WHAT IS FAITH?
"NOW FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR,
THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN."
HEBREW 11:1
What does the apostle Paul mean when, in Romans, he speaks of 'saving faith'? We must be very careful to understand faith as Paul uses the word in Scripture because he ties FAITH so closely to salvation.
To begin with, we understand by Ephesians 2:8 that it is God's grace, not our faith that saves us. So right there we see that we should be more concentrated on God's grace than on our performance. Therefore, whether your faith is big or small is not the point! What is more important is where you put that faith. Is it in the death of Christ for your sins? If it is, your faith will grow as you continue to learn more about Him in your new relationship with Him.
Sometimes, when people learn that they are saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8), they start to worry: 'Do I have enough faith?' or 'Is my faith strong enough to save me?' It is God who saves us, not our feelings, actions or emotions, plus He is strong enough to save us, no matter how weak our faith is. God offers us the salvation of our souls as a gift because He loves us, not because we have earned it through our powerful faith. "... the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23 The issue is not how much faith you have, but who do you have faith in! The Christian faith is faith in Christ. Its value is not in the one believing, but in the one believed, not in the one trusting but in the one trusted! (B.N.)
Some might say: 'It does not matter what you believe, as long as you believe it enough!' That is not Christianity! You may have more faith than anyone in history, but if you put your faith, for example, in the potted plant in your living room, do you have a saving relationship with God? Do you have forgiveness of sins? Do you have everlasting life? NO! Because your faith is in a potted plant. On the other hand, if you have faith the size of a poppy seed, and you put that faith in Christ, you have a saving relationship with God, forgiveness of sin and eternal life. When your faith is placed in the risen Lord Jesus, you are saved, by grace through faith God says in Ephesians 2:8. Faith does not save you but Christ does!
Some others might say: 'It does not matter if the resurrection happened or not, the important thing is: do you believe it happened!' The truth is, what I believe does matter, because if what I believe is not true, then I have no right to my Christian faith. The facts backing the Christian claim are not a special kind of religious fact. They are facts of history that are clearly accessible by all. (B.N). "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins." 1 Corinthians 15:17
The apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:1, 3-8: "Now, let me remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is built on this wonderful message ... that Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles. After that, He was seen by more than 500 of His followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died by now. Then He was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, I saw Him too ..." The Bible is very clear on these facts and many history books prove it too!
Why does God save us by faith alone?
1) Faith eliminates the pride of human effort, because faith is not a deed that we do but a gift from God!
2) Faith exalts what God has done, not what we do ... so praise Him!
3) Faith admits that we can't measure up to God's Holy Standard (Romans 3:23), that's repentance (Mark 1:15)
4) Faith is based on our relationship with God, not our performance for God, so it gives us peace and security: "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them to Me is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." John 10:28, 29
Understand that no amount of human effort or goodness will close the gap between God's moral perfection and our imperfection. Good deeds are important but they will not earn us eternal life. We are saved only by trusting in what God has done for us through His Son "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16
Precious Pearls:
When we believe that God will fulfill His promises even though we don't see those promises materializing yet, we demonstrate true faith. God called the universe into existence out of nothing (Hebrews 11:3 & Genesis 1), God declared that it was to be, and it was. Our faith is in the God who created the entire universe by His Word. Won't you believe His words to you today? "So then FAITH comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." Romans 10:17
"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures..."
1 Corinthians 15:3
"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners ..."
I Timothy 1:15
"He that believes on the Son has everlasting life:
and he that believes not the Son shall not see life;
but the wrath of God abides on him"
John 3:36
Safe in the hollow of His hand,
Claudine
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