2 Faith and our Salvation
1 Faith - God's Part - Jesus and our Faith
Faith needed for Salvation
We can only become a child of God through faith, through faith in Jesus Christ. All scripture leads to the salvation that is in Christ Jesus - there is not an old Testament type of salvation and then a new type. When you study the word and study it with faith you will not mist Christ Jesus but if you are trying to see if God did not put another way of salvation in the word you will be disappointed. Salvation is only by faith in Christ Jesus
Eph 2:8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus
2Ti 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Faith - Christ establishes our faith
God's in our faith is that He is the designer of faith and of our faith as individuals. The design of the cross is build into our faith. Faith is started by God and He gives us all a little portion to start with and on that portiont we can come to salvation and then we grow in faith
Heb 12:2
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.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith ; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Therefor there is no faith without Christ, and no salvation without faith
Christ and Faith
Faith is powerful and the Name of Jesus is power, but the right faith combined with the power in the Name of Jesus does miracles.
Act 3:16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
God is love and faith is a God-like substance that can only work through love - there is no denying God's love when you desire to see God's power.
Gal 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love
And still God says love is greater - the greater power. The combination of the power of Faith and the power of "GOD's" Love does miracles. Jesus were move with compassion when he did miracles. With what are we moved when we pray for the sick. Sometimes when people are not healed maybe it was not because there was not enough faith, it might be that there was just not enough love!
1Co 13:2
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, and have not charity , I am nothing.
1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three ; but the greatest of these is charity
That is why LOVE matters
Eph 3:11-12
According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
Eph 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him .
Eph 3:17-20 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith ; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love ,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God .
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us , .
What is this power that works in us, that can do greater miracles than we can ever dream of - is not this LOVE! And when we desire the filling of the Holy Spirit, we will have it in fullness when we are filled with the LOVE of Christ!
2 The Promise = Holy Spirit
Gal 3:14
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith .
Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
"The Promise" that the Word speak of is the Holy Spirit that God promised us with the blessing of Abraham - Jesus was that seed that was promised and the blessing it the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to us after he would depart to be with us and in us. And that the Holy Spirit will give us power to be His witness.
Now, this blessing is promised but it is only accepted through faith. Those believers who understand that Jesus want to give us the Holy Spirit as a gift, need to understand that it is only by faith that we can receive the Holy Spirit.
Act 11:24 For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith : and much people was added unto the Lord.
Just as faith does not work very well without love it does not work very well without the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Just as the life that is full of the goodness of Good is administred by the Holy Spirit in the same way faith to do miracles it under the administration of the Holy Spirit.
Faith as Fruit - although the Holy Spirit does it we need to access it by faith
Gal 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Faith as a GIft
1 Co 12:9
To another faith by the same Spirit ; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
Rom 12:3 For I say, 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
Grace the Holy Spirit and gifts
Rom 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us , whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith ;
We must persue gifts but it seems that grace is involved and that grace is in specific dimensions and sizes. My question is that if desire more gifts instead of thinking you need to get more gifts can you be in need of more grace. There is an interesting scripture that says we need to access God's throne to get more Grace when we need it.
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
If this is true then the lack of GRACE will indicate a lack in our gifting. How do we get more grace? By going to the throne of Grace to receive it. We can only go to the throne of grace by boldness and that boldness we receive
Eph 3:12
In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus ,
1Jn 4:16-17
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us . God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
3 Our access to God is through Faith - just, justified and Righteous
Faith and Righteousness
Righteousness and justification is from God but people think that they can obtain justification and righteousness by doing the things that are in the Word as the commandments of God. Whether it is the man that trust in doing the old testament law or the Christian that believe in his own goodness and good deeds it comes to nothings because God is the one that justifies you and there is no justification other than though faith.
Already the act of justifying yourself and comparing yourself with others is wicked and relying on yourself and not on the one that justifies. That is why God says we should not judge others or even ourselves for our judgement is faulty we just on the outwards things but God on the heart and the faith that is in someone's heart.
Luk 18:8-9
I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth ?
Luk 18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others
This is what God tells us over and over about faith that the justified lives by faith and that is counted for righteousness.
Rom 1:17
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Rom 3:22-25
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Justification is freely and by grace through the blood of Jesus and the forgiveness of sin. It needs faith to walk in this righteousness for it is not your own righteousness but the righteousness of Christ. Therefore, the boldness and confidence we have with Christ comes not from all our effords and the great things we do but come through understanding the faith and grace.
Rom 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God , and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Rom 4:18-22
Who against hope believed in hope , that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
Rom 4:19 And being not weak in faith , he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb:
Rom 4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
Rom 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Rom 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness .
Rom 5:1-2
Therefore being justified by faith , we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Israel missed righteousness because the dit not sought it by faith like Abraham did. And Jesus became a stumblingblock to them for according to them He was not necessary, why come if they did not need him. But because in recognising they needed Him they would declare that all their efford cannot be rewarded and they did not want to let go of their many works on record. Paul said he counted them all as nothing so that He could win Christ and winning Christ he made sure his salvation.
Rom 9:30-32
What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness , even the righteousness which is of faith.
Rom 9:31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
Rom 9:32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith , but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
Php 3:9 And be found in him, 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 :
Righteousness and Justification stand absolutely on the finished work of Christ and not our hard work. We can only be justified by Faith.
Why do we need to live as the justified? Because we can only have boldness to come to God when we know what everything has been taken out of the way and we can have fellowship with God.
We also need to fellowship with God - if we have problems to come to God it might proof that
- we do not know that we have been justified
- we have not believed in His love and it have not been perfected in us
- our past sins are still a barrier between Him because we cannot access his righteousness by faith
- we are trying to be good and do not think we need God's help.