What Is Faith?

Buddy always looks like he’s being tortured when I dress him in his Christmas outfit. But that’s OK, as long as he cooperates long enough to take a few photos. He remained amazingly still this year–till he ran out of patience.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 13:13:

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Last Wednesday I discussed the topic of hope. Today I’d like to discuss faith.

What is faith, really?

1. Faith cannot be mere knowledge of who God is or a fact. Because the Apostle Paul also tells us:

“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder.”–James 2:19, James the brother of Jesus, (NIV)

The demons also acknowledged that Jesus Christ is God and had the authority to cast them into Hell and torment them (Matthew 8:28-29). So faith must be more than just knowledge that there is a Creator God and that Jesus is His Son, the incarnate God (Matthew 1:23).

2. Faith must be more than just obedience to rules of good behavior.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,… For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one can boast.”–Apostle Paul, Ephesians 2:4-5, 8

Good behavior doesn’t save us, the Apostle Paul states, but faith.

This mysterious faith.

Jesus made it clear to the religious leaders of that day, the Pharisees, that although they obeyed the Laws of Moses, they didn’t make the mark to get into heaven:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead man’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”–Jesus, Matthew 23:27-28

Jesus also emphasized this point that acting good and looking good to others didn’t mean that your heart was right with God. You can do all sorts of good deeds, but still not be right in God’s sight.

The Sixth (or Seventh)* Commandment given to the Jewish people through the prophet Moses is:

“Thou shalt not commit adultery.”–Exodus 20:14

Yet, Jesus said that committing adultery was not just an outward action, as the Pharisees believed, but was also an attitude of the heart and mind:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”–Matthew 5:27-28

3. So is faith an attitude? Because apparently actions don’t save or make you right with God?

Yet the Apostle Paul says that faith is what saves, and is a gift from God.

The Book of James both clarifies, and sometimes confuses, this point:

James echoes both Jesus and the Apostle Paul that actions alone do not save.

Jesus taught, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”–Matthew 5:48

Which must’ve made His hearers despair as no one can be perfect.

And James echoes this in James 2:10:

“For whoever keeps the whole law yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.”

The Apostle Pau also strongly declared to the Galatian Church, who were trying to keep their salvation through good works:

“The Law is not of faith.”–Galatians 3:12

4. So what is saving faith?

I think the argument can be summarized as:

Receiving Jesus as both Lord and Savior.

Satan demonstrated that he knows the Bible (Luke 4:9-11) when He tried to trick Jesus into proving He was Lord by twisting the Scriptures. Demons also attend religious services, as Jesus cast out a demon:

“Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, ‘What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who You are–the Holy One of God!”–Mark 1:23-24

So knowing what the Bible teaches or attending church isn’t enough to prove that you’re a Christian who has saving faith. The devil and his demons know that Jesus is Lord; apparently that’s not enough for saving faith.

Acknowledging Jesus as Lord, God in the flesh, is one half.

The other is submitting to His authority as Savior.

The devil and his demons don’t submit to God’s authority. They clearly cannot repent. Satan wants to be worshipped as God and the demons follow Satan as their leader and obey him.

When a person repents of their sin, they are admitting that they are unable to live life by their own rules and must submit to the authority of God to define right and wrong. There are a lot of people in our modern Western Culture who claim to be Christians, yet do not submit to God’s moral authority. These are not their exact words, usually, but they say that the Bible’s moral rules are old-fashioned and we need to change with the times. They follow what the culture says is right or wrong, or what the individual perceives to be truth or defines truth to be, not what the Word of God says is the truth and what is morally right or wrong.

Disciples of James confused the Galatian church. They believed that they were saved by faith, as the Apostle Paul taught, but had to keep their salvation through works. The Apostle Paul rebuked these disciples who confused this church and his teaching that we are saved and maintained by faith, not works (Galatians 3).

So the teaching of James can confuse.

Desiring to obey God demonstrates that you have a changed heart. You’ve put your trust in Jesus to save you and submit to His authority.

If you claim to be a Christian, but have zero desire to obey God, there’s something seriously wrong. You cannot be born again and still desire to sin and disobey Him. A sincere believer may stumble and fall and disobey, but he/she doesn’t want to sin. Sin no longer is their master (Romans 6:14). A true believer is a “new creation. The Old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”–Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 5:17

To summarize James: If you’ve truly put your trust in Jesus as your Lord, you will act differently. Your behavior will demonstrate what you truly believe. Because Abraham learned to trust God, he was willing to obey what God told him to do, even if it meant sacrificing his own son, because “Abraham believed God (James 2:23).” He was concerned about people forgetting who they were in Christ and not setting an example to the world by their behavior (James 1:22-24).

The centurion demonstrated that he had “great faith (Luke 7:9)” because he asked Jesus to heal his servant, but felt unworthy for Jesus to enter his home. He believed that Jesus could heal from afar and didn’t need to be physically present to perform the miracle. He knew Jesus was the Lord and had the authority to declare his servant healed. The centurion’s behavior backed up what he truly believed in his heart.

A modern example is an experience I often had with my beloved grandmother. She’d often say that “she trusted me,” yet would often doublecheck. Her actions demonstrated that she didn’t really trust me.

A saved person has a new heart, is one with Christ (John 17:22), and desires to obey God. They have cast off their filthy rags of works righteousness (Isaiah 64:6) and been clothed with the clean, white garments of the “righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22).”

James was concerned that someone who claimed to be saved backed up their words with actions, as he clearly taught in the first chapter that it was impossible to be made right with God through the Law. So something else was needed.

So this is why I emphasize in my call to faith at the end of my weekly posts that a person asks Jesus to be both their Lord and Savior.

A person proves that they have a new heart–saving faith–by becoming a different person.

NOT a perfect person.

But they’ve entered the “paths of righteousness for His namesake (Psalm 23:3)” and have a heart to obey the Lord, rather than serve the world, the flesh, and our culture.

They have started their journey of sanctification.

I hope this helps clarify.

And then again–maybe not.

But that’s how I understand it. And why someone who claims to be a Christian may only be deluding themselves. I don’t anyone who reads my blogs to be one of the people that Christ casts away from His presence on Judgment Day because they thought they were right with God–but aren’t.

God bless you this Christmas Season (or whatever time of year you read this blog post).

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

*Different denominations parse the Commandments differently.

***

Most religions try to teach you how to be good.

But cannot give you the power to BE good.

Only a change of heart through the power of God’s Holy Spirit can change your behavior–and thus your life.

We’re all born spiritually dead, because our first ancestors rejected God’s authority in their lives. They believed Satan and his lies, rather than trusting that God is good and obeying Him because He had their best interests in mind.

And, therefore, every person is born without the Holy Spirit since Adam and Eve. (This Creation story is extremely important to understanding our need for God.)

Humans were created in God’s image; just as He is triune in nature–Father, Son, and Holy Spirt–we are supposed to be triune beings, also: body, soul, and spirit. But every person is born into this world without the Holy Spirit indwelling them. Everyone is born with just a body and soul, without union with God. That’s why you need to be born again.

“Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”–Jesus, John 3:3

Do you feel like something’s missing in your life? Like there is an empty space on your soul that can never go away, despite how hard you try to fill it with things or relationships you think should make you feel happy—but don’t.

Your soul was created to be united with God’s Spirit. If you feel empty, it’s because the Holy Spirit isn’t filling that space in your heart where He is supposed to dwell.

If you don’t have the Holy Spirit, you do not having saving faith.

If you haven’t yet, please consider asking Jesus to be both your Lord and Savior. He died for your sins, so that you don’t have to, and was resurrected bodily on the Third Day to prove that He is God and can give you supernatural, eternal life.

Please repeat the below prayer, out loud, if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin. Please forgive me. I call on Jesus to be both my Lord and my Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. And please teach me how much You love me. In the mighty name of your Son Jesus Christ, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. The Bible is your soul food.

And attend a Bible-believing church or Bible study, and get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend the following two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) or http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be deceived by bad teaching or legalism until you know the Bible fairly well.

God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Jesus Came To Do More Than Die For Our Sins, 1 John 3:8, Part 2

Buddy was abused for three years by the husband of his prior owner. She was dying of cancer and could scarcely care for herself, let alone care for Buddy, whom she’d kept as a pet. Fortunately, a breeder friend of hers rescued Buddy and fostered him out till he became my “furever” friend.

Jesus came to die for our sins (Hebrews 10:10) and to give us new life through the power of the Holy Spirit Who indwells born again Christian believers.

But the Apostle John clearly states that He also came to the earth to defeat the power of Satan in our lives in 1 John 3:8:

“The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”

What three things gives Satan power over us?

1. Sin: “The one who practices sin is of the devil (1 John 3:8.”

2. The fear of death: “Since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives (Hebrews 2:14-15).”

3. The Law (given through the prophet Moses): “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:19-20, 23).”

Even the first generation born on planet earth could not resist sinning. God warned Cain to resist his feelings of anger toward his brother Abel, whose sacrifice God accepted but rejected Cain’s.

“Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.’ (Genesis 4:6-7)”

Cain could not resist the pull of his anger and murdered his brother.

The Law gives Satan power over us because the Law can only condemn us and prove that we are sinners, but cannot save us: “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20)…I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, taking every opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law, sin is dead (Romans 7:7-8).”

Jesus defeated Satan by defeating the power of sin, the fear of death, and fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law for us. He lived a totally sinless life under the Law so that the Law could no longer have the power to condemn us.

So how did Jesus address these three powers of the devil over us?

1. Defeated the power of sin: “He (Jesus) appeared in order to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin….No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him;…By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. (1 John 3:5-6, 9, 1 John 4:9).

What the apostle was explaining in his first epistle is that born again believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and now have the power of God to love and obey Him, and the power to love others. We are no longer under sin’s rule.

A lawyer and teacher of the Law, asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied, that to love God and others is the summary of the Law: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:35-40).”

2. Defeated the fear of death: “As God lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life (Jesus, John 3:14).”

We no longer fear death because we have an everlasting inheritance with Jesus in heaven where Satan no longer dwells (Revelation 12:9) nor evil.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you (Apostle Peter, 1 Peter 1:3-4).”

In heaven we will find hope and comfort after living in this broken world of heartache and pain: “God will wipe every year from their eyes (Apostle John, Revelation 7:17).”

“And they overcame him (Satan) because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life, even when faced with death (Revelation 12:11).”

3. The curse of the Law is broken so that we no longer want to sin nor are condemned by God as sinners, because Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Law for us. As the Apostle Paul explains:

We no longer need to “go for the gusto” or harm others to obtain everything that this world offers or our corrupt nature desires. As adopted children of God, our Heavenly Father knows what we need and promises supply it (Matthew 6:25-34) if we ask. Therefore, we can love others as we know our own needs are being met.

The Holy Spirit transforms our heart so that we are a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17): “Circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter (Romans 2:29).”

“For He (Jesus) rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14).”

“For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law….But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness…Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:28, 4:5, 5:1).”

“For the Law made nothing perfect (Hebrews 7:19),” Jesus makes us perfect before God through our faith: “to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy (Jude 1:24, brother of Jesus).”

Much more could be said, but the above is a summary of how Jesus came to “destroy the works of the devil”.

There are two other things Christ gave us through His incarnation, to be explained in the next two blogs celebrating His first coming.

God bless you this Advent Season as the church celebrates the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23).”

Thank you for reading this rather lengthy post.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

God is loving. He protects and provides for everyone in many ways as humans are made in His image (Genesis 1:27). However, when a person gives their life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit destroys the devil’s power over a person’s life by enabling them to stop engaging in self-destructive (sinful) behavior.

This process of sanctification works differently in every Christian’s life, but after giving your life to God, the Holy Spirit will come to indwell you and begin that process of helping you.

I have fallen flat on my face many times since becoming a Christian, but I can truly say that, although I have a long way to go, I’m a better person than I was before I got saved. But like a good Father, God promises never to leave nor forsake His children (Hebrews 13:5). He keeps guiding us along “the path of righteousness for His name’s sake (Psalm 23:3).”

If you’d like to become a child of God, please say the following prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving me so much that You sent Jesus to earth to die for my sins. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sins. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Thank you for the gift of Christ, which we celebrate at Christmas. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed with sincerity, congratulations, you are born again. Please find a Bible-based church or Bible study to grow in your faith and relationship with God. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these three ministries: http://www.InTouch.org, http://www.LTW.org and http://www.BasicGospel.net. These will get your new life in Christ started off on the right foot.

God bless you. Best of Wishes.

Everyone Breaks The First Commandment, Exodus 20:3

Buddy.

I let Buddy think he’s the boss. As long as he stays within acceptable parameters of behavior, I let him do whatever he wants, when he wants. And the rare times I do discipline him, it’s very restrained as he’s been traumatized by past abuse.

In other words, Buddy is spoiled rotten—almost, anyway. Perhaps a shade above rotten.

The story of Adam and Eve is often not understood fully. Satan tempted Eve to distrust God and rebel against His authority.

“The serpent said to the woman, ‘You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ (Genesis 3:4-5)”

Eve was deceived but Adam knowingly joined in rebellion against God. They wanted to be their own god—determining the rules of life for themselves, rather than following the instructions of their Creator Who made them.

In other words, they broke the first of the Ten Commandments:

“You shall have no other gods before Me.”—Exodus 20:3

Adam and Eve wanted to be “wise” (Genesis 3:6); in other words, thought that they knew better than God to determine what was right and what was wrong.

They wanted to be their own god.

Some people claim to be Christians yet want to decide for themselves what is moral or immoral, not what the Bible defines it to be. Yet, Jesus said, “He who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. (John 14:21)” Part of loving Jesus is wanting to obey Him.

I’m not claiming that I perfectly obey God. No way. You reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7) and are disciplined by God if you refuse to repent, just as an earthly Father disciplines a recalcitrant child (Hebrews 12:5-6)). I don’t like reaping or being disciplined. It sucks.

My main point is: Who do you look to in determining what is right or wrong?

Yourself, the culture, the government, the crowd, your friends, your family, a musician, an actor, a band, a guru, an author, a politician or: fill in the blank?

Or the Lord?

Whoever that person or entity is, they are your god.

Please choose wisely and follow Jesus. He loves you more than Himself, as He came into our world as a human male and died for our sins, suffering extreme pain and punishment toward, and on, the Cross.

Since He is the One Who made you, He’s got the perfect instruction manual for your life.

It’s a lifelong process of learning that manual!

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy.

***

If you’d like to begin that journey with God, making Him your Boss, Your Lord Who defines right and wrong, please pray the below:

Dear Lord Jesus, I call on You to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me of my sins. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I believe that You came in the flesh, born of a virgin, died on the Cross for my sins, and was resurrected bodily from the grave. Lead me and guide me into all righteousness. Thank you for loving me and hearing my prayer. Amen.

If you prayed with sincerity, congratulations. You are born again, inhabited by the Spirit of God. Please find a Bible-based church to fellowship with and grow in the knowledge of God. These three ministries will also assist you: http://www.BasicGospel.net, http://www.InTouch.org and http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way).

God bless you. See you in heaven.