faith for faith

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks (Heb. 11:3).

The first witness that is presented to testify in the courtroom of the Greatness of the Inheritance of Christ, is the righteous Abel, who offered to God a better sacrifice than did his brother Cain, and was killed by Cain because of the jealousy provoked by his better sacrifice.

Typically when the work of Abel is examined, it is concluded that the sole reason that Abel’s sacrifice was accepted and Cain’s was rejected is because Abel had faith and Cain did not. While it is indeed true that Abel had faith whereas Cain did not, Abel did in fact offer a better sacrifice than Cain did, for we know that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins (cf. Heb. 9:22). Would the situation have been reversed, had Abel offered up to God a sacrifice of fruit rather than of blood, Abel would not have received the same commendation from God regarding his sacrifice.

Read more…

In his letter to the Hebrews, the apostle to the Hebrews gives what is perhaps the most quoted definition of faith by Christians, namely, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). The word that is translated “things” in the English Standard Version is pragmaton, from whose root we get the English word pragmatic. When we speak of things pragmatic, we speak of things that are practical, of things that are put into action and are demonstrative. Therefore, I believe that the King James Version translates the passage rightly, saying, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Indeed this is valid in the context as well, for, in the eleventh chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews, the apostle shows, example after example, first the assurance and hope of faithful men of the past and then how that assurance and hope is manifested practically in the lives of those who had faith.

This translation is validated further by the testimony of the Scriptures, for true faith that rests in the blessed assurance of things to come always manifests in the lives of those who have faith. Thus, the brother of our Lord, James, writes in his letter:

Read more…

Though there is no explicit declaration in the narrative of Joseph as to the impact that Joseph’s fathers had on his short-upbringing, there can be little doubt that their teachings on God and his Promise had a great impact on his life. For we see in the story of Joseph such trust in God that he does not waver in faith when he is sold into slavery, he refuses, for the sake of the glory of his God alone, to lay down with Potiphar’s wife, he remains unshaken when he is thrown into prison for his stance for God’s glory, and he does not grumble when he is forgotten for two years by the cupbearer for whom he interpreted his favorable dream. Furthermore, when Joseph is entrusted with all power and authority in the land of Egypt, he does not seek the revenge on his brothers that would be so simple for him, but he loves his brothers and declares, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive” (Gen. 50:20). Joseph did all these things in faith, because he had been taught from his youth of the greatness of the God of his fathers. For a God like the God of Abraham, of whom Abraham believed “gives life to the dead, and calls into existence the things that do not exist” (Rm. 4:17) is able to and does cause all things to work together for good for those who love him, insofar as their greatest delight is in him and in his glory (cf. Rm. 8:28; Rm. 5:2). Therefore, Joseph was able to stand fast in his sufferings, for his delight was the delight of his fathers, who were “looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10). The questions that we must all ask ourselves are, “Is our hope in this age the glory of God, and are looking forward to that day when his glory will be fully revealed to us?” Fathers, are you instilling this hope into your children so that they might have the same faith that Joseph had? Just a thought.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned (Rm. 12:3).

The foundation of humility is a right understanding of who we are in light of what God has given to us. As regards our salvation, we must recognize that we, like the rest of mankind, were once dead in our own transgressions and were by our choice enemies of God, but God, being rich in mercy toward us, has borne our transgressions in the person of Jesus Christ and has revealed himself to us by the Holy Spirit. We have no basis upon which to boast in our salvation, for our salvation was completely accomplished without us, and love and mercy were directed toward us even before the creation of the world (cf. Eph. 1:6). We did not choose God, but God chose us, so that in all things, especially in our salvation, he might receive glory and honor and that we might glorify him with humility.

This humility that we are to have extends beyond our salvation into our place in the body of Christ. For even among those who are God’s children through Jesus Christ, he assigns to each a measure of faith so that each of them might perform a different function within the body. The apostle Paul continues in Rm. 12:4 with the analogy that the church is like a human body, and each member in the church performs a particular function. And, as in the human body, some members perform seemingly more crucial roles than others. However, a member’s role within the body is not determined by his ambition or his hard work, but it is determined by God who assigns to each a different measure of faith in order that there might be diversity of function within the body.

Read more…

As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all (Rm. 11:28-32).

[Warning: Post is at present unedited] This passage of Scripture is perhaps one of the most difficult passages in Romans, perhaps in all of Scripture, to grasp. It is so because of the language that is used in it– language that is complicated by our natural tendency to assign strict definitions to words that do not in themselves demand strict definitions. In this particular passage, the word of which I am speaking is the word that is translated “election” in v. 11:28, which I shall deal with in short order.

First, as always, we must understand the context in which this passage is spoken. As has been so throughout Romans 11, Paul is speaking of two groups of people–the Jews and the Gentiles. And because of God’s good wisdom and pleasure, he has decreed that salvation would only come to Gentiles if the Jews on the whole (less the remnant) would reject the Messiah. This purpose of the Lord is summed up in the apostle’s final statement in Romans 11 concerning the matter, viz. “For God has consigned all [both Jews and Gentiles] to disobedience so that he may have mercy on all.” This is a reiteration of what the apostle has declared earlier in the epistle, viz. “What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin” (Rm. 3:9). For what reason? “So that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world may be held accountable to God” (v. 3:19). Therefore, just as the law has stopped the mouths of the whole world (for they have no justification in themselves), so too this section is designed to stop our self-righteous mouths and declare what the apostle declares at the conclusion of this treatise: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! etc.” (vv. 11:33-36).

Read more…

This is a post that I have meaning to write since the launch of the new site, but, for various reasons (few of which are good), I have waited till now to explain the reasons for the name of this site. And though I am sure there will be the usual naysayers who will think that “faithforfaith.org” was the only available address left at the time to replace the difficult-for-our-English-speaking-brethren “xpistou.com,” I hope that through this post you might see the significance behind the name.

The phrase, “faith for faith,” is taken directly from the translation of Rm. 1:17 by the English Standard Version, expressly, “For in it [that is, the Gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith.” I say, “translation,” but I mean more “interpretation” for, though the literal interpretation of the passage is “faith to faith,” I am thinking (though I am unsure of this) that the translators of the ESV are picking up on part of what the apostle is doing with this phrase, namely using it as an inclusio to bracket with Rm. 3:21, 22 the section of the epistle from Rm. 1:18-3:20. [An "inclusio," is a literary device used to set apart a particular section of literature, bracketing it with common phrases.]

Read more…

I believe that the “whosoever believes” of John 3:16 means that everyone has an equal opportunity to believe the Gospel. According to you, this is not true. Why?

Not that I find joy in flogging an ex-horse, but I must reiterate that we must understand the difference between what a text says and what we interpret a text to mean. In the text of John 3:16, the phrase “whosoever believes” is a modifier that places limitations on the phrase, “will not perish.” Therefore, those who believe in Jesus Christ will not perish, and conversely, those who do not believe in him will perish. However, this phrase says nothing of one’s ability to believe. This verse simply states what is said elsewhere, namely that is through faith that one is justified. Where this faith comes from, to whom it is to be credited, or the universal ability or opportunity for all men to believe is not addressed in this verse at all. Actually, if we study this text in its context, i.e. John 3:1-8, we would likely come to much different conclusion about the interpretation of this text than we typically do.

Read more…

If you would take the time to listen to non-charismatic evangelicals on the matter of the Holy Spirit, you would likely find both a willful ignorance of the present mission of the Holy Spirit portrayed in the Bible and a tendency to avoid discussion about him and his work altogether. For many who have stood against the doctrines of charismatics, the Holy Spirit is a subject to be avoided and even one, to some, to be loathed. Therefore, to these, the Holy Spirit is nothing more to the Christian than a glorified conscience that “dwells in” a person (whatever that means) whenever he accepts Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. He aids the Christian in choosing between right and wrong, and he helps the Christian understand the Scriptures.

However, this present view of the Holy Spirit stands in opposition to the teachings of Scripture on him and his works, and they rob him of his glory that is rightly due him.

Who is the Holy Spirit? Simply, he is the third person of the Triune God–the one who proceeds from the Father and the Son to testify about the work of the Son. He is to the elect the one by whom the work of Christ is applied to them. This application by the Holy Spirit is called “regeneration”–the bringing to life that which was dead. Figuratively, this work is called causing one to be born again (cf. Jn. 3:1-8; 1Pet. 1:3), the circumcision of the heart (cf. Rm. 2:29), the removal of a heart of stone and the giving of a heart of flesh (Ez. 11:19), and the writing of the law upon one’s heart (cf. Jer. 31:33). All these things the Spirit does from salvation’s beginning, and the Spirit continues to work in the saved soul till the end, for as the apostle testifies, “[The Spirit] who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

Read more…

Before I begin, allow me to preface this post by stating that I believe quite wholeheartedly that all things, both good and evil, minute and grand, work together for good for those who love God, which is the riches of his glory accomplished for them (cf. Rm. 8:28; 9:23). Therefore, in spite of our constant failings and in spite of our doctrinal fallacies, God will be glorified, and he will be glorified to the high degree which he has decreed. For whether or not we attribute credit to God appropriately with our petty minds on the matter of our salvation and its accomplishment, God will be glorified fully, be it through our unrighteousness which serves to show his righteousness (cf. Rm. 3:6) or through our obedience which demonstrates our being driven by his Spirit (cf. Rm. 8:13,14).

In spite of the great certainty with which we can be assured that God’s ultimate manifestation of his glory will be accomplished without regard to the fickleness of our wills, we are nevertheless clearly commanded to be holy as he is holy, to be transformed by the renewal of our minds, and to not be carried away by the doctrines of men (cf.1Pt. 1:16; Rm. 12:2; Eph. 4:14). In other words, we are never given warrant to be content in our ill-founded doctrines or in our disobedience knowing that God is and will be glorified in our mishaps. Quite the contrary, we are encouraged not to think as those fools who slanderously charged Paul with “doing evil that good may come” (Rm. 3:8), but we are rather charged to patiently seek for glory and honor and immortality or be met with the full wrath and fury of God (cf. Rm. 2:7,8).

Read more…

Since what most modern American Christians call faith is actually not faith but a work of acceptance, faith is no longer the unmeritorious means by which one is justified by the work of Christ, but it is righteousness itself. In other words, in the end we say that we are saved exclusively by our acceptance and not exclusively by the work of God since God has supposedly granted to everyone the ability to accept him and the Christ whom he has sent, no matter who they are, where they live, or when they lived. Therefore, the buck stops with us. We are saved in the end not because God did something, but because we did something. We charge that everyone is given the opportunity, and some, like us, have accepted Christ, and the rest have not.

Our justification by acceptance therefore is not justification by faith, but it is justification by works lite. For our justification by acceptance is no different than any other justification by works religion on the planet save the fact that we have only one rule, “Accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.” If you obey this rule you will be considered righteous, but disobey it you will be judged for not accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

But what of those who have not heard the Gospel? What will be their fate?

Read more…