We are called to contend for the faith that was once and for all delivered to us, according to Jude 3. Christianity is rightly called a faith, rather than a religion, because of two things: The common body of knowledge adhered to; and the virtue of faith that is essential for its doctrine of redemption. Religion is not a faith in the same sense--our faith is in a person that we know ("I know whom I have believed..," says 2 Tim. 1:12), and our faith is not in a system or code of ethics or rules and ritual.
Saving faith is a living faith that grows--where is it going? It is not being credulous or believing for no sound reason--we have ample reasons to believe and don't believe despite the evidence. We take God at His Word and accept His authority over ours as self-attesting (which means that if you appeal to any higher authority than Him, then you are saying He is not God, but the authority is). We are not inclined to believe due to our depravity and must be regenerated unto faith by an act of grace of the Holy Spirit. The only manifestation of faith and the test of faith is obedience--you cannot believe in the Lord without submission, it's a contradiction in terms.
These two are equated in Hebrews 3:18-19; 4:6). Faith commences with receptivity and an open mind, and you don't need all the answers to believe; you are required to take a leap of faith because faith is what pleases God (cf. Heb. 11:6). Some think of it as going with the preponderance of the evidence as a jury making a decision and going in the direction of the evidence, though you don't have all the evidence that is possible and there may be gaps in it to fill by faith.
It takes more faith to be an atheist than a believer and there is sufficient evidence for anyone with an open mind (can have your own opinions, but not your own facts; some say, "I already have my mind made up, don't confuse me with the facts"), a willing (i.e., to do God's will) spirit, and a needy (poor in spirit, or recognizing need for God and depravity and sinfulness of self) heart. Not believing in God is not evidence and one must always inquire, "What evidence is there that there is no God, etc?" You cannot prove that God doesn't exist, or that Jesus didn't rise from the dead; the opposite of Christ rising from the dead is not that people don't normally do this, but that He didn't--and there's much circumstantial, historical, and empirical evidence that suggests He did!
There is historical or story-book faith that's all in the head, and then there's heart belief that saves. We must not only believe that Christ lived but that He lives. And that He died for you personally. Christ wasn't just born, but must be born in you! We may come to Christ, which is believing in Him and say, "I believe, help thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24). You need to be sincere, but can be sincerely wrong--you have to believe the right thing about Christ and be orthodox--sincerity is necessary, but not sufficient. Finally, saving faith is childlike, but not childish, and simple, but not simplistic.
We do not believe it is the amount of faith that saves, but the direction or object that counts. You can have great faith in the church and its program and be lost (that's why some will say to the Lord, "Lord, Lord, did we not [do this or do that]?"). There are some whose faith is weak, but at least it is in the right direction. It's like having only a little faith to step out on the frozen lake that has 2-foot-thick ice--it doesn't take much faith! Our God is so great, it isn't our faith that saves--it's Jesus, who is the only Savior who saves. The problem most people have is not that their faith is too small, but their God is too small and their thoughts of God are too human! We boast of a big God who can do anything, and with whom everything (except going against His nature) is possible. That's why Jesus said that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains (which means attempting great tasks that seem impossible without God). With God on our side, little is much and we can do a lot with our small ability--we all have the small ability and need to depend on God. It isn't how much self-esteem we have, but God-esteem!
The crown prince of Great Britain wants to change his motto of the monarchy, "Fidei Defensor" or defender of the faith (FD), to defender of faith. Faith is a virtue but it is the gift of God and we are to use it to His glory. Peter wrote "to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with [their]..." (2 Peter 2:1, ESV). Paul says in Romans 12:3 (ESV) that we serve "each according to the measure of faith God has assigned [us]." Jesus said, that to whom much is given, much is required. And also of a woman that she has done what she could. Being the defender of faith per se is not biblical, because it must be the faith that saves, not just faith for faith's sake or faith in faith.
The Bible says, "... For not, all have faith" (2 Thess. 3:2, ESV). This is referring to saving faith because everyone has faith in something, even if it's oneself and he thinks he's a self-made man. Some have faith in the system or in religion, and some have faith in nothing (nihilism), which takes more than to believe in God because there is more evidence for God than against Him. It isn't for lack of evidence that a person rejects God, but with the heart, he doesn't believe out of his stubbornness and unwillingness to do God's will--for Jesus said, that if any man is willing to do His will he shall know of the doctrine. Man simply doesn't want to believe, it's not an intellectual problem--these are just smokescreens designed to change the subject and stump the Christian with side issues--the real issue is repenting of sin and following Jesus as Lord and Savior for a new and more abundant, eternal life.
There is no such thing as easy-believism whereby your faith involves no commitment nor surrender of the ownership of your life--salvation is free but it's not cheap! The only kind of faith that saves is productive faith that yields good fruit, for you shall know them by their fruits. We are indeed saved by faith alone, but the formula of the Reformation says, it is not by a faith that is alone. James 2:20 says that faith without works is dead--that kind of faith cannot save. No fruit--no faith--no salvation! Faith comes by the hearing [or preaching] of the Word (cf. Rom. 10:17), and isn't conjured up, caught like one catches a cold by going somewhere, imagined, gained by osmosis, or even hanging around the right people. We don't work ourselves into the mood to believe! It is the gift of God and comes through the power of the Word of God.
The first step to believing is a willingness to listen and receptivity, you must understand next and then put your trust and reliance on Christ and stop trying to save yourself or get your act together--you can never do this; cleaning up your act comes after salvation as a fruit and sign of a changed life. Faith must be put to work and it consists of knowledge but knowledge put to use and acted on: By faith, Abraham obeyed, etc. We must realize and act on our faith to make it real saving faith by taking the leap of faith. Works are the byproduct of saving faith and not the substitute for it because we are ordained unto good works according to Ephesians 2:10. We don't do them because we have to (legalism) but because we want to out of a grateful and changed the heart. We are not saved by works and we are not saved without them either! They can be distinguished, but not separated.
There is not saving faith without genuine repentance either! They go together as one package and are the flip side of each other. In Scripture, they are often mentioned in juxtaposition. They can be distinguished, but not separated. Repentance is turning from sin and faith is turning to God--in other words, you do an about-face or U-turn (cf. Acts 20:21). We exchange our life of sin for a life in Christ as we choose to follow Him. If a person is impenitent, he cannot be a believer; likewise if one doesn't believe, he is also impenitent, because they go hand-in-hand. If you have a problem with believing, it's probably some sin you are cleaving to and refusing to surrender to the Lordship of Christ.
The formula of the Reformers was that we are saved: By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and by the authority of Scripture alone, and to God alone be the glory! Soli Deo Gloria!
Saving faith is a living faith that grows--where is it going? It is not being credulous or believing for no sound reason--we have ample reasons to believe and don't believe despite the evidence. We take God at His Word and accept His authority over ours as self-attesting (which means that if you appeal to any higher authority than Him, then you are saying He is not God, but the authority is). We are not inclined to believe due to our depravity and must be regenerated unto faith by an act of grace of the Holy Spirit. The only manifestation of faith and the test of faith is obedience--you cannot believe in the Lord without submission, it's a contradiction in terms.
These two are equated in Hebrews 3:18-19; 4:6). Faith commences with receptivity and an open mind, and you don't need all the answers to believe; you are required to take a leap of faith because faith is what pleases God (cf. Heb. 11:6). Some think of it as going with the preponderance of the evidence as a jury making a decision and going in the direction of the evidence, though you don't have all the evidence that is possible and there may be gaps in it to fill by faith.
It takes more faith to be an atheist than a believer and there is sufficient evidence for anyone with an open mind (can have your own opinions, but not your own facts; some say, "I already have my mind made up, don't confuse me with the facts"), a willing (i.e., to do God's will) spirit, and a needy (poor in spirit, or recognizing need for God and depravity and sinfulness of self) heart. Not believing in God is not evidence and one must always inquire, "What evidence is there that there is no God, etc?" You cannot prove that God doesn't exist, or that Jesus didn't rise from the dead; the opposite of Christ rising from the dead is not that people don't normally do this, but that He didn't--and there's much circumstantial, historical, and empirical evidence that suggests He did!
There is historical or story-book faith that's all in the head, and then there's heart belief that saves. We must not only believe that Christ lived but that He lives. And that He died for you personally. Christ wasn't just born, but must be born in you! We may come to Christ, which is believing in Him and say, "I believe, help thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24). You need to be sincere, but can be sincerely wrong--you have to believe the right thing about Christ and be orthodox--sincerity is necessary, but not sufficient. Finally, saving faith is childlike, but not childish, and simple, but not simplistic.
We do not believe it is the amount of faith that saves, but the direction or object that counts. You can have great faith in the church and its program and be lost (that's why some will say to the Lord, "Lord, Lord, did we not [do this or do that]?"). There are some whose faith is weak, but at least it is in the right direction. It's like having only a little faith to step out on the frozen lake that has 2-foot-thick ice--it doesn't take much faith! Our God is so great, it isn't our faith that saves--it's Jesus, who is the only Savior who saves. The problem most people have is not that their faith is too small, but their God is too small and their thoughts of God are too human! We boast of a big God who can do anything, and with whom everything (except going against His nature) is possible. That's why Jesus said that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains (which means attempting great tasks that seem impossible without God). With God on our side, little is much and we can do a lot with our small ability--we all have the small ability and need to depend on God. It isn't how much self-esteem we have, but God-esteem!
The crown prince of Great Britain wants to change his motto of the monarchy, "Fidei Defensor" or defender of the faith (FD), to defender of faith. Faith is a virtue but it is the gift of God and we are to use it to His glory. Peter wrote "to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with [their]..." (2 Peter 2:1, ESV). Paul says in Romans 12:3 (ESV) that we serve "each according to the measure of faith God has assigned [us]." Jesus said, that to whom much is given, much is required. And also of a woman that she has done what she could. Being the defender of faith per se is not biblical, because it must be the faith that saves, not just faith for faith's sake or faith in faith.
The Bible says, "... For not, all have faith" (2 Thess. 3:2, ESV). This is referring to saving faith because everyone has faith in something, even if it's oneself and he thinks he's a self-made man. Some have faith in the system or in religion, and some have faith in nothing (nihilism), which takes more than to believe in God because there is more evidence for God than against Him. It isn't for lack of evidence that a person rejects God, but with the heart, he doesn't believe out of his stubbornness and unwillingness to do God's will--for Jesus said, that if any man is willing to do His will he shall know of the doctrine. Man simply doesn't want to believe, it's not an intellectual problem--these are just smokescreens designed to change the subject and stump the Christian with side issues--the real issue is repenting of sin and following Jesus as Lord and Savior for a new and more abundant, eternal life.
There is no such thing as easy-believism whereby your faith involves no commitment nor surrender of the ownership of your life--salvation is free but it's not cheap! The only kind of faith that saves is productive faith that yields good fruit, for you shall know them by their fruits. We are indeed saved by faith alone, but the formula of the Reformation says, it is not by a faith that is alone. James 2:20 says that faith without works is dead--that kind of faith cannot save. No fruit--no faith--no salvation! Faith comes by the hearing [or preaching] of the Word (cf. Rom. 10:17), and isn't conjured up, caught like one catches a cold by going somewhere, imagined, gained by osmosis, or even hanging around the right people. We don't work ourselves into the mood to believe! It is the gift of God and comes through the power of the Word of God.
The first step to believing is a willingness to listen and receptivity, you must understand next and then put your trust and reliance on Christ and stop trying to save yourself or get your act together--you can never do this; cleaning up your act comes after salvation as a fruit and sign of a changed life. Faith must be put to work and it consists of knowledge but knowledge put to use and acted on: By faith, Abraham obeyed, etc. We must realize and act on our faith to make it real saving faith by taking the leap of faith. Works are the byproduct of saving faith and not the substitute for it because we are ordained unto good works according to Ephesians 2:10. We don't do them because we have to (legalism) but because we want to out of a grateful and changed the heart. We are not saved by works and we are not saved without them either! They can be distinguished, but not separated.
There is not saving faith without genuine repentance either! They go together as one package and are the flip side of each other. In Scripture, they are often mentioned in juxtaposition. They can be distinguished, but not separated. Repentance is turning from sin and faith is turning to God--in other words, you do an about-face or U-turn (cf. Acts 20:21). We exchange our life of sin for a life in Christ as we choose to follow Him. If a person is impenitent, he cannot be a believer; likewise if one doesn't believe, he is also impenitent, because they go hand-in-hand. If you have a problem with believing, it's probably some sin you are cleaving to and refusing to surrender to the Lordship of Christ.
The formula of the Reformers was that we are saved: By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and by the authority of Scripture alone, and to God alone be the glory! Soli Deo Gloria!
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