Living by Faith

Too many are living by the seat of their pants but the Righteous live by faith in the Son of God Who is Lord of all.

"But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." Galatians 2:17-21.

But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! While a lost person is discovering himself to be lost and that he is a Lost Sinner, he does not yet know that it is the Holy Spirit who is at work in his life. Read these words of Jesus in John 16:7-11,

“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.”

For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;
The first phrase is critical in understanding Christian faith. For the Jew, this is especially important because they lived according to what I might call The Law of Good Works and Paul emphasizes that he is no longer under that dominion and has submitted himself to the Christ who was crucified, is risen and is sitting at the right side of the Father.

Jesus said to him, "You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN." Matthew 26:6.

However, understanding without being able to practice that which you understand leaves one spiritually crippled. Too many folks who reference themselves as Christians are, therefore, not able to practice what they say they believe. Not too far into their understanding of the Christian life these people have not been empowered to live spiritually and know it. Understanding something does not provide success if there is no practice of the understood.

Paul goes on to write, I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; V 20, and

Jesus tells us that He has come to give us abundant life, John 10:10. This abundant life is fulfilled in the life of every believer through His life in us and this comes through being crucified with Christ.

There is more, “and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God….” It is evident that there is so much more to the Christian experience than simply being Born Again, much, much more. But, the tragedy is that most people simply want the Gift of Salvation without the responsibility.

The responsibility is living by faith in the Son of God, and not living by the seat of one’s proverbial pants. Because of this very fact, my assertion is that the local church has more people on the membership roles who are not save by God’s Grace, but rather are members only because of the ‘Feel Good Factor’. The Feel Good Factor may work well on this earth, but there is no Gift of Eternal Life in feeling good.

The Believer lives only by faith in the Son of God. Every person who came into the presence of Jesus while He was on this earth was told that your sight, legs, hearing, and spiritual condition can only be healed by your faith.

And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you." Matthew 17:20.

The Believer will come to understand very quickly that living by faith will bring courage and endurance to accomplish the will of God through His empowerment. Read the words of Paul and learn to live by the strength that God provides through His Holy Spirit.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." Romans 1:16-17.

Jesus is Lord
BobW