We are committed to Christ by faith!
Thus, we, as Christians, must live by faith (1 Cor. 1:22-30)! Christianity is not based on fairy tales or superstition. Faith is based on knowledge given by God. Our faith is based on historical evidence, logical reasoning, and valid testimonies. We have a wide body of knowledge. We have sixty-six books, written over a 2000 year period of time by dozens of authors, all inspired by the Holy Spirit. Millions of personal testimonies and thousands of volumes of works by gifted authors and teachers exist. Faith is not just simple trust, and faith is not blind trust, because we know the One who is leading! Faith is still trusting what cannot be seen, and believing our God (vs. 1:16-32; 5:1-11; 10:14-17; Gal. 3:1-4; Eph. 2:8-9; James 2:14-26)!
Faith provides the "substance" of our relationship with our Lord, looks to our future, and is our hope. Faith is a two-way street. We receive it from God, and reciprocate it back as trust, like a lake, which has a source and an outlet. If we only have an outlet we will dry up. If we just have a source, we become like the Dead Sea, lifeless and void.
Faith is the instrument and not the cause. Christ is the cause!
Faith means you may not know where you are being led, but you know the One who is leading you! It is based on the faithfulness of our Lord, and not on our goodness. Similarly, animal sacrifice in the O.T. was a means of forgiveness and surrendered attitude because of the loss of something precious, but not the cause (Gal 2:15-16; 3:24; Heb. 9:11-15; 10:1-4). The reformers called this "meritorious ground for our justification," explaining it as the soil into which the seed of justification is planted. And, Christ was that soil, too. As we give our lives to Christ in faith, He in turn gives us His righteousness
Faith does not mean we can save or sanctify ourselves, nor can we make atonement for our sins. We cannot redeem the world since we cannot redeem ourselves. Faith is accepting the sovereign work of our Lord, allowing Him to be Lord, and continue to realize this! Faith translates into obedience because we recognize who Christ is as we respond to Him with trust. Keeping faith going in practice is obedience. Alongside comes following His precepts found in His Word, so we see our sins and His covering of them. We become grateful so we desire to grow in Him more, be in Him, and tell others about Him.
For more information see our main article on faith...
© 2003 R. J. Krejcir Into Thy Word Ministries www.intothyword.com
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