I've been thinking a lot about faith lately, specifically about what faith brings about...what does it cause to happen? Here are just a few of the verses I pulled up.
Romans 3:21,22
"But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;"
Romans 5:1,2
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God."
Galatians 3:13,14
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE"-- in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
Philippians 3:9
"and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,"
1 Peter 1:5
"who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
Acts 10:42,43
"And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins."
My questions for you are:
1. If I have faith in Christ for eternal life, do I also need to have faith in God for these things (Christ's righteousness, the Spirit, peace with God, protection by God's power, forgiveness of sins) as well in order to receive them?
2. Or are these things included in the term "Eternal Life" and I receive them when I have faith in Christ no matter what?
3.Or are these things that only potential and not realized at the point of faith?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Faith comes by hearing the word of God. Most people hearing the gospel for the first time are confronted by the word preached and dealing with the fact that they are hopeless sinners destined for Hell. They then hear that Christ is their only hope of salvation. These are usually the only truths from God's word that they hear initually; they believe them because of the workings of God the Holy Spirit and are saved accordingly.
initially
Hi Mark,
I think some might understand these truths or at least some of these truths to be part of discipleship message that should be saved for after the person puts their faith in Christ.
However, I would submit that these truths are all part of what we call "eternal life".
Faith comes by hearing. By hearing what? The Word of Christ. Christ says to believe in Him. Believing in Him means more than living after we die. Believing in Christ means that we live now.
So for me, I agree with you. It is about showing people from God's Word, that they, just as we once were, are hopeless sinners destined for hell unless they believe in Christ. And once they do that, they are no longer a sinner, they are a saint. Will they still sin, yes, but that sin is covered by the Blood of Christ. It's no longer about their righteousness, it's about the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ. They no longer need to worry about their sin because it is forgiven. They no longer have to trudge through this world alone because now they have the Spirit. And that is living. That is life. Not something we have to wait for in the future. It's something we can possess through faith in Christ.
Thanks again for visiting Mark,
Ten Cent
Ten Cent,
What is lacking in some theological systems is the realization that when one comes to Christ they are coming to The Mediator of The New Covenant. Paul was a minister of that New Covanent and he told the Corintians that they were epistles, written by the Spirit on the heart, and read by the world. The writer of Hebrews makes clear that the New Cov. has it that all therein shall know God. That, after all, IS the definition of eternal life. A study of knowing God versus not knowing Him reveals that those who do not know Him do not receive Christ and are completely hostile to His ways. On the other hand those who do know Him receive Christ and are desirous to walk in His ways. This is the working of the Spirit upon that heart which has encountered Christ, the Mediator of the New Cov.
Post a Comment