Faith

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Another way to define Faith Heb 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is that which gives spiritual evidence or persuasion of our Saving Interest in the Person and Work of Christ for God's Elect !

 

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Receiving the things pertaining to God !

Faith by which one receives Christ, or believes on His Name, is only ascribed to those who have been born of God Jn 1:12-13

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

For the natural man cannot receive the things of God 1 Cor 2:14, which the Person and Work of Christ is, that which pertains to God Heb 2:17

17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Heb 5:1

For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:

BTW the scriptures are of those things which pertain to the things of the Spirit of God 1 Cor 2:14

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Now the scriptures are said to 2 Pet 1:20-21

20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

2 Tim 3:15-16

And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

So its only logical that, that which the scriptures declare 1 Cor 15:3-4

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Be revealed by its Author 1 Cor 2:10-12


10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 5

 

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without me ye can do nothing.


Jn 15:4-5

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Before we can bear fruit, we must be in Christ, and Christ in us, So before we can believe [Faith] we must be in Christ and again, Christ in us by His Spirit, For Faith/ Believing is a Fruit of His Spirit Gal 5:22

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

We know believers are in Christ before they believe, because Christ says of His Sheep before they Hear and Believe and follow Him this Jn 10:16

16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

The word have is the greek word echo:

I.
to have, i.e. to hold
A.
to have (hold) in the hand, in the sense of wearing, to have (hold) possession of the mind (refers to alarm, agitating emotions, etc.), to hold fast keep, to have or comprise or involve, to regard or consider or hold as


II.
to have i.e. own, possess

A.to be closely joined to a person or a thing

Yes if He has them, they are in Him. Also all believers were ordained to Eternal Life before they believed Acts 13:48

48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

For they were ordained to Eternal Life because they were heirs of promise Gal 3:29

And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Heb 6:17

Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

And to all the Heirs of Promise its given to them to believe on Christ Phil 1:29. They had been ordained to Eternal Life by being in Union with Christ their Mediator Head before the world began, when this Eternal Life was promised Titus 1:1-2

Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

Here it was promised to Christ and His Seed Chosen in Him Eph 1:4. Remember Gal 3:16-19

16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

Now the Promised Inheritance in Vs 18 is Eternal Life, and the Promise was initially made to Christ in Eternity Past, indicated in Vs 16,17,19, God's Promise was made to Christ before the world began Titus 1:2, and those Chosen in Him before the foundation Eph 1:4, they were ordained with Him as joint Heirs with Christ Rom 8:17, and they believe Acts 13:48.

 

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The Faith of the Son of God !

Gal 2:20

20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Everyone Christ died for, were crucified with Him [Rom 6:6], and as the fruit thereof they shall live by His Faith Rom 1:17,Heb 12:2, which denotes Faith out of Jesus Christ, He is the Author of it, and its out of or because of His Faithfulness. Now why is this so ? Its true because all for whom He died, in Covenant Obedience Rom 5:19, He is made a quickening Spirit by His Resurrection 1 Cor 15:45

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

45 Thus it is written, The first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality); the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit [restoring the dead to life].AMP meaning He gives them Life, wherefore Adam gave them death. He gives them Life to live as stated here Jn 6:33

33 The bread of God comes down out of heaven and breathes life into the cosmos.

Jn 10:10

10 The thief cometh not but to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.


10 A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came so that my sheep will have life and so that they will have everything they need.

So its the World of His Sheep. Yes in this Life He gives them Life by His Spirit Jn 6:63

63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

The Spirit here is being mediated by Him, that's why we have 1 Cor 15:45

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

The Spirit comes in His Name "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name"

And by this The Spirit that comes in His Name. Now by sending them His Spirit, He gives them the Fruit of Faith Gal 5:22, that's why He says this Jn 12:24


24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He bringeth forth much Faith ! 6

 

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The Faith of the Son of God !2


The Lord Jesus Christ by New Birth imparts Faith to all for whom He died, so that the Life and Faith a True Christian Lives by is from out of the Son of God, who gave Himself for them Gal 2:20

20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

The Life a Believer lives in the flesh, is a Spiritual Life from New Birth. One of the sure evidences of Christ having died for one, is that they shall live by Faith or His Faith of which He is the Author and finisher of Heb 12:2

2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

This is True of the OT Saints just recapitulated in Hebrews Chapter 11, Yes, Jesus is the source of their Faith also.

Now this is true because the scripture makes the promise to the Just :

Hab 2:4;Rom 1:17;Gal 3:11;Heb 10:38 "The just shall live by faith" !

The reason for this based upon the obedience of Christ Rom 5:19

19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

By this, all for whom He Lived and Died [His Obedience] made then Righteous. The word Righteous here is the greek word dikaios:

I.righteous, observing divine laws
A.
in a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of GodI.

of those who seem to themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves in their virtues, whether real or imagined

ii.
innocent, faultless, guiltless

iii.
used of him whose way of thinking, feeling, and acting is wholly conformed to the will of God, and who therefore needs no rectification in the heart or life
a.
only Christ truly


iv.
approved of or acceptable of God

Its also the word translated Just as it is here Rom 1:17

17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

So Rom 5:19 can read thusly:

19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made Just.

And what is the promise in Rom 1:17 about the Just ? The Promise of God is that they shall live by Faith.

So having been made Just by His Obedience, He must quicken them into a life of Faith, and so it cometh to pass, that the Just, made so by His Obedience do come to live by Faith. They must first be made alive, given the ability to hear, and from that ability to Hear, from the Life given out of quickening, comes Faith Rom 10:17

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The hearing of the Gospel as in Rom 1:16-17. All for whom Christ died shall live by Faith, or His death for them was a utter failure to God, for that's His Fruit unto God !

 

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That Faith that embraces/Receives a Knowledge of Salvation, its a fruit of the Spirit Gal 5:22

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

This is also reaffirmed to be true here seeing that Faith is the belif of the Truth 2 Thess 2:13

13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Apart from This His[The Spirit] Sanctifying Work, man could not believe in Christ to embrace Salvation Knowledge.

Paul writes and indicates that True Faith in Christ as Lord has been wrought by the Spirit 1 Cor 12:3

3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

The word by here is en and denotes instrumentality, means, agency, So Pauls point is that no man can truly Say Lord and mean it save by the agency working of the Spirit. John means the same thing here Jn 3:21

But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

So Scriptures like Rom 10:9-10

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

They are describing the Evidence being manifested, The Believing and Confessing, as the Fruit of the Spirit, of the Sanctification of the Spirit unto belief of the Truth ! 2 Thess 2:13 ! Its His Work in the regenerated heart casing belief of the Truth as it is in Christ Jesus ! 6

 

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Faith to believe in Christ is not of ourselves !


Eph 2:8-9

8 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.

There is not a more plainer statement in Holy Writ that should shut the mouths of false believers, freewillers, arminians and the such, who make their arrogant boast about their faith so called, generated from their flesh, because they deny that Faith is a Gift and Fruit of the Spirit Gal 5:22.

Faith here by the inspired Apostle writer is clearly stated to be " NOT OF OURSELVES " Lest any man should boast, its the Gift of God.

Yes I know many will now begin their dispute and opposition to this Truth with the greek gender arguments, of neuter vs feminine and the Like, but in the end it does not matter one bit about that, simply because Paul is teaching that the Totality of Salvation by Grace through Faith is the Result of the Gift of God, Salvation itself is by Grace Eph 2:5

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved )

Because its a Raising from the dead, and Faith is merely something that accompanies Salvation as alluded to here Heb 6:9

9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

Salvation, Faith are One Unified whole. So no matter how the false believers and enemies of Righteousness attempt to pervert the Gift of God, this verse stands here as a testimony against them, that Faith in Salvation is not of ourselves, but the Gift of God, so we cannot boast, but yet in still, that's exactly what they do with Faith in this verse, make it their own and boast ,as to that's why they are saved opposed to one who is not ! Their so called faith made the difference, and that's boasting !

 

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It must be given to believe the Gospel !


The Truth of the Gospel is so repugnant to the natural man, that it must by special distinguishing Grace be given to us to believe it, it must be of particular Election or Choice of God, of which others, or the rest are not given .

Lk 8:10

10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

Lets remember that the Gospel Paul preached and the others was a Mystery 1 Cor 2:7

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery [ Wisdom of God 1 Cor 1:24], even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

1 Cor 4:1

Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

This is the stewardship of the Gospel Paul means here.

1 Tim 3:9

Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

The Mystery of the Faith here is the Doctrines of the Gospel.

Now it must be given to us to believe those things, while it is not given to others to believe them.

Phil 1:29

For unto you [in distinction of others] it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Its not given to all men to believe on Christ !

Jn 6:65

65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

Those who teach that God has given all men the ability to believe on Christ for Salvation are deceivers ! 6

 

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It must be a honest heart to believe on Christ.


It must be a honest heart to believe on Christ. Lk 8:15

15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

It must be an honest and good heart that brings forth the fruit of Faith.

Now this scripture more than any other should enlighten us to the fact that this heart, is not the heart we have by nature. Its nothing good about our heart given in our fleshly birth. The heart we have by nature is descrbibed here Jer 17:9

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Its evil Gen 6:5

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Gen 8:21

And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

Now the heart here in our text is described as an honest and good heart.

Now we know deceitfulness as Per Jer 17:9 is quite the opposite of honest !

The word honest here is the greek word kalos and means:

B.good, excellent in its nature and characteristics, and therefore well adapted to its ends, I. genuine, approved

Its an heart given in new birth , its constituted as to answer the purpose for which that class of things were created.

Remember how it is stated in Rom 5:19

19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

That word made is kathistēmi and means:

D.to constitute, to render, make, cause to be

To be constituted Righteous. That means to compose; form,to create .

In New Birth a New Heart is given to answer a purpose, which comes through being made Righteous by the Obedience of One. So we are given a New Heart Ezk 36:26

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

Then Jesus says its not only a Honest Heart, but a Good Heart. The word good agathos means:

I. of good constitution or nature

Again this speaks to the New Nature and Heart given in New Birth, a New Constitution.

It is this Heart Jesus says Lk 8:15

But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

That word keep means:

C. to hold fast, keep secure, keep firm possession of

The same as Heb 3:6

But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

The if is contingent upon whether or not they received the Word of God into a honest and good heart, if they did, they will have patience

Heb 10:36

36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

So it takes from the outset, a Honest and Good Heart given in New Birth to believe on Christ. And no man has this type of Heart by Nature. If you say we do, you do lie and speak against the Truth ! 6

 

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Faith is believing God's Promise !

Faith is believing God's Promise ! Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of Gd Rom 10:17

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God or promise of God !

Faith takes God at His Word of Promise, for its not a condition one must meet or do before God acts out His Spoken or declared promise, for instance, God's declared promise to Abraham and Sarah was that they together shall bring forth a son in their old age, to be named Isaac; Now this bringing Isaac into existence for His Purpose was something determined by God from old, even from His Eternal Counsels from before the foundation, but now it was revealed by Him to them Gen 18:9-15

9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

13 And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

14 Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

And notice Vs 12 That was a laugh of unbelief ! However this promise was of Grace, and God's word of promise would effect Faith in Her, and it is written later this Heb 11:11

11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

This means that She eventually believed through Grace Acts 18:27, but her first natural reaction was unbelief, and not only her, but Abraham also, observe earlier when he first heard the promise before Gen 17:15-17

15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

That also was initially a sneer of unbelief !

But after God gives Faith, She Judges Him Faithful who promised. You see, God's word of promise that He would give them a Son in their advanced years was not conditioned on their Faith in believing Him or not, but Faith is given in accordance with the Promise, then Faith given by God through His word of promise and the Spirit's application, then she embraces the Promise, the declared Truth of God; and God's Truth and Faithfulness to His People is in no way contingent upon their Faith in Him to perform His promise or purpose. A similar point is made here 2 Tim 2:13

13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

You see, even if Sarah believe not at first God's Promise that she in her very advanced age would bare Abraham a son, that could not prevent God from performing His Promise to her. True Faith is born out of God keeping His word of Promise, and God's promise is not contingent or based upon what we believe or don't believe, but God will give Faith so we can rest in His Faithfulness ! 6

 

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Faith cometh by hearing of the Word of God ! 5


Rom 10:17

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Faith cometh by hearing of the Word of God or the voice of God, or the voice of Christ, who is God. Now who is it specifically that hears the word or voice of God/ Christ ? The word for word Rhema means:

that which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word any sound produced by the voice and having definite meaning
speech, discourse what one has said

a series of words joined together into a sentence (a declaration of one's mind made in words) an utterance
a saying of any sort as a message, a narrative 1c

concerning some occurrence

subject matter of speech, thing spoken of so far forth as it is a matter of narration
so far as it is a matter of command
a matter of dispute, case at law

In the original is reads:

ἄρα ἡ πίστις ἐξ ἀκοῆς ἡ δὲ ἀκοὴ διὰ ῥήματος Χριστοῦ or Faith cometh by hearing the word or voice of the Christ, the living voice of Christ !

The ASV:

So belief [cometh] of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Now Jesus tells us Himself this mighty truth as to who specifically it is who is hearing His Voice Jn 18:37

37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

Jesus states that the ones of the Truth heareth His Voice, So exactly what does the Truth mean ? 6

 

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Faith cometh by hearing of the Word of God ! 6


Jesus states that the ones of the Truth heareth His Voice Jn 18:37, So exactly what does the Truth mean ? Well Jesus here uses the prep ek which means away from, out of, out from the Truth indicating from the interior to the outward, so it is " he that is out from the truth, which I believe Jesus means by this the Spirit, for the Spirit is the Truth 1 Jn 5:6

6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

See also Jn 14:17; 15:26;16:13

The definite article precedes truth , reading the Spirit is the Truth ! So Jesus is saying " The ones hearing my living voice or my words" are the ones out of the Spirit, which means of course born of the Spirit Jn 3:8

8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

or having been born out of the Spirit, and of course the Spirit is the Truth !

So when Jesus does declare in Jn 10:16

16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

He means His Sheep that have been born out of the Spirit of the Truth shall hear His voice, and of course such hearing is by which faith cometh by Rom 10:17

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

So the Lord Jesus Christ without question teaches the necessity of a Spiritual Birth in order to the Hearing of Faith, and man by nature, in the flesh cannot have or experience the hearing of faith, because only being in the flesh he hath not been born of the Spirit [God] !

Now this can be debated and denied until the world ends, but the Truth of it shall stand, and by the Grace of God I will proclaim it and defend it with scripture ! 6

 

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Them which shall believe on me through their word !



Jn 17:19-20

19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

Who are those that shall believe on Christ through their [ The Apostles word ? This shall believe is in the future tense, and the indicative mood. What does the future indicative mean ? The indicative means:

Indicative Mood

The indicative mood is a statement of fact or an actual occurrence from the writer's or speaker's perspective. It may be action occurring in past, present, or future time.

Greek Verbs (Shorter Definitions)


This is a certain fact Jesus is stating, for believers in Him by their testimony is the Fruit that He ordained them to bear Jn 15:16

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

They were instruments in Christ's hand whereby a large harvest of souls should believe on Christ through their preaching and writing. Remember Paul said to the Corinthian Believers 1 Cor 3:5

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

Believers who come to Faith in Christ through the preaching and writings of the Apostles, they are their fruit , the fruit of their Labor Phil 1:22

22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.

Even all subsequent believers on Christ after the Apostles died off, are still fruit of their Labour aforetime, since the scriptures and doctrines they taught and preached must be adhered to in the conversion of sinners Acts 2:42

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Now Jesus is speaking also of all them whom He died for and rose again, for they in Him as their Head did die and rise together with Him. They are those who even though they were not yet physically born and alive when they died and rose again with Him, and were made to sit with Him in the heavenlies Eph 2:6

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: Note: This proves they were in Him before they believed !

This fact does therefore ensure that they shall be made alive, given Faith and Hearing, and they shall believe the Gospel of the Apostles, as it is Faithfully Preached, and that's why they shall believe on Him through their word !

 

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hath everlasting life !



Jn 5:24

24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Jesus is teaching us here that hearing and believing are evidential of having everlasting life experimentally , by New Birth, for one cannot spiritually hear and believe the Word. We know this by Jn 8:47

47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

Jn 18:37

37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

So understand the point, hearing and believing are evidences of possessing experimentally Everlasting Life by New Birth of the Spirit !6

 

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Out of Grace !


Faith that Believes in Christ, that rests in His finished work for God's People, God's Salvation to His Israel, this Faith originates in the Grace of God, its the Grace of the Spirit of God Zech 12:10

10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look[with Faith or Hope] upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Its a Gift of Grace to put Faith in Christ, we believe through Grace Acts 18:27

And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through [on account of] grace:

That word through is the greek word dia and is translated on the account of Grace, the Grace of the Spirit !

For Faith is strictly of a Divine Source , and it cannot be found in the natural man of the flesh, and so as Paul teaches, it is not of ourselves, it is the Gift of God, the Gift of God's Grace which also is the Spirit !

Faith is the fruit of having been quickened to Life by the Spirit Gal 5:22

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Its been given to us that Truly believe, in order that we would truly believe, and so it was not an act of our so called freewill, but it has been granted to us on behalf of Christ to believe on Him Phil 1:29; And it was not just being given the ability to believe, to do when we will or not, but it is the actual conferment of Faith the act, hence it is given given to us to believe , in that its the result and effect of spiritual life communicated and the inner working of the Spirit of God, to will and do of His Good Pleasure ! 6

 

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purifying their hearts by faith !


Acts 15:9

And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

If Faith in Salvation was the condition men in the flesh, unregenerate were to act to get saved, then it can be said that men in the flesh, without the Spirit, purified their own hearts by their own faith generated out of their own sinful nature, which makes them as these Prov 20:9

9 Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? 6

 

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Thou standest by Faith !


Rom 11:20

20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:

Probably no other scripture in the bible gives the explicit indication that Faith is not of ourselves, save maybe for Eph 2:8

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Faith springs from Grace, which is God's Gift ! Faith is by the Gracious enablement of God [The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Grace which worketh in us who are believing Zech 12:10]

Faith is not of man, but the fruit and enablement of the Spirit Gal 5:22, and in fact, thats why in Rom 11:20 the now Gentile believers had no reason to boast or be highminded, for the only reason why they were not in unbelief as the majority of the unbelieving jews were which because of it were broken off, because God made the difference in them giving them Faith to stand. Notice the explicit declaration to them Rom 11:20

20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:

You see, to stand by Faith equates to standing by the Divine Ability, not ones own abilty ! This we know by Rom 14:4

4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

Standing and not falling is solely by the Power and Ability of God causing it.

The word falleth here in Rom 14:4 is the greek word piptō and is the same word the Spirit uses here in Rom 11:22

Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

If God wanted to, if it was His Will and pleasure, He could have caused them that fell in Rom 11:22 to stand by Faith, He was able to MAKE them stand, so says the word of Truth, because Faith to stand was in His Power to give them !

Now this confirms Peters 1 Pet 1:5

5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

This means that their standing through Faith is by the Power of God ! The word Power here and able in Rom 14:4 are both from the root word dynamai:

I.
to be able, have power whether by virtue of one's own ability and resources, or of a state of mind, or through favourable circumstances, or by permission of law or custom

II.
to be able to do something

III.
to be capable, strong and powerful

They are being able to stand by Faith, by God's Ability and Resources causing it, in other words, God's Power causes us to stand by or through Faith.

If the Gentiles standing by Faith in Rom 11:20 was of their own ability, they would have reason or cause to boast or be high minded, but the case is not so.

This is also a Judgment against those of us who believed that Faith was a condition man in the flesh had the ability to do to distinguish himself from others who remained in unbelief , such ones are condemned as being highminded or proud ! 7

 

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Faith receives the Message of Justification !

Rom 10:17

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Listen, all for whom Christ died shall hear about it, they shall be prepared by the Spirit, the shall be killed by the Spirit with the Law, for Paul refers to that here Rom 7:9-11

9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

The Law in the hand of the Spirit will cause and show every elect sinner the experience of being captive to sin in the flesh, and its helplessness, its imprisonment, and its at this time the spiritual prisoner, while smarting under the law by the hand of the Spirit, is made meet to receive the Message and Messenger of God, telling of its Justification and Righteousness before God, this is part of the Good News or Glad Tidings that the Gospel brings to Justified sinners, and then Faith is the evidence that these things are true, they are done and made real to our soul; And it does not matter if we believe not because his or her unbelief cannot make their Justification before God not true, not a fact, because the Truth of it does not depend on the act of the captive, for its a true fact even while the captive is in unbelief and before he believes it, though at last unbelief will be overcome by the Spirit of God, for it is written: " THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH", and all for whom Christ died has been made Just Rom 5:19b and the SHALL means God shall make sure of it, and because of the superlative preparatory work of the Spirit upon the Heart and Mind of the Elect sinner with the Law of God, giving the sinner to know and experience its captivity, it sets the foundation for these words to come to pass Isa 61:1

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

They have made that way by the Spirit !

Lk 4:18

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

That word deliverance is the greek word aphesis and means:

a sending away, a letting go, a release, pardon, complete forgiveness.

forgiveness, pardon, of sins (properly, the letting them go, as if they had not been committed (see at length Trench, § xxxiii.)), remission of their penalty:

This spells Justification from sin ! Thats why its good news to them, for the Spirit makes them prepared by convicting them of their sinfulness before God and Helplessness by the Law working in their members sin and death !

 

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The Righteousness of Faith !

Rom 10:6

6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above )

Rom 9:30

30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.

The Righteousness which is of Faith , is that because of Righteousness Imputed , which is only revealed to the Spiritual Grace of Faith Rom 1:17

17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Uderstand, that Faith is a Grace of the Spirit Gal 5:22 ! Naturally we are ignorant to it [Imputed Righteousness] and therefore as the natural jews did, we by nature go about to establish our own Righteousness Rom 10:3

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.

Now even though Paul was speaking of the jews here, what is stated is nevertheless befitting for all men by nature.

By nature we all trust in some kind of work, action or performance that we do as the key factor in becoming Justified before God.

Paul's point indeed when speaking of the natural jews, Abraham's natural descendants Rom 10:3-6; 9:30-32 ! Also here in Rom 9:32

32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;

The main reason for that was because they were not born of the Spirit and did not have the Fruit of Faith that only He gives Gal 5:22, and God witheld the Gift of Faith from them on purpose, so that they would stumble at the Word of Faith 1 Pet 2:8

8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

But the Righteousness of Faith is that Righteousness we have as a Free Gift of Imputation because of Christ, and its revealed or made known to God given Faith ! Rom 1:17 ! 7

 

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The faith of God's elect !


Now understand something, Faith is a fruit of the Spirit Gal 5:22, so therefore all who had Faith in the OT, had the Spirit of fruit of Faith from the Spirit, and without the Faith of the Spirit of Christ, man by nature has no true Faith in God in regards to Salvation; and this Faith out of the Spirit is limited to God's Elect Titus 1:1

Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

Note: Whenever talking about Salvation by Grace through Faith Eph 2:8 it only pertains to God's Elect !

And this goes for both testaments, for speaking of this faith, Paul quotes an OT Saint 2 Cor 4:13

13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

Ps 116:10

10 I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:

It could very well read" the same faith from the same Spirit "

For the word of Truth, the Gospel of Salvation is how faith cometh, also known as the word of Faith Rom 10:8

8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;


Note: Thats why when it comes to Salvation, the Gospel is Preached to the already Saved thus hearing the Gospel of their Salvation cometh Faith, everyone that is saved, God sends them the Good News of their Salvation so they can hear about it and Live by Faith, for the Just shall live by Faith Rom 1:16-17 !

This Word of Faith of the Gospel reveals the Righteousness of God to Faith, for it comes with power and the Spirit to the Chosen Elect, even though it may be proclaimed to all who is in the physical hearing of it 1 Thess 1:4-5

4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

When the Elect are sent the Gospel of their Salvation, it comes to them, not in word only, but also in Power and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, making them believers, to live by Faith ! Thats proof of their Election, and hence the Faith of God's Elect is made manifest Titus 1:1

Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

The Apostles mainly were sent to get the Word to God's Elect 2 Tim 2:10


10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Folks, Salvation which is in Christ Jesus is only for them, the Elect !