GospelNotes.life

Tag: Faith

  • Why the Law Was Given

    The law (the 10 commandments) was not given to save people by following it. It was given to:

    1. Show us what is right and wrong morally.
      1. Paul says in Romans 7:7 that he would not have known what coveting was unless there was a law that said, “You shall not covet.”
      2. Galatians 3:19.
    2. Hold us all accountable (make us guilty) before God.
      1. Galatians 3:22.
      2. Romans 3:19.
      3. As a just and fair God, He has to have something to judge us by if we don’t place our faith in Christ for salvation. And if we don’t believe in Christ for salvation, then He will justly judge our actions by the law, and we will receive fair punishment in hell for all eternity.
    3. Point us to Christ for salvation.
      1. Galatians 3:24-25.
      2. The law says, “Man, you’re guilty of breaking me and are condemned. You better believe in Christ to get those sins forgiven, or else you’re going to hell.”

    On a side note: If the law were to be the means to be saved, it would have to be followed perfectly, never once broken in your entire life. (Galatians 3:10)

    Timeline of events:

    1. First, God promised to Adam and Eve that a Messiah (their Savior) would come through their Seed. (Genesis 3:15)
    2. Second, God promised again to Abraham that all the nations would be saved through faith in the Seed (Christ) that was to come through his lineage. (Galatians 3:5-9)
    3. 430 years later, God gave the law. It doesn’t override the original two promises of salvation by faith in the Messiah (Savior). (Galatians 3:15-18)
    4. Around 1500 years after the law was given, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, fulfilled God’s original promise of sending a Messiah through the lineage of Abraham, that all who believe in His death, burial and resurrection would be saved.

    God didn’t give the law 430 years after His promise of salvation by faith and say, “Ok, scratch that. I change My mind. Salvation is no longer by faith in the Messiah (Christ) that is to come through Abraham’s lineage, but is now through following the law perfectly.” Salvation was originally and always has been by faith, and the law was implemented later for the three reasons mentioned first in this note. (Galatians 3:15-18)

    Truthfully, man has always known that God would provide a Savior for man for their sin, all the way back to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:15). Before the Messiah came, faith in God and His plan of redemption through a Messiah is what saved before the resurrection. After Christ’s resurrection, faith in Jesus Christ (the now known Messiah) saves now.

    God, who cannot lie, originally promised Adam and Eve that they would be saved through their offspring, and was again promised to Abraham that through his lineage the Messiah would come, and all who place their faith in Him would be saved. The law was only given to: (1) Show us what is right and wrong morally (2) Hold us all accountable (make us guilty) before God (3) Point us to faith in Christ for salvation.

  • Faith is Power

    It’s all about faith. NOT works. It’s impossible to please God without faith. That’s what He desires and cares about – faith in the unseen. Faith in the impossible – “for all things are possible with God.” We live in a physical, visible world with hard limits and tough work. The kingdom of God is invisible, limitless, of power and ease – with God’s ability to speak things into existence. Faith is power. God wants faith! Not works! It’s the power to get things done. It’s the power to save. But you MUST not doubt, or you should not expect to receive.

    Biblical definition of faith
    Hebrews 11:1 — Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

    The kingdom of God is power
    1 Corinthians 4:20 — For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

    Blessed are those who trust in God
    Jeremiah 17:7 — “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.

    Know that anything is possible with God
    Matthew 19:26 — Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
    Jeremiah 32:27 — “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?
    Jeremiah 32:17 — “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

    Without faith in God, nothing can happen
    Hebrews 11:6 — And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

    God’s power has the ability to do anything outside of human limits. Don’t let the “wisdom of humanity” that says certain things can’t be done fool you into thinking something’s not possible, when it is indeed possible with God through unwavering, childlike faith
    1 Corinthians 2:5 — so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

    You must believe and trust in God with all your heart
    Proverbs 3:5 — Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

    Faith in the gospel is the arm of God’s power to save
    Romans 1:16 — For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

    Believe with all your heart and do not doubt, and it will be given to you
    Mark 11:22-24 — “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

    God works miracles among you by your faith, not by your deeds
    Galatians 3:5 — So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard [the gospel]?

    Even the smallest amount of faith is extremely powerful. Imagine what a lot of faith can do!
    Matthew 17:20 — He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

    Peter walked for a moment on water because of his faith, and when he began to doubt his faith, he began to sink.
    Matthew 14:22-31, especially verses 28-31

    You must not doubt your faith. Have childlike faith!
    James 1:6-7 — But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

    God does not perform many miracles where there is no faith
    Matthew 13:58 — And he [Jesus] did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

    And of course, what you ask for in faith must be reasonable and of the things of God. Example: you can’t have faith in winning the lottery and expect to win.
    James 4:3 — When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

    Live reasonably and don’t put God to the test with your faith. Example: don’t ask God to keep you from getting the flu and then go out of your way to lick a petri dish full of the flu virus.
    Luke 4:9-12 — The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

    Your faith will NOT be put to shame by those saying, “Uh huh! Where’s your God now?!?”
    Romans 10:11 — As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

    Faith in Action – just a few of MANY examples of the power of God’s healing by faith:

    1. A man that had faith that Jesus could heal, not even needing Him to be present, but just by saying the word

      Matthew 8:5-13, especially verses:

      7-8: Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

      10: When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.
      
13: Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
    2. A woman that had faith that Jesus could heal, not even needing Him to speak, but just by her touching Him

      Mark 5:24-34, especially verses:
      
27-29: When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

      34: He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
    3. Men that had faith that Jesus could heal, not even needing to touch Him, but just by being in His shadow!

      Acts 5:15 — As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s [an apostle of Christ with Christ’s authority to heal] shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.

    Blessed are those who have not seen, yet still believe.
    John 20:29 — Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

    God wrote His ENTIRE Old Testament and New Testament Bible around faith – faith in Him – and the abundant promises and blessings of having such faith. Upon acquiring such childlike faith, do you really think He’s then going to go back on all His promises and let you down and shame you because of the faith He demands, and then point your hope to that of the world and of men?

    The enemy whispers in your ear day and night and tells you that having faith and believing that something of God’s will – and believing it will indeed come to pass – is pride. He also gets you to doubt your faith by whispering in your ear, “Oh no, that’s just not possible. Don’t believe it because if you do, it won’t come true and you’ll just be let down and feel foolish.” Those are huge lies from Satan. Satan wants you to place your faith in what’s seen – the world and men – and to take your eyes off God and His truth.

    God says, you now have faith that I can do what you ask, but do you have faith that I will do what you ask?

  • Do.Not.Mix.Faith.And.Works!

    4 types of people:

    • Those who have faith in Christ alone — the truth and only way.
    • Those who mix faith in Christ and their works — the most dangerous.
    • Those who reject Christ and try to work their way to heaven.
    • Those who flat out reject the concept of God altogether.

    To those who mix faith in Christ and their own works, it is the most dangerous and they will be rejected by the Lord:

    Matthew 7:21-23 — “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ [see they have “faith”] will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father [John 6:40 – believe on Jesus alone] who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name [bringing their work of prophesying] and in your name drive out demons [bringing their work of casting out demons] and in your name perform many miracles [bringing their works of miracles performed]?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers [We are all evil and all have sinned. None of us are righteous by our own works.]!’

  • Childlike Faith

    A child doesn’t need to know the inner workings of something, or even how it works at all. They don’t need to see it. Nor do they have anything to bring to the table or offer. They are just told something simple and told that it’s true, and they simply believe.

    Believe with childlike faith the true, pure, unadulterated – and above all – simple Gospel message and you will be saved: that Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins, was buried and on the third day rose from the dead. It’s that beautifully simple, and it confounds and frustrates the prideful and wise who think they can be “good enough” to earn their way into heaven.

    Matthew 19:14 — Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these [who have nothing to offer and simply just believe who He says He is].”

    Acts 16:30-31 — He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
    They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household [as in – tell your household to believe in Jesus as well and they too shall be saved along with you – those who believe].”

    1 Corinthians 1:18-19 — For the message of the cross [the simple gospel] is foolishness to those who are perishing [the prideful, wise and learned], but to us who are being saved [those with childlike faith] it is the power of God [to save — Romans 1:16]. For it is written: “I [God] will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”