Faith Object

Faith

Faith object

Our faith has to have a faith object; something or someone we put our faith in. Because of Adam, all people born on this earth, with the exception of Jesus, were born into sin. It’s not even our individual sins that caused this, but Adam’s transgression. All are born in sin; they’re dead in sin and dead in Adam. It’s inherited. Adam is referred to as the first federal head. If this is mankind’s problem, then we certainly can’t put our faith in ourselves in this fallen condition.

We would need a Savior.

That’s why Father God sent his son. The scripture says, “But when the time had fully come, God sent his son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” Gal. 4:4-5 (NIV) Under law, I’m disqualified - but by faith, through grace, I’m completely qualified. Scripture says, “the law is not of faith,” ref. Gal. 3:12a 

Jesus is now referred to as the second Adam, or last Adam, and for us who believe, is now our new federal head. (Ref.1 Cor. 15:45 and Romans 5:19)

1 Cor. 15:21 KJV

"For since by man came death, by man (Jesus was fully man and fully God) came also the resurrection of the dead."

1 Cor. 15:45 KJV

"And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening Spirit."

The Flesh vs. the Spirit

The Flesh vs. the Spirit

The battle we face.

To best describe the battle we face between the flesh and the spirit, I believe the Apostle Paul’s question found in Gal. 3:2 poses one of the greatest insights. Here I’ll use several Bible translations to illustrate:

Gal. 3:2-3 (TLB) “Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by trying to keep the Jewish laws? Of course not, for the Holy Spirit came upon you only after you heard about Christ and trusted him to save you. Then have you gone completely crazy? For if trying to obey the Jewish laws never gave you spiritual life in the first place, why do you think that trying to obey them now will make you stronger Christians?”

Gal. 3:2-3 (KJV) “This only would I learn of you, received ye the Spirit by the works of the law? Or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?”

Gal. 3:2-3 (NLT) “Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?”

As you can see, one translation used the word ‘flesh,’ another inserts for the word flesh, ‘by your own human effort,’ and still another inserts for the word flesh, ‘trying to obey the Jewish laws.’ All three are correct and pretty much synonymous with each other. We received the Holy Spirit the moment we became born-again. Once again, before we were born-again, we could not clean ourselves up and do enough to earn salvation. We received it as a free gift after hearing the gospel which reveals the righteousness of God or our “right-standing with God,” all accomplished by the work of the cross. So, when a believer is now trying to become perfect by his own human effort, he is trying to be made perfect by the flesh. He or she is not resting in the fact that he received an imputed righteousness the moment he became born-again, a righteousness which is of God apart from the law, or without the law. (ref. Rom. 3:20-22 and Rom. 7:5) The Apostle Paul said, in his epistle to the Philippians, that he counted what he had accomplished as loss-so as to win Christ. (ref. Phil. 3:7) “and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” So understanding that the same way in which we received the Holy Spirit is the same way we walk in the Spirit, is crucial to our faith walk. (ref. Col. 2:6) Understanding this is the root. Walking in the Spirit, or understanding that we remain righteous apart from our works or performance, is the root that gives us the fruit of the Spirit. Not understanding this is the root that produces the works of the flesh. A dead work is something we do as a Christian, thinking it will put us in right-standing with God, other than receiving what has already been done for us.

[Note: Through all of this, the born-again Christian still remains the righteousness of God, but is carnal in his thinking.]

Unconditional Love

Unconditional Love

To be loved unconditionally; accepted just as you are...

we say ‘Come as you are with all your faults.’

Unconditional love is so foreign to this world. The world’s system we have been brought up in (before being born again) is mostly conditional and in some cases has to be or else society wouldn’t function properly. The world’s system is to compare one to another or one against another. (ref. 2 Cor. 10:12) We’re okay as long as we are better than that other person. That other person was convicted as a thief; that’s never happened to me. Or that other person I heard about on tv is a murderer. I pay all my bills and even donate to the food shelf.

If God said the standard to make it into heaven was being able to jump up and touch a nine-foot ceiling, some of us could do it. But, if he changed it to a thirty-foot ceiling, that would be an impossible standard. I might be able to jump a little higher than some, and someone else could jump higher than me, but none of us could reach a thirty-foot ceiling. That’s what God did with the law; it’s an impossible standard. God said, ‘Be ye perfect as I am perfect.’ (ref. Mat. 5:48) It says in James epistle that if you’ve broken one law-you’re guilty of breaking them all. (ref. James 2:10)

Jesus Christ is the only One to have been born on earth as a man, (fully man and fully God) to have kept that standard. He fulfilled the law (ref. Rom. 10:4) and through faith in Him, the righteous requirements of the law are fully met in us. (ref. Rom. 8:3-4) But it’s not through our effort, it’s through believing. (ref. John 6:28-29) It’s by grace through faith. Unconditional love is the love that God gives. (ref. Rom. 4:5, 5:8 & 1 John 4:9-10)

God’s unconditional love toward us is what allows us to be accepted just as we are. We will truly find ourselves behaving better and treating others better after we have received His unconditional love. In John’s epistle we find, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” (1 John 4:16 KJV)

Isa. 54:4-17 KJV

Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee; In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee. Oh thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake, Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

1 Cor. 13:4-8 NIV

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Sonship

Children then heirs

Relationship

Born-again

Jesus came to reveal to us the Father heart of God. He said, “If you’ve seen me you’ve seen the Father.” Jesus was speaking to Old Covenant believers who were under the law. They for the most part related to God as if he was a stern task-master who would punish any disobedience. That was their concept of God.

Before the work of the cross, the Holy Spirit had not yet been sent. The Holy Spirit would come on some at times, such as kings, prophets and judges, yet these people were not born-again, but  they were in covenant relationship with God. To be included in this covenant you had to be born a Hebrew. Now there was some provision for the foreigner, but to be automatically included in this covenant, whether male or female, you had to be born a Hebrew. If you were a male, you had to be circumcised at a certain age, or you would be excluded from the covenant and all that the covenant provided.

For most of them, they related to God through temple service and rituals, striving to keep the law their hearts were often cold. Through the law is the fear of punishment. It’s hard to relate to someone or something that you think is watching and judging your every move. You’ll probably remain distant in heart.

God relates to people through covenants. Covenants are somewhat like agreements. If I feel as though I owe someone something and I can’t pay it back, I’ll probably avoid that person or feel guilty every time I’m near them. That debt would be on my mind, probably causing me to remain distant. If these Old Covenant Hebrews broke the Old Testament law, there was a prescribed offering or sacrifice that covered that sin until the next time they fell short, but their slate wasn’t clean for very long.

Their sin debt was always on their conscience. Under the Old Covenant, for the Hebrew it meant their obedience and their offering the prescribed sacrifice if they weren’t faithful to keep the law of Moses, or else judgment came. Once again, enter Jesus and parables like the prodigal son. He revealed a loving Father who longs for us, who accepts us just as we are.

The Bible tells us if we are born-again we are children of God through faith and we can give thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of his holy people. Our sin debt has been wiped clean by the work of the cross and the Spirit we received brought about our adoption to son-ship.

Jesus Turned the Tables on the Enemy

It's recorded collectively in three of the four gospels that Jesus having made the 'triumphal entry,' soon after entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, also forbidding anyone to carry any vessel through the temple.

John's gospel records Jesus earlier on, soon after performing the first of His miraculous signs, near the time of the Jewish Passover, entering the temple courts, making a whip out of cords and driving them all, along with sheep and cattle from the temple area, as He overturned their tables. John 2:17 states, "His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."

The accounts told in Matthew, Mark and Luke all similarly record Jesus as saying, "It is written, He said to them, 'My house will be a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of robbers." With this said, what can we learn from the zeal that Jesus demonstrated as He cleared the temple area, and how can we apply it to our Christian walk?

God's intent in these passages surely wasn't for us to become physically assertive and cause altercations every time we discover people or circumstances aren't what we would like them to be. We can see from such scriptures as James 1:20: 'For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God' and Ephesians 6:12: 'For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places,' where the real battle lies. It is in the spiritual realm.

We know as Christians that our body is the temple of God and God's Spirit now resides in us as born-again believers. We are to recognize the spiritual battle taking place in our lives. Jesus knew His ultimate goal was to go to the cross where He would really turn the tables on satan and all demonic principalities and powers. He accomplished this by what is found in the Word in Colossians 2:14-15 which states, "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross: and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it."

By taking away the tool the enemy used to condemn us with every time we fail to keep it (the law, see Rom. 7:6, Gal. 3:13) we are now free of condemnation (See Rom. 8:1, 34, 2 Cor. 3:7-17) and are free to walk in liberty. (See James 1:25, 2:12) We now, because of Christ, turn the tables on the enemy by instead of receiving condemnation, we now do as it says in Isa. 54:17, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."

Jesus cleared the temple early on in His ministry and near the end, before going to the cross. We too must always be on guard throughout our time here on earth. We can now conquer the trials and circumstances in our lives as overcomers just as the Apostle Paul wrote, "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerers through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." in Romans 8:37-39, "

Now, instead of being robbed, we have those things that are freely given us. (See Romans 8:32)

God's Rainbow in the Sky

I always love seeing a rainbow in the sky.

God's promise

And to think before the flood of Noah's day, it didn't rain, but the ground was watered from moisture that came up from beneath.

Scripture says, "In the 600th year of Noah's life, on the 17th day of the second month-on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the flood gates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth 40 days and 40 nights." Gen. 7:11-12

When the waters receded and all the living creatures were released from the ark, God made a covenant with Noah and said, Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. And God set a rainbow in the clouds as a sign and a reminder saying, Whenever a rainbow appears it would remind Him of His covenant with Noah. [See Gen. 9:8-17] NIV

The flood of Noah's day is again spoken of in the 54th chapter of Isaiah. Here God is speaking of the New Covenant that is to come after Christ's death and resurrection. Here God says, "To me, this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,"  says the Lord, who has compassion on you. [Isa. 54:9-10] NIV

In these verses, God is saying of the born-again believer, who is under the New Covenant, that He has sworn not to be angry with you and never to rebuke you. These verses are preceded by chapter 53 of Isaiah, which of course speaks of Jesus on the cross. The work of the cross is where our Redeemer became the sacrifice for our sins. [See 1 John 2:2]

When God made the covenant with Noah, it was an unconditional covenant. It was not contingent on whether or not the people of the earth did good or bad, but it relied on God's promise. So it is for us who are born-again believers under the New Covenant of grace. The wrath that God held against mankind's sin was exhausted as it fell squarely on Jesus at the cross.

Romans 5:9 Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him! NIV

1 Thes. 5:8-9 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, in the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Examining the Parable of the Good Samaritan

In Luke's gospel, we find "On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" (vs. 26) to which Jesus replied, "What is written in the law?" "How do you read it?" (See vs. 27) He answered: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

(vs. 28) "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." (vs. 29) But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

In reply Jesus told the well known parable of the Good Samaritan. (See Luke 10:30-35)  Jesus followed the parable with His own question to the expert in the law, asking him (vs. 36) "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" To which the expert in the law replied, (see vs. 37) "The one who had mercy on him." At which Jesus said, "Go and do likewise."

Of the three in the parable who had opportunity to help the wounded man who had fallen into the hands of robbers; one was a priest, one a Levite and of course, the third was the Samaritan. In this parable spoken by Jesus, we're never told why the priest and the Levite side-stepped the man, avoiding him altogether, as they both chose to pass by on the other side of the road.

A parable is usually just a short simple tale, based on familiar things, meant to convey a moral or religious lesson, and it's even possible Jesus was recalling something that actually happened. But, I believe Jesus was trying to make the point that most of the religious priests and Levites of that time would have side-stepped this wounded man to avoid becoming defiled, as they were worried about their sin problem. They prided themselves in their effort to keep the law. Yet, they could never really keep it, and their hearts were often cold.

We don't have to be worried about our sin problem, because Jesus took our punishment at the cross, so we are truly free to help someone in need. And if you are born-again, then you've received His sacrificial gift.  He took your sin and gave you His righteousness. Righteousness means right-standing with God. So now, because of, or by the righteousness of One, Jesus Christ, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. (See Rom. 5:18)

So, it was fitting that when the so called 'expert in the law' asked Jesus "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" that Jesus answered him as He did by asking a question in return, "What is written in the law?" "How do you read it?" (See vs. 10:26)

Rom. 10:4 says, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth."

Rom. 6:17-18; "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. (vs. 18) You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."

Rom. 5:5 goes on to say, "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us."

Rom. 13:8-10 tells us, "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. (vs. 9) The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (vs. 10) Love does no harm to it's neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Rom. 5:18; "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men."