Whose Faith? Part Two

Is It His Faith or My Faith?

            The question is, is it His faith or our faith that matters? The answer is yes. It is both. His faith becomes our faith. Note how the apostle Paul explained it in Galatians 3:22 (KJV): “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” The faith of Jesus Christ has taken away our sin, reconciled us to the Father, given us forgiveness, made us righteous, and many other things that we will consider later. Those benefits of the cross are objectively, factually true because of Him. When He said, “It is finished,” He meant it! What is done is done.

            However, Paul said the promise is given to “them that believe.” This is believers’ subjective, actual experience. Critics of this pure message of grace wrongly accuse those of us who hold this viewpoint as suggesting that it isn’t necessary to believe, but that isn’t true. It is necessary for us to believe that we are in right standing with God because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. But we believe it because Jesus has already accomplished it! We believe it to experience it.

           

Objective and Subjective Aspects of the Gospel

            Both the objective (what God has done) and the subjective (what we believe and experience) aspects of the gospel are important. We can’t marginalize or minimize either, but modern Evangelicalism places so much emphasis on our subjective faith that the objective faith of Christ is largely ignored. That is why I am emphasizing the objective component so strongly in this book.

            Don’t wrongly conclude that I think the subjective experience of personally embracing the finished work of Christ is unimportant. It is not only important but essential! However, we can believe only because of the faith of Jesus Christ that already stands as an eternal witness to the finished work of the cross. Our faith is the activation of His faith in and through us. There aren’t two faiths—His and ours. There is only “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5).

            Romans 1:17 says, “For in [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith.’” From faith to faith—what does that mean? It means that the faith of Jesus becomes our faith. When the apostle Paul wrote that the righteous man shall live by faith, he was pointing to Habakkuk 2:5, which clearly explains what Paul meant by his statement to the Romans. “But the righteous will live by his faith.” It is absolutely correct to insist that our faith is important, but it is also absolutely essential to recognize that there would be no basis for our faith unless it was all sourced in Him. When we believe, we begin to live out in time what has been settled in eternity.

           

None Are Left Out

            The atoning work of Christ doesn’t affect us simply because we believe it. It affects everybody whether we believe it or not. That is what makes the gospel so exciting. No one is excluded in the cross. All mankind was in Him on that horrible, wonderful day.

            Irenaeus of Lyon was a great theologian of the second century. He was a disciple of Polycarp, who had been a disciple of John. Here is his explanation of what Jesus did at the cross.

            Therefore, as I have already said, He caused man (human nature) to cleave to and to become, one with God. For unless man had overcome the enemy of man, the enemy would not have been legitimately vanquished. And again: unless it had been God who had freely given salvation, we could never have possessed it securely. And unless man had been joined to God, he could never have become a partaker of incorruptibility. For it was incumbent upon the Mediator between God and men, by His relationship to both, to bring both to friendship and concord, and present man to God, while He revealed God to man.⁵

            John the Evangelist actually walked and lived with Jesus. Who did John’s grandson in the faith believe was impacted by the finished work of the cross? Notice that he didn’t say this only applied to those who believed it. Irenaeus plainly taught that what God did in Christ affected all humanity. His statement expresses the witness of the early church at large.

            Move forward a few centuries, and Athanasius stands front and center in the church affirming what Irenaeus had said.

            Naturally also, through this union of the immortal Son of God with our human nature, all men were clothed with incorruption in the promise of the resurrection. For the solidarity of mankind is such that, by virtue of the Word’s indwelling in a single human body, the corruption which goes with death has lost its power over all. You know how it is when some great king enters a large city and dwells in one of its houses; because of his dwelling in that single house, the whole city is honored, and enemies and robbers cease to molest it. Even so is it with the King of all; He has come into our country and dwelt in one body amidst the many, and in consequence the designs of the enemy against humanity have been foiled and the corruption of death, which formerly held them in its power, has simply ceased to be. For the human race would have perished utterly had not the Lord and Savior of all, the Son of God, come among us to put an end to death.⁶

            When Jesus died, it was His faith (or to fine tune it even more, His faithfulness) that solved Adam’s problem. All humanity was gathered up in Him, and in His death, we all died.

            Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.

            Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him (Romans 6:3-8).

            Scottish Bible teacher William Still commented on this passage.

            There, Paul repeats the truth verse after verse in varying forms of words: we are “baptised into his death”; we are “planted together with him in the likeness of his death”; “our old man was crucified with him”; “he that is dead has been justified from sin”; we are “dead with Christ.” Could anything be more plain? Paul says that when Jesus died, we died with him. The Negro spiritual is not wrong when it asks, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” We were all there.

            But we must take time to ponder it. Does it mean that when Jesus died on the Cross we all died to sin with him, before we were born? The answer can only be, “Yes,” although the actualizing of the fact awaits our birth and our conversion. The only way to grapple with the fact is to let its incredible statement strike home to our hearts with stark and daring force.⁷

Whose Faith? Part One

            “But we have to have faith to be justified! Paul wrote that we are justified by faith,” Ian told me after hearing me teach this truth.

            “I agree,” I replied. “Romans 5:1 says, ‘Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ The question is, whose faith causes us to be justified?”

            “Our faith in Christ,” he responded.

            Ian interpreted this verse the way most Evangelicals do today. He believed our faith in Christ is the catalyst for justification. This puts the burden on us to place our faith in Him in order to be justified.

            That, however, is not what the Bible actually teaches, nor is it the view of the early church. Faith is indeed the conduit through which justification comes, but it’s Jesus’s faith that has justified us. It’s not our own faith that we have placed in Him. He has justified us. He isn’t waiting for us to do something so we can be justified through our own actions.

           

Two-Letter Words That Make a Huge Difference

            Two pivotal words in this discussion of justification are in and of. To be justified by faith in Christ is very different from being justified by the faith of Christ. One depends on our faith, and the other rests in His faith.

            This is where we must take a serious look at what the Bible says and what it means. You can’t just take somebody’s word for it regardless of how much you respect that person. Sincere people who love Jesus are sometimes wrong. It is important that we all study the Bible to understand the truth. Translations vary from one another. That’s why it is always important to compare translations when we study the Bible.

            Consider how these translations differ in the way they approach this important matter of faith. As you compare the difference between the verses, ask yourself, does this translation suggest that the necessary faith originates with God or with man? As you know, grace always originates with God. It’s not us giving Him something (such as our faith), but always a matter of Him giving us something. It is the unilateral expression of His love toward us. We could compare numerous translations, but I’ll use two of the most popular translations that have endured the test of time—the King James Version and the New International Version. Remember to answer the question about whether the verse suggests that the faith necessary for justification originates with God or us.

           

Romans 3:22

            The KJV translates this verse, “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.” Compare that with the NIV: “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile.”

            The righteousness of God comes by faith, but whose faith? The KJV says it is by the faith of Jesus Christ, but the NIV says it comes through faith in Jesus Christ. (A footnote in the NIV indicates the verse could be translated, “through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.”) Do you see how important this distinction is? The difference lies in whether the source of our righteousness is His faith or our faith.

           

Galatians 2:16

            The KJV reads, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” The NIV says, “[We] know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and by works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.”

            Again, are we justified by the faith of Christ or by putting our faith in Christ Jesus? The difference between the two is huge. How you answer the question will determine your theology in this area.

           

Galatians 2:20

            The KJV renders this verse, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth 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 NIV renders it, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. 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.”

            Again, whose faith is the catalyst for our righteousness—His or ours? It isn’t our faith, but the faith of Jesus Christ that has made us righteous. We must not ignore an important principle in interpreting the Bible if we want to properly understand it. It is the Christocentic (“Christ centered”) principle. The other way to interpret the Bible is the egocentric (“self-centered”) approach. Which one do you believe is the best way to rightly understand the Bible? Look again at the verses in the paragraphs above and decide which translation approaches the verses from a Christ-centered approach and which takes the self-centered approach.

            I’m not campaigning here for the King James Version, although I believe it is a wonderful translation. I’m simply making the point that we need to compare versions of the Scripture when we study. Don’t think for a minute that translators didn’t bring their own preconceived ideas to the text when they translated from the Greek or Hebrew into English.³ That doesn’t mean we can’t trust our Bibles, but the fact is that we don’t have the original manuscripts anymore, so it is always wise to compare translations. Too many of us have simply believed what we have been told for so long that we feel uncomfortable questioning it. But some things need to be questioned. In this case, the grace of God is impugned when we think our faith causes us to be justified.

           

Consistency Is Key

            This importance of the distinction between the words in and of can further be seen in the way many translators handle two specific texts in Romans. Carefully notice the immediate context of the word faith in these passages. The first is Romans 3:25-26: “This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Take special notice of the phrase “faith in Jesus” in verse 26.

            Now compare what Romans 4:16 says about faith: “For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.”

            The first text refers to “faith in Jesus,” and the second text mentions the “faith of Abraham.” One verse uses the word in, and the other chooses the word of. Here is a perfect example of why so many have come to the wrong understanding about faith. Would it surprise you to know that Romans 3:26 and 4:16 use the same words, with the exception of the names Jesus and Abraham?⁴ Only the names are different, and yet the verses are translated completely differently!

            The NASB translators chose to render the reference to Jesus as “faith in Jesus,” but they didn’t translate the reference to Abraham as “faith in Abraham.” Rather, they chose to rightly render it as “the faith of Abraham.” If the NASB were consistent, Romans 3:26 would read, “for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who is of the faith of Jesus.” (The NASB footnote offers this as an alternate translation.) The inconsistency here belies the bias of the translators. They wouldn’t suggest that Paul was saying his readers should have faith in Abraham, but neither did they assert that we are justified by the faith of Christ. Their view was obvious—that we are justified by placing our faith in Christ.

- Steve McVey

The Danger of Coasting

I don’t know how much I’ve driven in the twenty years since I got my license, but I do know it’s a lot, what with all those drives down to the South to visit my family. Here is one thing that has never varied across the hundreds of thousands of miles: When I take my foot off the pedal, the car does not speed up. It doesn’t even maintain the same speed. Instead, from the very moment I take my foot off the accelerator, the car begins to slow. Allowing the car to coast is inviting the car to stop. It may take some time, but left on its own, it will stop eventually. It is inevitable.

I’ve been thinking about this lately because I see in my own life a tendency to coast—to coast in my relationships, to coast in my pursuit of godliness, to coast in my pursuit of God himself. And here are some things I’ve observed:

I do not coast toward godliness, but selfishness.

I do not coast toward self-control, but rashness.

I do not coast toward a love for others, but agitation.

I do not coast toward patience, but irritability.

I do not coast toward purity, but lust.

I do not coast toward self-denial, but self-obsession.

I do not coast toward the gospel, but self-sufficiency.

In short, I do not coast toward Christ, but toward self. When I stop caring, when I stop expending effort, when I allow myself to coast, I inevitably coast away from God and godliness. And this is exactly why I am so deeply dependent upon those ordinary means of grace, those oh-so-ordinary ways of growing in godliness—Scripture and prayer, preaching and fellowship, worship and sacrament. The moment those sweet means no longer appeal is the moment I begin to slow.

Posted by Journey Encouragement at 10:14 PM No comments :

Grace is Only Grace if it is Without the Input of Man

The fear-mongering preaching of "Hell Fire" and "Brimstone" to frighten people into the kingdom of God is not presenting the Good News of God's Grace,  no matter how hot you deem hell to be.

John G. Lake said it this way; ”There were days when the Church could club men into obedience by preaching Hell to them, but that day has long passed. The world has outgrown it.”

Grace seeks people.

Grace saves people.

Grace keeps people.

Grace secures people.

Grace empowers people.

Grace satisfies people.

Grace sanctifies people.

Grace forgives people.

Grace understands people.

Grace frees people

Grace loves people.

Many in Christendom today believe that grace saves, but to maintain that salvation the keeping of the law, or religious traditions and rules is our doing. this mixing of grace and law pollutes the purity of Grace.  

Grace has no impurities of man's involvement in it...Grace is pure....If if a chemist were to describe Grace he would say that grace is an element, not a compound. In scriptural  terms, grace is never a mixture of God's benevolence and human effort: "Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness." (Romans 4:4-5).

"But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace" (Romans 11:6).

Grace is entirely the work of God, unprompted by man, unaided by man undeserved by man but...it is polluted by men who mix Grace and the Law as call it the Gospel of Grace, and that is a disgrace!

The Law is the standard of righteousness, but Grace is the source of righteousness. While the Law defines righteousness, only Grace can deliver it. The Law was never intended to be a means of obtaining Grace; it was given to demonstrate to men that Grace was desperately needed: "Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, 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. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets" (Romans 3:19-21).

GRACE is PURE! 

The Gospel of the Kingdom

“The kingdom of God is the new and final age that began with the coming of Jesus. His kingdom is not part of the present age — an age where the flesh reigns; where people are divided, relationships are broken, and suspicion and competition dominate; where money, sex, and power are abused; where leaders are first and servants last; where behavior is controlled by laws, and identity is defined by race, gender, or social standing; and where gifts and resources are used for the advancement of oneself.

Rather, the kingdom of God is the new age. It is the age of the Spirit (Matt 12:28). It is the age of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17). The Kingdom of God is about the renewal, restoration, and reconciliation of all things, and God has made us a part of this great story of salvation.

This kingdom is about the restoration of relationships, justice, and equality; about freedom from every lord except Jesus; about reconciliation, forgiveness, and the defeat of Satan. It is about compassion for the poor and powerless, about helping those who are marginalized and rejected by society, and about our gifts and resources for the advancement of others. It is about new communities and the transformation of society and culture, so that race, gender, and social class no longer define identity, nor are they used to control and divide. For Paul, to preach the gospel is to preach the kingdom, is to preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:24–27).

The gospel sums up the whole message of good news that he brought to the nations — particularly to the downtrodden and powerless. And since it is good news, our response to the message of the kingdom is to be one of repentant faith (Mark 1:15).”

— Neil H. Williams

Where Are You Searching for the Kingdom of God

Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:20-21

Most of us looking for fulfillment and happiness in life think it comes from receiving God's blessings from heaven. This is more a religious belief than a Bible belief. If God would provide me with more money, if I had a better job, if God would heal me, if the pastor would recognize my God given abilities, we convince ourselves we would be happy. As if what we are looking for is beyond our reach or that it comes down from God. But Jesus makes a powerful statement here. The kingdom of God (realm, territory, reign) is not external but internal. It is not physical but spiritual. It does not come from without but from within.

With the Spirit of God within us, we have the very source of life itself. Life that created all that is external. The peace we are searching for is within us, not without of us. The happiness that eludes us can be found in our being. We have eternity, infinity, and enlightenment within us. We are a new creation born of divine seed!

Realize that in Christ in us is all that we will ever need for life and godliness (1 Peter 1:3). That means we do NOT need religion.

So look no further… Find strength within yourself. Believe that within you is everything you need for the abundant life of Christ, for it is Christ Himself that lives within us. If you look “without” for something that is already “within”, you will be never find what you are looking for.

So open your eyes of understanding to all the possibility that is already living in you.

Glenn's Pondering

How our relationship with God and with people be influenced if we didn't base  our sense of spirituality on the observanc of religious rules and regulations, man-made denominated doctrines, attending Sunday-go-event-driven meetings, but instead was based on God Himself?

If we would be more open to hear the voice of God's Spirit for ourselve if our minds were not influenced and channeled  by the pastor's spiritual understanding all the time? Would the joy of our salvation light up with truth by not having to submit all the revelation that God gives to us PERSONALLY under the authority of what is preached over the "sacred desk"?

What would happen if church was not contained within four walls of a building and confined to programmed-event-driven meetingings, denominated agendas, not a one-man showmanship event,  and instead in our daily liviing of life we glorified God by demonstrating the love and grace to the across our path people we rub sholders with daily?

What would it be like to see the Community of the Redeemed as an every-member-functioning organism, a living, breathing creature who cannot fulfill its function in the Community of Humanity when 99% of its members are required to sit down passively and believe what they are being spoon fed by the man-apointed, man-anointed leader to share it with the sinners of the world?

Mmmmm...I wonder......

Are We Lead By The Spirit

As we look at the religious world today, it is apparent that not much has changed from the time of the religious Pharisees and rulers during Jesus' earth walk. The same mentality that paralyzed Nicodemus still paralyzes religious people. The sovereignty of Jesus Christ and His Spirit in the Community of the Redeemed  and God’s purpose for the Community of Humanity remains a mystery to those who depend on prayer, Sunday-go-meetings, denominated preachers, celebrity writers books to tell them what to pray, what to believe, the interpretation of the bible and using it as a rule book, and what God desires for them to know spiritually.

They are horrified at the thought of people depending God’s Spirit in His own way and timing because people will get off into weird doctrines and practices, as if there is no such thing among them. This thinking is very different from the Church that was brough before the authorities who depended solely on the Spirit of Christ in them to speak through them. 

But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what you shall speak. For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. Matt. (10:19-20)

Religionists want us to believe that this scripture applies only to the twelve disciples and that today common pew-warming church-goers need denominated professional seminarians to teach them the mysteries of spiritual matters. In Stephen’s case. his words to the high council were unquestionably by the Spirit of Father God. Yet he was not one of the twelve. He was a “believer in whom Christ dwelt”, and none of the recognized religious leaders could withstand the wisdom and Spirit by which he spoke” (Acts 6:10). It is the “anointed one living in Him that spoke through him. The apostle John also disagreed with the hierarchical control of dispersing spiritual truth for he wrote; “As for you, the anointing which you received by the anointed one living in you nullifies the need for anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, you will remain in Him” (1 John 2:27).

Who were John’s words written to, they were written to those he called “my little children” in chapter 2 verse 1. Though John directed them to the knowledge of Christ the savior he did not assume the positional authority to be the source of their spiritual truth. He simply led them to the source of all truth. He included himself in the admonition; “you don’t need anyone to teach you”. John wrote this admonition as a safeguard to his children and for believers in Christ today, “these things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you” verse 26.

The Gnostics of John’s day were as the religious leaders of today. They claimed to have a higher spiritual knowledge and posture themselves a the spiritual elite and teachers of the pew-sitting spiritually uneducated. They are highly educated denominated seminarians, who mix law with grace, and they are the reason for the denominated “Bible School” mentality among believers of the religious world. Through their spiritual elitist attitude they are usurping God’s appointed teacher and leader, the Spirit of Christ. This spirit of elitism is not of God godly, but of the devil devilish!

John not only refused to acknowledge this position, he taught against it. He taught people to remember that the Spirit had led them thus far and would lead them into all truth, just as Jesus promised.

This is far from treating Spirit guidance as potentially dangerous and not for “the common believer” (Those who are not seminarian trained).

The religious believer today, having become dependent upon and deceived by the guidance of denominated men, is as muddled and befuddled as Nicodemus was. The words of Jesus, “the wind blows where it wants to” are as frightening to today’s learned denominated seminarians as they were to the college of Pharisees. Why? because being Spirit led defies manipulation and control of carnal self-claimed leaders appointed by men.

T. Austin Sparks wrote; “The thing about a real windstorm is that it takes the government out of all other hands and proceeds to do as it chooses without reference or difference to conventions, traditions, common acceptances, inclinations or fixed ideas, while it lasts it is sovereign.”

As the wind blows where it wants to, so does the wind of the Spirit. If the religionist were to step out of the way and give the Spirit His rightful place there would be no need of them and their dynasties and income would be in demise.

“The wind blows where it wants to...so is EVERYONE who is BORN of the SPIRIT.

- Glenn Regular