Archive for the ‘Reformed Theology’ Category
Born – Not Of Man’s Will
So many people, who call themselves Christian, have been led to believe that they have been saved, that is born-again, by choosing to be saved of their own will. They mistakenly believe that by having “accepted” Jesus as their personal Savior they are now forgiven and are on their way to spending eternity in Heaven. Little do they know that they may be among the group of people that was brought up by Jesus when He said in Matthew 7:21:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
To be saved by one’s own will or of their own choosing is not taught in the Bible. Unfortunately too many people have been told that it is. Everyone knows John 1:12 which says:
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
But few know what the next verse says. In John 1:13 the how of believing is clearly stated. We read:
who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Basically both verses, together, teach that those who have been born again, by the will of God (and not of man’s will) are those who are able to believe in and receive Jesus into their life and believe that He died and rose again for their sins. Similarly in Romans 9 ware are told the same thing, that it is by God’s will that we are forgiven and not by our own will choosing to be given mercy and be saved. In Romans 9: 10 – 18 we read:
when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.
Clearly these verses tell us that it is by the will of God that one is born-again, saved by His choice, and God does so not basing His decision on what we may have done or not done but on His choice to do so. God has mercy on whom He wills and whom He wills He hardens, or passes over.
When man is born-again of the Spirit of God it is done based on God’s will and not on man’s will. You see, when one is born-again they become alive in their spirit and it is at that point that man sees his sinfulness, cries out for forgiveness in repentance and confesses that Jesus is Lord and believes that He has been raised from the dead.
So, for us to say that we have been born-again by the choosing of our will we deceive ourselves and deny God His place in saving anyone. We are born:
not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, and it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
Maybe this is why Peter wrote the following in 2 Peter 1: 10, 11:
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This is why I can say that I have been born-again, not of my will, but of God’s will. How about you. By who’s will have you been born?
How Anxious Are You?
How often do you pray?
Read the following from Philippians 4:6-7:
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Do you remember the song, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus”? Here are just a couple of verses from that song:
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.
Do you see the connection? Peace and prayer go hand in hand. Prayer is the greatest weapon all believers have at their disposal. It can be done anytime, anyplace, anywhere. It soothes, it calms, it gives reassurance. In short, prayer gives peace.
No matter what the problem or situation is in which you find yourself, prayer can bring peace in the midst of the storm, but there is a catch. In praying do not just rely on your prayer. Instead, your prayer should lead you into trusting in Jesus for the answer no matter what the answer might be.
You see, prayer is not about just getting the result that “you” want, no, it is trusting in Jesus to provide the answer that He wants to give you. The peace from your prayer comes in the knowledge that you have given over your worries, your concerns, your desires, even your joy’s – with thanksgivings – to the only One Who can take your prayer and turn it into something that not only brings praise to the Almighty but is also something that is in your best interest.
When you worry, when you’re anxious, when you need relief and don’t know the answer take these concerns to the Lord. Let Him know what is bothering you, tell Him your thoughts and thank Him for the privilege of being His child and that you trust Him for the answer. It is when you know that the Creator of the Universe has it all in control and that He knows how you feel and sees you trusting in Him, by the prayers that you give with thanksgiving for the answer, is when His peace will come upon you and He will guard your thoughts and quiet your heart and give you such a peace that it will be hard to understand how He can be so loving and caring about you.
Why bear the pain or forfeit peace, you can know and feel the loving hand of God upon your life, and He will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
This new year start it off with prayer. Start each and everyday with prayer and as you lay down to sleep at night talk with God and thank Him for your day. let Him know that you trust in Him and are very grateful for Jesus being in your life. Prayer, with trust, can bring peace to your heart and what a way to start the new year.
If you know Jesus, you can know true peace. It is just a matter of talking with Him and then trusting in His answer. There is no greater peace than in knowing that Jesus loves you and will provide for you with what He knows is best for you. You really can know the true peace given to you by God Himself.
How anxious are you? Ask yourself that question again after you pray – you just might be surprised at the answer… 🙂
What Do You Celebrate At Christmas?
If you celebrate Christmas without Jesus, then what are you celebrating?
Now I may put up a decorated tree and some decorations outside but I do so just for fun. However, I could just as easily not have any decorations and I would still be just as happy. Know why? Because I don’t need any of these trappings to remind me about whom it is who came into the world to deliver me from having to pay the penalty for my sins. You see, I celebrate the person of Christ and not the holiday.
So, I don’t need to know when Jesus was born. It really isn’t important as that date then would become something more meaningful than the fact of Jesus Himself. You see, more emphasis would be put on the holiday and all of the trappings that come with it than on the person of the holiday itself. Much like it already has.
Think about it. What is more important to you Christmas or Jesus? Do you really need the colored lights or the decorated tree to worship Jesus, let alone the shopping, the stress and the debt? When was the last time that you bowed down before Jesus just to let Him know how grateful you are that at some point in time past He did come to earth, to become one of us and to put Himself in the place of a sinner (you) to deliver you from suffering the consequences of the wrongs “you” have committed?
Celebrating Christmas is not important at all. Celebrating the Savior is, and that is something you can do any time you want. You really don’t need one special day in which to do so. All God wants is for you to bow the knee before Jesus, admit your sinfulness and ask for forgiveness. Then it’s just a matter of confessing that Jesus is Lord and by faith believe that He died for you and rose again from the dead to give you eternal life and you, too, will be able to celebrate Jesus anytime that you want.
One day a year will not be that important anymore because it will have no true meaning. Celebrating Jesus is everlasting and receiving Him is receiving the best gift that you will ever have, for it is lasting, it is eternal, and it will never spoil or fade away.
So, this year don’t just celebrate a meaningless day. Instead celebrate the Savior who can make every day meaningful. You can do so just by celebrating Jesus.
Your Faith Did Not Save You: Part II – The Intent
Read the original article here… Your Faith Did Not Save You
Back in August of this year I wrote about why I believed that the 1599 Geneva Bible was more accurate than most of the new, modern versions that are out there. As an example one of the verses that I used was found in Galatians 2 and the verse itself was verse 16. All of the other verses that I quoted all boil down to this one thing; is the correct translation ” in ” or ” of “? Let me show you what I mean.
In the following the verse is taken from a modern translation and it is Galatians 2: 16:
know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
This is the translation from the 1599 Geneva Bible:
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Do you see the difference? In the new translation it states that we are “justified” by faith ” in ” Jesus. Admittedly it does sound like this would be the correct translation. However, when we read it in the Geneva Bible it states that we are “justified” by the faith ” of ” Jesus. So, which one is the correct translation?
In addition to looking at the original writing, in translating one must also look at ” The Intent ” of what is to be the correct translation. Now we can look at the original Greek word which is APO’. From Strong’s we read the following:
ἀπό
apo
apo’
A primary particle; “off”, that is, away (from something near), in various senses (of place, time, or relation; literally or figuratively): – (X here-) after, ago, at, because of, before, by (the space of), for (-th), from, in, (out) of, off, (up-) on (-ce), since, with. In composition (as a prefix) it usually denotes separation, departure, cessation, completion, reversal, etc.
Not only in looking at, and trusting in, the translation of Strong’s Concordance but in the modern vernacular the Greek word “APO'” always means ” of ” or ” from “. Even the King James and the Authorized King James version used the word ” of ” and not ” in “.
So, what do we have? Before we make any decisions let us see if we can understand what the intent was that Paul was telling us in stating what he did in verse 16. The easies way of doing so is to look at verse 17 as here we will see quite clearly what the intent is that Paul is saying.
In Galatians 2:17 we read:
But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
Do you see it? Paul says “while we seek to be justified “by “Christ…”. If, then, we are to be found “justified” by Christ how can one say that we are “justified” by faith ” in ” Christ? The answer is… we cannot. However, if we say that we are “justified by the faith ” of ” Jesus then we can see how easily it is to be “justified” by Christ, because it is by the faith ” of ” Jesus imputed to us that saves. We are not saved by ” our ” faith but by the faith ” of ” Jesus.
So, re-read verse 16 again:
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
We are not justified by works. We are justified by the faith of Jesus. We believe in Jesus so that we will be justified by the faith of Jesus and the faith by which we do believe is given to us as a gift so that we “can” believe.
Remember Ephesians 2:8, 9? It says:
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 himself.
The faith by which we believe is a gift of God. It is given to us so that we can, or have the ability to, believe in Jesus. If man had the ability to have faith of any kind then he could boast about himself for what he was able to do. Is that what you want? To be able to boast about saving yourself?
The work of salvation is all of Jesus. Man can do nothing to save himself nor can he contribute to his salvation in any way. We are “justified” by the faith ” of ” Jesus and not by “our” faith ” in ” Jesus. Otherwise it would be of works and that cannot be.
So, the intent of what Paul said in both Galatians 16 and 17 is that we are saved and “justified” by the faith ” of ” Jesus on behalf of all who would be saved. The modern translations are misleading they who read their translations and are allowing them to believe that it is by “their” faith that they are saved.
Both the correct translation and the “Intent” of the writings are that we are saved by the faith ” of ” Jesus on our behalf and not by our faith ” in ” Jesus which is really not saving faith at all.
To Whom Do We Give Thanks?
In 1621 the Pilgrims gave Thanks for their first harvest in the New World. The Thanksgiving celebration lasted 3 days and was attended by both the Native Americans and the Pilgrims. It was a time of thanksgiving, prayer and for praising God for making it through the first Winter and for the bounty of the harvest.
Then, in 1863 President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”
It is plain to see that it is to God that we are to give thanks for the many blessings that we have received over the past year. A good way of showing how to give thanks is shown in Psalm 100, as read from the 1599 Geneva Bible which was one of at least two translations that came over on the Mayflower with the Pilgrims. Psalm 100 reads as follows:
A Psalm of praise.
1 Sing ye loud unto the Lord, all the earth.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyfulness.
3 Know ye that even the Lord is God; he hath made us, and not we ourselves: we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with praise, and into his courts with rejoicing: praise him and bless his Name.
5 For the Lord is good: his mercy is everlasting, and his truth is from generation to generation.
Of course, unless you are a Christian, none of this will have any meaning for you. You are not named among His people and you are not a sheep in His flock. Only by believing on Jesus and bowing before Him, and confessing that He is Lord, will God accept your thanksgiving and praise. For only a Christian can enter into the gates of Heaven with praise and into the courts of God with rejoicing. Only from His children will God accept praise and thanksgiving.
Won’t you become a child of God today? If you will but confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God has raised Him from the dead will you have been saved by the hand of the Almighty God. Only then will your praise and thanksgiving be meaningful to God.
Who Is The One Person Whom You Should Fear?
Do you know who the one person is that I fear the Most??? ME!
You see, I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for the will to do good is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
What a terrible man I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—Only Jesus can!
The problem is that all of us fit into this category. If you want to see the one person whom “you” should fear and who can keep you from going to Heaven… just look into a mirror.
Remember, the only one who can save you from the one whom you see in the mirror is Jesus. For Christ Jesus came into the world to save people like me and people like you. Whoever calls upon Jesus will be saved…
Truth Shall Make You Free
If you are not a Christian, do you know that you are a slave?
You see, we are all born with a sin nature. As such, we are a slave to this nature and committing sins becomes common place. Unfortunately, being in this state, a slave to sin, makes our eternal destiny to be in the Lake of Fire… Hell!
Knowing this, God has made a way for us to be saved from spending eternity in Hell and it is a simple piece of truth to which He gives us an understanding, and with this understanding we are set free from being a slave to sin and we become born a new into the Kingdom of God.
In the Gospel of John, chapter 8, we read in verses 30 thru 36:
30 ¶ As he spake these things, many believed in him.
31 [r]Then said Jesus to the Jews which believed in him, If ye continue in my word, ye are verily my disciples,
32 And shall know the truth, and the truth shall [s]make you free.
33 [t]They answered him, We be [u]Abraham’s seed, and were never bond to any man: why sayest thou then, Ye shall be made free?
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily I say unto you, that whosoever commiteth sin, is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abideth not in the house forever: but the Son abideth forever.
36 If that Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
In verse 32 Jesus tells us that once we know the truth we will be set free. However, many do not know what He meant by saying “know the truth”; what truth? Again, it takes God to give us understanding in this and, if you can understand what Jesus tells us in verse 36 you will be set free;
36 If that Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Do you understand what He is saying? The truth is this – it takes Jesus to set you free. That’s it. You cannot do this on your own, and no one else can do this for you. If Jesus does not set you free from being a slave to sin you will never be free. Jesus is the only way to being saved, the only way to being set free from being a slave to your sin nature so that you can abide in the House of God.
It is that simple. You are born with a sin nature and, as such, you are a slave to sin destined to spend eternity in Hell. In order to be set free from being a slave to sin Jesus must do all of the work that is necessary in order to break the chains that bind you and to bring you into the family of God.
Do you believe this? Have you called upon Jesus to save you, to forgive you for you sinfulness? Have you confessed that Jesus is Lord and believe that God has raised Him from the dead? If you can say “YES” then you have been set free because you know the truth, the truth that you need to know and understand in order to be set free.
It takes Jesus to give you understanding into this truth and, having done so, you will have been set free. You are no longer a slave to sin. You are now a child of God and a disciple of Jesus, and by abiding in His Word you will be showing that you have been set free and you now belong to God.
Simple truth, simple freedom… Jesus saves.
Should Christians Judge Non-Christians?
How many times have you pointed out a sin with which someone is involved only to be told something like, “who are you to judge me”, or “remember, the bible tells us that we should not judge another”. Is judging others, especially non-Christians, something Christians should be doing?
In response, I would always use the verses from James 5: 19, 20 to show that it is OK to point out sin in others:
19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
This would seem to say that it is OK to point out the sins of others. Otherwise, how else could you turn someone from the errors of their ways? Well, I’ve discovered that there is more to this than James 5.
Recently, while reading through 1 Corinthians, I came across a verse that I’ve read numerous times but it never jumped off of the page as it did this particular time. The verse about which I’m talking is from 1 Co. 5: 12, 13 which reads:
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges.”
Did you catch it? I did, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Paul is asking the people in the church at Corinth “why are you judging those who are outside the church (non-Christians). Leave them alone as God will judge them. it is very clear that Paul here is teaching that Christians should not be judging non-Christians. We are to leave that to God.
So, when you put this together with what James stated, as we read above, only those in the church, they whom we call Christians, are the ones who we should be judging in the sense of letting them know what God has said about the matter and then to bring them back into the fold once they see their sin and repent of it. That is also taught in 1 Corinthians 5, and that is what Paul is telling us. Leave it to God to do the judging of non-Christians.
The answer then to the question of “Should Christians Judge Non-Christians” is an emphatic ” NO “! The reason for this, in addition to what we are taught by Paul, through the Holy Spirit, is that non-Christians will not and cannot understand the spiritual things of God.
Take for example 1 Co. 2: 14
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Here we are told that the natural man, who is a non-Christian, will not and cannot understand the spiritual things of God. So, we can talk to them until we are blue in the face, so to speak, and they will never accept what we are saying. This is something that used to drive me crazy because to me it was so simple and I would get so upset that the one to whom I was talking would not accept what I was saying. Now I know why… Simply put they cannot do so without the Holy Spirit working in them to give them understanding.
More importantly Jesus makes this even more clear as to why non-Christians will not and cannot understand what we are talking about when we specifically point out their sin, and they will even get angry and argue or fight with us in the process of rejecting what we are saying.
In the Gospel of John 8 we see Jesus talking with The Pharisees and they are constantly asking Him who was He? The response of Jesus in answering them is very telling. They do not understand all that He is saying and He even tells them why they cannot.
First, in verses 42 and 43 Jesus says this:
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.”
You see, Jesus plainly tells them that the reason they do not understand what He is saying is because they are no able to listen to His word. Then He goes on to tell them why.
In verses 45 through 47 Jesus tells them:
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
In simple words, Jesus tells them that they do not belong to God, basically they are non-Christians, and because of that they cannot hear God’s words – “you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
Again, in John 10 Jesus is talking with the Jewish leaders and they ask Him in verse 24:
24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Pointedly they have asked Him if He truly was the Christ and He answers them in verses 25 through 27 that He has already told them, they didn’t believe Him and Jesus even tells them “why” they don’t believe Him.
25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
What Jesus tells them is that He has already answered them and the reason they will not and cannot believe Him is because they do not belong to them; they are non-Christians.
This now brings us back to the question of “Should Christians Judge Non-Christians”? And the answer is “NO”…
Not only will they not believe what you will say but they cannot believe what you will say because they do not belong to God. They are non-Christians and they will not hear nor understand anything you tell them of a spiritual nature.
Now judging non-Christians and sharing the gospel are two different actions. Pointing out specific sin in others who are non-Christians is something that Christians should “not” do, but sharing the gospel and explaining what sin is will be the beginning of the path for non-Christians to follow which will lead them to Christ.
Leave the judging of non-Christians to God. In doing so we can trust in this:
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.
1 Corinthians 4: 5
Your Faith Did Not Save You
You’ve heard it and you’ve seen it in print. If you just accept Jesus by faith you will be saved. The plain teaching today is that you can be saved from your sins if you will just have a little faith in Jesus. The problem with all of this is that in your sinful state you are dead in sins and are unable to respond to any calling to having any faith of any kind in Jesus for salvation.
In the following passages we read:
And you hath he quickened, that were dead in trespasses and sins… Ephesians 2: 1
even when we were dead in trespasses… Ephesians 2: 5
And you, being dead in your trespasses… Colossians 2: 13
As you can see, before you are “born again” you are dead, spiritually dead, and are unable to do respond to anything pertaining to Jesus. Just as Lazarus was physically dead in a physical grave, you are spiritually dead in a spiritual grave. When the call comes to “come forth” you must be given to ability to do so, just like Lazarus was given the ability to respond to Jesus’s command to come out of the grave. Before you can come out of the grave you, too, need to be given the ability to do so before you can answer the call to come forth.
Now we know this verse well:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast… Ephesians 2: 8, 9
Here we are told that it is by “grace” that we are saved through faith that is given to us with which we can believe on Jesus. That is very clear in this verse. Any faith that we have is given to us as a gift from God so that we cannot boast about how “our” faith saved us. So, if it isn’t by “our” faith that we are saved, then by whose faith are we saved?
Now here is where the problem arises with today’s modern language translation bibles. Look first at the following verses; you will recognize them all.
1. Romans 3:22
This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
2. Romans 3:26
he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
3. Galatians 2:16
know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
4. Galatians 3:22
But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
These all came from the New International Version (NIV) translation of the bible, and many of today’s modern translations say the same thing, in one way or another. The question is this. If we are dead in trespasses, as we have read, how then can we generate any kind of faith in order to believe? The answer is… we can’t. However, the answer to this problem is easy. It is not by “our” faith with which we believe!
Now, read this verses. They are the same four as above, but they are from the 1599 Geneva Bible. All but forgotten in our day, the Geneva Bible was the most widely read and influential English Bible of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. A superb translation, it was the product of the best Protestant scholars of the day and became the Bible of choice for many of the greatest writers and thinkers of that time. (from Bible Gateway.com)
1. Romans 3:22
To wit, the righteousness of God by the faith of Jesus Christ, unto all, and upon all that believe.
2. Romans 3:26
Through the patience of God, to show at this time his righteousness, that he might be just, and a justifier of him which is of the faith of Jesus.
Know that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we, I say, have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the Law, because that by the works of the Law, no flesh shall be justified.
But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by the faith of Jesus Christ should be given to them that believe.
Do you see the difference? Today’s translations state that we are saved by “faith in Jesus”. However, as we have seen we are spiritually dead in trespasses and are unable to respond with any faith at all, and what faith it is that we use is given to us by God that we may believe.
You see, the little word “in” is from the Greek word “apo'” which should be translated “of” and not “in”, basically meaning “taken from or off of”. As in “off of” or “from” Jesus, i.e. “faith of Jesus”.
This is where the 1599 Geneva translations comes into its own. The Geneva Bible states clearly that it is by the “FAITH OF JESUS” that we are saved. This is the faith that is given to us as a gift by God so that we can believe. This way we cannot boast about “our” faith, because we have none, and it is by the “FAITH OF JESUS” given to us that we believe.
This may help you to understand this:
For I say through the grace that is given unto me, to everyone that is among you, that no man presume to understand above that which is meet to understand, but that he understand according to sobriety, as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith… Romans 12:3
When we are called to come to Jesus we cannot do so unless God gives us the ability to do so (see John 6: 44 and John 6: 65), and He gives us a measure of faith with which to believe, and the faith that is given to us is the faith of Jesus that He had with the Father when He was here on earth. We have no faith of our own and, even if we did, it would be an imperfect faith that we would have to rely upon for our salvation, However, the faith of Jesus is a perfect faith. A faith which gives us the ability to come to Jesus and to believe on Him.
So you can see that, if you are saved, if you are born again by the Spirit of God that is was not by the result of any faith of your own, but by the “FAITH OF JESUS” that you are saved. This way you cannot boast of anything as it is a gift of God, given to you so that you could believe with a perfect faith. A faith that would be offered, accepted and held by God for eternity. For it is by the “FAITH OF JESUS” that you are justified and saved.
Think of this. By whose faith would you like to base your eternal salvation upon? Your faith or the “FAITH OF JESUS” given to you with which to believe? To me the answer is clear and I hope you will agree, for only by the “FAITH OF JESUS” are we justified and saved…..
Whom Do You Serve; the Creator or the creature?
In this life we have a choice about whom we serve. There are only two choices and no middle ground. The two choices are the Creator or the creature. By refusing to serve the Creator, even though you don’t conscientiously choose to serve the creature, you do so by default.
In Romans 1: 24, 25 we read:
Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Now we know who the Creator is, His name is Jesus. He is the Lord of life. He is God. We are told this in John 1: 3. In speaking of Jesus we read:
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
All that you see, all that there is, in the Heaven’s above in the Earth beneath and in the Ocean’s below all was made by Jesus and was done so for His glory and pleasure. There is nothing that has been made that was not made by Him. Jesus is Lord. In this life you either believe in and serve Jesus or you stand condemned because you do not believe. In John 3: 18 we are told:
He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
In short, either you believe in and follow the Creator – Jesus, or by default you follow the creature. So, who is the creature?
A creature is something that was made, like you, you are a creature because you have been created. But, are you the creature that you serve by not serving God? There is one mightier than you who is the creature that you serve by not serving Jesus.
In Ezekiel 28: 12 – 15 we are told the following:
“You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
“You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.”
Satan is the cherub about who these verses are describing. He is the creature that you serve if you do not serve Jesus. There is no alternative. You either serve the Creator – Jesus, or you server the creature – Satan.
You can argue this all you want. You can proclaim all kinds of hatred towards Satan and deny him all you want and you are doing exactly what Satan wants. You see, he doesn’t want you to realize whom you serve, for once you do, you will want to turn from him and cry out to God to save you from this creature. You will want to come to Jesus to ask Him to forgive you for your sins, and to cleanse you from all the filth and perverse actions that you don’t realize that you are doing. For you will realize that:
“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
John 3: 36
Think of this. If you are not following and serving Jesus you are following and serving Satan; the problem is that you don’t know it, and you don’t know that you already stand condemned before God. You may try to deny it. You may say that you believe in God. Well, even Satan and his demons believe in God also and they certainly stand condemned.
If you don’t serve the Creator do you know what He will do? He may even have already done so and you don’t realize it. Read this from Romans 1: 28 – 32:
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality,wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving,unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
Did you read those last eight words? They say that even though you may not do all that is described before, if you just approve of the sinful actions that others do, God will do to you the same as He will do to those who do them. Is that what you want?
It may not be too late for you. You can be set free from being a servant (slave) to the creature who is called Satan. If you will just confess that Jesus is Lord and that the Father has raised Him from the dead, if you cry out for forgiveness for you sins, for living a life in disobedience to God, you will be forgiven and saved from the wrath of God that is to come upon all who serve Satan.
Remember, in this life you either serve the Creator or the creature. There are no other choices. So, the question now is this. Whom do you serve – the Creator or the creature. Your choice will determine where you will spend eternity. Why would you choose the creature that can do nothing for you? Why would you not choose the Creator?
There are consequences to our choices. We can control our choices, but we cannot control the consequences. Your choice determines the consequences.
Whom do you serve – Jesus or Satan?
Make the right choice and call upon Jesus now, for He will save all who calls upon Him for salvation.
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10: 13
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