The tremendous importance of faith before God cannot be over stated. People often are very superficial in their thinking and according to their own testimony they dont believe in God because they cant see him. If you are one of those people who evaluate life by what your eyes alone can see it must be a very bleak life for you... so I know that in everything you express faith each day. You dont check out the chair your going to sit on to make sure it wont fall down, you simply assume by faith that it will hold your weight. However when it comes to God you want your eyes to assure you that he is there... before you will invest your faith in him. Think of that for a moment... you want God to prove to you that he exist so that you can have faith in him. If God proves to you that he exists then you dont need faith to believe in him, because you have seen him with your own eyes. This is really a big problem for humanity because proving God exists to your satisfaction immediately negates the purpose which God intended for your faith. In reality these people are saying they want to see so that they dont have to believe. Listen to what the bible says about faith...Eph 2:8 for by grace For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. Entrance into Gods saving grace is by faith. This saving grace is not dependent on your works, but instead is dependent upon your faith in Christ. The reason God uses our faith is because faith is non-meritorious. We are not saved for keeping the whole law or keeping part of the law or doing righteous deeds or any good work. We gain access to this magnificent grace of God by simply believing in the finished work of Christ on our behalf Ro 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Ro 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: Ga 2:16 Yet having come to know that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, we have also come to believe in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law: for the works of the law will not make anyone righteous. Its important to realize that God has a plan for our salvation and this salvation must be exempt from our fragility of our human nature to procure it... if we want it. This salvation God secured for all of us who want it. He did this through Christs substitutionary death on the cross which can be appropriated by all who express faith in Christ. God gave Moses the law, but man could not keep the law because of the weakness of his flesh so instead of declaring men righteous the only thing that the law could do was condemn us before God. So God intervened and provided a plan that would insure our salvation to whoever simply by putting our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary. Rom 8:1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. If you remove faith from the equation of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ then you are removing the basis by which God seeks to justify you. The apostle Paul made this point about his fellow country men who sought to be declared righteous by the keeping of the law which history had shown clearly that they could not do. Rom 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. If you didnt grasp the significance of that scripture it says that you get the full benefit of the righteousness of the law through believing in Jesus Christ...even though you are not able to keep the law. Why, because Christ traded places with you on the cross of Calvary and he exchanged his righteousness for your sins. He stood in your place as a condemned sinner so that you could stand in his righteousness before God and be declared righteous just as if you had kept the law in all its points perfectly and this glorious salvation is accomplished by FAITH in Christ. It is like the argument made by the Jews that were crucifying the Lord when they said to him as found in Mt 27:42 He saved others; but he cannot save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. If Jesus came down from the cross to prove to them who he was they could not be save and you and I could not be saved! God requires that you believe the testimony that he has given concerning his Son . God in his mercy requires faith from you and that is all he is asking you to do and for that he will grant you eternal life based upon the merits of His only begotten Son who won you salvation on the cross to save you from hell. If you want proof that God exists simply look at the heavens and the earth for Gods finger prints are there and they testify of his existence. Ps 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. If you understand the beauty of Gods plan you understand the wisdom of how God took sinful man and made him faultless and blameless to stand before him and to live with him for all eternity. So before you go spouting off how you cant see God so you cant believe in God spend a little time getting to know the awesome plan of God to save your own soul. Because if have no faith you cant be declared righteous before God. God says all you have to do is listen to the testimony He has given concerning his Son in His word. Then listen to the first century Christians who walked with Jesus and who saw the miracles, signs, and wonders...who saw his crucifixion and death and his resurrection and his ascension and who gave their life in martyrdom for their faith in Christ. Then listen to the millions who have put their trust in him and their subsequent changed lives because of the saving of their souls simply by putting their faith in the only Savior the world has ever know...Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. Then finally consider your rebellion before God and the position you are putting yourself in before God. What more could God do for you then send his own Son to die for your sins... and for all that you act like the world revolves around what you can or cannot see...does that make sense? You are not even willing to consider the awesome price that Christ (the most authenticated person of all antiquity) paid to redeem your soul? You must know this God knows your heart and your excuses for not believing in Christ and you must be warned that God has done everything to provide for your salvation, but if you stubbornly refuse there will be a price for your rebellion. God knows that there is ample evidence for you to have faith in His Son and that your thinly veiled excuses are just a cloak for your sin and He is able to talk to you about that when he does see you! Rom1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools...So take time to examine the evidence before you appear in Gods court...Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: That is when You will get to tell God why you refused to believe in His Son Jesus Christ and why you ignored the message of the cross and you also get to tell God why he should not cast you into hell and then you get to hear God repeat to you the condition for salvation: for by grace are ye saved through FAITH and that not of yourselves it it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast...but because you did not believe... you now stand before the judgement seat of Christ! Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Why would a person not be found in the book of life? Because they did not meet the condition God set for obtaining life....they did not believe the testimony God gave concerning his Son Jesus Christ! John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. So if you want faith and dont know where to get it try this passage of scripture its worked for millions of honest seeking people: Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 22:27:16 +0000
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