ, and we are kept throughout our life-journey by the power of God by faith, but we are to exercise that faith in Christ by believing the truth of His Word, by trusting our lives into His hands, by abiding in Him and He in us, and by learning to say: Thy will, not mine be done.
Spiritual growth takes place when we exercise faith in the precious promises of God, but often it takes time for God is working in each of us with an eternal perspective.
May all of God's children make every effort to respond to His promises and to supplement our faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and to the development of moral excellence may we add knowledge, and may our knowledge enlarge into self-control, and our self-control blossom into patient endurance.
This truth stated that all those who exercise faith in God through Jesus Christ our Lord (our Kinsman-Redeemer), are justified by grace through faith.
Abraham was justified by grace through faith because He believed God's Word.
Habakkuk was one of many prophets who similarly proclaimed: The just shall live by faith.
Faith in the coming Redeemer.
Faith in the shed blood of the incarnate Word of God.
Because we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, we are justified by grace through faith.
Because we believe God's Word, we are blessed in the same way that Abraham was blessed, by grace through faith.
Christ was the Seed through Whom all the families of the earth would be blessed, and faith in Him removes us from the kingdom of darkness into His eternal kingdom.
Faith in Christ takes us out of Adam and places us in Him.
The burden of Hebrews is to keep on living our life by faith, and its target audience is not the unsaved, but believers who are encouraged to persevere despite the temptations and trials we inevitably face.
Because we were justified by faith, we are to keep on walking by faith.
It is a summons to persevere under trial and press on from the elementary stages of faith to a deeper spiritual knowledge, and richer understanding of the high calling of God that is our present possession in Christ Jesus.
We are to live a life of faith; we are to run the race of faith and not be weary; we are to walk by faith and not to faint.
And the way to achieve this is by faith, not by works of the Law.
And it can only be achieved by faith, an ongoing, continuing, progressive faith.
We are justified by faith, and now we are to live a sanctified life by faith, as this verse tells us: My righteous one will live by faith, and if he draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.
Without saving faith we do not please God, because we are dead in sin and at enmity with Him.
Similarly, He takes no pleasure in his born-again children when we do not live a life by faith, because He has clothed us in the righteousness of Christ, sent the Holy Spirit to live in us, and given us the Word of God.
Three times, New Testament writers use quotes from Habakkuk; expressing the importance of God's righteous saints living by faith, emphasising the importance God places on the justified man or woman living their life by faith, and continuing, day-by-day, to live a life of faith and not to draw back into a fleshly carnality or unbelief and fear.
May we read, mark, learn, and apply the truth that threads its way through the amazing book of Hebrews and live our life by faith.
But James was a young man with a teachable spirit, who was quick to embrace the wisdom of faith he lacked, and encourages those of us who are deficient in spiritual insight to ask the Lord for the necessary wisdom we need – and not to doubt that He will provide for us liberally.James also knows that trusting the Lord for godly wisdom as we travel through life..
is a tool the Lord uses to test and strengthen our faith in Him, and which helps to produce in us the patient endurance that is so needful for our spiritual growth – but we are reminded to stand fast in the faith unwaveringly – if we are to honour the Lord Who bought us with His precious blood, and to come forth as gold.How much we all need God’s heavenly wisdom in the tests and trials of life’s disappointments and difficulties, which are so much a part of our everyday lives.
Truly, a knowledge of our spiritual ignorance is a step towards godly wisdom, and recognising our lack of godly wisdom is a prudent step towards growing in grace, maturing in the faith, and gaining an understanding of our privileged position in Christ and all that He has done for us.God knows that we are weak and frail and He knows that the testing our faith can cause us to complain or murmur or to become unsteady in our Christian walk..
but God provides all the wisdom we need to maintain a steady heart, patient endurance, and an unwavering, uncompromised faith in Him.
The children of Israel were rescued from enslavement in Egypt on that first Passover night, when they smeared the lintels of their houses with the blood of an unblemished Passover lamb, by faith.
They demonstrated their faith by carrying out His instructions and smearing the lintels of their houses with the shed blood of the Passover lambs.
Only Joshua and Caleb entered the promised land, because they alone retained their trust and faith in the Word of the Lord, throughout the ordeal.
Not only were Joshua and Caleb saved because of their faith, but they also lived their life by faith.
After salvation, throughout our entire Christian life, our soul is being made new through a process of practical sanctification... as day by day our soul-life is gradually being conformed into the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus as we grow in grace and mature in the faith.
The destiny of the believer is eternal life, which was secured at the Cross of Calvary and made a reality by faith.
All are part of the first resurrection because all have been justified, by faith.
And by grace through faith, we will rule and reign with Him for 1000 years.
We were warned not to pay attention to worldly fables, foolish myths, and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the doctrine of God and the glorious gospel of Christ, which is received by grace through faith in His finished work at Calvary.
Let us fight the good fight of faith and hold fast to that which is good so that we may finish the course that is set before us and stand firm on the faith which was once given to the saints.
He sent His only begotten Son into the world to be the sin-sacrifice for mankind, and the Father accepts every sinner saved by grace through faith in the Beloved Son of His love.
The Spirit breathes life into the sinner saved by grace through faith in Christ, and removes him from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of Christ.
For those who cast a casual glance, it was no more than a pretty picture, but for those that gazed deeply at Christ's illustration by faith, it became a window through which they could glimpse God and the truth of His Word.
We come to God by faith, and as we gaze into His Word and spend time alone with Him, He will start to open up new and exciting qualities of His Person, and He will reveal plans that were initially hidden from our view.
We are either spiritual Christians who are maturing in the faith, OR we are carnal believers whose spiritual growth is being stunted.
Our position in Christ is eternally secure, and the privileges we have received by faith will never be taken from us, and can never be lost or negated.
May we never wander from the truth that only through faith in Christ's finished work on the Cross, is the wall of separation between us and God removed.
Faith in Christ alone is the reason we are forgiven, because the wrath of God was poured out on Him instead of on us.
Unsaved sinners are condemned, and their iniquity separates them from God until they believe and are brought near to God through faith in the death, burial , and Resurrection of Jesus.
May we also be mindful that it is only by ongoing faith in Him, living a life of faith and walking in spirit and truth, that we can enjoy ongoing fellowship with our heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, our God and Saviour.
Paul's love for Philemon and his high regard for his fellow-believer is reflected in his warm, introductory remarks to him, where he praises God for Philemon's love, faith, and integrity.
He referred to Onesimus fondly as 'a son in the faith,' and called him 'a servant and beloved brother.' Onesimus had evidently become very special to Paul, and despite being Philemon's runaway slave, Paul asked that on his return, Onesimus would be treated kindly by Philemon.
It is obvious from the tone of his letter, that Paul did not expect his request to be refused, but he also wanted to ensure Philemon was obedient to the high principles and godly practices that are expected of all who are saved by grace through faith in Christ, and are walking in spirit and truth... and so we read, Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say.
It would refresh his heart to see faith in action being carried out in this brother in Christ.
May we demonstrate to others the same love and faith that Paul identified in the letter to Philemon, and obediently, willingly - and for the sake of Christ Who died for us so that we might live - carry out all the principles and practices of Christian love.
The first is the sweet fragrance of those that are saved by grace through faith in Christ... while the second is the unbeliever who exudes the nauseating, deathly stench of a person who has rejected God's gracious offer of salvation, for we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved... and are among those who are perishing.
It is the born-again child of God who is growing in grace, standing firm in the faith, abiding in Christ, and submitted to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit, that is considered as the fragrance of Christ to God.
The more we mature in the faith and grow in grace, the more we become the fragrance of Christ among our brothers and sisters who are also being sanctified, day by day.
May our lives be so saturated with the attractiveness of our Saviour that His beauty is reflected in us, so that others may see our lives and glorify our Father in heaven, so that by grace through faith in Him, they may turn from their sinful ways, trust in the Lord with all their heart, and be born again into the family of God - to His praise and glory.
Our long suffering God Who strives with fallen man has opened a door of salvation, which invites all guilty sinners to look to Christ and live - but it can only be accessed by the Door of grace - through faith in Christ's sacrificial work at Calvary - and that Door is still open today, for Jesus is the Door and Jesus is the Way - and Jesus is the good Shepherd who is still seeking that which is lost.
The opportunity to turn from sin and to turn to Christ is still available, to all who will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ by faith.
The fact that Gentiles were also given the indwelling Holy Spirit by faith in Christ, was the first step towards a fuller understanding that there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither male not female, neither bond nor free, neither old nor young, neither black nor white, but that we are all one in Christ and accepted in the Beloved, lest anyone should boast.
We have a positive responsibility to obey His Word and apply it in our everyday life, for when we walk in the unity of the Spirit and live in holiness of heart, we mature in the faith, grow in grace, and produce the fruit of humility, patience, gentleness, and love.
We have a duty to obey God's Word so that we mature in the faith and are progressively conformed into the image and likeness of the lovely Lord Jesus.
But death is also a gracious tool that God uses to cause men to search for truth and life - which is only found by faith in Christ Jesus our God and Saviour.
It encourages us to trust Him to fulfil His promises, and it develops an unshakable faith in His Word, while discouraging the human propensity towards self-sufficiency and selfish pride.
It is because he has faith in God and trusts in the unchangeable and unchanging character of his faithful God that the questioning heart of a distressed David is able to remain securely anchored to the precious promises of God.
His apparent delay is simply a manifestation of His long-suffering goodness and grace towards sinful, rebellions man, for He is not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance through faith in the finished work of Christ at Calvary.
It was because of their proud unbelief and lack of faith that Mark writes: And He could do no miracle in Nazareth, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.
Mark made it clear that Jesus performed miracles as an acknowledgment of someone's faith: Your faith has made you whole, was His response to many who asked for their healing.
Sadly, in Nazareth it was not faith that was expressed by the vast majority, but unbelief.
It was not that Jesus was rendered impotent or powerless because the people had no faith.
It was not that His divine authority was neutralised, in the absence of faith.
Christ was no 'faith-healer'.
And so, Jesus was unable to do any work of power there, but only to put his hands on one or two persons who were ill, and make them well. In His mercy, He did not prevent those with faith from benefiting from His visit to Nazareth, and a remnant of believers were made whole.
At salvation, we were justified by faith in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and life everlasting.
The process of sanctification starts the moment we are saved by grace through faith in Christ and continues to our life's end.
We can be saved by grace through faith (justification) while being denied the wonderful reward that we have been promised when we suffer for His sake (through the sanctification process).
He explains that although we are saved by faith and nothing can change our eternal destiny, we are required to live by faith and grow by faith.
We are to grow in grace, walk in spirit and truth, mature in the faith, live godly in Christ Jesus, and to live our lives in a way that honours the Lord.
Following his conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul had spent his life in sacrificial service to the Lord for the joy of seeing others come to a secure, trusting faith in Christ.
Much of his time in his service to Christ had been fraught with difficulties and dangers, but he laboured on ceaselessly for the joy of seeing saints in the various churches coming to full faith in the Lord Jesus, and becoming themselves a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto the Lord.
Paul made special reference to the single-minded faith of the saints in Philippi, who had become obedient to the gospel and submissive to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
In many respects they were laying down their lives in sacrificial service to the Lord and Paul was overjoyed to see their faith blossoming into a living sacrifice unto God.
And although part of his letter was used to encourage these saints to set aside all self-interest and selfish ambitions and to be bonded together in the unity of the faith, he gives great encouragement by describing their work of faith as a precious, sacrificial service to the Lord.
Paul had been the first person to bring the good news of the gospel of Christ to the citizens of Philippi, and in a beautiful way Paul expands the self-sacrificial spirit he observed in these Philippians Christians to include his own involvement and joy in the maturing of their faith.
Over the years, Paul's life had become intertwined with the lives of these believers to the glory of Christ Jesus their Lord, and he was in prison for sharing the gospel of God with them: Even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.
Despite his hardship and suffering, Paul rejoiced that he had not laboured in vain with these dear Philippians Christians, who had not only embraced the glorious gospel of Christ by faith, but were themselves living sacrificially for their Lord.
And praise God that we are not under law but under grace, for we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, and we have been made alive in Him.
Philemon was a wealthy man from Colossae who came to faith in Christ through Paul's ministry and became a beloved friend of the apostle.
Before beginning his appeal for mercy which restated several Christian doctrines on grace, forgiveness, servanthood, and our imputed righteousness by faith in Christ, Paul reminded Philemon of their own, close Christian intimacy and the mutual love and respect they had for one another: For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
The apostle had heard news of his generosity and self-sacrificial love during his imprisonment which caused him great joy, for Philemon was also a son in the faith and Paul rejoiced in his spiritual growth and the fruit he was producing.
Paul was not envious of Philemon's position in society, but filled with joy and comfort that this beloved son-in-the-faith was showing such godly growth and spiritual grace.
Paul was also Philemon's father-in-the-faith, but to cement his petition on behalf of Onesimus, Paul referred to him as 'brother' for by faith we are all one in Christ.
May we also seek to act in a similar godly manner and obey the instructions we receive from Scripture in thought, word, deed, and motive, so that the testing of our faith does not cause any ungodly reaction, but demonstrates a maturing faith, a growth in grace, and a response that honours the Lord.
Glory to God in the highest heaven, was the hymn that the angels sang at Christ's birth, and it continues, peace on earth, goodwill to men, or more accurately it should read... goodwill to men of peace - God's blessing on those that have made peace with God, by faith in Christ.
Peace on earth and goodwill to all men is not the song of the angels, and not for the angels to fully understand, for only those who gain peace WITH God through faith in Christ, will receive the peace on earth and peace with God... for which men crave so deeply.
There are times when we, who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, become complacent in our faith and do not give the Lord the praise and glory He justly deserves.
However, when fleshly pursuits impinge on our walk of faith, when our will rather that God's will is the focus of our life, or works of the Law are substituted for a life of trust, the shocking truth is that we find ourselves out of fellowship with the Lord, and labelled as enemies of the One Who bought us with His own blood.
As we journey through life may we allow nothing to impinge on our walk of faith, and may we be ready and willing to die to our own desires and live for Christ alone.
Instead of living by faith with thanksgiving, they lived by unbelief with complaining.
Israel's physical redemption from Pharaoh's slavery in Egypt, mirrors the Christians' spiritual redemption from slavery to sin in the kingdom of Satan. Israel was saved from Egypt because they believed God and carried out His instructions - so that by faith, the angel of death Passed-Over the believing Hebrews.
But sadly they did not continue to live by faith after their redemption.
They moved from salvation by grace through faith into living according to their own will and not adhering to God's perfect plan.
We are likewise saved through faith. We are redeemed from servitude to sin when we believe that Christ died for our sin, was buried, and rose again the third day, to pay the price for our sins.
However, once we are saved, we are charged to live by faith.
We are to walk by faith day by day - to trust God's Word and to rest in Christ.
To fail to live by faith is the same spirit of unbelief that was seen in Israel - and it is this spirit of unbelief against which believers are warned in Hebrews.
Similarly, although Christians are saved by grace through faith in Christ, we can forfeit our spiritual rest during our journey through life.
His grace is sufficient for every eventuality in life, but we have to appropriate what is already ours - we have to seize hold of what is already ours by faith.
Although we are eternally saved, we may live a defeated life if we do not hold fast to the assurance, if we do not walk by faith, if we allow fear to dominate our mind, if we fail to take hold of all that has been promised us - through Christ.
We are to hold fast to our faith to our life's end, as we abide in Him, rest in Him, and trust Him in all things.
And He charged them that those who responded to the gospel in faith were to be baptised, while we also read: Whoever does not believe will be condemned.
There are about 150 passages in the Word of God that state unequivocally that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ's finished work on the Cross alone, but sadly there are some that cause confusion in the Body of Christ by teaching that without water baptism a man or woman is not saved, and they often cite this verse as evidence.
From the foundation of the world, the shed blood of the Lamb of God was God's demanded purchase price for the salvation of all mankind, and although the waters of baptism are a most beautiful picture of the inner cleansing that results when a person is saved by grace through faith in Christ, if it is a requirement for salvation in addition to Christ finished work at Calvary, it proclaims that His finished work was insufficient to pay the full price for the sin of the whole world.
That sort of detached belief does not result in a man or woman being saved, and baptised into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit, for they have not mixed an inner heart faith with the factual truth.
The very moment that a guilty sinner who has recognised his need of salvation, places their faith in Christ as their own sin-substitute, that man or woman is saved.
This plan, which was formed in the eternal council chambers of heaven, has the potential to touch and to save every person born into this fallen race, but salvation must be accessed by faith alone in the sacrifice of the only begotten Son of God.
Sometimes we forget that Abraham, that great man of faith, was named Abram for much of his life.
It was not until he reached a certain point along life's spiritual journey of faith, that the Lord changed his name from Abram to Abraham.
Over 20 years earlier Abram's faith had been reckoned as righteousness when he heard God's call and obeyed His instructions to leave His home and follow God. Go out from your land and your relatives, he was told. Leave your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. The Lord promised to make him into a great nation.
There were many lessons that Abram needed to learn before he could be given the name God had prepared for him. He had been saved by faith, and God credited him with righteousness.
But Abram had to learn to live by faith, to walk by faith, to pray in faith, and to believe that God was able to do the impossible.
One of the first things God did to test his faith was to send a famine to the land of Canaan - but Abram chose to trust in the fleshpots of Egypt rather than rely on the Lord to provide all he needed for life and godliness.
May we not only be saved by faith but live by faith, walk by faith, and pray in faith.
While earthly parents may try to teach their children obedience, kindness, and other important character-forming attributes, the Lord's discipline brings a rich and fruitful harvest of spiritual graces... peace and patience, faith and submission, goodness and grace, righteousness and love.
The chastening rod that comes from the Lord is a life-long training programme, which is designed to increase our faith in God and strengthen our dependence upon Him.
We are not justified by carrying out the ten commandments, adherence to denomination requirements or self-imposed regulation, however we are frequently reminded that we are justified by grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Christ alone.
Being doers of the law in this context comes right back to FAITH, for without faith it is impossible to please God: This is the will of God that You believe on Him Whom God has sent.
Doing the law in this verse is connected with faith and has nothing to do with keeping any sort rules or regulations.
And the Bible tells us we are justified by believing on the finished work of Christ: Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus. It is by faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus alone, that man is justified: This is the work of God, that you believe in Him Whom He has sent.
Being doers of the law is rooted in faith in God and Jesus Christ Whom He sent to pay the price for our sins.
In these opening words, the psalmist is talking about all who are reckoned as righteous, because of their faith.
Abraham is the classic example of a man of faith, for he believed God and his faith was credited to him as righteousness.
But David's celebration is not simply about the justified aspect of his salvation, for once redeemed... the man of faith must choose to walk by faith and to live by faith.
This sanctifying aspect of his salvation from God is ours, as we grow in grace and mature in the faith.
A poor man's wisdom, which comes through faith in God, has been proven to be of greater value and significance than the great military might of a powerful king, and his well-equipped army - for when applying godly wisdom, a city can be saved from destruction, and the people delivered from disaster.
Rather, let us feed on Christ in our hearts by faith with thanksgiving and allow the beautiful spiritual fruit of humility to blossom and bud in our inner being - so that the lovely character of the Lord Jesus may start to be seen increasingly in our lives - until we come to a measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ to the praise and honour of our heavenly Father.
The book of Hebrews points us to the unique person and work of the Lord Jesus and calls us to trust God in all things, for without faith it is impossible to please Him.
How easy it is to let brotherly love become our watchword with those that are strong in the faith, and how delightful it is to enjoy godly fellowship with those who are walking in spirit and truth, but we are exhorted to love all our brethren in Christ, not only those that are spiritual.
The urgency of Peter's message in his second epistle is that the Christian's life, which begins with faith, must grow and develop into Christian maturity and produce spiritual fruit which is so honouring to the Father.
As believers who have escaped the corruption that is in the world by faith in Christ, we have been given exceedingly great and precious promises, through which we may be partakers of Christ's divine nature.
This tremendous privilege is ours by grace through faith in Him, but we have to access this divine birthright by choice.
And so the urgency of Peter's message in his second epistle is that our Christian life, which began at the point of saving faith, must become a growing, developing, and sanctifying faith.
This faith matures by means of diligent application of God principles of spiritual growth, which are contained in His Word, and all of which produce spiritual fruit which is so honouring to our Father in heaven.
Having been saved by grace through faith, it is only as we live by grace through faith and earnestly press on to the goal of our high calling in Christ, with diligence, dedication, and discipline, that we are empowered to grow in grace and in moral excellence.
But what is so special is that the Lord Jesus as a Man understands our weaknesses, but as God He is both omniscient and omnipotent and He intercedes for us in the heavenly places so that our faith will not fail.
We see Christ's wonderful intercession for Simon Peter, that his faith would not fail, and we know that God is no respecter or persons and will equally intercede for us when we are facing similar trials and tribulations.
It seemed that Peter's faith had crashed into smithereens.
But it was not Peter's faith in his Lord that was bankrupted, but faith in his own proud boastings.
It was faith in Christ and utter dependence on God for which the Lord Jesus prayed and which did indeed stand the test of time, as ultimately Peter's foolish trust in his own limited abilities and confidence in his own human strength, was replaced with an unshakable faith in His Lord and Saviour.
The trial of Peter's faith is no different from the various trials that we are faced on our journey through life.
They are allowed by God to refine us and teach us that our dependence is on Christ and not on self, for our faith, like that of Simon Peter, is more precious to God than gold.
And when our faith is refined and tested by fire, it is with the desire that it may result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The faithful remnant who remained steadfast in their faith, were promised blessings because they had not soiled their garments, they had stayed faithful to the truth of the gospel, trusted God's Word, and honoured His name.
They were 'overcomers' by faith, who were not only living a victorious Christian life, but continued to enjoy fellowship with the Father and were promised that they would walk with the Lord Jesus, dressed in white garments.
No doubt, the clear comparison between the 'few faithful people' and the vast majority in Sardis was designed to challenge those with a fruitless life and dead faith, to come to repentance and return to living a productive and triumphant life that honours the Lord Who bought them with His precious blood.
Throughout the Word of God, we recognise the faithful few who remain true to the truth of Scripture, loyal to their Lord Jesus, and refuse to compromise their faith or be enticed back into worldly pursuits.
This is a promise of God, which is given to all who have trusted Christ by grace through faith in His finished work at Calvary.
Although we are guiltless by faith in Christ, we are not sinless: For all have sinned and fall short of His glory.
In one respect the day of Christ is future, but in another respect, we are being established amidst all the trials and difficulties of this present age (which are designed by the enemy to shake our faith).
During his shocking ordeal, Stephen discovered that the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, guarded his heart and shielded his mind as he looked to JESUS - the Author and Finisher of his faith.
Let us comfort one another with these words and sing praises to Him with thanksgiving with every passing day, knowing that we are been saved by grace through faith in God's only begotten Son, Who loved us so much that He gave His life so that we might live.
And although Paul had touched on areas connected with the mystery earlier in his epistle, he now takes about 12 whole verses to explain in detail its incredible significance to all, who by grace through faith have been placed in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.
In Habakkuk's day, things were to get worse before they got better, and he was called to live by his faith and to trust the Lord Who is faithful to rescue His people and true to His Word.
God desires that all men are saved and that His born-again children mature in the faith, grow in grace, look to Jesus, and in the power the Holy Spirit, be conformed, day by day, into the image and likeness of Christ.
Satan must seek permission from God if he is going to try your faith or mine, or indeed the faith or any particular believer by inflicting trials and tribulation, such as he did with My servant Job.
And not only that, but we have a heavenly intercessor that prays for us that our faith will not fail.
There are many equally detestable customs and abominable exploits that take place in our modern culture which God hates, and having been saved by grace through faith, we are no longer enslaved by Satan's power but have been redeemed from the penalty of sin and set free from its power over our lives.
Faith in His sacrificial death pays the price for our sin, but if Christ did not physically rise from the dead, we would be forgiven of our sin but we could not rise physically, from the grave.
This is a truth that rejoiced the heart of many who heard Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost, and it has rejoiced the heart of millions more, who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and been saved by grace through faith in Him.
This miracle of salvation by grace through faith in Christ is freely available to all, just as it was when Peter stood up on that first day of Pentecost and taught this life-changing truth.
The gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, for it is by faith we are saved... but how many refuse to place their trust in the very God Who created them, and Who sent His only begotten Son to be the sacrifice for the sin of mankind.
There is no one who is so far removed from God's saving grace that they cannot be saved by grace, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus died so that by faith in Him, we would not suffer the eternal dictates of breaking God's Law (death) but would find grace in the eyes of the Lord - by faith.
He came to bind up the broken-hearted, heal the sick, and set the captive free, so that by grace through faith in Him, we might not be condemned, but have everlasting life.
He addresses every possible distortion of the glorious gospel of grace in his carefully constructed epistle, and lays out the simple and astonishing truth: that man is saved by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the God-Man, Christ Jesus our Lord.
He gives meticulous insight into justification, sanctification, propitiation, and many other important doctrinal issues, and uses Abraham as his object lesson that the righteous man shall live by faith in the written Word of God, and the object of that faith is Jesus Christ, the righteous.
Roman is the most thorough, scientific statement of the divine plan of redemption and the only place where a complete, systematic teaching of all the fundamentals of the Christian faith can be found.
But when faith is replaced with unbelief and when God's will is set aside for self-will, the difficulties and problems of life become insurmountable and everything seems to fall apart.
God wanted to use this natural disaster to call His people back from their moral decline and spiritual adultery, to a trusting faith in His promised provision.
This man believed God and left his home, not knowing where he was going, and his faith was credited to him as righteousness by the Lord.
Much took place following that special time, when God took one man of faith out of the sea of humanity.
Abraham had various encounters with God, which tested... yet strengthened his faith.
The joy and laughter that this child brought to his parents was immense, and Isaac grew in age and stature, until finally Abraham's faith in the Lord was tested, as never before.
but a day came when God was ready to severely test the faith of His old servant.
Abraham had proved God's faithfulness but God was to test Abraham's faith - and the Lord called him to listen to His voice.
It is frequently at a time when joyful events and happy laughter fills our heart, that God chooses to examine the faith of His justified people.
God can test his children at any point in their earthly walk, but as spiritual maturity develops, the trials of faith often become increasingly painful, as God searches to and fro, for that man or that woman, who has an undivided heart that is turned toward Him - no matter what life's circumstances may throw at them.
Abraham had not only been saved by faith, he was also required to live his life by faith.
Abraham had to believe to the uttermost that the promises the Lord had made through his son Isaac, would certainly come to pass - Abraham was called to live by faith and not by logic.
It is the trusting child-like faith of children that pleases the Lord.
The trusting heart that is found in a child demonstrates the simple faith that we should all foster.
In this way, we are developing the child-like faith that is so precious to the Lord.
How important that as parents, grandparents, siblings, and souls who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, that we share the glorious gospel of grace with young and old alike.
May we not wittingly or unwittingly exclude anyone from coming to a saving faith in Christ Jesus our Lord, by any biases that we may harbour in our hearts.
The work to which Christ was referring was feeding the soul with every word that proceeds from the mouth of God and helping to raise spiritually dead souls into newness of life, by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ at Calvary.
He knew that disbelief in God's goodness and power during times of great problems and pain means a man or woman is unstable in their faith, resulting in them being buffeted and bruised by the circumstances of life and victims of the situation they are facing.
Men and women who are secure in their faith, trust completely in God's goodness and power and become victors through the sufficient strength that is supplied to all God's children by faith.
And so, James reminds us that the trials we face are designed to test our dependence upon God, strengthen our faith in Him, and drive us to our knees in prayer and supplication so that we may receive His grace and mercy to help in time of need.
But there is a condition in this prayer request for wisdom in times of trouble: Let him ask in faith without doubting, for the enemy of all prayer is unbelief.
How important that our prayers are not a ritual or a duty, but are offered to the Lord in faith.
How important to pray in faith, expecting the Lord to answer our request.
But the walk of faith is a life that is lived trusting God in the midst of difficulties, holding fast to His precious promises, and knowing that God's Word stands fast for ever and ever.
And in his short outburst of praise, we discover king David rejoicing and singing in his heart by faith with thanksgiving: How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony, for it refreshes the soul and is a sweet fragrance that ascends to the Lord and glorifies His holy name.
But in the Body of Christ there should be a real oneness of spirit on the essential fundamentals of our faith, while lesser, subordinate issues should not cause wanton discord, disunity, or division.
Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten of God – he is born again – born from above – saved by grace through faith.
Christ was the one and only uniquely begotten Son of the Father, and all that trust in the beloved Son of His love, are begotten of God – born of God - born-again into newness of life – saved by grace through faith.
Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten of God, and the sure proof that we love the Father Who saved us is that we have a love for the whole Body of Christ - a love for all believers who have been begotten of God and saved by grace through faith.
We are only declared righteous by faith in what Christ did.
We are saved by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and Paul strove to make it clear that the human mindset of these Judaisers destroys the truth of God's Word, and legalism is an anathema to the Lord.
Both are accessed by faith, as demonstrated throughout Scripture.
It was the constraining love of Christ that motivated Paul to proclaim the gospel of God and present the glory of the Christian faith to the people of his day.
We are saved by faith and not by works of the flesh, and we must walk by faith and not by sight.
Faith is believing all God has said in His Word; first for our justification, and then for living a sanctified life.
Faith is accepting scriptural truth as a firm fact.
Faith is having the assurance that what we hope for in Christ will certainly come to pass.
Indeed, without faith it is impossible to please God.
The Christian life of faith appears to be a paradox, for it seems to fly in the face of logical thinking.
And having been saved by grace through faith, we are to die to self, and everything that focusses on ME, in order to live for God.
Walking by faith in this life, means we are to rely completely on all that God has said in His Word.
The life of faith filters our thoughts, actions, attitudes, and words, through the holy Scriptures, as we listen to the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit, follow His directions, and trust in the Lord with all our heart.
We are saved by grace through faith in Christ, and we are to walk by faith and not by sight.
But sadly, many Christians are diverted away from this path of faith to living by sight, by signs, by senses and emotions, by imagination, by feelings, by worldly philosophies, or extra-biblical revelations, especially when they see life's stormy seas and the mountains of difficult circumstances rising up to block their path.
However, the man or woman that lives by faith as well as being saved by faith, accepts the truth that God uses all the storms and problems of life, as well as times of great joy and rejoicing, to remove all the pride and selfishness of our old sin nature, as He gently conforms us into the beautiful image of the lovely Lord Jesus.
The man or woman who lives by faith uses life's stumbling-blocks as stepping stones.
Faith allows obstacles to be changed into opportunities, and wounds that are inflicted become a witness to the generous grace He pours out into our lives in great abundance.
When we live by faith, we remain in fellowship with the Lord, and can become healing balm and a godly comfort in the lives of others, who are facing similar difficulties.
Living by faith frequently contrasts the visible unreality of this fake, false, and failing world, with the invisible reality of true, glorious, eternal, heavenly things, that are our promised inheritance, in Christ.
Happy is the one who understands that faith is not only required for salvation, but is the necessary ingredient to live a victorious Christian life.
Living by faith simply means that we trust completely all that God has said in His Word.
Once we have been born again and saved by grace through faith in Christ, we are to be established in our faith.
We are to develop spiritually and progress in the faith.
The only way to develop in our Christian faith is by the power of God within.
Just as God established Paul in his Christian faith and consecrated him as apostle to the Gentiles, so too we are established in Christ and sanctified - through the power of God within.
and God was glorified through their faith in Him.
and Paul, Silvanus, Timothy, and other co-labourers in the gospel, needed to be established in the faith, in the same way that you and I also need to be established - for as Paul wrote, He Who establishes us, with you - in Christ..
It was God who established Paul and his co-labourers in his faith, and it is God Who started a good work in you and me, Who will establish us in our faith.
He was a son of perdition who gave an appearance of faith, but his unbelief was finally exposed when He betrayed the Lord Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
By grace through faith, we are covered by His righteousness and forgiven of all our sin.
Forgiveness of sin and life everlasting is ours because of our faith in His sacrifice on the Cross.
It is by grace through faith in Christ that we are cleansed.
Having been credited with His righteousness by faith (justification) we are also to live by faith (sanctification)... for we read that the righteous shall live by faith as well as being saved through faith.
At justification, we are washed by the water of the Word of God and declared righteous... by faith.
We are to be daily cleansed by the washing of the water of the Word of God so that we may mature in the faith, grow in grace, and stand firm on the truth of the gospel of Christ.
Much of Christ's Sermon on the Mount was on the righteousness behaviour that God expects and demands from those who by faith in God have become His children, by faith.
Not only are they called to be even-tempered in their dealings with others, honourable in all aspects of their home life, self-restrained in their business and financial dealings, and hospitable towards others, but they are instructed to stand firm in the faith, to hold fast to sound biblical doctrine, and to be able to exhort and encourage others in the furtherance of the gospel of God.
Standing firm in the faith and holding fast to sound doctrine does not mean tenaciously clinging to one's own private interpretation of a passage or reading into a section of Scripture what you want it to say, hope that it says, would like it to say, or think that it says.
Paul expressed his thanks and praise to God for all these beloved Christians at Rome and for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, which he informs us was being: Spoken of throughout the whole world.
And Paul thanked God that their faith was spoken of throughout the whole world.
Our loving, heavenly Father did not spare His dearly beloved Son, but delivered Him up to be crucified for us all - so that by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, we might be redeemed and declared holy - by faith.
It is IN Him and BY Him and FOR Him, that we are enabled to become the 'light of Christ', shining in a shrouded world, where by faith, darkness is passing away as the glorious Light of the gospel of grace floods into the lives of those that are saved by grace through faith in Him - as witnesses of the truth.
His prayer was that we who are saved by grace through faith would exhibit the godly characteristics and the moral attributes of the triune Godhead itself, so that the lost may be reached with the glorious gospel of grace, so that many might be brought into the kingdom of His dear Son, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
Only those who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ have the right to be called the children of God and joint-heirs with Christ.
God chose the little nation of Israel to be that one nation under God - the only nation through whom God would work - in order to bring a lost world back into relationship with Himself, by faith in Him.
Rather than endeavouring to escape the child-training programme that God has for our life, we should rather embrace it and try to discover the spiritual lessons that the Lord desires us to learn so that we may grow in grace and mature in the faith.
The spirit of slavery that entrapped us in doubt, darkness, and deep depression is replaced at rebirth by the permanently indwelling Spirit of God, but too often we do not appropriate what is ours by grace through faith and we retain a spirit of fear because we fail to believe the truth of God's Word.
If we would but rest in Him, in our Abba, that spirit of fear would be replaced by the calm assurance of faith in God.
Paul reminds us of Abraham who with respect to the promise of God, did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was also able to perform.
How disappointing that Rebekah showed such a lack of faith in the Lord, by taking it on herself to scupper Isaac's rebellious defiance of God, instead of leaving it in His hands - instead she used human reason and schemed with Jacob to steal back the blessing that was his by right.
Either through covert deception, lack of faith, or wilful defiance, every one of them demonstrated a self-centred attitude, combined with human reasoning and wilful non-compliance towards God's stated order and clear edict.
Equally tragic is to witness Rebekkah, following in the footsteps of Sarah, by attempting to carry out God's promise through worldly wisdom rather than godly faith.
The love of God is a multi-dimensional love. The breadth of God's love embraces all who are saved by grace through faith, and embraces Jew and Gentile, young and old, male and female – all people, climes, and tongues.
And so, having been warned that as the day for Christ's return draws ever closer, many will depart from the faith and sound doctrine will be replaced with ear-tickling fables, we find Paul once again urging Timothy to give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and to teaching.
First: to the reading of the Scripture, for faith comes by hearing and hearing from the Word of God.
Indeed, we who have trusted Christ and who have been saved by grace through faith in Him, have much about which to rejoice, despite the sobering truth that in this world all who live godly in Christ Jesus will face various trials and tribulations and may even have to face persecution and death.
But praise God, for we have an assurance that we will be kept by the power of God, through faith for salvation.
Let us be grateful that God chastens us as sons, and let us develop a teachable spirit, patient endurance, and humble submission so that we may grow in grace and mature in the faith.
As we begin to mature in the faith, we grow in grace and learn the lessons the Spirit wants to teach us, and as we grow in grace, so we grow into adulthood developing into sons (huis) of God: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons (huis) of God.
Immature believers and those that are young in the faith are still children in the Christian faith.
Some may choose to be led by their fleshly nature and walk through much of their Christian life in the flesh, but all children of God who have matured in the faith, will at some time have made the choice to be led by the Spirit of God: And all who are led by the Spirit of God are called SONS of God.
Then they need to grow in the faith.
All believers are children of God and as many as are led by the Spirit of God become mature in the faith, and they are the sons of God.
Satan delights to use adversity to hatch-out doubts and fears in the imagination of our hearts, and these can become barriers that make us question God's faithfulness, distort His character, and cause our faith to falter.
The Old, conditional Covenant, required Israel to keep God's Law, but the New unconditional Covenant required nothing from Israel, except faith in God and Jesus Christ, Whom He sent.
by faith.
This New Covenant is unconditional and stands on God's WORD - by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone as recorded in the Word of God - alone.
He reiterated their need to grow in the faith. They were not to abuse their spiritual gifts in some unseemly, self-aggrandisement.
The Christian Church is composed of all individuals who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.
Praise God that we are all ONE in Christ Jesus our Lord and that by grace through faith, we are now Christ's Body - and individually members of it.
Judas, who had been 'chosen' years before as one of Christ's 12 disciples, had heard the truth of the glorious gospel of Christ, but did not mix the gospel he heard with faith and had already left to betray his Master.
Like Judas, the eleven had also been called to follow Jesus many years earlier, but they had heard the same gospel and had mixed faith with the truth.
Certainly the foundations of Church age doctrine were laid by God's chosen apostles and prophets as recorded in the Scriptures, but all of us who have been born again by grace through faith in Christ are exhorted to abide in Christ and all of us have been given a responsibility of advancing the glorious gospel of God in the place where He has appointed us.
He did this so that lost sinners might be saved from God's judgement and have peace with God, by grace through faith in Him.
He died in our place so that by faith in Him we would not be condemned, but clothed in His righteousness and receive life everlasting, as well as His perfect peace.
It is by grace that the Holy Spirit is in the world today, convicting the sinner of sin, righteousness, and judgement so that by grace through faith in Christ, that sinner may become a saint.
We have been called, chosen, justified, and glorified, for we are saved by grace through faith in Christ and are become his chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.
Jesus was the one that convicted the men of Samaria and taught them of their lack and their need of a Saviour, for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
Yet it is to his faithful young follower and beloved 'son in the faith' - Timothy, that the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write.
to stand firm in the faith, to know the truth and to reckon it as fact - to trust resolutely in the Word of God and the gospel of grace, and to remember how he had learned these truths - through the teachings of Paul, and the Holy Scriptures that he had been taught from his early childhood.
This is why partaking in the bread and wine together as a memorial of Christ's sacrificial death on our account... is a precious way to keep our faith alive.
The Lord's Supper encourages all who have been born again by grace through faith in Christ, to look back and reflect with grateful wonder and praise on Christ's immense sacrificial offering of Himself on Calvary's Cross for the sin of the whole world.
Although we are many in number, we are united together in Christ... in that we all partook of the saving grace of God, by faith, when were born from above.
The book of Romans could be called the seedbed for all Christian doctrine, giving systematic, step-by-step teaching of the fundamentals of our faith.
Paul pounds home the truth that God's gracious offer of righteousness is by faith.
Paul points out that no-one is exempt from God's condemnation for all have sinned and are in need of a Saviour; all need to be justified by grace, through faith in Christ.
We are to preach the truth, that God purposed to save mankind from their sins, by faith in Christ's finished work on the Cross, which is the one and only means of reconciliation with a God Who is offended by our sin.
The Holy Spirit is in the world quietly and unceasingly convicting every unbeliever of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement, but when trust in Christ's sacrificial work on the Cross is realised and unbelief is replaced with faith, the invisible, indiscernible, unfathomable work of the Holy Spirit results in the invisible, indiscernible, unfathomable mystery of the new birth.
Our new life in Christ is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in the very heart of a believer, by faith.
In former years, it was the shed blood of animals that was offered by the Aaronic priesthood to atone for the sin of Israel, but for most of their history, they did not pursue righteousness by faith in God's unchanging Word.
It became a rock of offense because they placed their faith in works of the flesh for salvation, instead of trusting in God.
He knows that fear of the Lord is an issue of faith that should pull on the heart-strings of all God's people, for only those whose hearts are right with the Lord will walk along the path of God's leading.
And by faith in His redeeming blood, those who believe on His name can also identify with Him.
He was a Man who looked to the needs of others and One Who had to go through much pain and suffering, rejection and betrayal, hatred and bitter grief so that by His death, burial, and resurrection, He could save us from our sin and bring many sons to glory - by grace through faith in Him.
This is not only dangerous but unscriptural, for only the regenerate are made children of God; only those that are saved by grace through faith in Christ are given the right to become sons of God: Even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of human parentage but of the Spirit of God, by grace, through faith.
Paul taught the Galatian believers: For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
It is purely the mercy of God that has pronounced us children of God, through faith in Christ.
Our privileged position in Christ has nothing to do with our worth or merit but is only and exclusively is founded on God's grace that He extended towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us so that all who believe on His name may be given the right to become sons of God: Even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of human parentage but of the Spirit of God, by grace through faith in Him.
Abraham is often referred to as the father of faith, because the Lord used His trust in God's promises as the foundational example of a man who is credited with the righteousness of Christ, by grace through faith.
But Abraham is one of many men and women of faith who believed God's promises and took Him at His Word.
And Paul explains Who this great God of Abraham is: He is the God Who brings the dead back to life; He is the Lord Who creates things out of nothing; He is the God Who raised Christ from the dead; He is the Lord Who gives those who are dead in trespasses and sins a new life in Christ; He gives eternal life in Him and life more abundantly, by grace through faith.
The Law was not given to save men, but to point them to the Saviour of men and, like Abraham, we are not saved by keeping the works of the Law, but by grace through faith in Christ.
Our mortal body is the dwelling place of the Holy Ghost, Who permanently indwells each one, who has been saved by grace through faith... for God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them.
Paul aimed to differentiate between believers who are set free from bondage to the Law by faith in Christ, and believers who are legalistic and remain enslaved to sin and bound by works of the flesh to the Mosaic Law.
He wanted to demonstrate the great gulf that there is between the freedom we receive, by grace through faith in Christ, and the stifling subjugation that comes from trying to keep the Law.
Paul symbolically compared Isaac, the supernaturally born child of promise, with Christians who are also supernaturally born of the Spirit. Isaac was used as a symbolic representation of Christians who are heirs of promise by the will of God, through faith in Christ.
You only become an heir of God and child of promise by faith.
You can only be declared righteous by faith and not by legalistically keeping the Law of Moses.
The book of Romans gives a step by step logical sequence to show that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ.
And it is all by grace through faith in Him.
Paul uses the great historical figures of Abraham and David to demonstrate that it is not through righteous living or good works that we are declared righteous, but by faith in the Son of God Who died for the sin of the whole world.
And it is not by being born a Jew or by being circumcised on the 8th day as the Law required that qualifies sinners to be declared righteousness, but by faith in the Son of Man Who loves us and gave Himself for us.
Justification and redemption is by grace through faith in Christ to Jew and Gentile alike.
Paul reminds them that Abraham was an uncircumcised Gentile when God called him out of the Ur of the Chaldees, and Abraham believed God and was credited with righteousness, due to his faith in God's promise.
It was by grace though faith in the coming Messiah that Abraham and David were credited with righteousness, and it is by grace through faith in the finished work of the Messiah that you and I are credited with righteousness.
Should we not seek to glorify His holy name in all we say and do, for without Him we would have remained dead in our trespasses and separated from God forever, but IN Christ we are imputed with His righteousness, by God's grace through faith in Him.
Have you noticed how often the Word of God calls us to trust in the Lord, to believe what He says in Scripture, to have faith in Him and in all that He says?
For He knows the plans He has for us, but He wants us to trust in Him, to believe His Word, to have faith in Him, even when we don't understand.
There is none good, no not one, and the only good that we can perform is when we are in Christ; when we are in union with Christ through faith in Him.
It is through faith in the Lord and submission to the Spirit that we can feed on His Word by faith with thanksgiving, be nourished with the gospel of His great salvation, and rest in His love.
He came to understand it is only by faith in the shed blood and glorious Resurrection of Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father, by which a man is redeemed and transferred into the family of God.
Acts tells us that although the early Church was scattered to faraway places and persecuted for their faith, Jewish Christians only shared the good news with other Jews.
He rejoices that we are all eternally secure in Christ and protected by the power of God, through faith, for the salvation of our soul.
Indeed, all who are children of God, by faith, will have their corruptible, mortal bodies, replaced with an incorruptible, immortal, and everlasting body - like unto Christ's glorified body, of flesh and bone.
Peter left a letter that should remind all believers to rehearse the truth of the glorious gospel of grace over again in the ears of fellow-believers - and especially those that are young in the faith or who have not yet proved the promises of God as a reality in their own lives - by faith.
however old or young we may be, and let us also consider it to be right that as long as we are in our own earthly dwelling-place, that we seek to stir up our brothers and sisters in Christ, by way of remembering all He is, and all He has done for those that have been saved by grace through faith in HIM.
Religious legalists who could not reconcile the liberty we have through faith in Christ's sacrifice on the Cross, started to infiltrate the early Christian Church.
They did not understand that in so doing, they were placing men and women, who had been saved by grace, back under the curse of the Law and enslaved to a 'works-based' salvation from which they had been freed - by faith in Christ.
Paul presented an excellent defence of justification by faith in his epistle and also gave a detailed exposition of the purpose of the Law... before presenting three important contrasts between Israel in the pre-Cross dispensation of LAW, and the Church in this post-Cross dispensation of GRACE.
First, he pointed out that Christians have been born into the family of God and are exalted into being sons of God by faith.
Since the Cross of Calvary, all believers have become one in Him, through faith, and all have been promised that we will be like Him when we see Him as He is - spirit, soul, and body.
And just as Abraham was credited with righteousness by faith, both his physical and spiritual descendants must also be declared righteous by faith.
Within Abraham's natural, physical seed, there is a remnant of Jews who believe God and their faith is credited to them as righteousness.
In Hebrews 11, we see a list of men and women of faith who believed God and their faith was credited to them as righteousness.
Abraham also has spiritual descendants in this Church Age (some from a Jewish background and many from a Gentile background) but all are justified by grace through faith in Christ.
We are all in union with Christ and we are all members of His Mystical Body who have been born into the family of God by faith.
There is now neither Jew nor Gentile in the Christian Church, because we are all ONE in Christ and are privileged to be His spiritual heirs: For if we belong to Christ, then we are Abraham's descendants - Abraham's seed and heirs, according to the promise, by faith in Christ.
But he also took pain to explain in detail the glorious gospel of God which is available to all by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
None of us merit being clothed in Christ's own righteousness, and not one of us deserves the heavenly position, precious promises, spiritual privileges and eternal life that is ours through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Let us give Him the thanks, honour, praise and glory due to His name, knowing that our position, privileges, promises, and salvation are ours by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ on the Cross.
We in the Church are to live by faith and NOT by sight or by signs, for we NOW have the indwelling Holy Spirit Who not only has certainly promised to be WITH US but also to be IN US.
one of which is the Shield-of-Faith, with which we will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
At salvation, we are saved by faith and are eternally protected from the arrow of death and fires of eternal damnation..
but throughout our Christian life we are to continue to walk by faith.
We need faith in the Word of God to sustain us, and we need to believe all God's promises to His children, for we are to live our entire life by faith in Him.
We are to live by faith - and not to trust in our own works of the flesh.
Saving faith is by grace alone, through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone - and so is our ongoing, sanctifying faith.
As we journey through life, we need to continue in sanctifying faith.
We are to mature in the faith.
We are to walk by faith.
We are to live by ongoing, persevering, purifying, trusting faith - for without faith it is impossible for the child of God to please the Lord, for we must KNOW and TRUST that His Word is sure, that His promises are true and His truth stands fast forever and ever.
The greatest enemy we encounter is death - but Christ won that battle on our account, and by faith in His death, burial, and resurrection, we too have victory over death, and will be resurrected from the dead - because all born again children of God are given eternal life.
Christ's own eternal, resurrected life, becomes our life by faith.
But saving faith is not the type of faith about which this passage is speaking.
It instructs believers that ongoing, sanctifying faith, is a necessary protection throughout our Christian life.
And the Shield-of-Faith, when utilised correctly, will protect our heart and soul from all the flaming arrows of the enemy, during our time on earth.
Discouragement and unholy anger, doctrinal error and spiritual confusion, together with false teachings, moral failure, and self-recrimination, will flood our hearts if we step outside the protection of an unwavering faith in God - and Jesus Christ, Whom He has sent.
We are to be astute, and recognise that anything that may cause our hearts to fail, can be prevented when we cast all our cares upon Him - by faith..
When the enemy seeks to instil worry in our heart or to whip up our frantic emotions - it is the Shield-of-Faith that is our protection - for God's Word is sure and we must stand firm on His truth, however fragile life's circumstances may have become.
There are many pieces of spiritual armour which God has prepared for our protection during our sojourn on earth, and those that know their God and trust His Word will continuously carry that Shield-of-Faith - by taking every thought captive to Christ..
by keeping their eyes of faith on Jesus and by resisting every attack of the enemy, through standing firm on the Word of faith.
May we stand fast in this evil day and take up the Shield-of-Faith moment by moment, knowing that with it, we are able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, and stand victorious - by the power of His Spirit, which is given by faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Those who place their faith in Him will also rise to newness of life, as part of that new creation in Christ.
By faith, we were removed from the old creation and placed into the new creation so that in the power of His resurrected life we are enabled to grow in grace to His praise and glory.
By faith in Him our sins have been paid but in Him we also died unto sin and our death with Him delivers us from the sin's hold on our lives and frees us from its tyranny and power, so that we are enabled to live godly lives with Christ's own resurrected life working through us.
Believers in Christ will never have to face the great day of God's wrath, nor stand before the Great White Judgement Throne of God, because Christ took the punishment for our sin in our stead, by grace through faith.
We are to establish, strengthen, and build-up our faith in our Lord Jesus, through Whom we have received forgiveness of sins and life more abundantly.
We are to feed on His Word and study to show ourselves approved, in order that we may grow in grace and mature in the faith once delivered to the saints, as based on the apostolic teaching, with Christ as the Cornerstone.
We are to be rooted in the Word of God and thoroughly grounded on the truth of the Scripture, by faith in the only begotten Son of God.
We are to establish God's Word of truth in our heart and to reckon it to be true so that we may live our lives in submission to the Holy Spirit of God, by faith in our Savour, Jesus Christ, with thanksgiving in our hearts.
We are to develop a fervent belief and committed trust in God the Father Who has given us eternal salvation by grace through faith, and we are to walk in spirit and truth so that in Him we will be abundantly furnished with an unshakable and established trust, which will overflow in thanksgiving and praise to our heavenly King.
They had been saved from Egyptian slavery, by grace through faith in God's Word on that first Passover..
It should cause us to reflect upon our own behaviour, examine our own faith, and challenge us to see if we are walking in spirit and truth... or if we are pandering to the lust of the flesh, our own inflated egos, or binding ourselves to unbelievers.
And The salvation of mankind would be accessed through faith in the supernational birth, the sinless life, the sacrificial death, and the glorious Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ - so that by faith in His name we might have life eternal.
He is the Christ - the Son of the living God, and through faith in Him we are made sons of God and have become joint-heirs with Him.
Yes, Jesus Christ was the propitiation for our sins, turning the wrath of God, which we all justly deserve, away from us and upon Himself so that by faith in Him we might be made the righteousness of God.
Sometimes the truth of what we were before we were saved by grace through faith, and the glory of who we presently are in Christ, can appear to conflict.
We change from being dead in our sins and at enmity with God to being saved by grace through faith in Christ, and we are given a new nature as part of our new identity in Him.
And may we grow in grace, day by day, looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.
If we trusted Christ for our redemption by faith and received the life of Christ as a free gift of grace, should not we also choose to live our life in spirit and truth?
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
We are God’s children and that is what we are, – sinners, saved by the grace of God through faith in His Son, and that grace proceeds from the Father-heart of a wonderful, perfect, unique, divine love.
Fear is the opposite of faith and amidst the reality of certain opposition, abuse, harassment, and hatred, Christ's apostles were assured that all evil deeds perpetrated by hostile people against them, together with their deceptive agendas and mean-spirited lies: Nothing that is concealed will not be revealed, and nothing that is hidden will not be made known.
It must have been encouraging for Paul to see Timothy, his young 'son-in-the-faith' being sufficiently established in his Christian life to be entrusted with pastoring the recently established Church in Ephesus.
It was to reinforce the teaching, in Old Testament times, that man is justified by faith and not by works of the Law.
It was to remind them that the justified man is to live by faith.
It was to encourage sinners to turn from their sin and turn to God for the forgiveness of sin - which only comes through faith in Christ - God's perfect sacrifice for sin.
for Salvation comes through faith in Christ Jesus... the one and ONLY sacrifice for sin... the one and ONLY Mediator between God and man.
for your perseverance and faith, in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions, which you endure.
Following his customary greeting of, grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul started to express his deep gratitude for the growing faith and abounding love of these precious believers, towards one another - and also towards Paul himself, and his fellow-labourers in the Lord - (Silvanus and Timothy).
They showed patient endurance and faith in God's promises, despite the unrelenting persecution and tribulation they were currently undergoing - particularly at the hand of their Roman oppressors.
And so he wrote, therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you, among the churches of God, for your perseverance and faith..
The endurance they displayed in the midst of reprehensible oppression and numerous trials, was a testimony to their patience, perseverance, and faith.
Paul wanted to remind them that the Christian life is not an easy thing, but lovingly commended them for their perseverance in the midst of the deep distress they were going through - and so he wrote, therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions, which you endure.
By paying for our sin, we can be declared righteous by faith.
His redemption is therefore available to everyone, by faith.
He came to offer each one the free gift of salvation, which by God's grace becomes ours by faith in Him.
He came so that by grace through faith, ALL who believe on His name might be set free from the actions, consequences, and outcomes of our sin-filled lives!!
By faith in Jesus, we have been made a new creation.
By faith in Him, we are born into the family of God.
By faith in Him, we are made children of God, and by faith in Him we have become joint-heirs with Christ.
By faith, we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that we may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who has called us out of darkness into His marvellous light.
All that is needed is faith in Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin - to Whom be all praise and glory, not only in this life but in the ages to come.
Hebrews is a book that focuses on faith, which is simply believing God's Word.
We are to have faith in God the Father and faith in His Son.
We are to have a faith that holds firm through all the changing scenes of life, whether we face trouble or joy.
We are called to live by faith in the Word of God, for without faith it is impossible to please Him, and we are encouraged to remember His faithfulness towards us and to avoid the unfaithfulness exhibited by the nation of Israel and the unbelief they demonstrated in the wilderness.
We are also exhorted to recall to mind the great men and women of faith who maintained their trust in God despite the suffering and pain they had to face in their lifetimes.
We are encouraged to look to the Lord Jesus who is the Author and Finisher of our faith, and to consider Him and the hostility that He endured from the hands of sinful man.
Though the Lord Jesus was fully God, He lived His life from beginning to end as God intended man to live: by faith in God.
Jesus set aside His own glory during His time on earth and lived his life by faith in God for the joy that was set before Him - and we are to consider HIM.
Let us believe that nothing is impossible with respect to each and every one of God's precious promises to us, and demonstrate the same, trusting faith that was expressed by Mary - that nothing is impossible to God, even when we don't understand.
But rather than trusting God to carry out His stated will and purpose in His own time and in His own way, Rebekah and Jacob demonstrated a lack of faith in God's ability to fulfil His Word, which exposed some of their own serious character flaws.
The blessing Isaac would bestow on Jacob would be a double portion of his father's wealth as well as being given the coveted position as head of the family - but the deceptive manner in which the blessing was stolen would be recorded in Scripture as a testimony to Jacob's carnality and lack of faith.
This may be the material for a thrilling, fast-moving, storyline in a gripping movie or a good subject for an enthralling novel, but it is a sorry state of affairs when God's people demonstrate such underhand behaviour, such rebellion against God, such contempt for His revealed will, such disregard for their own family members, and such a lack of faith in God's promised Word.
They were obviously regenerate individuals, for only those that are saved by grace through faith in Christ, can be addressed as members of Christ's Body - which is the Church.
They were not growing in grace and maturing in the faith.
The world did not consider the message they shared to be dynamic and powerful, for they had compromised the word of truth! The true message of the Cross, is sharper than a two-edged sword and an offence to a sin-sick world, and should have been the watchword of these believers - but it was silenced, for they had compromised their faith.
Our sins were judged at the Cross and by faith in Him, we have already received forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.
Topics in James relate to unity in the Body of Christ as well as faith, wisdom, conflict, justice, and prayer.
And yet through it all, Job's faith in God did not fail.
Job was a godly man who overcame some of the most difficult and traumatic circumstances in life by maintaining His faith in God.
And through his suffering, Job's faith was increased, and the Lord used Job to teach the angelic host some important lessons about His holy character and His plans and purposes for the race of man whom He had made in His own image and likeness.
Not only does the testing of our faith work patience, which is an important attribute in the maturing Christian who is growing in grace and being conformed into the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus, but it ALSO brings glory to God and will one day be used to teach the angelic host about the never-changing character of our faithful Lord.
He would pay the price for sin, break the power of sin and death in the lives of all who would believe in Him for salvation, and remove all who by faith are identified with Him from the curse of the Law.
And what a great encouragement it is for us today in these increasingly difficult and dangerous times, where world-wide persecution is escalating out of all proportion, and many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being slaughtered for their faith.
Our faith is not a crutch as some unbelievers like to say, but our faith is based on the facts of God's inerrant Word; truths that God has given to us about His character and plan, and truths that are rooted and grounded in historical events.
We are to mature in the faith and walk in the unity of the Spirit.
While the first is living in accordance with God's will for our lives and walking in the light, the second is outside His will and causes our heart to become lukewarm and our faith to falter.
Walking in unity of the faith and in the light of His truth is pleasing to God, for we are abiding in Christ and He in us.
Fear is the opposite of faith, for when fear increases it causes faith to decrease - and when faith stands firm on the promises of God, fear flees far away, just as Scripture teaches. 'RESIST the enemy' is the instruction from James, the apostle, Submit to God.
We are not to compromise our faith by joining in the world's frivolities, nor are we to embrace worldly endeavours or fleshly standards in our Christian work and witness - to do so gives the enemy a foothold, which will cause us to fall prey to the enemy's attacks.
Paul tells us to, rejoice always, pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks, for this is God's will for us. He knows that the joy of the Lord is our strength and that depression and fear are an enemy of our soul, and tools the devil will use to shipwreck our faith.
May we run the race that is set before us looking to JESUS, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
This good news was to be shared with the Gentiles - for everyone who would trust in the name of the only begotten Son of God would be saved by grace through faith in Him.
For by the first man - Adam, came sin, death, and eternal separation from God, but by the second Man, the Last Adam - Jesus Christ the righteous, came life and light, forgiveness, eternal peace on earth, and goodwill with God for men who believed - for as in Adam all DIE, so also ALL those that are positioned IN Christ, by faith, will be made alive.
Abraham is often called 'the father of faith' because he believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.
We find a third reference relating to the faith of Abraham in James chapter 2 for we read, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
Righteousness is a gift of God - received through faith.
We are justified by faith and not by works of the Law.
One of these righteous deeds that demonstrated his faith in God and caused him to be justified in the eyes of man was the offering his son Isaac on Mount Moriah - referred to in James chapter 2.
When Abraham trusted God's promise and obeyed His instructions... that was when his faith was counted as righteousness by God - as Paul records.
Many years later, he demonstrated his faith through his actions (Genesis chapter 22) when he obeyed God's instruction to offer his only son to the Lord on Mount Moriah. In Genesis 22, he demonstrated his faith in God and it was counted as a righteous act by man - as James records.
Throughout Scripture, we discover over and again that a man is not justified by works of the Law, but through faith in Jesus Christ.
Praise God that we are justified by grace through faith in the sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and not because of any good deeds we have carried out.
During our sojourn on earth, we are called to mature in the faith and to grow in grace, and God takes all the circumstances of life as an opportunity to develop our trust in Him so that we may discover a little more of His gracious character, His omnipotent power, His omniscient wisdom, His unfailing righteousness, His unapproachable holiness, and His unconditional love.
Although Martha's faith was small, her faith was in the right Person - the Lord Jesus Christ - and so He was enabled to expand her trust in God.
Martha only had a limited understanding of God but she had come to trust His Word, and so God was able to work in the circumstances of her life to develop her faith and to deepen her dependence upon the Lord Jesus.
And to this grieving woman with her tiny 'mustard-seed faith' were spoken those earth-shattering words: I am the Resurrection and the Life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.
Christ was able to refocus Martha's faith from a faithful God Who will one day fulfil His future promises to incarnate God Who is always present in the everyday circumstances of our lives.
Martha's faith was expanded as she learned that she was to look to Jesus every moment of her life, from that day forward, as her ever present help in time of trouble, and not simply to trust God with a future programmed that will one day be accomplished.
Let us never forget that however small our faith may be, God is working in us every day to strengthen our trust in Him so that we may grow in grace and learn to depend on Him, no matter what circumstances we may have to face.
But it is only by faith in Christ that this glorious privilege is granted to man, and it is only as we come to know Him more and more that we increasingly glimpse of His great glory and grace.
Because we are the objects of God's grace and have entered into a good knowledge and sound doctrine of our great salvation, which is by grace through faith, and are gaining maturity in our spiritual lives, Peter wants to ensure that we remain stable within our Christian walk, knowing that times will become increasingly difficult.
for it is not God's will that any should perish, but that all should come to faith in Jesus Christ.
Every day God's wrath is delayed, is one more day of grace, when Jew and Gentile alike are being convicted of sin, brought to repentance, and receiving salvation through faith in Christ.
It is only God's compassion and mercy... His long-suffering kindness and grace, that enables sinners to be saved through faith in Christ.
As believers, we are not only saved by grace when we believe on Christ for salvation, but we are also given the sufficient grace to live by faith because of the riches of His kindness.
It is not the 'irresistible grace' that is taught by many where God in His sovereignty forces certain people to believe while disallowing others from expressing faith in Christ, as is taught by many reformers.
It is not the dragging of some poor soul into a faith in Christ against his will through God's sovereign power, because we all have a God-given free will which we are required to exercise of our own volition in response to the gospel.
We are certainly saved by God's grace - but the free gift of salvation is stimulated by man's faith in the Person of Christ and His work on the Cross.
Having been given an assurance of our position in Christ and a reminder of the wonderful resurrection power we have in Him by faith, Paul calls upon us to take up the full armour of God so that we are equipped to resist the satanic plans and purposes of the enemy in the evil day and to stand firm in a world that is spiralling out of control.
Every one of us is to put on the whole armour of God so that we may be able to take a stand against every evil assault of the enemy - and continue to stand firm in the faith that God supplied through His eternal Son.
When the enemy attacks and satanic forces are seeking to undermine our faith, we are to put on Christ - to remain covered in His perfect righteousness - to abide in Him and hope in the Lord.
He is our salvation and by faith in Him, we have the indwelling Spirit of God giving us access to the throne of grace - through prayer, for mercy to find help in time of need.
Paul laboured hard to preach and teach the truth of the glorious gospel of Christ, and he warned unceasingly of the many false teachers who strove to undermine his God-appointed ministry and to confound the faith of believers with false doctrine, religious legalism, and twisting of the truth.
For in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom, knowledge, truth, and life eternal, for Christ is the power of God and He is the wisdom of God, and we are one with Him, by faith.
But he also knew that the closer each one was in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Himself, and the more intimately aquatinted they were with Him, the more the Holy Spirit is enabled to open up their understanding of the gospel and the more firmly grounded they become in the faith.
Paul's stated purpose in this verse should be the motivation for all of God's children in these increasingly evil days in which we are living, so that in Christ we may encourage one another in the faith and be united together in a godly love of the truth.
May we look to Christ, Who is the centre and circumference of our entire life, knowing that in Him alone are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and Who is the only secure foundation upon which our faith must rest.
Because we have been called out of darkness into His kingdom of light and have been adopted as heirs of God, joint-heirs with Christ, and inheritors of the kingdom of the majesty on high, we are to live and move and have our being in the liberty wherewith Christ and the Spirit has made us free; to walk by faith in Christ and to walk in the ways of God, to His honour and glory.
In chapter 6, the author seeks to develop our doctrinal understanding and strengthen our faith in the never-failing, steadfast devotion of Christ towards us.
In Paul's final epistle before his death, he wrote to Timothy urging him to be strong in the Lord, to live godly in Christ Jesus, and to hold fast to the faith.
Paul was able to say with confidence, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, and his dear desire was that Timothy, his young 'son in the faith' - and all who are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus, would follow his example and finish the race well... looking to Jesus and giving honour to the Lord.
Let us all consider everything that Paul taught Timothy, his 'son in the faith' so that we may also be brought into a deeper understanding of our Lord and Saviour and all that He has done for us.
Because we are children of God we are to look to Jesus, Who is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
By faith, we are positioned in Christ and have received His life.
We rejoice that our names are written in the Book of Life, but before we were saved by faith in Christ, we were all sons of disobedience and slaves of sin, who remained under the wrath of God and were headed for a lost eternity.
But now, by grace through faith, we are sons of God who have been freed from the penalty and power of sin and death.
It means that His resurrected Life became our new eternal, resurrected life, and we became part of a new and perfect creation IN Him - simply by God's grace, through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of His only begotten Son, for the forgiveness of sin and life everlasting.
No wonder Paul rejoiced to say, I have been crucified with Christ and the life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.
By faith, we died to sin with the Lord Jesus, when He offered Himself up as the ransom-price for our sin.
Before we were justified in the eyes of the Lord, by faith alone in Christ alone, we were also participants in the sinful lusts of the flesh and the haughty pride of life.
Every person who has not accepted God's offer of salvation by grace through faith in Christ, will come under His eternal wrath.
But by faith, we are children of the light and are to walk in the way of righteousness, for His greater glory.
Although salvation has always been by grace through faith - the book of Hebrews details the differences between Christ's pre-Cross teachings to Israel and the post-Resurrection doctrine given to New Testament believers.
They had not yet understood that a believer is justified through faith and strengthened by grace.
They found it hard to believe that their salvation was through faith in Christ - alone and did not depend on strictly following various food laws, as laid out in Jewish tradition.
He would be the final Sacrificial Lamb Who would save His people from their sin, by grace through faith, and His death would be the ransom price for the sin of the whole world, by grace through faith.
How hard it was for them to realise that their salvation did not depend on works of the Law, the maintaining of religious activities, or the keeping of cleanliness codes or food regulations, but rested entirely upon God's grace - by faith in the sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection of their King and Saviour - Jesus Christ, the righteous.
Too many believers, then as now, place too great an importance on the outward show of our Christianity through man-made rites, rituals, rules, and regulations, rather than the important cleansing of the heart by grace through faith in Christ - as we die to our own desires and live each day for Him.
We are exhorted to walk worthy of our calling, to contend earnestly for the faith, to abstain from earthy lusts which war against the soul, and to encourage one another while it is still called 'today' lest any of us are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Let us take note of the many scriptural warnings and exhortation to walk worthy of our calling, to contend earnestly for the faith, to abstain from earthy lusts which war against the soul, and to encourage one another while it is still called 'today' lest any of us are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, or simply drift away from the Lover of our soul.
It is faith in the full and finished work of the Son and trusting Him as Saviour that is the criteria for reconciliation to the Father, as was agreed by the Godhead in the eternal council chamber of heaven, before the world began.
GOD is faithful, and He has promised to establish us in the faith and guard us against the evil one.
But we must be aware that we have a powerful enemy, who desires our downfall and seeks to shipwreck our faith.
He had also taught about the restraining power that was suppressing wickedness and keeping evil from reaching its fullness, and Paul encouraged his listeners to hold fast in their faith and stand firm in the truth of the gospel, because the days are evil.
God knows our weakness, and He understands that our faith may fail, BUT the Lord is faithful, Who shall establish you, and guard you from the evil one.
Jews were equally in need of salvation, which for Jew and Gentile alike, is a free gift of God's grace - that is accessed through FAITH.
Rather, let us rejoice that God loves us so much that He sent His only begotten Son into the world to pay the price for our sin so that by faith in Him alone we can be forgiven and declared righteous - for the glory of God and our eternal good.
Faith comes by hearing and those who HEAR the truth of the gospel of God, believe in their heart and trust in Christ, will rise into newness of His resurrected life.
Similarly, those who have done evil deeds is referring to those that have never put their faith in God, by trusting Christ for salvation.
A cursory reading of this verse implies that a man's salvation is dependent on a man's good works and his exemplary character traits, but the whole counsel of Scripture dictates that a man is not saved by good works, but by faith.
Indeed, the Bible teaches that only the person who is born from above through faith in God's Word is credited with righteousness.
And from this base of faith should flow the works of righteousness that David lists in this beautiful Psalm - for we read in Hebrews, without faith, it is impossible to please Him.
May we who have come to a saving faith in the sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ, take to heart the character traits that should be evident in the life of the spiritual man or woman.
They would become part of the new creation, when they were born-again, and this would happen by grace through faith in Christ's death, burial, and Resurrection.
Those who are saved by grace through faith will joyfully confess Jesus as their Saviour and Lord and enter into His heavenly joy, while those who through foolish pride refused to acknowledge Him as God and rejected His free offer of salvation will also confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the honour and glory of God.
The irreducible deity and eternality of Christ is often a stumbling block to the limited minds of men, but by faith we understand Christ is the second Person of the eternal Trinity.
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the Word of God, and by faith we understand: The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we behold His glory by grace through faith in Him.
It is having faith in the incarnate Word of God and trusting all that the Lord has revealed to us in the written Word of God.
He knew that man's heart is deceitful above all things, and that fallen man can be swept into deep despondency when faith in the Lord fails or falters.
It was as He lamented the unbelief of the people, and became distressed by the destructive consequences of their sin, that he was led to reignite his own faith by confessing the truth, Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD.
It is having faith in the unchangeable Truth that God has opened up for us in the Scriptures, and has revealed to us through His only begotten Son.
It pleases the very heart of God when His children depend on Him utterly, believe in His Word, and trust in His Son for Salvation, for without having faith in Who He is and what He had said, it is impossible to please Him.
Without faith we are ships without a rudder that are tossed and adrift on the merciless sea of life, for the one who draws near to God must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Christian hope is not a vain, fingers-crossed fantasy, and faith in God is not founded on fiction, but on fact.
It is seeing with the unclouded eye-of-faith, all God promises as a certain reality, and accepting as actuality the truth of His Word.
Blessed is the man who embraces these two gifts of grace, which abide forever - for faith and hope unlock our understanding of the Father-heart of God's pure love for all His children.
When confronted with insurmountable barriers or when our very lives are threatened, may we be quick to cast ALL our cares on Him and in everything by prayer and supplication - with thanksgiving and faith, call on the name of the Lord, and when our Father gives us the answer, may we never forget to give Him ALL the praise and worship - for He alone is worthy.
He knew that he was incapable of addressing the pressing issue of Jerusalem's broken walls himself, but translated his faith into prayer and fasting.
Nehemiah prayed in faith and with expectation, that the Lord would respond to His pleas.. and his prayer is a wonderful example of how we should approach God's throne of grace - for mercy to find help in time of need.
He fasted in hope, prayed in faith, and believed that God would fulfil His plans and purposes, for His name's sake - and we should do the same.
He is the good Shepherd of His people; the Rock of our salvation, and a stronghold in time of trouble... and He travels with each one of His people through the valley of the shadow of death, and no one who puts their faith in Him will ever be disappointed.
This young man no doubt knew of the six days of Creation; the fall of man; the judgements of God at the times of Noah; the shocking happenings at Babel; the downfall of king Nebuchadnezzar due to his arrogance and pride; and he would have been familiar with the call of Abraham, whose faith in God was credited to him as righteousness.
And when the foundation of our Christian faith is destroyed, what can the righteous do?
Well, Paul gave us some help in his final instructions and encouragement in second Timothy: We are called to be faithful in knowing and learning ALL the sacred writings of God, which are able to give us wisdom and which lead us to salvation, which can only be found by faith in Jesus Christ alone.
It is often considered to be the root of our Christian faith, but this is a misinterpretation of this scripture and a misunderstanding of this biblical passage.
All that are in Christ can also enter into His rest by faith, by simply resting on His Word – by simply standing on the promises of God.
We choose to enter into the sweet rest He offers to us, by diligently relying on Jesus and not our own strength, by choosing to trust Him, moment by moment, by faith.
His blood paid the price for sin so that we who believe, could be elevated into a position of son-ship and be awarded joint heir-ship with Him, by grace through faith.
We live by faith in God's Word and not as a result of an experience, an angelic appearance, or even someone returning from the dead.
Throughout Scripture, Abraham is identified as the 'father of faith' and his faith was reckoned as righteousness. The reason that Lazarus was taken to 'Abraham's bosom' - to 'Paradise' was because of his faith in God's Word.
Lazarus believed God and his FAITH was also reckoned as righteousness.
And because of his lack of faith in God's Word, he remained under God's condemnation - for he who believes is NOT condemned BUT he who does not believe is condemned ALREADY - because he has not believed in the only begotten Son of God.
Lazarus was saved by God's grace because of his faith and the rich man was condemned because of his lack of faith.
Salvation is the free gift of God THROUGH having faith in the Person and Work of Christ Jesus our Saviour - for there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved.
The man or woman who is called of the Lord to be holy, by faith... is set free from all the restrictions, constraints, and controls that influence every part of our commonplace lives.
But he also wanted to detail the incredible debt we owe to the One Who hung on the Cross for the sin of the world... so that by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection, we might have life - and have it more abundantly.
Paul used this passage to remind us that a slave who is called to be in Christ by faith is the freedman of the Lord... while the man that is free must consider himself to be the slave of Christ - for each one of us were bought and paid-for at Calvary and the precious, purchase price was the shed blood of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ - Who loved us and gave Himself for us.
But we have also been blessed to receive a third 'book' from our Creator God: The Holy Scriptures, which not only detail God's wonderful creation week, but His amazing plan of salvation, that fallen man can be saved by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Who laid aside His heavenly glory to be born into this sinful, rebellious race of man so that all who believe in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection would not perish, but have everlasting life.
All are one in Christ: So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
A day is coming when that nation will repent of their sin, turn from unbelief to faith in God's Anointed, and cry out, Hosanna to their Messiah: Hosanna to the Son of David.
However, at His Second Coming, when He returns in great power and glory to set up His kingdom in Jerusalem, a redeemed Israel who finally acknowledge Christ as their Messiah and King, will produce the fruit of righteousness through faith in God and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent.
The Sermon on the Mount makes it very clear to both Israel and the Church, that true discipleship demands true righteousness which is not produced by works of the Law but by faith in Christ.
The Lord's extended sermon on the true nature of righteousness, which is produced by faith in Christ, systematically covers every area of concern any of us might face, and the principles of living a godly life in Christ Jesus.
Peter tells us in his epistle, that God's divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness, and in Ephesians we read that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places, because of our faith in Christ.
They were told the true significance of God's Word and that the only way to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, is by faith in Christ and not works of the Law.
May we take to heart the simple truth of this simple command from Christ and live by faith in His promises and not by flawed human reasoning.
But God in His wisdom, often waits for His distressed children to recognise that their deepest heart-need is the Lord Himself, and that their severe lack, can only be satisfied in Him - as they come to Him in childlike dependence and trusting faith.
And Jeremiah's heart was encouraged and his faith was strengthened.
He called on them to be alert, to stand firm in the faith, to act like men, and be strong.
He encouraged each of them to be on their guard, to stand fast in the faith, and to let everything be done in love.
In his closing comments, Paul speaks a word of encouragement, while exhorting them toward sound doctrine, maturing in the faith and developing Christ-like love, and made a solemn pronouncement, If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be anathema.
Let us examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith and secure in the truth of the Word of God, and let us study to show ourselves approved unto Him... and to love the Lord with all our heart and soul and mind and strength.
Justification by faith in Christ is the one and only way to God... for the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe.
But he rejoices to inform us that apart from the impossible task of keeping God's perfect Law, the righteousness of God has now been made known through faith in the Person and work of Jesus Christ.
He is the sinless Son of God Who as our Kinsman-Redeemer, fulfilled every aspect of the Law... and He did it on behalf of all who would have faith in Him.
Paul lays out the bottom line that although no one is sinless and no one can keep God's perfect Law, there is an acceptable way to be declared righteous - and it is simply through faith in Christ.
We are justified by God through faith in Christ.
For many, this seemed to imply that God's perfect Law was meaningless and so the question was asked, Do we then nullify the Law through faith?
This is a concern that continues to be the cry of many today, for the simple gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Christ, seems to overthrow the legitimacy of God's divine authority that comes through the perfect Law.
On the contrary, we establish the Law - and it is established simply through faith.
When the Law has turned a sinner to repentance, so that they turn from their sin to faith to Jesus Christ - it has achieved the purpose for which it was given.
Death for the sinner means eternal separation from GOD... for the wages of sin is death BUT... the gift of God is eternal life, through faith in Jesus Christ.
By His grace, the redemption price was paid in full by Jesus, so that when a sinner recognises their sin and seeks salvation by faith in Christ, the Law has fulfilled its work in the life of that sinner.
The Law is not nullified by faith but is established.
Paul lays out why we are saved by faith and why we are not saved by works of the Law.
But Christ took the punishment that we sinners deserve so that we may be declared righteous saints in the eyes of God - through faith.
We are freed from the curse of the Law - by faith.
The prime purpose of the Law is to expose our sinfulness and point us to faith in Christ's righteousness and when a sinner is saved by grace, the Law has been established in that life.
Do we then nullify the Law through faith?
Far from negating the Law, the gospel of Christ upholds the Law, for the death penalty is paid for every man's sin by Christ and those who place their trust in His finished work for salvation instead of trusting their own works of righteousness are saved from death - BY FAITH.
The outward righteousness of the Pharisees in the time of Christ hid a covetous and greedy disposition, and Christ exposed this materialistic persuasion as hypocrisy, a lack of faith, a division of loyalty and disobedience towards God.
Money can certainly be put to many good uses when used in a righteous, God-ordained manner, but the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil which can cause some believers to wander away from the faith, resulting in much sadness and sorrow.
Their inspired teachings should be the only foundation upon which our Christian faith, our spiritual life, and our fundamental doctrine should stand, knowing that Jesus Christ is the Chief Cornerstone.
Christ is our Chief Cornerstone upon Whom all the fundamentals of our faith are laid, and the teaching of the New Testament apostles and prophets is the non-negotiable foundation upon which our Christian faith must be anchored.
From the Gospel writers and the letters of Paul, to the apostolic epistles and the Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave through Him to John (telling His Church things which must soon take place), the unquestionable foundation upon which our faith is grounded is the Bible.
The Bible is the inerrant Word of God and must remain the foundation upon which our faith is fastened.
Let us remember that all Scripture is breathed out by God and must remain the foundation upon which our Christian faith is rooted and grounded: Being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Cornerstone.
Some of God's people may have returned to their homeland as the dead, dry, lifeless bones described in Ezekiel 37, but they have not been born-anew by the 'in-breathing' of eternal life from the Holy Spirit, which ONLY comes from faith in Jesus, their Messiah and King.
It was pride that brought terrible destruction on their eternal soul, for they considered they could be justified in God's eyes by their own good works, rather than by faith in Christ.
Pride was also the reason that the Galatian Christians were in danger of 'falling from grace' because they sought to be sanctified by works of the Law rather than by faith in Christ.
Having been justified by grace through faith in Christ, forgiven of their sin, and given eternal life, they tried to keep themselves in God's good books by works of the flesh.
Yet despite being dead in our sins and at enmity with Him, He was willing to call us His children - because of our faith in the sacrificial offering of His only begotten Son on our behalf.
It is only as the love of God is poured into our hearts by faith in Christ, that we are identified as His children, for Jesus is our blessed Hope - and all who have this godly love, joy, peace, and hope in our hearts, are purified.
However, the opposite is true of those who do not have the indwelling Spirit of Christ by faith.
May we who have been born from above, mature in the faith, walk in spirit and truth, grow in grace, and abide in Christ Jesus our Lord, day by day... so that His life and love, goodness and grace, may pour into our hearts from Him, and stream out in love to others.
He wanted to eradicate all knowledge of the Christian faith and remove from the minds of humanity all remembrance, of the One Who had become known as Jesus of Nazareth.
Death could not keep the deathless, everlasting Son of Man in the place of the dead, for in Him is life because He is the fountain of all life, and all who are in Him by grace through faith will rise to life immortal.
But unlike Israel's first experience in the promised land - with Joshua, when God was rejected and, everyone did what is right in his own eyes, this time His people will look to the Lord Jesus - Yeshua, in faith.
He is the only Member of the Trinity Who was clothed in human flesh, so that sinful men and women might be saved by grace - through faith in His sacrificial work at Calvary.
Paul's emphasis in his Galatian Epistle was that we are saved by grace through faith and we are to live the same way.
We are saved by grace through faith and not by works of the Law... AND we are also to live by grace through faith and not by keeping religious rules or partaking in legalistic practices or cultural customs.
We are not saved by works of the law or through man's merit - but by grace through faith in Christ.
But like Abraham and other men of faith... those that trusted God's Word and believed His promises were credited with righteousness - as they looked forward to the coming Messiah Who would redeem them from Satan, sin, death, and hell.
Those who looked forward to the coming Messiah in the dispensation of the Law, were saved by grace through their faith which was reckoned as righteousness.
We who look back to the Cross, in this dispensation of grace, are also saved by grace through faith - and we too are reckoned as righteous.
He does not tell us to try to change society per se, but he does instruct us to turn away from such things; to immerse ourselves in the Scriptures; to preach the Word; to be watchful in all things; to endure hardships; to do the work of an evangelist; to fulfil our ministry and to keep the faith.
The Gentiles placed their faith in their own human wisdom, perceiving the Cross as a demonstration of God's weakness and His unwarranted failure.
And yet, there are those that hear the wonderful gospel of grace, receive it as trustworthy and true, and accept Christ as Redeemer, Saviour, Lord, and God, by grace through faith.
And to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks (to those who have trusted Christ Jesus as Saviour, by grace through faith), Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
The blood of Christ is sufficient to pay for the past, present, and future sins of all who trust in His name, but the blood of Christ was also sufficient to pay for the sins of all the Old Testament believers who by faith trusted God to send His promised Saviour.
It is only through saving faith in the gospel of Christ that man can be made a new creature and be raised into newness of life.
It is only by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and our identification with HIM that we can be declared righteous by God and have the righteousness of Christ imputed to us.
Paul talks about the great diversity within the Body of Christ and the spiritual gifts and graces that each believer receives... according to the measure of faith that God has dealt to each one of us.
He outlines a most beautiful description of unity within the Church, There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Gifts of leadership are given to pastors, teachers, prophets, and evangelists, so that the saints are built up in the faith until we all live in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God - until we all come to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
It is through sound teaching and godly living that our faith is stabilised so that we are enabled to grow in grace and mature in the faith.
All gifts and graces should be used to help us grow together in the unity of the Body and to build one another up in the faith.
ALL members of the Body are equally beloved of the Lord and all are accepted in the Beloved... by grace through faith in Christ's finished work at Calvary.
And let us look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him, and for love of the Church, endured the Cross, despising the shame, and is seated on the right hand of the Majesty on high... until that wonderful day when He will come in the clouds of glory to take us to be with Himself forever - praise His holy name.
God purposed that Christ alone would take the punishment for the whole human race so that BY FAITH IN HIM (through faith in His blood), God's wrath could be satisfied and man could be returned into full fellowship with Himself.
Paul describes this amazing grace and perfect love in his letter to the Ephesians: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, and we who have had our sins forgiven have been reconciled to God through Christ. We have been reunited with God by grace - through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is not God's will that anyone should perish but that all come to faith in Jesus.
How astonishing that we who have been saved by His grace through faith, have been entrusted with the message that restores people into fellowship with the Father!
This is indeed a great mystery that staggers our understanding... but His blood WAS sufficient and through faith in Him and Him alone, we have obtained eternal redemption.
He had to come as Israel's Messiah first, because God had ordained that salvation would come to the Gentile world, THROUGH the Jews... for Salvation is by faith in Christ alone - faith in JESUS, the King of the Jews.
How thrilled they would be to receive the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith in Him.
There must have been many who believed God's Word by faith, whose lives spanned both sides of Calvary's Cross, who were not present on that special day of Pentecost, or did not realise that it was JESUS about Whom John spoke, when he commanded them to, believe on Him which should come after him, that is, believe on Christ Jesus.
were 'baptised' into the Body of Christ) by the Spirit of God through faith, and were in-dwelt by the Holy Ghost - as the fledgling church transitioned from the closing days in the dispensation of the Law into the opening hours of the dispensation of the grace of God.
Paul taught that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ.
He taught that when the truth of God's Word shines into our hearts, by faith, we are given the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ - but he also warned that the Christian life is not an easy one.
Paul knew he was simply a weak, human vessel who was saved by grace through faith in Jesus and indwelt by the Spirit of God... when his eyes were opened on that road to Damascus.
He knew that Jesus of Nazareth, Whom he had persecuted, had been delivered over to death on the Cross willingly for his sake... so that by faith in HIM, Paul would also be raised to life immortal.
God's love is so great that He sent His only begotten Son to pay the ransom price for our sin, and Paul understood that the enemy of our soul had many nefarious strategies to prevent a sinner from being saved and many shrewd schemes to shipwreck the faith of a believer.
Paul was a man who lived by FAITH and not by SIGHT.
'The household of God' refers to all who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, and Paul qualified this by spelling out, in no uncertain terms, what he meant, the household of God is the Church of the living God.
The household of God are the men and women who are positioned in Christ, by faith, and have become the pillar and foundation of the truth of God's glorious gospel of Christ - for Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life - no man is reconciled to the Father except through faith in HIM.
Scripture teaches that Christ Himself is the Truth, and that He alone is the foundation upon which our faith is anchored.
We are not the source or foundation of truth, for Christ is the Source of truth and He is the Foundation upon which our faith is founded.
The man or woman of faith who is living as God intended... is the one that produces the gracious fruit of the Spirit.
The believer who is living God's way is the one who dies to self, lives only to the Lord, and recognises that we are not only saved by grace through faith in Christ... but also understands that we are to live by faith, to walk by grace through faith in Christ, and to cast off all legalistic works of the flesh.
The Bible tells us that Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness, and it was their faith in God that saved Israel and not through works of the Law.
The Word of God provides all the instructions that we need for life and godliness, for our faith rests on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself being the chief Cornerstone.
He comes as a roaring lion seeking to shipwreck the faith of many Christians through fear, anxiety, worry, and depression; weakening our witness, rendering us useless as ambassadors for Christ, and stunting our Christian growth.
Salvation can never be gained as a reward, payment or by some other measure of man's worthiness, it is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Praise God that by faith in JESUS we are also sons and daughters of God Most High, and He has called us, chosen us, and brought us out of bondage to sin and slavery to Satan, and adopted us into His family.
He opened our understanding of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Christ alone, and helped us to understand more of Christ's propitiatory work on the Cross on our behalf.
It is not surprising that Paul could only refer to himself as the very least of all the saints... and dedicate the rest of his life by proclaiming the grace of God which was given to him and to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable, unsearchable, incalculable, boundless riches of Christ to all who are saved by grace through faith in Him.
His goal also included giving godly instruction to those that were saved by grace through faith in Christ, and to remind pastors and teachers to preach the Word of God in season and out of season, and to correct, rebuke, and encourage the flock of God with great patience and careful instruction.
The human spirit is born dead in trespasses and sins, but once the Life and Light of Christ has flooded into our hearts by grace through faith in Him, we become His hands to help, His feet to go, His heart to love, and His Light to shine forth His Life in our human frame.
But now, apart from the Law and the appeal of the prophets, the new, unique, and perfect righteous of the Lord Jesus can be imputed to the unrighteous sinner, by faith.
The Law gave witness of righteousness but could not provide righteousness, for it is only by grace through faith in Christ alone, that a guilty sinner can be declared righteous.
Let us quietly and confidently walk in the world today, telling all around us of the righteousness only found in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are called to be His holy habitation, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.
That Christ may dwell in your heart through faith, is Paul's fervent prayer for each member of the body of Christ.
It is according to the riches of His glory, that we are strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith; and that we are rooted in love and grounded in the love of Christ.
And it is all through faith in Jesus Christ, that we have entered into this unbreakable union with Himself, not only in this age but in the ages to come.
That Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith, is a prayer Paul prayed for each of us and a promise that we can claim.
How important that our faith is not based on human wisdom, academic ability, educational prowess, intellectual stature, and oratory skills, but on the truth of God's Word and in His mighty power.
Repentance for sin and faith in the gospel of God, are two sides of the same coin.
Godly sorrow for their sin combined with a wholehearted commitment to the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ as the object of faith was the single message.
Repentance from sin and faith in the gospel by necessity have to happen as a simultaneous act of will.
These legalists twisted the truth by adding law and works to grace and faith, and they 'peddled' their teachings for profitable purposes.
How important to remember that it is not the praise of others that should be our motivation to live godly lives, but a desire to honour our Lord through the life that we live so that we become a sweet aroma to those that are saved by grace through faith in Christ, while having the stench of death to those who resist the convicting work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
By faith, we are freed from slavery to sin, and delivered from a nagging need to carry out 'dead works' of the flesh, in an attempt to justify ourselves, cover our own confusion, cleanse ourselves from our own unrighteousness, and appease our sin-offended God.
By grace through faith in Christ's redeeming work, we have been made His children, and as such, we have many precious promises from our heavenly Father which are all 'yes' and 'amen' in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Only those who are saved by grace through faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection are no longer under God's condemnation.
How terrible to fall into the hands of a just and righteous God without having received salvation by grace through faith in His Son, Whose sacrificial death paid the price for our sins.
What beautiful truths are shared about our new life in Christ, where we discover that we are all members of His Body, united together in Him, free from bondage to sin and the curse of the law, each one with his own distinctive gifts and ministries, but each looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Timothy was Paul's 'son-in-the-faith' who was not only effective in ministry, but entrusted with a number of tasks and responsibilities, including pastoring the thriving church at Ephesus and acting as an trusted courier, by delivering messages to and from the apostle Paul.
His letter contained much to edify his readers and encourage them in their Christian life, and he also urged them to remain firm in the faith during the persecution they were going through.
Paul himself experienced many attacks from both Jewish and Gentile opponents and in this letter, he exhorted these believers to remain faithful to the gospel and to continue to grow in grace and mature in the faith.
When we are recipients of God's grace, by faith, we have access to God's peace: Peace WITH God because our sins are forgiven, and the peace OF God which guards our hearts as we rest and remain: In God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus was perfected, during His life, to equip Him for His role as the Author and Finisher of our faith - He was the source of eternal life for all who would believe in Him and He was sent by the Father to give His life as the ransom price for the sin of the world and obtain redemption for all who would believe on His name.
Although Christians in Corinth were saved by grace through faith and were greeted as 'saints' by Paul in his epistle, there was much serious division amongst the congregation, as some were indulging in gross immorality and some seriously unethical behaviour.
Paul had not only taught these believers about salvation by grace through faith, but had instructed them on godly living, their heavenly inheritance, spiritual purity, and many other aspects of Christian growth.
They had once been wicked themselves, but had been saved by grace through faith in Christ.
And this is only possible in the life of a believer, who by faith will walk in spirit, truth, and humility of heart, not having a righteousness of our own, which is derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ; the righteousness which comes from God, on the basis of faith.
Jesus started talking to this despised, immoral, isolated Samaritan woman so that her need for His living water and the eternal life that He offers to all by grace through faith in Him, could be satisfied.
We are called to stand fast in the faith of the gospel of Christ, to refrain from any foolish quarrels or unspiritual attitudes towards others, and to keep away from any false doctrine or erroneous teachings.
It is as we grow in grace, mature in the faith, abide in Christ and He in us, that we are making our sanctification complete.
God has given to all who are saved, by grace through faith in Christ, many precious promises that are all yes and amen in Him - and He has exalted His Word of truth above His holy name, Therefore dear friends, since we have such promises, we should wash ourselves clean from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, making our sanctification complete in the fear of God.
Never diminish the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is ONLY by faith in Him that we are redeemed from the slave-market of sin.
Only by faith in the sacrificial death of the Son of God, can our sins be forgiven and eternal life received.
And that faith includes Christ rising from the dead..
It is through faith in Christ that we are called believers in God.
Only those who enter the fold through faith in HIM will discover He is the good Shepherd, Who leads us by still waters, restores our soul, and satisfies us with good things.
He alone will protect us from the wrath to come for He alone conquered death and hell at the Cross forever - and only through faith in HIM, will this mortal put on immortality and this corruptible body be clothed in an incorruptible resurrection.
He was born into His own creation for our sake - so that by faith in HIM we might be imputed with Christ's righteousness and justified in the eyes of God.
Faith in Him alone secures the promised hope of our bodily resurrection and life with Him in the heavenly realm.
Just as our identity with Adam ensures we will die, so all who are identified with Christ, by faith, will be made alive.
Through HIM we are believers in God the Father, Who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory - so that our faith and hope are in God, Who raised Christ from the dead.
No wonder that Paul was able to confirm that our faith and hope are in God. Our faith in Christ rests on the Word of God for we trust the promises He has given, which are 'YES' and 'AMEN' in Christ.
Our blessed Hope rests on JESUS, the Author and Finisher of our faith - Who for the joy set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
From the Seed of the woman with its promise of salvation... to God's own little 'book of remembrance,' and His pledge to judge the world in righteousness, the focus of our attention throughout the Old Testament Scripture is always centred on Christ, the hope of Israel Who will save His people from their sins - by faith.
He broke the power of sin and death in the life of all who would be saved by grace through faith in Him.
All who enter that coming kingdom will have been saved, by God's grace, from the wrath of God, by faith... and the Lord Jesus will be their refuge from the wind and a shelter from the storm.
Just as the Transfiguration was a tiny preview into the coming earthly kingdom, when Christ would rule and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords, so the things that Christ said to His followers and the things that Christ did with His disciples following His Resurrection was also a tiny foretaste of the coming Church dispensation: A time when believers not only have peace with God by grace through faith in His death, burial and Resurrection, but they have the peace of God in their hearts.
There is much in this world that pours scorn on our Christian faith and denies the truth, distorts the truth, promotes a half-truth, or peddles a twisted truth.
May we be those who run to the throne of grace often, and who remain there as we continue to pour out our prayers to our Heavenly Father, not giving up, but remaining steadfast in our faith.
Only God, Himself, in the Person of Jesus Christ is able to redeem us (by faith), and He did this by dying on a tree and becoming a curse in our place.
May we read, mark, learn, inwardly digest, and apply all that God has provided for us in His Word, and not become complacent, lest we fall from grace, regress into spiritual infancy, become complacent in our faith, or compromise the truth, for we never know if and when the Scriptures will become scarce in our homes or banned from our land.
Like all sinners throughout the history of man, the only way to be declared righteous by God is through His full and free enablement - which comes through faith.
Only those placing faith in His grace and mercy, through trusting in God's sin-substitute for salvation will be revived, redeemed, and restored.
He also wanted to be sure that their doctrine was sound, their faith was maturing, and that they were growing in grace.
But Paul knew that nothing could separate him from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, and that no one could pluck him out of God's hands - and he wanted the saints at Rome to know the same truth in their heart, and to encourage these believers to hold fast to the faith, and stand firm on the truth of the gospel of God.
So that I may be encouraged together with you while I am among you, each of us encouraged by the other's faith, both yours and mine.
As members of His body, let us seek to use our gifts and graces to uplift and invigorate our brothers and sisters in the faith, and to welcome the encouragement and advice we receive from them.
Those who have been placed in union with Christ by faith as mankind's kinsman Redeemer, are also to participate in His universal dominion, His heavenly throne, and His eternal life as heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.
God's plans and purposes for man were not to be thwarted by the sinful rebellion and foolish action of the first man Adam, for God had a greater plan and an eternal purpose for the Son of Man, the last Adam: That through Him all who are made a new creation in Christ will bear God's likeness and receive God's nature, as day by day, by grace through faith in Him, we are being conformed into the image and likeness of Christ our Saviour, the Man from heaven.
so all who are born-again, by faith in Christ, become part of God's new creation of humanity and are identified with Christ's, perfect righteousness.
All who are saved by grace through faith in Him, receive His life and are given rest for their soul - for Christ is our Tree of Life, and that life is eternal.
Praise God that by faith we are transferred from the old creation in Adam, into God's New Creation in Christ - by grace, through faith in Him.
Knowledge and application of sound biblical doctrine contained in Scripture is the only foundation for a mature Christian walk and effective Christian service, and Paul reminds the young pastor, Timothy that a good minister of the Lord Jesus Christ must be constantly nourished by the words of the faith and good doctrine.
Like Timothy, we are all to be good servants of Christ Jesus and constantly nourished on the words of the faith that was given to the saints, and of sound biblical doctrine.
And the same warning had to be reiterated by Paul to the carnal Christians at Corinth who, although having been saved by grace through faith in Christ, had not grown in their Christian life.
Both David and Peter encouraged others to have a positive attitude towards life, by faith in God Who has promised to be with us always, even when things are difficult, even when we are facing persecution and problems.
To love life in the midst of trials is a deliberate act of the will and is honouring to the Lord, for it expresses an attitude of faith in God, it demonstrates a spirit of trust in Him, that He is in control and will work all things together for the good to those that love Him.
Peter expanded on his advice to love the life that God has graciously given us, and to make the most of time that we have on earth, by faith with thanksgiving; by commanding us to keep our tongue from speaking evil and our lips from telling lies.
Let us follow the example of Peter and David, and by faith make the most of the life that God has given us by fostering a gracious attitude, a thankful heart, and conversation that is full of grace and seasoned with salt, that edifies and encourages, to the glory of God.
Praise God that Jesus is the Door through Whom we will pass from death to life, by faith... and that anyone who enters through Him will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture, not only in this age but in the ages to come - for Jesus is the One Who protects us from the evil schemes of the devil, guards us from the dangers of this fallen world system, secures salvation for all who believe, sustains our spiritual health, promises us a place in Christ's heavenly kingdom, and is keeping, for us, an eternal inheritance in the eternal ages to come.
May we, who have gone through the Door of Salvation and been brought into the heavenly realm by faith in Him, enter into the fullness of Christ as we feed on Him in our hearts by faith with thanksgiving, growing in grace and in a knowledge of our God and Saviour - Whom to know is life eternal.
The Lord Jesus came to earth as the sin substitute for mankind, and fulfilled all that the Father ordained so that we could be set free from the curse of sin, by faith in Him.
But Romans is the seedbed of our faith, giving the fullest presentation of the good news of Christ from the pen of Paul, God's great apostle who was chosen to deliver much of the Church-age doctrine which had been hidden in times past.
And the gospel that Romans declares is the power of God unto salvation to all who believed, for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written: For the righteous will live by faith.
Throughout the book of Galatians, the apostle Paul seeks to demonstrate that salvation by grace through faith in Christ is not only the first step in the Christian life, when a sinner is born from above, but that we are also to live our entire Christian life from that point forward, by grace through faith in Christ alone.
The works of the Law are impossible to keep and unattainable for fallen man to achieve, for they are based on man's work and man's merit and not by God's grace through faith in Christ.
Christ fulfilled the whole Law, and all who believe on Him by grace through faith are identified with His death.
And so, like Christ, we are to live that life as God intended: by grace through faith and not by works of the Law.
Only as Christ's life is lived in and through the believer, by grace through faith, are we living as God intended man to live, in utter and total dependence on Him.
But when we substitute the works of the Law (carried out through man's merit) for works of the spirit (carried out by the indwelling Spirit of God by grace through faith) we unwittingly place ourselves back under the curse of the Law.
It is only through the grace of God that He sent His only begotten Son to pay the full price of our sins so that simply by believing in Him we would be clothed in righteousness of God, based on faith in Christ.
We are reminded that we serve a sovereign Lord Who will never fail us nor forsake us, for despite Israel's failure, our God is full of grace and mercy towards His people, and we are equally the recipients of His grace and mercy for we are also His children by faith in Christ.
Much of his teaching is linked with our progressive sanctification, maturing in the faith, and growing in grace.
Men are encouraged to be sober, respectful, temperate, and sound in faith, love, and patience, while older women are urged to exhibit reverent behaviour, be circumspect in their demeanour, and be careful to curb their tongues.
There is one Lord Who is God of all creation, and the offer of salvation, which He provides by faith in the sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, is equally available to all people, Jew and Gentile, black and white, free or in bondage, male and female, young and old... for all have sinned and all fall far short of the glory of God and the godly perfection He requires.
The Gentiles were to be told of the glorious gospel of the coming King of Israel Who would save them from their sin by faith.
He is God of the Jews and God of the Gentiles... for there is one God who will justify Jews by faith and the same God will justify Gentiles by faith.
There is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and He will also justify the uncircumcised by faith.
The good news of the gospel of grace is that salvation for the Gentile is no different from salvation for the Jew... for righteousness is credited because of faith.
God is no respecter of persons and those who believe on the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, have His assurance that they are saved - by God's grace, through faith in Christ.
Having been made righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ, while we were still enemies of God and wallowing in sinful rebellion, and having received the free gift of eternal life by grace through faith in Him, how much more certain is it that, during this life, we shall be delivered daily from the dominion of sin in our lives through Christ's resurrection life?
If we continue to look by faith, the mirror becomes a window through which we see God and His truth.
May we search the Scriptures daily to discover a deeper depth of truth and a greater understanding of Who Christ is, What He has done, and all that it means to those who are saved by grace through faith in Him.
But it we continue to look by faith, the mirror becomes a window through which we see God and His truth.
The Church at Thessalonica were commended, by Paul, for their work of faith and their labour of love.
And this truth has been revealed to give comfort to our soul and to strengthen our resolve to stand firm in the faith and be ready for the day when we hear a shout, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, to call us home.
But the Lord was more interested in this man's eternal soul and did not want him to miss the opportunity of salvation through faith in his Messiah, and so the Lord Jesus searched for him and we read: Afterward He found him in the temple and said to him, 'Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.'
We are all born - physically alive but spiritually dead in our sins, but every one of us has the opportunity to have ALL our sin forgiven, by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And in His goodness and grace, God did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, so that by grace through faith in His sacrificial work on Calvary we would be reconciled back to God and become eternal beneficiaries of His unfathomable goodness and grace.
The work of the creation may have been completed on the sixth day for we read that God rested on the seventh day, but a far, FAR greater work of the triune Godhead immediately began the moment man sinned in that good and perfect place; and that redemptive work continues today as sinners who are convicted of sin and righteousness and judgement are saved by grace through faith in Christ's finished work on Calvary.
There are times when punishing circumstances invade our lives which God uses to hone us and refine us, to test our devotion to Him and to try our faith in His Word so that we may be purified in the furnace of affliction.
God's people are to be a praying people, united in Spirit and love, for we are one body with one hope, one faith, one gospel, one Lord - one God and Father of us all.
Day after day their faith did not waver, as they continually devoted themselves to prayer.
They were praying in faith for Christ's word to be fulfilled.
Jesus was sent to be the perfect Lamb, slain before the foundation of the earth - through Whose sacrificial blood their scarlet sins could be wiped away, by faith, and become as white as snow: Though your sins are red like crimson, they will be like wool, is God's promise to His people Israel - and His promises are 'YES' and 'AMEN' in Christ Jesus our Lord.
While we were yet sinners, God gave His only begotten Son to be the sacrifice for our sin - so that by grace through faith in Him, we might be redeemed, receive eternal life, and be returned into sweet fellowship with our Heavenly Father.
We are to stand firm in the faith and submit to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit, day by day, and we are to live our lives looking to Jesus and learning to say, in all things, THY will, not mine be done.
The purpose of Israel's Law was to point them to Christ and it was fulfilled in Him, for faith in the promises of God and His as Messiah was to be the criteria for righteousness.
The guaranteed outcome of our faith in Christ is the salvation of our spirit, our soul, and our body.
At the same time, our faith in Christ secured the salvation of our soul, and we were made a new creation in Christ and given His resurrected life (our new life in Christ), so that instead of following the lust of the flesh we were enabled to walk in newness of life, with the indwelling Holy Spirit as our Comforter and Counsellor, our Guide and Teacher.
But although the salvation of our soul was secured at rebirth, it is necessary for us to grow in grace, to mature in the faith, and to become fruitful to the glory of God.
Christ's finished work on the Cross demands our everlasting thanks and praise, for although we have not seen Him, we love Him and greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, knowing that it is through Him alone that we have obtained: As the outcome of our faith, the salvation of our soul.
He was to be used to bring people from the dominion of Satan into the family God so that sinners may be sanctified by faith in Christ, receive forgiveness of sins, and a heavenly inheritance.
Surely, if a man like Saul with such aggressive hatred against Christ and the Church could become the most devoted follower of the Lord Jesus, others can have the assurance that their sin can also be forgiven, by grace through faith in Him.
As he penned his final epistle from a dungeon in Rome, Paul wanted to encourage this young pastor to stand fast in the faith and endure the inevitable challenges he would face, if he were to be faithful in ministry, remain true to the glorious gospel of grace, and preach the Word of God to a world that was dead in sins and at enmity with God.
Timothy was Paul's dear son in the faith, and this verse alone shows how his heart yearned for his young protégé - to whom this letter was addressed.
I am sure all of us who are saved by grace through faith in Christ, have felt a twinge of tears as we recall the valued input of a trusted teacher or godly pastor who no longer are with us... or have gone to be with the Lord.
No doubt this young pastor was aware that a prison cell was awaiting this much-loved prophet of God and that death was standing in the wings to envelop this godly man who had taught him all he knew about Jesus, ministered to him the wonders of God's Word, and instructed him to grow in grace, mature in the faith, and teach others the truth of the gospel of grace.
But there is no greater joy than knowing that one's children are walking with the Lord, growing spiritually, and standing firm in the faith, and I am sure that Paul longed to see his beloved Timothy, knowing that their fellowship in the Lord would bring much mutual joy and rejoicing.
We who have been justified by faith, may miss loved ones who are far away or who have gone to be with the Lord, but we do not grieve as others who have no hope.
All are in need of a Saviour and the only way to escape condemnation, to be eternally justified, to be declared righteous in God's eyes, and to be positionally set apart unto Him, is by grace through faith in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
However, knowledge is impotent and ineffective if we do not RECKON it to be so, to believe it to be true, to trust what God has promised, and to have faith in all that He has done for us.
In Hebrews we read, without faith it is impossible to please God, which simply means that God is honoured when we believe all that He has told us in His written Word - when we reckon it to be true!!!
Reckoning on the truth of God's Word is to put faith into action.
It is the step of faith which not only trusts God Word but acts on it as well.
The Bible tells us that when we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, we are dead to sin and alive to Christ.
He identified with our death so that by faith we identify with His eternal life - and we are therefore to reckon ourselves dead to sin and to reckon ourselves alive to Christ - we simply believe what the Bible tells us is true.
Although he condemned these false teachers for their dishonest gain, and insisted that the way they twisted the Scriptures was for their own personal profit and must be stopped, Paul seems to be increasingly concerned that the faith of so many church members was being undermined by these unbiblical and tainted teachings.
The foundational truth of the gospel of grace, revealed to Paul and other New Testament apostles, must remain the secure anchor upon which our faith is built so that we are not manipulated by the sleight of false teachers, and their cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.
Instead, we are to speak the truth in love so that all may become doctrinally literate and grow up in all aspects of our faith into Christ Who is the Head of the Church and the only foundation upon which our faith must rest.
Christians who have been saved by grace through faith are those who will inherit salvation. We were justified in the sight of God when we first believed.
Just as Christ identified with us and became sin for us so we might be made the righteousness of God in Him, we too are to identify with Christ in His rejection, suffering, shame, loss, and death, so that in Him we too may rise to newness of life - a life of faith - a life lived in the power of the Spirit - a life lived in submission to the will of God - a life that says: Thy will not mine be done.
It traces the early beginnings of the Church from Christ's Ascension and the Day of Pentecost, when thousands of Jews came to faith in Jesus, through the tumultuous times of early Christendom.
When Saul set out to persecute believers in Damascus he was a proud, religiously minded man who was dead in trespasses and sin and at enmity with God, but after his encounter with Christ, he listened, he responded, his spiritual eyes were opened to the truth of the gospel, and Saul was wonderfully saved by grace through faith in Jesus - the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world - the sacrifice for sin including your sin, my sin, and the sin of ALL who turn to Him in faith.
Paul was saved because he realised that he was a wretched sinner in need of the salvation that only comes through faith in Christ.
In each of his letters, Paul emphasised the crucial importance of understanding that salvation is a free gift of God's grace which is received by faith alone in Christ alone... and from the start of Galatians chapter 3, he defends and restates the important elements of salvation.
By faith in Christ, a lost sinner becomes a saved saint and is justified in the sight of God.
Sanctification is the lifelong process which is also carried out by grace through faith... where we are enabled, by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit within, to progress from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity.
These Judiasers were teaching that salvation depended on doing good works and keeping the Law as well as by faith in Christ.
And so, we discover Paul questioning these foolish Galatians who had mixed the works of the Law with grace and the hearing of faith: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
Paul wanted to explain that believers are not ONLY justified by grace through faith when we are born again - but we are also being sanctified progressively throughout our Christian life... by grace through faith.
And we will, one day in the future, be glorified by God's grace through faith.
How can we grow in grace, mature in the faith, and become spiritual believers through man's ungodly works of the flesh?
Past salvation, progressive sanctification, and our future glorification is by grace alone - through faith alone in Christ, alone.
The Ephesian church is called to remember the early days of their faith in Christ.
They are called to repent of their sins and return to a faith that is uncompromised.
Well, we are told in the Word of God that it is the man who has faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that He is the one who overcame the world.
May we abide in Christ and study to show ourselves approved unto God, not by means of our own righteousness, but by faith in the only begotten Son of God Who died for us so that in Him we might live.
And He was made in the likeness of men so that we might become the righteousness of God by grace through faith in Him: And by Him, and through Him, and for Him, all things were created and have their being.
He is the Head over the Body which is the Church, and He is the Author and Finisher of our faith, for Christ is all in all: By Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities, all things have been created by Him, and through Him, and for Him, to His praise and glory, amen and amen.
We who have been saved from the PENALTY of sin by grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, have the continuing promise that we shall go on being saved from the POWER of sin in our lives.
Both are given by the same God-given grace, and through the selfsame faith in Christ, if we will quietly trust in the one and only Jesus Christ, our Lord.
May it not be said of us who were saved by grace through faith and who are all members of the Body of Christ, that we were unwilling to quietly depend upon the God of our salvation as our exclusive Sustainer, Provider, and Defender as we journeyed through this world on our way to our heavenly home.
Let us rather live this life by grace through faith and in quietness, confidence, and complete dependence on Jesus Christ, Who is all that we need in this world, and in the world to come, life everlasting.
Let us choose to live each day for Christ, knowing that since we have been crucified with Christ: It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
We have divine evidence of things not seen which are being held by God, in trust for us, which is by grace through faith.
In the time we have left on earth, may we not be those that listen to the mockers, scoffers, and despisers, but hold fast to the more sure word of Scripture as we look forward to the day when our faith will be made sight.
The perfect Law of God could never be kept by sinful man, but was skilfully designed to point fallen sinners to Christ. God purposed in His heart that salvation was a free gift of God's grace, by faith in Jesus Christ, the perfect, sinless, Lamb of God and the only means of salvation.
Both interpretations are in error, for Scripture clearly teaches that we are saved once and for all by grace through faith in Christ.
A second incorrect explanation is that Christians who were saved by grace through faith in Christ are hoodwinked into believing that they must keep certain laws to retain their salvation, either from the Mosaic system or some denominational requirements.
Sadly, these incorrectly taught Christians believe that having been saved by grace through faith they must now maintain their salvation by works of the law or keep themselves saved by legalistic observances, external rights, denominational rituals, or religious ceremonies.
They believe that having been justified by faith they are now required to be sanctified by works of the Law.
To seek to be justified, sanctified, glorified, or gain entrance to heaven other than through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, is to render His perfect sacrificial offering as irrelevant, or as Paul stated, You are severed from Christ... and you fall away from grace. You are still saved by faith, but have destroyed your earthly testimony.
There is only one way to be sanctified and there is only one way to get to heaven, and it is by God's amazing grace, through faith in the sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the eternal Son of God and perfect Son of Man.
He had been instructed to be strong and courageous in the execution of his mission, but Joshua was to place his entire faith in the Lord for His leading and guidance.
Joshua was not demonstrating a lack of faith by sending the spies, but was showing that God's plans, purposes, work, and will, is often to be carried out, under His instruction, by men.
No wonder Rahab, this Gentile prostitute from Jericho, is not only mentioned in the book of Hebrews as a woman of faith, but by God's grace was listed in the genealogy of the Messiah.
And faith is the key to being an overcomer, for it is by faith that we are saved.
And it is by faith that we overcome.
The moment we are saved by grace through faith, we become a completely new creation in Christ - but we must grow into spiritual maturity.
By faith, we are made into a new creature, who is permanently indwelled by His Spirit of holiness.
And we are to grow in grace as we live by faith.
We have been wonderfully set free from the curse of sin and have overcome every satanic stronghold, because of our faith in Christ.
We are overcomers because of our faith!
The reason we can rejoice is that as children of God we have overcome the enemy of our soul, through faith - because greater is the Holy Spirit of God who indwells our mortal frame and empowers us with His grace and sufficient strength.
We are bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh by faith.
Christ overcame through His shed blood and bodily resurrection and by faith in Him, we also overcome by the BLOOD of the Lamb.
We overcome because of the testimony of our FAITH in Him.
Because we are identified with Christ, Who crushed the serpent's head and overcame that slimy serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, we too, have overcome them - through faith.
We have overcome them because of our faith in Christ, Who lives inside our mortal frame,for did you not know that our bodies are the Temple of the Living God?
Habakkuk was given a great assurance that Israel's coming terrible time of tribulation would have a purifying effect on God's people, and the Lord gave Habakkuk the assurance that, like Abraham, the just shall live because of their faith and that their faith would be credited to them as righteousness.
Paul rejoiced to know that the gospel of Christ was being shed abroad (even though some teachers opposed Paul's ministry and taught about Jesus out of envy and strife), for Paul rejoiced that men and women were being saved by grace through faith in Christ.
He knew that our Father is a God Who hears and answers the prayer of His children, and so Paul encouraged the Philippian believers to intercede on his behalf, knowing that God would hear and answer their prayer and that his deliverance from prison would increase their faith, give great encouragement to the Body of Christ, and cause the gracious spirit of Christ to be formed in them.
For it pleased the LORD to crush Christ Jesus and to put Him to grief so that He would be the guilt offering - the sin offering - the blood-sacrifice - the innocent Lamb of God through Whom man individually and humanity collectively could have forgiveness of sins, by faith: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes on His name would not perish but have everlasting life.
It pleased God to put Him to death so that His plans and purposes for man individually, humanity collectively, and nature universally, could be redeemed by faith in Christ alone.
Today, we are hindered by our fallen sin nature which tries to govern our heart, impede our spiritual progress, destroy our testimony, and prevent us from maturing in the Christian faith.
All we have to do is to appropriate what is already ours, by faith in Christ.
Paul explained that while on earth we are to overcome the restraints of the flesh by our faith, but a day is coming when Christians who have died in the faith will be resurrected from their tombs and clothed with incorruptible bodies.
Timothy was a young man who came to faith through the ministry of Paul.
However, young Timothy was obviously robust in the faith and of such a spiritual stature that he not only accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys and acted as Paul's scribe for some of his Church epistles, but represented him in the city of Corinth and was sufficiently doctrinally sound to be entrusted as a competent evangelist.
Here we read a highly personal directive to Timothy: Let no one look down on your youthfulness, was Paul’s emphatic instruction to his young protégé, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
May we seek to display the same godly characteristics of Timothy and like him, have a teachable spirit that seeks to honour the Lord in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, and may we show ourselves to be a godly example of those who believe.
One could contemplate the wealth of truth packed into this single verse of Scripture for a lifetime and only scratch the surface of God's amazing grace towards those who, by faith in Christ, are united with Him.
God also knew that there was no way that once we are saved by grace through faith, we could obey the law, resist worldly lusts, curb our fleshly desires, resist the devil, and be freed from the power of sin in our own human strength.
Our old sinful self can never be made righteous and so God, in His grace, gave us a new nature - a new life - the resurrected life of Christ which He imputed to us by faith at the point of salvation.
Patient endurance, as we wait for the Lord to work in the difficult circumstances of life, encourages our faith in God to be strengthened.
Conversely, faith is often tested in those long and painful seasons of life, when patient endurance is called upon as we trustingly wait for the Lord to act, submissively waiting on the Lord's promises to be fulfilled in prayer, and praise, and thanksgiving.
Just as God had a call on Jeremiah's life, He has a call on the life of all who trust in Christ by faith, and God can use anyone in the furtherance of his redemptive plan if we are willing to submit to Him and be used by Him.
It happens when we place our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ our Saviour, but from that moment onwards, we begin the lifelong process of progressive sanctification.
The Lord has prepared a way for all his children to be united together in the faith, to grow in grace, and to attain to a full knowledge of Christ.
The fleshly restriction we all encounter, should not prevent us from seeking to attain to the unity of the faith or from coming to a deeper knowledge of Christ.
Unity in the faith and the bond of peace will only truly happen once the completed Church has been taken to be with the Lord.
And let us strive to build each other up in our most holy faith, with an ever-increasing knowledge of the holy - until we all come to the unity of the faith and a knowledge of the Son of God - until we are all perfected to a measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Paul considered Titus to be his son in the common faith, and to him was given the responsibility of overseeing the activities of the local churches, on the island of Crete.
As Christian who are maturing in the faith, we proceed from the glory of justification through the many stages of sanctification, until we finally arrive at our heavenly glorification; spirit, soul, and body, when at last we shall be with the Lord Jesus forevermore.
The Church was brought into being by means of faith in the finished work of Christ.
Not only does the Spirit of God come to take up permanent residence within the body of each believer, but also the resurrected life of Christ is given to each one that has been saved by grace through faith in Him.
Jesus was perfected during His life, to equip Him for His role as the Author and Finisher of our faith - He was the source of eternal life for all who would believe in Him and He was sent by the Father to give His life as the ransom price for our sin.
The letter Paul penned to Timothy strongly indicated that within the professing Church there were an increasing number of problems, with some departing from the faith and others who had become unfaithful and careless in their work and witness, not only to Paul, but in their ministry and towards the Lord Jesus Himself.
Our privileges and position in Christ are beyond our comprehension and we have been given all that we need for life and godliness as a free gift of grace; and it is all by faith in Him.
Instead of facing God's justified wrath and eternal indignation, grace and peace has been multiplied to us, by faith in Christ Jesus our Saviour, and in Him we have been forgiven of our many sins and reckoned by our Heavenly Father as righteous.
We have been granted many precious and magnificent promises through faith in Him.
No surprise that the apostle Peter urges us to make every effort to supplement our faith with goodness, which leads to knowledge, self-control, patient endurance, godliness, and brotherly affection, and this in turn brings forth a Christ-like love that is beyond human comprehension.
How vital to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, for in so doing we will be grounded in our faith and kept from stumbling.
By faith we have been brought into eternal union with Christ and there is nothing more important than to live our lives as unto the Lord so that in Him we will rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, not only in this world but throughout eternity.
All we are required to do is to believe on the only begotten Son of God, by grace through faith, trusting in His redeeming work at Calvary.
We are privileged to be ministers of this new and better covenant, not a covenant that is bound by the letter of the Law but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life, by grace through faith in Christ our Saviour.
It is when Christ has been placed at the centre of our lives and we trust Him to be our all-sufficient saviour that faith in Him matures.
When our heart is trusting Him in all things and Christ is in the centre of our lives, we will find that anxiety has no place in our thinking and faith in His Word will increase, despite life's circumstances, until we come to know Him as our all-sufficient Provider as well as our all-sufficient Saviour.
Paul reminds us that God alone is able to read the heart of religious leaders. Only God can discern men's thoughts and knows if faith is genuine. Only He knows if man is doing His will or not.
The Lord Himself told us it was God's will for all to come to saving faith in Him.
The answer is that they substitute their own will for God's will and expect to enter the kingdom of heaven without faith in Jesus Christ.
However, there is only one way to heaven, and that is through faith in Christ.
Paul addressed Titus as: My true son in our common faith.
In his opening words, the apostle Paul expresses his joy for the faith Titus had in the gospel.
Such a life, Paul reminds us, is underpinned and sustained by the hope of eternal life which is God's trustworthy promise to all who have faith in Him.
As Paul, the bond-servant of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, started to rejoice for the faith of Titus and those chosen by God and who know the truth, live godly lives, and trust in Him for their eternal salvation, he started to expand his thoughts about the Lord's amazing promise of salvation, which was made before the world began.
God promised long ago that by faith in Christ we would be declared righteous by God.
Paul's eagerness to share the good news of the gospel of God can be seen in each epistle he wrote to the churches - where his great desire and prayer is to bring believers into the same mature, unshakable, God-honouring faith that he had.
But he was also much encouraged by a report, from Timothy, of their continuing faith and love, and their hope in the soon return of Christ for His Church.
Paul had given much instruction on Christian living to these believers, but he wanted to ensure that they continued to mature in the faith and that they also controlled their bodily passions.
Having been justified by faith in Christ, he was keen to ensure that these believers progressed towards spiritual maturity - through the lifelong process of sanctification by faith - and in the power of the Spirit.
It will never cease splitting the good from the evil, the heavenly from the world, right from wrong, faith from fear - and that which is of Christ from that which is not - for the Word of God is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of every heart.
He exhorted them to earnestly repent of their apostate ways and return to a focus on Jesus - the Author and Finisher of their faith.
And despite the ugly, lukewarm attitude of this apostatising church, Christ made the most amazing promises to those who would deny themselves, stand fast in the faith, take up their cross, and follow Him: He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
We too have the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith in Christ, which gives us the opportunity to EITHER... live to the glory of God and receive His promised reward OR... to become carnally minded, lukewarm, fleshly believers, and fail to live to the glory of God.
By faith, we have been given everything we need for life and godliness - and we have all we need to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Jesus was telling Nicodemus that unless a person is SAVED by GRACE through FAITH in HIM, he will not see the kingdom of God.
Faith in Christ is the criteria for becoming a citizen in God's kingdom.
But claiming that baptism in water is necessary for salvation contradicts many Bible passages... all of which insist that salvation is by GRACE alone through FAITH alone in CHRIST alone.
Jesus explained that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so HE would one day have to be lifted up on a Cross and be made sin for our sakes so that, like Nicodemus' disease-ridden ancestors in the wilderness who had to look and live, so ALL who would look to JESUS in faith would not perish but have LIFE.
Like us, Nicodemus had to come to an understanding that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved, by God's grace through faith in Him.
Whatever the real meaning of 'being born of water' is... let us make sure that we fully understand that salvation is by GRACE through FAITH in Christ - ALONE.
Even we (Jews) have believed in Christ Jesus, Peter was admonished, so that we (like all sinners in need of salvation) may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law.
All fall short of God's perfect standard: For man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Jesus Christ.
Only faith in Christ, Who fulfilled the works of the Law on our behalf, is able to justify the sinful man or woman.
Christ carried our sin and was made a curse for us, but by grace through faith in Him we have been redeemed from the curse of the Law.
In these final days of the Church age, there are many Christians who still find it difficult to come to terms with the enormous freedom that we have in Christ: Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus.
Let us never forget that we are justified by faith in Christ, accepted in Christ, fully justified by His grace, clothed in His righteousness, and redeemed from the curse of the Law through Christ Jesus our Saviour.
And that salvation is accessed by faith in the finished work of Christ Jesus, the eternal Son of God and perfect Son of Man.
And this salvation is accessed by faith.
We are to mature in our Christian life by grace and not of works, and one day we will also be glorified by grace through faith.
For just as God's saving grace is only accessed by faith, so God's sanctifying grace and His glorifying grace is similarly only accessed by faith, and not of works.
Every aspect of salvation is a gracious gift from God and can only be accessed by faith in Christ as Saviour, not of works so that no one is able to boast.
Should we not rejoice that God has not only commanded us to be perfect as He is perfect, but in His love and grace He foreordained that through faith in Christ we may be perfect, entire, and lacking nothing, simply by an act of saving faith and an obedient life of sanctifying faith, trusting Him to finish the good work he started in us - in Christ.
During His time on earth, He lived by faith, saying only those things the Father said and doing only those things the Father did.
His faith was sorely tested throughout this ordeal, but God loved the word so much that He gave His Son to be the propitiation for our sin, and Christ loved the Church so much that He gave Himself up for her.
No wonder He offered up prayers and supplication with loud crying and tears, and how we praise and thank God that He commended Himself into the hand of GOD Who is the One Who is able to save Him from the eternal consequences of death, and that through faith in Him our salvation is secured.
And because of his reverend submission to the Father and unfailing trust in Him, Christ's prayer was heard and Jesus became the first-fruit from the grave - the first MAN to rise from the dead - thus breaking the power of sin, Satan, death, and hell for ALL who place their faith in HIM.
Each of us who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ and have become a member of God's family, have some incredible privileges - one of which is fellowship with the Father.
However, we who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ are covered with HIS righteousness - and not a righteousness of our own.
But he also gives an evaluation of those that are saved by grace through faith in Christ; who recognise the message of the Cross as the power of God for salvation, to God's eternal glory and praise.
Whether they are Jew or Gentile, if they fail to believe the message of the Cross they reject true wisdom, and in their foolishness and arrogance we discover that: The Jews asks for a sign while the Gentile searches for wisdom, but God is pleased through the foolishness of the message preached, to save those who DO believe, for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
And yet it was clearly taught in the Jewish Scriptures that the just shall live by faith.
Indeed, Abraham believed God without any sign and his faith was credited to him as righteousness.
The wisdom of God is clearly laid out in the written Word of God for all who have eyes to see: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; trust in the message of the Cross; have faith in the sacrificial death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
We are all fallen creatures, and although we praise and thank God that we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, have been made a new creation in Him, and have been given His resurrected life, our old, fleshly nature lusts against our new-life-in-Christ and our new nature lusts against our old, fleshly, sinful self.
Nevertheless, knowing: The heart is more deceitful than anything else and desperately wicked, we should examine our heart to see if we are in the faith to see if we are walking in spirit and truth, and to see if we are trusting in anything other than the Lord Jesus.
There is no contradiction in God's Word, so let us praise God that He raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms, and let us live our lives by faith, with thanksgiving, in a manner that is worthy of our exalted positioned in Christ, and glorifies our Father Who is in heaven.
And as we look to Jesus by faith, and trust in His work at Calvary, He returns us into fellowship with the Father and will open the eyes of our hearts to know Him more and to love Him better.
All have fallen short of God's glory, but all have equal access to the riches of God's kindness and grace, by faith in Christ.
Nothing in heaven or hell, visible or invisible, can save mankind with ONE exception: faith.
Faith in God, trusting the Word of God, believing the truth of His promises, for without faith, it is impossible to please God.
Sinners are saved by faith in God's Word and the just shall live by faith.
He had faith in the covenant God made with him.
In this Church dispensation, we are also saved by faith in the Word of God, the incarnate Word made flesh.
We are saved by faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness for sins and life everlasting: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, Paul tells us.
We are saved by faith in the eternal Son of God who became the perfect Son of Man.
Romans takes the believer through every single step of Christian doctrine and gives a full systematic teaching of the fundamentals of our faith, which we would do well to take to heart.
The man or woman who is justified by grace through faith in Christ has been declared righteous by God.
Christ's finished work on Calvary is the only standard approved in our Father's eyes, and it is only by faith in HIS finished work alone that we can gain God's approval.
It is to the one who does not work, but who believes in Jesus (Who justifies the ungodly), that their faith is credited to them as righteousness.
God justifies the ungodly forever when they believe in Christ for salvation, and that faith is credited as righteousness.
Once we are saved by grace through faith in Him, we are clothed in Christ's righteousness and God will never again hold our sin against us, in time and into eternity.
Christians certainly do sin, and sin separates us from fellowship with our Heavenly Father, but although we may be out of fellowship with Him for a season due to our post-salvation sin, He will never hold those sins against us, for we are justified by grace through faith in Christ, once and for all.
Praise God that we are one with Him and accepted in the Beloved by FAITH, a faith is credited to us as righteousness.
And receiving the gift of salvation by grace through faith is just the beginning, for Paul tells us the astonishing fact that we are raised up with Christ and seated with Him in heavenly places.
For an unbeliever who is spiritually dead in their sin and has wilfully rejected God's offer of salvation through faith in Christ, the result will be the destruction of both body and soul, while angels who rebelled with Satan are given no offer of salvation and are also utterly destroyed.
However, the message to us from Jude is a warning to all who have a common faith with the apostle, against falling into apostasy.
Jude's illustrations of apostacy is a serious warning to all who share his faith in Christ.
Yes, it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put one's faith in nobles.
It is the first and most important stone laid, which guides, establishes, and stabilises the erection of an entire building project, and in God's plan of redemption, the Lord Jesus Christ is that Chief Cornerstone on which our faith is founded.
And in explaining about foundational truth of the Christian faith, Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians that the gospel is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the Cornerstone.
Paul reminds us, in the first chapters of Colossians, of our privileged position in Christ and encourages us to set our minds on those things that are ours, by grace through faith in Him.
Let us never forget that we are a new creation in Christ, having been given His new, resurrected life when we were justified by faith.
By faith, we have received a glorious inheritance in Him that is kept for us in heaven.
but they did not mix the truth that they heard with faith in their heart.
He was saved and set free from eternal condemnation by grace through faith in the Son of God and His sacrificial offering at Calvary, for if the Son sets a man free, that man is free indeed.
It is knowing the truth that frees a man from bondage to sin - and when one is set free from the curse of the Law and enslavement to sin, by grace through faith in Christ, one is truly liberated.
We live in a day and age when the foundations of our biblical faith and the fabric of godly living are being systematically attacked by every quarter of society and dismantled in all areas of life.
The message of this Psalm is confidence in God and an unshakable faith in the eternal plans and purposes that He Himself ordered in the council chambers of heaven before the world began, and the Word of God is settled in heaven.
Indeed, Paul reminds this group of believers in the Corinthian church that some of them had also been personally involved in the self-same, sordid sins, and gross wickedness as the unsaved before they had been redeemed through the blood of Christ, by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Who paid the price for all their sins, and ours too.
This should not have been so, for they were washed, sanctified, and justified by grace through faith in Christ.
All who trust in Christ for salvation are sanctified and set apart unto God for His service, the moment they place their faith in Christ.
But as Jesus taught on the night that He was betrayed, those that are fully cleansed by His blood and washed clean by grace through faith in Him still need to wash their feet and be cleansed as we journey through life.
All of us were dead in our trespasses and sins, but by grace through faith in Christ we are washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Let us now live by grace through faith in Christ and continue to walk in spirit and truth so that in the power of the Holy Spirit we may grow in grace and mature in the faith to the glory of God our Father, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
What an amazing scene it must have been when Christ's followers began to proclaim the wonderful works of God in a multitude of languages, and Peter was empowered to deliver his great sermon, calling the people of Israel to faith in their promised Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Faith must be in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God... and it is by that faith in HIM that we have life in His name.
The disciples of the Lord Jesus placed their faith in HIM.
And Peter voiced the faith they all shared. We believe and have come to know that JESUS is the Christ, the Son of the living God - the Holy One of Israel. Peter was the spokesman for the other disciples, but His confession of faith was shared by the others - for WE have believed, He proclaimed, and WE have come to know Jesus is all He professed to be.
The first step they took was to place their faith in Him.
However, by choosing to trust in God's Word and to live by faith in Christ, we are brought into the family of God, forgiven of our sins, and declared to be righteous in His sight.
And it is all by faith in Christ's perfect sacrifice on the Cross that sins are forgiven and sinners are clothed in Christ's righteousness.
And so, by faith in Christ, we were made children of God - and by faith in Him, we have been promised a glorious inheritance which is kept for us in heaven.
How sad that spiritual myopia and foolish pride can cause men to miss the Redeemer of the world and remain in eternal condemnation - for only those that put their trust in HIM, for the salvation of their soul by faith, will not perish but have everlasting life.
His convicting work is to bring a sinner to a realisation that sin separates them from God, and that only through Christ can they receive forgiveness of sins and life-everlasting, for only by faith in Christ can an unrighteous sinner be declared righteous in the eyes of God.
The Spirit came to convict unbelievers that there is no merit in and of themselves, for it is only by grace through faith in Christ that man can be forgiven of their sins and covered in His cloak of righteousness.
Only by faith in Jesus will they be brought into the family of God, for He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is already condemned because he has not believed in the only begotten Son of God.
We who were dead in trespasses and sins and without hope in the world, have been covered with His love, forgiven of our sins, saved by grace through faith in His only begotten Son, in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit, accepted in the Beloved, given an eternal inheritance, and are today seated together with Christ in heavenly places.
When we consider the glorious hope and eternal benefits that we have received freely, by grace through faith in Christ, how important it is that we choose to live our lives in spirit and in truth as unto the Lord.
But we who have believed on His Word and have become God's children by grace through faith, have received eternal truths that are hidden from those that are wise in their own conceit, but revealed to us who trust Christ.
The only way to live the Christian life is in total reliance upon the Lord, clinging to Him by faith, admitting our helplessness, and trusting on His sufficient strength.
Many Christians erroneously see Christ's Sermon on the Mount as a salvation passage for unbelievers rather than a kingdom promise for those that are saved by grace through faith.
Unless we are covered in Christ's righteousness, unless we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, we will never enter the kingdom of God.
Let us give praise and thanks to God today, for covering us in His righteousness by grace through faith.
If we would but follow the wisdom contained in the Word of God, how our faith would be strengthened and how our fear would dissolve into the sea of God's gracious faithfulness.
We are all enslaved by the fleshly sin nature - for everyone who commits sins is a slave to sin - until and unless we are made free by grace through faith in Christ.
Christ is incarnate truth, while sin is the personification of a wicked and cruel slave-master, from whom there is no escape, except by grace through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
It is only those that are saved by grace through faith in Him that are enabled, by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, to be freed from sin's slavery.
It is only those who are born-again and positioned in Christ who are enabled to live each day by grace through faith in Him - for Jesus not only paid the penalty for our sin but broke the power of sin in the life of all who believe.
And we who are members of the Body of Christ have the very same opportunity as did Paul to be set free from slavery to sin - by faith in HIM.
He adds that the ultimate goal is to bring all believers into the unity of the faith and a knowledge of the Son of God so that the Body of Christ becomes spiritually mature as we are daily being conformed into a measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ until He is all in all.
But the maturing believer should never forget: Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
Although much of the Church has fallen into gross apostasy, let us seek to use our own spiritual gifts as instructed by Paul, to develop unity in the faith, to increase in a knowledge of the Son of God, and to bring all believers into spiritual maturity.
May the Word of God remain the only foundation upon which our faith is built, to His greater praise and glory.
It was on that unique day that by one Spirit, all the believers in the upper room were baptised into the Body of Christ. All were placed into Christ's Body by ONE Spirit, and throughout the Church dispensation, the moment a sinner is saved by grace through faith he is removed from his position in Adam and baptised into the Body of Christ, by one Spirit.
This letter is written personally to Timothy, whom Paul addressed as 'my true son in the faith'.
Timothy was not Paul's physical offspring, but was either led to faith in Christ Jesus by Paul personally when he visited Lystra, or had been nurtured and discipled by the older apostle.
This is the first mention of the word 'faith' in this epistle, which was used 18 times elsewhere.
It demonstrates the weight of importance that faith played in Paul's mind.
Having sons and daughters 'in the faith' who have developed spiritually, grown in grace, and matured in their understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ, is a great joy with an eternal perspective.
Paul knew that it is not only important to teach the truth of the gospel of grace to unbelievers, but to nurture, disciple, and encourage baby Christians to grow in the faith.
Paul's usual greeting of 'grace and peace' was extended with the addition of 'mercy': To Timothy, my true child in the faith, he writes, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
May we never forget that the Great Tribulation is the period of time when a multitude without number will turn from sin to faith in Christ.
While we shudder at the horrors that must be poured out on this sin-sick, fallen world may we rejoice that through it ALL, God will be glorified and countless multitudes will be brought to repentant faith in Him.
Peter rejoiced in God's great mercy, knowing that all who trust in Christ for the salvation of their soul through faith in Him, are shielded by the power of God until the coming of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ - Who is ready to be revealed at the last time.
The Word of God is altogether true and His eternal order cannot be broken - let us, therefore, praise God that we who have been saved by grace through faith in Him, are the elect of God.
In his epistle, James outlines the relationship between faith and works.
He recognises that there are some that profess to be Christians who do not have a saving faith, but he is also aware that there are those that have a genuine saving faith but show little or no outward evidence of their justification.
James seeks to distinguish between genuine faith and a false, professed faith, but mainly he differentiates between a spiritual Christian and a carnal, fleshly, worldly Christian; between a fruitful believer and an unfruitful believer; between a spiritual man or woman and one who is truly saved by grace through faith in Christ, but is not producing the good works of righteousness which God has prepared for us to do and which God desires from all His children.
Both James and Paul know that there are certain Christians who, having been truly saved by grace though faith (the root of justification), do not produce good works that are the identifying marks of a Christian who is walking in spirit and truth (the fruit of justification).
James knows that a carnal believer may have a genuine saving faith and yet be walking in the flesh and not showing forth any good works in their lives (similar to the carnal Christians that Paul described in 1 Corinthians 3).
Every believer should be growing in grace, maturing in the faith, walking in spirit and truth, and bringing forth the good works of righteousness which God Himself has prepared for us to do, in the power of the Holy Spirit, as we abide in Christ and He in us.
Indeed, we are encouraged to be quick to hear, for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, but we should also be wise in our actions and circumspect in our reactions by being slow to speak and slow to anger, for angry men do not achieve the righteousness of God.
May we who have been rooted in Christ by grace through faith when we were saved, seek to be fruitful in our Christian walk, by bearing much fruit to the glory of God, as we abide in Christ and He in us.
'Salvation' is an all-inclusive word that covers every aspect of God's deliverance, which comes to us by faith alone.
And Paul's epistle to the Romans presents us with the most systematic presentation of the main doctrines of our Christian faith.
Old Testament characters like Abraham and David are used to show that being justified and declared righteous by God is not based on race, parentage, nationality, education, morality, or anything else, but on faith.
Forgiveness, redemption, and the impartation of God's righteousness on a guilty sinner, rests on faith alone, and Paul points out the inability of the Mosaic Law or any legalistic practice to restore a guilty sinner into fellowship with the Father.
As one digests the truth of Romans and realises that faith is the one and only means to salvation, Paul anticipates many questions that must be raised: What about the Jews who were under the Law and rejected their Messiah?
My conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart for my kinsmen, according to the flesh. Paul's heart was not only very tender towards his Jewish brethren, but demonstrated incredible concern for his fellow countrymen. His desire was that they come to a knowledge of the truth of the gospel of God, rather than continue to buy into an incorrect understanding of salvation (which is not by keeping the Law, as they said, but by faith in Christ).
Israel's partial blindness caused them to miss their great salvation by faith in Christ, and caused this chosen apostle of God deep distress, great sorrow, and ongoing anguish of heart.
We have been made co-heirs of the King of Glory by faith, and our home is in heaven.
This Blessed Hope, when we are taken to be with Jesus, at the resurrection of the dead - the Rapture of the Church, is a right and a privilege that is given for ALL who are saved by grace through faith in Christ.
Our Blessed Hope is knowledge of the truth intertwined with the 'stuff' of faith, which trusts God's Word as fact, and treats the heavenly things, (in the spiritual realm), that are invisible to our physical sight, as indisputable reality.
As we see the day of His glorious appearance advancing quickly, in both the physical world and our own walk of faith, may we be those that stand fast and watch intently for His soon return, as we look for that Blessed Hope and the any-day appearing of the glory of our great and gracious God - Who is Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.
The resurrection of the dead is a doctrine that threads its way throughout both Old and New Testaments and is the foundational pillar of the Christian faith - for if Christ had not been raised from the dead, then our faith would be in vain and we would remain in our sin.
As Christians, our identification with Christ's Resurrection is the absolute assurance that we who have been saved by grace through faith in Him, will likewise be raised from the dead into newness of life - for we are saved... spirit, soul, and body, and we will have resurrection bodies like unto His glorious body.
May we who have been saved by faith and are growing in grace... rejoice.
As those that have been saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus, we have been made a new creation in Christ.
He set aside His glory to take upon Himself the likeness of man so that by faith in His sacrifice we might become children of God and joint-heirs with Christ Himself.
However, we do discover that it often results in a deeper knowledge of God and a more secure foundation of faith in our Heavenly Father's faithfulness.
We are called to be holy even as our Father in heaven is holy, and we are instructed to be sanctified unto God in our hearts by faith, with thanksgiving and praise.
As God's children, we should be ready to answer anyone who asks us about our faith in Christ and our trust in God.
And we are also to ask the Lord to: Deliver us from evil, where our heart-cry is to be kept by the power of God from the artful wiles and cunning schemes of the evil one who delights to shipwreck the faith and limit the effectiveness of all God's children.
He was given direct revelation from the glorified Lord Jesus during his early years in the Christian faith.
I am sure they discussed the importance of salvation being a gift of God, through faith in Christ and the uniting of Jewish and Gentile believers in the Body of Christ, and I am sure they came to an understanding that Jewish believers are saved in the same way as Gentiles believers, for we read: We are also saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way that Gentiles are... without the encumbrances of the Jewish religious system.
Nevertheless, his faith in God never failed, even though he had to endure such distress of soul.
We need to know and appropriate all the precious promises that are ours in Christ, for when we delight ourselves in the Lord and offer Him our sacrifice of praise, we reignite our trust in Him - and as our faith increases so fear and depression will be forced to flee away.
Just as the Law was not presented as a means of salvation, neither do we find the Sermon on the Mount to announce the way to be saved, (which is by God's grace through faith).
Let us present our lives as a living sacrifice, which is holy and acceptable to God... and let us seek to use the privileges that we have been granted by grace, wisely and biblically, through faith in Christ, for His own glory.
And as He hung on the Cross as the full and final payment for sin, the full fury of the wrath of the Father was poured out upon Jesus, His dearly beloved Son, so that by faith in Him we might be forgiven of our sins and clothed in His own perfect righteousness.
He was the Mediator through Whom the barrier between God and man was forever removed so that by faith in Him we are given access into the holy of holies by the blood of Jesus Christ, our perfect sacrifice and eternal High Priest.
We are told that by faith we have a right to enter boldly into the throne-room of God through the offering of Christ's body on the tree.
And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
As believers, we are not only given the new resurrected life of Christ at rebirth, which must learn to abide in Christ, depend on Him, grow in grace, and mature in the faith, but we also have been given the permanently indwelling Holy Spirit of God to help us in our weaknesses.
Paul's prayers were filled with thanksgiving for his Christian brothers and sisters at Colossae because of their faith in Christ, their love in spirit and truth for one another, and their heavenly hope in their eternal inheritance; a heritage in Christ's kingdom of light which is kept for us, in heaven.
We too have been forgiven of our sins by grace through faith in Christ's sufficient sacrifice on Calvary's Cross.
As soon as we are saved by grace through faith, we are called to live by grace through faith.
And at the end of his final epistle, before his death, Paul reminds Timothy to keep running with perseverance the Christian race set before him, to preach the God-breathed Word, and to stand fast and patiently endure, by grace through faith, as he waits expectantly for the return of the Lord.
Like Timothy, we too are to live by grace through faith, knowing that we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and be rewarded with gold, silver, or precious stones for the good works we did by grace through faith, or suffer loss for the ungodly works we did in the flesh.
Paul encourages us all to live by grace through faith so that we too may be rewarded at the judgment seat of Christ, and to watch in eager anticipation for the any-day return of the Lord.
Let us be those that walk in spirit and truth, and live by faith and not by sight.
Let us be those that run with perseverance the race set before us, as we preach the Word and patiently endure the trials of life, by grace through faith.
Those that are growing and maturing in the faith are called spiritual, and those that are not are labelled carnal.
The spiritual believer feeds on the Word of God by faith with thanksgiving, and submits to the leading of the Holy Spirit, knowing that: In myself I can do nothing, but in Christ I can do all things, for we live by the faith of the Son of God and not by faith in our own abilities.
We proudly have faith in our own abilities instead of trusting the indwelling Holy Spirit and humbly admitting that of ourselves we can do no good thing.
Let us seek to mature as a believer by faith with thanksgiving, knowing that of ourselves we can do nothing that will please God, but in Christ: We can do all things in His strength, as we abide in Him.
Having been saved by grace through faith in Him, we certainly know that the Lord Jesus came as the Saviour of the world, for we read that God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever trusts in Him would not perish.
Persecution, false teachers, godly service, fruit-bearing, promised rewards, and effective prayer, accompanied by a life of faith and a total dependence on the Lord, are required of all Christ's disciples, throughout this extended period.
And Jesus uses the grass of the field as a beautiful illustration of living by faith and not by sight or works: For if God so clothes the grass of the field which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you?
Oh, ye of little faith!
A life of faith and dependent trust was Christ's call, both before and after the Cross.
Today we live by faith and not by sight or works of the flesh, for although we do not see Him, we love Him because He first loved us.
And faith in the Word of truth will be equally necessary in that coming, terrible time of Great Tribulation, the 70th week of Daniel.
Oh, ye of little faith, was Christ's examination of these disciples.
Christ knew the importance of faith, in the lives of His children, and how quickly our hearts can become discouraged and anxiety can set in.
But those who have been declared righteous by God are called to live by faith, for without faith it is impossible to please Him.
Can we not simply trust Him in all things as we wait in faith for our blessed hope?
He rejoices in the spiritual blessings we have received, through faith in Him.
Having stressed the importance of unity in the body he writes He gave some to be apostles, and some prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers - for the equipping of the saints for the work of service and to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. The first two spiritual gifts were most important in the early church, before the New Testament Scriptures were written, while the others are important in sharing the common truth of the gospel.
The gift of prophecy helped to establish the foundation of our faith, when there was no written record.
May we strive to walk in spirit and truth all the days of our life - and ensure that every day is lived in right relationship with our Heavenly Father - Who loves us so much that He sent His dearly loved Son to die on the Cross so that we might live in Him - by faith.
God is long-suffering towards the fallen race of man and is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to faith in Christ Jesus.
Indeed, the gospel of grace has been preached to the nations for almost 2000 years and the invitation to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of our soul and life everlasting has been preached freely to whosoever will come by faith.
It is during this post-Cross period that we who are saved by grace through faith in Christ are commanded to fulfil this sublime instruction to 'love' in the same selfless way that Christ loved us.
We are to be saved by grace through faith, and then live by grace through faith in Christ (abide in Him and He in us) in order to be able to love as Christ loved and thus fulfil His commands.
As we search the Scriptures with the leading of the Holy Spirit Who will guide us into all truth, our understanding of God will grow, our love for our Redeemer will deepen, and our faith will be strengthened. We will never be shown all the secret things that belong to the Lord in this life, but we will be shown exactly what we need at the right time and in the right way.
This not only pleases God and demonstrates faith in His Word, but gives every day advice on peaceful living, while avoiding troublesome situations.
Guidance for godly living can be found throughout these Proverbs and it is attributed to Solomon, but salvation comes by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved.
We are to be ready to give an answer for the faith we have in Christ - for who knows when God will use us as a witness to His Word as a testimony to the truth.
How important therefore to keep ourselves in the love of God as we look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
We read that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
He teaches the lost the way of salvation and he teaches the saved how to grow in grace, how to live the Christian life, and how to mature in the faith.
And unless that person has sound, biblical understanding themselves, is mature in the faith, and is able to share the good news clearly and correctly, they could cause others to stumble or be led astray.
Let us beware of the dangers that can cause our faith in God's Word to flounder and fall, and let us and hold fast that what we have, looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.
All who receive the Lord Jesus as the Word of God made flesh, are given the right to become children of God, even to those that believe on His name, and there are many who truly believe in Christ as Saviour, many who have trusted Him as their Redeemer, many who have placed faith in the only begotten Son of God for their salvation.
We are told a multitude of Jews and Gentiles without number will come to faith in Christ during this 70th week of Daniel. Though many will be brutally killed, they will overcome Satan by trusting in the blood of the Lamb and will be rewarded by serving in the Temple of God during the Millennial reign of Christ.
Paul was not part of the immediate community in the Corinthian Church, but he was their father in the faith who had taught them the truth of the glorious gospel of God, and opened to them the holy Scriptures and the way of salvation.
They are the foundational elements of our Christian faith which had been kept hidden during the previous dispensation of Law, but have now been made manifest and brought into the open.
Paul's defence of the gospel in Corinth and elsewhere is not only a wonderful example for pastors and elders to imitate, but a reminder to all of us to take the faith we have in Christ seriously and to examine ourselves regularly, to see if we have slipped from godly behaviour into carnality or are standing firm on the Word of truth.
God in His grace and mercy, sent His Son into the world, that through faith in Him the world may be saved - redeemed from the slave-market of sin and saved from Satan's clutches.
We base our faith on the veracity of the Word of God.
If God were a liar - (and He is NOT), then our faith would be founded on a very flimsy foundation.
One of the foundational facts upon which our faith is anchored, is that we died with Christ and our life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Even if we, who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ are faithless - we have an assurance that God remains faithful.
All believers are saved by grace through faith in Christ and that fact will never be denied by our Saviour - for He cannot deny His name, His Word, or the truth.
Everyone who has been born of the Spirit, by faith in Christ, has been forgiven of their sins because Jesus took the punishment for our sake.
All who are saved by grace through faith were promised eternal life at the point of salvation - but not all will receive rewards for a life lived to God's glory.
If we endure in this life and overcome, by faith in the power of the Spirit, we will also reign with Him.
Because of our faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, we are called children of God and have a dear and gracious heavenly Father Who is the God of all mercies.
Christ died so that we might live, and throughout his writings to the Church, Paul emphases the importance of being worthy of our calling so that by His goodness and grace we are enabled to fulfil every desire for good, and to complete the work of faith which God has started in each of our lives, in the power of His might.
For we are the Body of Christ and one with Him, and it is by grace through faith in Christ that we are enabled to fulfil every desire for goodness.
How important that by faith we trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean on the whole human personality of God, which is seen in the face of Christ Jesus.
How amazing that we are called by God to complete every activity in our life of faith, so that the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ the righteous, might be glorified in each of us.
We do not deserve the many privileges we have received by faith, indeed we deserve full punishment for our sins and the wages of all sin is death.
He has promised to establish us in faith and to change us from one level of glory to another.
By God's grace, we are enabled to resist him as we abide in Christ, depend on our Heavenly Father, and hold fast to the faith.
As we pray in faith and stand firm on the unchangeable Word of God, we discover that His grace is sufficient, for His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
Hell is no longer our final destination, for now our citizenship is in heaven, for we have been called out of darkness into God's eternal glory in Christ - by faith.
He will perfect us in the faith: He will supply all we need according to His riches in glory.
He will give us what is missing, render us fit, and complete what is lacking in our faith.
He will stabilise us according to the gospel and make us firm in the faith.
He is the Alpha and Omega, and will keep us and hold us steady through time and into eternity so that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith, enabling us to be rooted and grounded in Him.
He will establish us, as Paul wrote: Now to Him who is able to establish you according to the truth and the preaching of Jesus Christ. He will establish us in truth and not permit us to waver in our faith, as we fix the eyes of our heart of HIM in confidence and in trust.
The inevitable sufferings of life are designed by God to perfect us in our spiritual walk, to establish us in our Christian faith, to strengthen us in our daily life, and to settle us in our blessed hope.
Christ Jesus is the incarnate Son of God Who came to earth to reveal the love of the Father towards fallen man so that by grace through faith in His death, burial, and Resurrection we might be forgiven of our sins, be brought back into fellowship with our Heavenly Father, and be given God's life, light, love, and compassion in our heart as we abide in Him and He in us.
When we are saved by grace through faith in Him, we are given His resurrected life: And we know that we have passed out of death and into life because we love our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Maybe it was simply the destructive lure of the flesh or an outright disillusionment with the Christian faith.
Let each of us conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the good news of Christ, striving together for the faith and praising our Father in heaven: Knowing that there is laid us for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
However, there were certain of these Jews who did believe the words of the Lord Jesus; that all who believe on the only begotten Son of God are saved by grace through faith in Him and are given the gift of eternal life.
We can remain babes in the faith, or we can learn of Him and become His disciple, for Jesus Himself said to all who believe in Him: If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
But we are all called to offer up our own Isaac in one way or another, and it is because God is testing your love for Him and your trust in His Word, for when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow and your hope and trust in the Lord develops and matures.
He did not delay or prevaricate, He did not question or argue, but his action demonstrated a trust in God that has caused Abraham to be called the father of faith.
Likewise, when we are called on to follow a path of faith that is beyond our human understanding, wisdom is to obey immediately, and sufficient grace will always be our portion.
Firstly, their firm faith in the gospel brought Paul much encouragement, for it brings eternal life to all who believe on Christ.
Three of the most important Christian virtues are expressed in these three spiritual fruit; faith, hope, and love, and together, they embody the essence of godly living, and illustrate the virtuous way that every believer should seek to live in their Christian life-journey.
The thanksgiving he expressed for their developing faith was clearly designed to encourage them to maintain their faith in the Lord and press on for the upward call we have in Christ Jesus, and so he began this personalised section by telling them: We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers.
We should rejoice in the Lord always and sing praises to Him as long as we live, for we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ - through time and into eternity.
He came to earth in human flesh - to die for the sin of the whole world, and to rise again the third day so that by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, we might be delivered from the evils that Daniel witnessed in his terrible and terrifying night vision.
Because of Israel's apostasy, the Church was brought into being: God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us the men and women of faith listed in Hebrews 11: Would not be made perfect. But in like manner, the multiplied blessings that have been given to the Church will be greatly increased and much more extensive once Israel has been restored to their covenant relationship with their God!
We are saved by grace through faith in Christ and once we are born again, we are to live our Christian life in a manner that is worthy of our position in Him.
James is encouraging us to pay careful heed to the Word of God, to listen intently, inwardly digest, and meditate on the Word of God: For faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
Paul knew they were eternally secure through faith in Christ, but he wanted to encourage each of these Christians to stand fast and hold firm in their faith.
Each of us are called to stand firm in the faith so that we can be used by God to tell others of the glorious gospel of Christ, both in word and in deed.
There was a time when Christians were not a special group of people, but because of our faith in Christ, we have become the people of God and obtained His mercy, grace, love, and forgiveness.
By faith, we have been made alive in Christ and should endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Never should we compromise the truth, dilute our faith, or become involved in lawless behaviour, but by prayer and supplication through the guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we should be prepared to give an answer for the hope we have in Christ, no matter what the cost.
May we seek to honour everyone in truth, love our brothers and sisters in Christ, fear the Lord in the beauty of holiness, honour the emperor and those in authority, be on our guard against the enemy, stand firm in the faith, be strong and very courageous, and trust in the Lord with all our heart without leaning on our own limited understanding.
Nevertheless, his faith in God never faltered, and he was able to say: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there.
Once again, the Lord challenged Satan to consider the integrity and faith of his servant Job: For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil.
This foul fiend would not accept the outcome and even argued with God that Job's declaration of faith was false.
His desire for each one of us is that we grow in grace, mature in the faith, hold fast to the truth, and prosper in all we do, but there are times when the enemy is permitted to test us and cause our faith to be severely challenged, just as he tested Job, and the apostle Paul, and sifted Peter like chaff.
We are called to be sober and vigilant and to resist him by standing firm in the faith, as did Job, and to equip ourselves with the full armour of God when the enemy seeks to overwhelm us.
In addition, may we all take up the shield of faith with which we will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Many in that crowd believed and were saved by grace through faith in Christ - but some would not believe and remained dead in their sin and eternally condemned.
May we be ready to witness to those souls that are lost and remain dead in trespasses and sins, so that they TOO may hear the good news of the Gospel of Grace and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and become part of that redeemed multitude that has been saved by grace through faith in Christ.
Not only did Joseph serve his father well but throughout his life, he demonstrated an exemplary faith in God despite the many trials and difficulties he faced.
Spiritual growth and maturing in the faith is not something we have to do in our own strength.
Peter had the distinct privilege of being one of the few people who witnessed a glimpse of Christ's heavenly majesty and eternal glory which He laid aside so that by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, we might receive salvation.
And so, it is not surprising that the burning desire of Peter's heart was to communicate the matchless majesty of the Person of Christ to the Christians to whom he was writing - and to ALL who would come to faith in Him.
All were placed into His Body by the ONE Spirit, and throughout the Church dispensation, the moment a sinner is saved by grace through faith, he is removed from his position in Adam and baptised into the Body of Christ, by the same Holy Spirit.
Then expanding his teaching he adds: Just as also you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is over all, and through all and in all.