Faith is: a gift of God, from God - God-given; God-kept; God-finished - as He has promised: “...that whoever believes has eternal life…” (John 3:26)
Ephesians 2:8 “8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God –
· Faith is always a gift from God, and never something that can be produced by people. In short, ("faith") for the believer is "God's divine persuasion" – and therefore distinct from human belief (confidence), yet involving it. The Lord continuously births faith in the yielded believer so they can know what He prefers, i.e. the persuasion of His will (1 Jn 5:4).
· Persuaded, we come to trust, we have faith; that this, He, is true, and this by a divine persuasion, I believe, trust, entrust myself to Him and am saved.
· Faith is always received from God and never generated by us.
As God reveals himself to us we are persuaded of His reality, His love for us, His glory. As we see and believe it is by faith in we receive what He offers us in Jesus, we are changed, justified, made righteous, now able to receive Him, and having received Him, I have been made new. wanting more - to see more, to hear more, to experience more - of Him.
That wanting of more, even when frustrated in our continued longing and delayed satisfaction, is a proof of the reality of God in our lives - our heart’s longing for more - that will not be fully realized until we see Him face-to-face in glory. In the meantime, we ache, we long, we groan - waiting, anticipating, the glory to come, but in hope, by faith, eagerly waiting for our (eternal redemption as children o f God (Rom 8)
Faith is: God kept; God fueled: God accomplished - Philippians 2: “...it is God who works in you…” God empowered; God-accomplished
Faith is: God finished - Philippians 1:6
Faith is: a gift of God (Eph 2:8-10) God-given; God-kept; God-finished; God accomplished God finished - as He has promised:
Work - Energy – God says: I work, am operative, am at work, am made to work, accomplish; mid: I work, display activity, personally engaged in," which intensifies the "work" – to energize, working in a situation which brings it from one stage (point) to the next, like an electrical current energizing a wire, bringing it to a shining light bulb. To effect
To will - desire, to wish (for) - Lord extending His "best-offer" to the believer – wanting (desiring) to birth His persuasion (faith) in them which also empowers, manifests His presence - to be determined to act according the God’s purposes
God’s desire for us to know that our faith is real and trustworthy…
1Peter 1: “these have been given so that your faith… might be proved genuine”
God proved genuine - our faiths’ persevering through trials and temptations - This surety is the seat of our joy, our strength, as we see and can be confident in, the goal of this faith - The Forgiveness of sin (and sins); salvation of our souls; the exchange of sin for righteousness (of Jesus); Our being justified by God - declared innocent of all charges against; the promise of God being for us - “who will (now) bring any charges against us?” (Isa 50:7-10)… if God is for us who can be against us?”; being sanctified, set apart to by His will, to accomplish His will; endowed with an eternal hope - the great and confident expectation of being glorified with Him. (Romans 5;8)
How valuable is this faith?
· 1Peter 1 “your faith...more valuable, of greater worth, than gold, even though refined…”
· 1Peter 1:18-19 “18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19but with the precious blood of Christ”
How durable, how reliable is this faith? How trustworthy is it? More importantly, how trustworthy is, He?
· Romans 8:18-39 “nothing can separate us from the love of God...
· Philippians 1:6 “He who began a good work in
· He has placed His seal of approval on us (Eph 1:13-14; 2Cor 5:4-5)
o Eph 1:13-
o 2Cor 5:4-5
Little difference from the seal of approval placed on Jesus - as THE sacrificial lamb - holy and unblemished, certified by God Himself and declared worthy (Rev “worthy is the Lamb who was slain”)
What does this faith do? As much as it saves, it enables us to live joyfully in its hope - the certain
· 1Peter 1:8-9
And now that I see Jesus… I no longer look at anything from a worldly point of view - as I begin to see everything as the handiwork of God - I see Him, His hand, in everything
Our salvation: it is by faith…
The gospel, the good news of God’s love for us in and through Jesus is the power and provoker of our faith:
· Romans 1:16-17 “...the gospel… is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, e just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Gospel: After the death of Christ the term comprises also the preaching of (concerning) Jesus Christ as having suffered death on the cross to procure eternal salvation for men in the kingdom of God, but as restored to life and exalted to the right hand of God in heaven, thence to return in majesty to consummate the kingdom of God; so that it may be more briefly defined as "the glad tidings of salvation through Christ; the proclamation of the grace of God manifested and pledged in Christ; the gospel"
Power: "inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth"
Gospel being the expression and effect of that power - manifest, acting in and on, men
Miraculous power to make right and righteous - as to change and transform through and by that power - or - the gospel, which is His power seen, experienced,
2Peter 1:1 “1Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours” Ephesians 2:“It is by grace that you have been saved, and this by faith – and this is the gift from God”
So what is this faith?
· Hebrews 11:1-3
· Romans 4 (Abraham)
Genesis - Abraham, look at the stars… God whispers to Abram and encourages him to look at the stars, to what has been made, those things God has created to declare and express His own divine and invisible qualities - seen by what has been made. So that, by what is seen, God may begin the act of persuasion, the first seeds of belief, to strike fear in the heart of mankind - reverent awe of His glory and majesty, that we might be persuaded that there is a God, that we might believe. (Romans 1:20; Proverbs 1:7; 9:10)
Where faith began… God meets Abraham, goes to him, calls to him, speaks to him, reveals Himself to him, and called by God, he was persuaded by God, to believe, and believe, he did, and it was credited to him and his righteousness...(Romans 4:3, 9, 13,16, 18-24; Genesis 12:1-4; 13:14-18; Genesis 15:1-6 – righteousness imputed upon believing, having faith, for salvation, Abraham believes God and shows His believing, his faith in obeying; Genesis 22:1-19 – Abraham expresses his imputed righteousness, His faith in God His faith expressed by obeying)
Our salvation is not by works, or anything else we might do, but by grace, trough faith, a gift from God, His divine persuasion
· Matthew 7:21, 24
· John 6:26-59 “‘...do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.’ then they asked him, ‘what mut we do to do they works requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘the work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.’ so they asked him, ‘what sign will you give that we might see it and believe you?’
· John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he sent… that whoever believes…”
Remember, it is God’s INVISIBLE qualities - His eternal power and divine nature, even His wisdom - that can be known by what seen, by what has been made! (Ps 33:6; 146:5; Jer 10:12; 51:15; Rom 1:19-20; John 1:18; Col 2:9; Tim 1:17) when we see God in what He has made, it is God overcoming our inability that we might see, revere, and know. (Prov 1:7)
