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PERFECTING AND  EXERCISING FAITH--NO. 1 x  THE APOSTLE PAUL had deep concern about the new converts he had to abruptly leave in Thessalonica (and especially since they had just "turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God," 1 Thessalonians 1:9). Persecution had prompted him to make an early departure from here (Acts 17:1-10). It was not for his sake, but with him gone there would be less pressure on this little band of new believers. Through Silas and Timothy, he had kept in close touch with them. Throughout 1st Thessalonians, and especially chapter 3, he repeatedly expresses concern about their faith and spiritual well being. It was most important that their faith be "perfected" for them to make a go of it in the Christian life. The writer James in his very practical epistle speaks of faith being "made perfect [teleioo]" (James 2:22). They, and we, need to be sound in the faith (Titus 1:13; 2:2), grounded and settled (Colossians 1:23; 2:7). x The Importance of Faith x  Yes, faith is of the utmost importance. It seems that everything in Christianity hinges around it, and Christianity itself is characterized as "THE FAITH" (Jude 3; 1 Timothy 4:1). Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). x We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8; Acts 15:11). x We are justified by faith (Romans 5:1; Acts 13: 38,39). x We have access by faith into the grace wherein we stand (Romans 5:2). x We are strengthened with might by the Spirit in the inner man as Christ dwells in our hearts by faith (Ephesians 3:16,17). x We walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). x We are kept by the power of God through faith (1 Peter 1:5). x By believing unto death we receive the crown of life (Revelation 2:10; 2 Timothy 4:6-8; Hebrews 10:35-39). And the list goes on. Faith opens the door to everything else that follows in Christianity. It must be activated to accomplish salvation and it must remain and continually be active before we can even think in terms of going on unto "perfection" (maturity) in any and every way as a Christian. It is no wonder that the writer of the book of Hebrews said, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God…For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast until the end" (Hebrews 3:12,14). All of this being true, it behooves us to learn all that we can about faith; to exercise and perfect it so that it will become continually stronger. x The Two Facets of Faith x  When we think about faith, the faith chapter of the Bible immediately comes to mind. Of course that is the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. And when we think about this chapter, verse 6 stands out. "But with-out faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Of this verse, two things stand out about faith. (1) We must believe in the reality of God, and (2) We must trust this God who is real—"believe…that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." The first part, our concept of God, has a lot to do with the second part, trusting Him (and to the extent that we do trust Him). x The Reality of God x  Paul, in refuting idolatry, asserted, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead [deity]; so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20). The reality of God can be seen in His creation. Just look out into the star-studded and strutted heavens, as the heavenly bodies go reeling through boundless space. Contemplate the world of nature about us. Therein is displayed awesome, almighty power—omnipotence! The power is not erratic and unpredictable, exploding in all or different directions at once, a mass of confusion. It is almighty power that is controlled, governed and regulated by laws and principles; laws and principles that can be defined and depended upon; scientific laws. This implies intelligence, and not just any intelligence, supreme intelligence! Nothing short of omniscience! All of creation, all of nature, the heavenly bodies, the visible world, the microscopic and the invisible; everything—all are in the scope of this intelligence. This undeniable display of almighty power and supreme intelligence implies and points to an Almighty and Supreme Being, GOD! It is no wonder that the Psalmist wrote, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork" (Psalms 19:1). Likewise, it is no wonder that He also wrote, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…" (Psalms 14:1). x The Revelation of God x  If God is Supreme Intelligence, and man is an intelligent being created in His image (Genesis 1:26; Acts 17:28), is it not altogether reasonable to think that He would communicate with His intelligent creation? That is where the Bible comes in. It starts out by saying, "In the beginning God…" (Genesis 1:1). It is God’s revelation of Himself in His relationship to mankind. In this revelation we find that God is Spirit (Genesis 1:2; John 4:24), which is in a different dimension from our immediate experience and being (although we are a spirit clothed with a body). The Bible lets us know that God is a moral being, perfect in every sense of the word. Consequently, since we are made in his image, the command of God to man was and is, "Be ye holy: for I am holy" (Leviticus 19:2; I Peter 1:15,16). But the story of man from the very beginning took another direction. It is summed up by Paul when he said, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). (That is part of the underlying factor of unbelief, as the Psalmist said, "The fool has said in his heart, There is no God." Then he continues, "They are corrupt, they have done abominable works…" Psalms 14:1. To believe in God would be to acknowledge an absolute moral being who expects us to be moral. It means responsibility and accountability, which many are not ready to accept; thus they "cop-out" with unbelief) Yes, the Bible tells us what is essential to know about God and man in his relationship to Him. It goes beyond what we see in nature. It is the source book of an intelligent and saving faith. The apostle Paul said, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). x The Incarnate Word of God x  If we were left to nature alone in our belief and concept of God, impressive as it is, it would still be terribly deficient. We might even think of God as being a cold, calculating scientist in the category of omnipotence and omniscience. And if we were left to the Old Testament Scriptures alone, great as they are, we would still have incomplete impressions of God. That is where the New Testament comes in with the rest of the story. The gospel is God’s concluding message to man. x  Amazing words are found in the prologue of the gospel of John. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…" (John 1:1f). Then we read in verse 14, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt [tabernacled] among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth)." This all came about through the virgin birth of Christ. He is called "Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us" (Matthew 1:23). Paul declared, "For in him [Christ] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9). These truths are further amplified in Hebrews 1:1-3, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son…Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." What amazing truths! God became man. But at the same time he was truly God and truly man. We don’t claim to fully understand all of this. But in this manifestation of Himself, Christ became our Savior, and we behold the glory and fullness of God as never seen before. x The Savior of Mankind x  Man was created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26), but we seemingly are confronted with an insurmountable problem. What a mess man has made out of things: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). With sin comes guilt and the "wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Consequently, "it is appointed unto man once to die, but [and] after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). But God became flesh to save us from our human predicament. This was accomplished by the Word that became flesh through the sinless life of Christ that climaxed in his death and resurrection from the grave. Paul tells us that he was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4). The message of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ constitutes the gospel (the good news) that brings salvation (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As he died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3), the righteousness of Christ is declared to be ours (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 1:30) when we accept his sacrifice to take away our sins, validated by his resurrection from the dead. To be saved, we must first believe that we are lost (and that we cannot save ourselves). We must believe that Jesus is the Savior, the Son of God. We must trust him to save us from our sins. The inspired records of the life of Christ are very helpful in acquiring faith (John 20:31). Paul declares, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). In the early church a declaration of faith that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the living God was required in becoming a Christian (Acts 8:35-38; Romans 10:9,10). This faith centered in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. x "Faith Made Perfect" x  It is not enough to just "believe," it must be a faith that is alive to bring about salvation. Faith must move us to repentance. Yes, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ must be believed in our hearts (Romans 10:9,10), and these truths must be reenacted in us personally as we obey from the heart that form of doctrine (Romans 6:17). God’s plan calls for baptism into the death of Christ for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16). Consequently, Paul said, "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead" (Colossians 2:12; Read Romans 6). It is as James points out, "Seest thou how faith wrought… works, and by works was faith made perfect [teleoo]" (James 2:22). Teleoo is the verbal use of teleios, and it means to complete. Repentance and baptism are the outworking of faith as we identify ourselves with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, thus perfecting our faith in obedience. Obedience of faith is repeatedly mentioned in the Scriptures (Acts 6:7; Romans 1:5; 16:26). Such obedience is not a work of human righteousness, as some would try to make baptism conflict with faith, but it is faith in action. Titus 3:5 declares, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost [Spirit]." Works of faith make evident a faith that is active and real. James further wrote, "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (James 2:24). He is not talking about works of human righteousness, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but works of faith. And by the works of faith we will be judged in the Day of Judgment (Revelation 20:12,13; cf. Ephesians 2:8,9). x Walking in Newness of Life x  Summing up the great transaction in becoming a Christian, and that which follows, Paul said, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4). "Newness of life" characterizes our "walk" now. It is new because of what has taken place and what lies ahead. We were baptized for the remission of sins and given the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). We have become "new creatures" in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Walking in "newness of life" involves a life of faith "for we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). It involves walking as Christ walked. John wrote, "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk, even as he walked" (1 John 2:6). The eleventh chapter of Hebrews, that great chapter on faith, is sandwiched in between the last verses of chapter ten (10:35-39) and the first verses of chapter twelve (12:1-3). The context is about believing "to the saving of the soul" (10:39). Pre-Christian examples illustrate faith in action, then in view of all of this, the writer concludes, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…" (12:1,2). This walking in "newness of life," this walk of faith (which now is looked upon as a race) is accomplished by keeping our eyes on the object of our faith, Christ. In the Christian life everything is Christ-centered.  x <BACK x TheSwordANDStaff|