Keeping The Faith...

Some earnest believers urge men to "keep the faith," while this may seem like a reasonable exhortation, it's meaningless.  The motto of the sovereign of the UK is "F.D." or Fidei Defensor, meaning that be the "defender of the faith," while crown prince Charles wants to change it to simply "defender of faith."  To him, it matters not what your faith is as long as you defend it.  The Bible also speaks of contending for the faith, not just faith per se, and refers also to our Christian credo or constitution.  All in all, it's not how big our faith, but how big our God and through our repentance.  There's no saving faith without genuine heartfelt repentance (cf. Acts 26:20). We have penitent faith or believing repentance.  We don't have faith in faith!  Faith is only as valid as the object it's placed in. We don't need perfect faith--just sincere, unfeigned faith!

As you may recall, Paul urged Timothy to keep the faith and many in the latter days would abandon the faith or bail out theologically as it were.  Paul boasted in his swan song (2 Tim. 4:7, NIV) that he had "fought the good fight, [he] finished the race, [he] kept the faith" (emphasis mine)"   This is all that's required of the believer!  Note that Paul wasn't resting on his laurels!   We don't have to win the race--Christ won for us!  We must finish the course tailored for us!  We are only His ambassadors in this world.  And we persevere in the faith only because He preserves us to the end.  

The angelic war or conflict with Satan comes with the territory and we sign up for this at salvation as our battle just begins as we get on Satan's hit list and become his spiritual enemy--but remember:  the battle is the Lord's! We live in enemy-occupied turf!  But we are our own worst enemy!  The key is to know the threefold enemy: the world, the flesh, the devil.  In affliction, the same sun melts the butter, hardens the clay! Becoming bitter or better.   Our faith must be tested as if by fire!  "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold," (Job 23:10, NIV).  WE MUST NEVER DIVORCE FAITH FROM FAITHFULNESS!

Now how exactly did Paul maintain his faith in such an inhospitable, unwelcome environment as Rome?  The way we do:  we keep our faith by giving it away!  The measure of our faith is the works it produces as fruit. Without works our faith is suspect!  Good soil produces a good crop, not foliage.  Paul would say that faith must be proved by works, and James would say works must spring from faith!  Reiterating:  Paul teaches that works must bloom from the faith; James teaches faith must be demonstrated and validated by works!  Don't divorce them!  They go hand in hand and cannot be separated, only distinguished.  We must realize that the faith we have is the faith we show!  If our faith has no works, it's dead (cf. James 2:17) and that kind of faith cannot save.  We must bear in mind the formula of the Reformers:  "We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone."

God will certainly reward us for our work done in His name (2 Chron. 15:7) and we are rewarded according to our works, not our faith--so we must turn our faith and creed into deeds!  We must be sold out for Christ and serve Him with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength and in the Spirit.  God is not against good works, just those done in the flesh.  "...' You reward everyone according to what they have done'" (Psalm 62:12, NIV).  "God 'will repay each person according to what they have done'" (Rom. 2:6, NIV).  True faith expresses itself!  Some people will suffer loss and be saved as if by fire because their works were nothing but wood, hay, and stubble and burned up at God's fire of judgment (cf. 1 Cor. 3:15).

According to Isaiah, we must be firm in the faith to withstand the trials and afflictions coming our way as we signed up for.  "... If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all," (Isa. 7:9, NIV).  We are culpable for any lapses in our faith and must not grow lax in the faith due to carnality or lack of spiritual discipline. For those without discipline do not belong to Him and are illegitimate children.  We all have a cross to bear--no cross, no crown!  We must not be ignorant of Satan's schemes! "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Cf. Rom. 8:31, NIV).

God gives to each of us a measure of faith (cf. Rom. 12:3) and what we do with this faith gift is our gift to God.  He gives us faith, but we must exercise it!  Paul would say, "I'll show you my good deeds by my faith," while James would counter, "I'll show you my faith by my good deeds" (Js. 2:18)." Israel was known for the sin of backsliding and Hosea is a book of promise to heal the backslider at heart:  "I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them," (Hos. 14:4, NIV). We must remember that affliction and trial belong to Reality 101 in our Christian walk, but for the backslider at heart, he can only blame himself:  "..your sins have been your downfall!" (Hos. 14:1, NIV).

We are to abide in Christ and He will abide in us (John 15:4) for it's possible to walk with the Lord for one's entire life if one is obedient as Enoch, for that is the only true measure of faith--not ecstasies nor experiences!  God is not looking for our achievements, but our obedience--He wants us!  We must be cognizant that we can do nothing without Christ's power (cf. Jn. 15:5); i.e., of our own strength. Our righteousness is God's gift to us (cf. Isa. 45:24) but what we do with it is our gift to God.  Faith is given, not achieved!  

NB: Jesus said in John 15:5 that apart from Him we can do nothing  (even believe!).  In sum, "... make every effort to confirm your calling and election. ... you will never stumble" (2 Pet. 1:10, NIV).   Soli Deo Gloria!

Finishing Well

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus..." (Heb. 12:1-2, ESV). 

As Paul's swan song (2 Timothy) expressed: to get back his manuscripts while he was under house arrest;  his cry of exultation was, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race [course], I have kept the faith," (2 Tim. 4:7, ESV). We are all to run so as to win (following the rules) and not be encumbered with the worries of the mundane in our race, just like a soldier is unconcerned of civilian affairs.  Jesus' kingdom is not of this world, and our citizenship is in heaven (cf. John 18:36; Phil. 3:20, ESV).  Don't get too comfortable in this world, for we are mere pilgrims passing through to the heavenly city.

It doesn't matter how well you start if you don't finish well.  Our reward is not according to our faith, but our works, what we did with it (cf. Rom. 2:6; Psa. 62:12; Prov. 24:12); how we apply it.  The race set before us is not a sprint but a marathon, and endurance matters; however, there is the danger of spiritual burnout if we don't know how to balance our life and keep the main thing the main thing, keeping our eyes on Jesus (cf. Heb. 3:1: 12:2). Walking with Christ gives us the power to do anything in the will of God (cf. Phil. 4:13).

Col. 2:6 tells us that just as we "have received Christ as Lord, so walk in Him" as Lord.  Lordship decisions are not a one-time matter at salvation, but progressive as we are being constantly filled with the Spirit (cf, Eph. 5;18) and keeping on the straight and narrow.  Mother Teresa, now canonized, who also received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, said that God doesn't "call us to success, but to faithfulness!"  The key is that we are faithful in the little God gives us, not to compare our ministry or mission to others. We all are unique in our calling and gifts.

Jesus did say that he who is faithful in little shall be faithful in much!  And to whom much is given, much is required.  An example is the widow who gave two lepta (copper coins) and Jesus commended her as having given more than anyone in the worship meeting.  Saint Theresa announced she was building a convent and was asked how much she had; when she told them only twelve pence, they said, "Not even Saint Theresa can do much with twelve pence!"  The reply:  "But Theresa and God can do anything with twelve pence!"

The important idea to bear in mind, is not to be conformed to the image of the world (i.e., the rat race, the law of the jungle, survival of the fittest, etc.) and not to be achievement-oriented, for God doesn't want our achievements, but our obedience, and us!  What matters is not how much of the Spirit we seem to have but our obedience--how much the Spirit has of us!  Bear in mind:  Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that "only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  Christianity is not about man's achievements then, but God's accomplishment on our behalf--we are to let God work through us (Hos. 14:8; Isaiah 26:12; Rom. 15:18) as "vessels of honor."

Jesus warned of the builder who didn't count the cost and had to abandon his building, and so earnest believers must be aware of what they are getting into--a life of self-denial, devotion, a discipline.  Jesus never encouraged lackadaisical, lukewarm, halfhearted, or insincere followers.  The reason other religions are so popular, namely Buddhism, is that you don't die to yourself.   In our race we are not in competition with each other, in the sense so as to compare ourselves with one another: who is the best Bible pastor/teacher in town are (or best exegete, biblicist, even Bible expositor, etc.)  God will level the playing field--who is faithful matters--results are up to God!

We all have our own calling and gift to present unto the Lord in a life of obedience, following Him wherever He may lead.  Maturity is never measured by emotion or feeling, though they are present even if one is stoical, not demonstrative, nor is it measured by ecstasies or experiences (according to Oswald Chambers), including dreams, visions, including audible or visual encounters, but solely by a life of obedience and faithfulness, which will be tested by fire to see if we grow bitter or better.  It is vital to know that the Christian life is not a contest to see who dies with the most toys, publishes the most books, preaches the most sermons, gives the most to missions or charity, and so forth, but "obedience to the heavenly vision," doing God's work and will, as it were, like Paul delineated our walk.

The song by ABBA, "Winner Takes It All," is a fallacious worldview since Jesus owns it all and shares the victory with us, we shall all have the opportunity to win an imperishable wreath that won't fade away, and a crown, if you will, for rewards of faithfulness. Remember one's last words are very telling of one's life work!   Famous last words:  Good intentions; poor follow-through!  Corrie ten Boom said, "Jesus is victor!" for us!  The Preacher of Ecclesiastes renders some timely, germane words of divine wisdom to conclude with:  "Finishing is better than starting..." (7:8, NLT);  "Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all"  (9:11, ESV).  Soli Deo Gloria!