Keep The Faith!

"If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." Isaiah 7:9

This phrase has little spiritual value unless one is talking about the Christian faith which was "once and for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3, ESV).  We are to remain in the faith that God has given us or we apostatize from it!  Ephesians 4:5 says there is "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" and we should realize this: "How shall we escape if we neglect such great salvation?..." (Heb. 2:3, ESV). Man's estimation of man is that he is basically good and perfectible as an evolving animal heading toward inevitable utopia. But God's estimation of man is that he is totally depraved and as bad off as he can be--note he is utterly depraved or as bad as he can be, and there's a difference.  Our condition couldn't be any worse; God's salvation couldn't be any better!

Paul's aim was to teach "until we all attain to the unity of the faith..." (Eph. 4:13, ESV).  The motto of the British monarch is to be FD or "Defender of the Faith"--however, Prince Charles wants it to be changed to "defender of faith."  This is a far cry from the truth because faith doesn't save, only Christ saves; it is the object that saves.  When someone says, "Have faith!"  it is meaningless unless it is grounded in the truth--faith for its own sake is vain.  Faith doesn't save, Christ does!  

Jude exhorts us to "contend for the faith" in Jude 3 and this means sticking up for what you believe in and not compromising with the devil. However, there are some things we are to be tolerant of and there are areas of gray and disputable matters:  Augustine's dictum says, "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity."  Essential doctrines are non-negotiable and must be accepted universally to be saved.  We should always withhold judgment and only judge heresy to keep the doctrine of the church pure.

Paul was glad in his swan song (2 Tim. 4:7, ESV) that he said: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."   There is the danger of error even among believers:  "O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you.  Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called 'knowledge,' for by professing it some have swerved from the faith"  (1 Tim. 6:20-21, ESV). He urges him:  "Fight the good fight of the faith...." (1 Tim. 6:12, ESV).

We are to examine ourselves regularly whether our faith is sound:  "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.  Test yourselves, [as at the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:28)].   Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail to meet the test!"  (2 Cor. 13:5, ESV). We must be firm in the faith as our foundation:  "Rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as [we] were taught, abounding in thanksgiving"  (Col. 2:7, ESV).  There is always danger for a believer to go astray, as Paul warned in Col 1:23 (ESV):  "If indeed you continue in the faith...."  The Galatians were growing quite well until the leaven of legalism got into them and Paul wondered what happened.

The admonition that Peter gives in 2 Peter 2:1 (ESV) says, "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction."  But there must be heresy to purify:  "For there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized" (1 Cor. 11:19, ESV). Remember that Jesus warned that before His coming there would be a great falling away of the faith and He asked if there would be faith on the earth (cf. Luke 18:8)

What faith are we stressing?  Mainly, our great salvation Reformed formula is "by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone," and also (the Five Onlys) to God alone be the glory, and by the authority of Scripture alone! The battle cry of the Reformation was, "Justification by faith alone!   Any perversion of this pure gospel that Scripture teaches is heresy and must be denounced!  Paul was "astonished that [they] are so quickly deserting him who called [them] in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--not that there is one, but there are some who trouble [them] and want to distort the gospel of Christ." 

But even if [he] or an angel from heaven should preach to [them] a gospel contrary to the one [he] preached to [them], let him be accursed" (Gal. 1:6-8, ESV).  We dare not introduce the merits of man, nor works into the equation.  We must put our faith in Christ alone, not in the church, the clergy, the saints, angels, Mary, nor the Pope--they cannot save!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Focused Thinking

We need to get our thinking straightened out by the plumb line of Scripture!  I'm not just referring to our mental outlook, our worldview, our interpretation of reality and how God is relevant, but also that we need to think less of self and more of Christ and His kingdom's interests. There are two viewpoints to everything: The human viewpoint or way of thinking and outlook; and the divine interpretation or viewpoint relative to God's revealed Word.  We are jointly exhorted:  "Therefore, to gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:13, NKJV).

Why is this vital?  "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..." (Proverbs 23:7, KJV). "You are not what you think you are, but what you think you are," they say.  Our minds need to be transformed into the right frame of mind relative to God's mind and we have been given the mind of Christ according to 1 Cor. 2:16.  There is only one way to do this:  "... [But] be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God..." (Rom. 12:2, ESV).

We cannot know God's will like men's, we must see the light!  We must know Him through faith.  It behooves us to pay attention until "... the day dawns and the morning star rises in [our]  hearts."  (2 Pet. 1:19, ESV).  Paul commands us:  "Brothers, do not be not children in your thinking.  Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature"  (1 Cor. 14:20, ESV).  Why be so concerned about thinking straight? 

There's a correlation between our thinking and obedience:  Paul says, "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5, ESV). We need to think godly and soberly, as well as live godly and soberly! As Peter says (1 Pet. 1:13, NIV):  "Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming."

Focused thinking is Christ-centered thinking since we have the mind of Christ, let us think like Christ would think and interpret our world accordingly.  A Christian's focused thought is in Christ:  "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus..." (Philippians 2:5, ESV).  We have Christ's mind at our disposal and should think accordingly with a purpose!  Let's keep our eyes off ourselves and keeping them on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith (cf. Heb. 12:2).  Distorted thinking comes when we view reality the way the world does and forget that we are Christians.  Sound mental health comes from sound thinking!

Finally, whatever is in line with Scripture is kosher thinking--meditation is the art of focused thinking, not emptying of the mind.  It behooves us to heed Paul's exhortation in Phil. 4:8 (ESV):  "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."  Soli Deo Gloria!