“Now faith is the
substance [assurance, title-deed] of things [seen and unseen] hoped
for, the evidence [proof, conviction] of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1;
cf. 2 Corinthians 4:18). This is the only definition of faith found in
the Bible, and it is not complete. Faith reaches beyond the natural
realm of man’s ability to possess. For example, “that Christ may dwell
in your hearts through faith…to know the love of Christ which passes
knowledge” (Ephesians 3:17-20). The love of Christ in its fullness is
beyond all human comprehension; it is unknown and unknowable by the
greatest minds of mankind. Yet, by faith, the most humble believer can
begin to know the love of Christ, which cannot intellectually be
understood.
1) “For by it [faith] the elders obtained a good testimony” (Hebrews 11:2). The biblical heroes of faith pleased God by means of their faith (Hebrews 11:5, 6).
2) “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3). Without faith you will fail to see the plan and purpose of God in His creation—“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they [the disobedient] are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). To reject the revelation of God in the creation of the heavens and the earth is to be without excuse in the Day of Judgment. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1-3).
3) “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent [acceptable] sacrifice than Cain” (Hebrews 11:4). Abel’s blood sacrifice was acceptable to God because it was a type of the shed blood of Jesus. “that speaks better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24; cf. Genesis 4:3-13). Abel, by faith, looked ahead to the day that Jesus Christ, our High Priest, would enter the holy place and sprinkle His blood upon the eternal mercy seat, and obtain everlasting salvation for all believers (Hebrews 9:11, 15; cf. 1 Peter 1:18, 19).
4) “By faith Enoch” accomplished three things (Hebrews 11:5, 6):
(a) He walked with God.
(b) He pleased God.
(c) He was translated, taken up to heaven in his body of flesh and bones. Therefore, he did not experience physical death. He is thus a type of all born-again believers who will be living when Jesus comes again (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
5) “By faith Noah” built the ark (Hebrews 11:7). Noah did not have a dead faith (James 2:20). Had Noah’s faith been “dead,” there would not be a human being upon the face of the earth today. For the seven elements that embodied Noah’s perfect faith, see Hebrews 11:7.
6) “By faith Abraham” obeyed (Hebrews 11:8). He sought a country whose location was unknown to him, but God led him. He looked for an eternal city, built by Almighty God (Hebrews 11:8, 10). “By faith Abraham, when he was tested [God tested his faith], offered up Isaac” (Hebrews 11:17-19).
7) By faith Sarah conceived after she had passed the age of childbearing (Hebrews 11:11, 12; cf. Genesis 17:15-19; 21:1-8).
8) “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau” (Hebrews 11:20).
9) “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph” (Hebrews 11:21).
10) “By faith Joseph” prophesied the return of the children of Israel to the Promised Land and commanded them to take his bones with them (Hebrews 11:22; Genesis 50:22-¬26; Exodus 13:19; Joshua 24:32).
11) By faith Moses’ parents were not afraid of the ruler of Egypt who had commanded that all male children be put to death (Exodus 2:1-10). By faith Moses refused an Egyptian heritage, choosing to suffer affliction with his own people, esteeming the reproach of. Christ to be of greater value than all the riches of Egypt. “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king.” For forty years he was a shepherd in the desert. By faith he returned to Egypt and kept the Passover. “By faith they [Moses and Israel] passed through the Red Sea as by dry land” (Hebrews 11:23-29).
12) “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days” (Hebrews 11:30).
13) Between verses 29 and 30 there are nearly forty years when the nation of Israel wandered in the wilderness in punishment for their unbelief. Moses and others had faith during that period, but the nation of Israel murmured against God and against Moses (Hebrews 3:7-19; cf. Numbers 14:34). This is a condition which is repeated when any congregation no longer believes the promises of God.
14) “By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe” (Hebrews 11:31).
Other heroes in God’s gallery of faith are mentioned in verses 32-40. Many of them died violent deaths—persecuted, imprisoned, and stoned. Some were slain by the sword and others torn apart by wild beasts. Many of them died, not yet having received by faith the promises of God. Four times the people were told that “the just shall live by faith” (Hebrews 10:38). In this eleventh chapter of Hebrews we see a great host who were justified by faith and learned the secret of how to live by faith. Like the Tribulation saints, “they did not love their lives to the death” (Revelation 12:11).
24-1 Faith is a Mystery
(1 Timothy 3:8-9)
“Likewise deacons must be reverent [having spiritual dignity]…holding the mystery of the faith with a pure [clear] conscience” (vv. 8, 9). A biblical mystery is a truth of God heretofore unrevealed to all, even though it has been known by some and preached for hundreds of years. Salvation by faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of the lord Jesus Christ was such a “mystery” until it was revealed to the world at the first coming of God the Son (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), and, it remains a mystery to those who have never heard or received the gospel of the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8, 9). You are not born with saving faith. It is a mystery until it is perceived in the Scriptures or heard from one who has received the mystery of saving faith. Some believers, becoming so involved in church work and “the deeper Christian life,” forget that the Good New of salvation is a mystery to the unsaved, and will remain so until it is shared with the unsaved.
1) “If our gospel [the mystery of saving faith] is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 4:3), and they shall remain lost until they call upon Christ for salvation. “So then faith [saving faith] comes by hearing [the mystery of the faith], and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). The greatest mystery of all is the mystery of the gospel of grace. “In the beginning was the Word [God’s only begotten Son], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14). In the womb of the Virgin Mary, God the Son was made flesh. Thirty-three years later the Son was made “to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is the mystery of the faith that we must share with the world (Matthew 28:19).
2) “Now faith is the substance [assurance, confidence] of things hoped for, the evidence [proof] of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). We can be saved by grace through faith, that is, trust in Christ’s saving work (Ephesians 2:8) and we can have the assurance of eternal life with Christ. Paul said, “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what [my body, soul, and spirit] I have committed [as an act of faith] to Him until that Day” (2 Timothy 1:12).
3) The Christian’s assurance of eternal salvation is a twofold witness.
a) God’s Word witnesses to you. “He who believes in the Son has [present tense] everlasting life” (John 3:36; cf. 6:35-40). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ [by faith], he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). “This is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son” (1 John 5:9). God’s eternal, inerrant Word is our assurance of salvation by grace through faith in God the Son (Ephesians 1:13, 14).
b) God the Holy Spirit witnesses with your spirit, assuring you that you are a child of God. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16).
These two—God’s inerrant Word, and God the indwelling Holy Spirit, witness as one—“that you may know that your have eternal life” (1 John 5:11, 13). The Holy Spirit witnesses with your spirit in conjunction with the testimony of God’s Word. The more you mix the Word of God with your faith, the deeper your relationship with Christ will become (Romans 10:17). The depth of such faith will also determine the extent of your spiritual effectiveness (Hebrews 11:7, 33).
24-2 The Just Shall Live by Faith
(Galatians 3:11)
The just, those who have been “justified by faith,” are to live by faith (Romans 5:1; cf. Hebrews 10:38). Justification by faith in God the Son is more than acquittal; it is the judicial act of our Holy God, declaring the repentant sinner righteous with the righteousness of God in Christ (Romans 10:3, 4, 9, 10), because “he who believes in Him [Christ] is not condemned; but he who does not believe [in Christ] is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). Therefore, by faith the just are eternally free from the guilt and penalty of sin; they are also declaratively invested with the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Because Christians are justified by faith, they are to live their whole life by faith; “for whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23; cf. Colossians 3:17). As a child of God:
1) Pray by faith. When you ask anything from God in prayer, it must be by faith. There can be no doubting, for if you waver your will not receive anything from the Lord (James 1:5-7).
2) Walk by faith. “For we walk [live every day] by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). In the Old Testament we are told that “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:21¬23). In the New Testament we are told that “by faith Enoch…pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:5, 6). Therefore, his walk with God had to be by faith (John 8:12). You can walk with God only by faith.
3) Understand by faith. “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3). If you believe God’s Word, you will not question any part of it from Genesis to Revelation. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). You will have no problem with the theory of evolution when you believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. But “he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son” (1 John 5:10). Here is a part of the record that God the Father gave of God the Son. “For by Him [Christ] all things [not just some things] were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and. invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16). Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is the Creator and sustainer of the universe (Hebrews 1:2, 3).
4) “Be filled with the Spirit” by faith. This is a command—“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18)—and it is the only source of spiritual power for service. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). On the Day of Pentecost the Upper Room congregation (about 120) was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to serve the Lord immediately; the results were that approximately three thousand believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, repented, were baptized and added to the Jerusalem church.
Paul asked the Galatians if they had received the Holy Spirit by the works of the law, or by faith (Galatians 3:3). Again he asked those who did miracles if they did it by the works of the law, or by faith (v. 5). Then Paul said to them, “ ‘The just shall live by faith.’ Yet the law is not of faith… [for] Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us…that we might receive the promise of the [Holy] Spirit through faith” (vv. 11-14). The just, who live by faith, are filled by faith with the Holy Spirit for service.
5) Be healed by faith. The believer is warned, “Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines” (Hebrews 13:9). The doctrine of divine healing is being attacked as never before. It is exploited by many and denied by others. It is abused by some for filthy lucre and worldly fame, while others declare that God no longer heals our sick bodies. It is time for those of us who are justified by faith to start living by faith. We must take our stand upon the Word of God and believe with all our heart, soul, and mind. By faith we resist the teachings of the cults and occult movements, who profess to perform miracles in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord warns us that many will deceitfully claim His power. But He will say to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:21-23).
The Lord Jesus still heals today because “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). If this verse is true, then Jesus Christ still heals. You can trust Him. When you ask Him to heal you, don’t tell Him when or how to heal. He may choose to heal you instantly, or slowly over a period of time. He may use a human instrument, such as a doctor. All healing is from the Lord. A doctor can treat, but only God can heal. The psalmist said, “He sent His word and healed them” (Psalm 107:20). Again we read, “When evening had come, they brought to Him [Christ] many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses’ ” (Matthew 8:16, 17; cf. Isaiah 53:4, 5). The Lord Jesus Christ is Jehovah-Ropheka, “the Lord who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). He is “the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
24-3 Faith is Joyful in Tribulation
(2 Corinthians 7:4-5)
“I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation” (v. 4). The apostle Paul could truly say that his joy was overflowing; even in his afflictions. He did not merely submit to persecutions, neither did he overflow with joy because he was experiencing great tribulations; but he rejoiced while in afflictions, knowing by faith that this was part of God’s perfect will for his life and ministry. This is commitment that remains strong, even in the face of overwhelming adversity (Romans 8:28).
When Paul and Silas were at Troas, the Holy Spirit told Paul in a vision at night to go to Macedonia. In the vision “A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us’ ” (Acts 16:8, 9). Believing that the Lord had called them to preach the gospel in Macedonia, they set a straight course for Philippi, which was its chief city and a colony of Rome. There they were welcomed with a beating from the people, then cast into the Philippian prison where their feet were placed in stocks. “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:16-25). They sang because they were in the will of God; their faith produced overflowing joy in tribulation.
Paul never referred to himself as a prisoner of the Jews, or a prisoner of Rome. In every prison he spoke of himself as a “prisoner of Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:1). While in a Roman prison, he wrote to his friend and fellow laborer, Philemon, and referred to himself as “being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ” (Philemon 9).
Paul did not allow outward circumstances to control his ministry for the Lord. To the Philippian believers he said, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Philippians 4:11). This is spiritual maturity. Paul had reached the place where he was content to be abased, humbled, or to abound (Philippians 4:12). In plenty or poverty he had learned how to rejoice. By faith he could “glory in tribulations” (Romans 5:1-5). Having learned to be content in any external circumstance, he could shout, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). He believed that everything that happened to him was “for the furtherance of the gospel” (Philippians 1:12).
1) He said, “A thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me…I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He [the Lord] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’ ”
When Paul learned this, he said, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities…Therefore I take pleasure:
a) “In infirmities,
b) “In reproaches,
c) “In needs,
d) “In persecutions,
e) “In distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
2) Again he wrote:
a) “we are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed;
b) “we are perplexed, but not in despair;
c) “persecuted, but not forsaken;
d) “struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8, 9).
Paul’s faith lifted him above outward circumstances (2 Corinthians 11:21-33), inward conflicts (Colossians 2:1), and fears. “And I, brethren, when I came to you…I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling…that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). Paul wanted the church of Corinth to anchor its faith in God rather than in any servant of God, including himself.
24-4 Faith Without Works Is Dead
(James 2:14-26)
There are those who wrongly believe that James and Paul had a doctrinal disagreement regarding justification by faith or by works. Are people saved by works, or by faith? James is exposing dead faith (v. 17), while Paul uncovers dead works (Hebrews 6:1). They both agree that dead faith always produces dead works, and neither can justify sinners. Faith that does not work is not the faith of the Bible, and therefore is not valid faith. “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (v. 20).
James asked, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?” (v. 21). The faith of Abraham resulted in his works. Offering Isaac on the altar was an act of works by faith that, in turn, perfected his faith (v. 22). “And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God [he believed God with faith that resulted in deeds], and it [his faith] was accounted to him for righteousness’ ” (v. 23). James is saying that Abraham was saved by a living faith that brought forth living fruit.
What is dead faith? First, everyone has faith of some kind. There are hundreds of religions in this world, and they all require faith; but they do not all require the faith that justifies. How can I know that my faith is that faith that justifies the sinner? There is only one faith that saves, that is, faith in the saving life and work of Christ, the God-Man (Galatians 2:20). All other faith is empty and dead.
Paul taught “that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28). Again he said, “By the works of the law no flesh shall be justified…For I through the law [by faith] died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ…[therefore] the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God [by adding the works of the law to God’s grace]; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain” (Galatians 2:15-21).
Furthermore, Paul taught that saving faith is also serving faith, faith that produces works—not in order to be saved, but because that doer is saved. Every sinner who is justified by faith will stand before the Lord Jesus at the judgment seat of Christ: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are all known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences” (2 Corinthians 5:10, 11). He said, “We make it our aim” (2 Corinthians 5:9).
Paul labored for Christ more than most believers. Why? Because he knew that he, along with all who are justified or will be justified by faith, will stand before Christ where our works will be judged; not our sins, for they were judged on Calvary in the body of Christ, our Savior (Romans 8:1); 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Paul wrote of a living faith, given by God. We do not live by faith that we ourselves generate; that is always dead, empty faith. The faith that justifies is the gift of God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it [faith] is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9). This faith, God’s gift, can only be found through the infallible Word of God. (Romans 10:17).
“The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20). Paul had religious faith and zeal before he came to know Christ as his Savior. His life was filled with dead, religious works which were the fruits of his dead, religious faith (Acts 9:1, 2; 26:9-11).
Saving faith results in a changed life. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ [by faith], he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”—new faith, new life, new hope, new love (2 Corinthians 5:17). For example, in Philippians 3:3-9 Paul says, “We…have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
1) “Circumcised the eighth day” (Leviticus 12:3);
2) “Of the stock [nation] of Israel” (Exodus 4:22, 23);
3) “Of the tribe of Benjamin” (the youngest son of Jacob—Genesis 35:16-19);
4) “A Hebrew of the Hebrews” (2 Corinthians 11:22);
5) “Concerning the law, a Pharisee” (they were separatists);
6) “Concerning zeal, persecuting the church” (Acts 7:54-8:4);
7) “Concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Romans 10:1-4). The righteousness of the law had blinded him to the righteousness of God in Christ; under that law Paul was blind.
“But what things were gain to me [under the law], these I have counted loss for Christ… and count them as rubbish…not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.” This is the great change that came into the life of Paul when he came to know Christ as his Savior, through “faith in the Son of God.”
James and Paul are looking at the same truth justification. Like a coin it has two sides: one side is faith, the other side is works.
Paul teaches that faith justifies the sinner before God, entirely apart from works. “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted [imputed] to him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3). This is faith as God sees it, one side of the truth.
James sees works as evidence of the faith that justifies; if there are no works, there is no evidence of saving faith. He said, “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (v. 18). James concludes that faith without works is dead, and cannot justify the sinner. This is faith as man sees it, the other side of the truth.
As we look at both sides of the truth, we see that the faith that justifies is the faith that produces works.
There is no doctrinal disagreement between James and Paul. James said, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted [imputed] to him for righteousness” (v. 23). Paul said, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3). Both James and Paul believed in a living faith that bears living fruit; all other faith is dead, useless faith (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Faith in Christ’s vicarious death on Calvary, His physical burial for three days and nights, and His bodily resurrection from the dead is the only faith that will justify sinners in the sight of God. “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
24-5 Saving Faith Is in Christ
(Hebrews 12:1-2)
That person in whom we have saving faith is the God-Man, Christ, the promised Messiah. As His followers, we are to “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (v. 1). We are to be conscious of that great cloud, the host of heavenly witnesses, the Old and New Testament saints as represented in Hebrews 11, knowing that hey are our heavenly spectators. We are to run the race by faith, looking to Jesus, who is:
1) The author of our faith (v. 2). Christ is the leader of our faith. We are the sheep of His pasture, and we hear and know His voice as He speaks to us out of the written Word. (Romans 10:17). To know our spiritual Leader by faith is to take up our cross and follow Him (Mark 8:34-38).
2) The finisher of our faith (v. 2). Christ is the perfecter of our faith. On the cross, He said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). These words were a shout of victory, a triumph of His faith. Paul said, “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20). Paul did not live by faith in any patriarch or prophet. He learned and profited by their lives of faith, but he lived only by the faith he found in God the Son.
3) The object of our faith. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). His faith, like His human and divine nature, is immutable. He is the worthy object of our faith (Malachi 3:6).
4) The embodiment of our faith. Our faith is certified as effective because He is the resurrected God-Man, who is seated at the right hand of the Father. (v. 2).
5) The way of saving faith. Jesus is our “way” of faith, our “truth” of faith, and our “life” of faith. “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6; cf. Acts 4:12).
6) The forerunner of our faith. The word “forerunner” means to scout, to go before us and experience every inch of the way. As we run the believer’s race, looking unto Jesus who ran the course before us, understanding the race He ran, there should be no surprises; for He “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Saving faith is in a person. That person is God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This saving faith is not your faith until you accept Him as your personal Savior, for He alone is your saving faith (Acts 4:12).
Master Outline 24 – What is Faith
[1] Is the love of Christ in its fullness beyond human comprehension? YES or NO. Explain.
[2] How did the elders obtain a good testimony?
[3] Can you see God’s plan and purpose in creation with faith? YES or NO. Explain.
[4] Why was Abel’s sacrifice accepted and Cain’s not accepted?
[5] What three (3) things did Enoch accomplish by faith?
1.
2.
3.
[6] What if Noah would have had dead faith?
[7] What are the seven (7) elements of Noah’s perfect faith?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
[8] What does it mean when it says, “By faith Abraham obeyed” in Hebrews 11:8?
[9] What is a Biblical mystery?
[10] Are you born with saving faith? YES or NO. Explain.
[11] The greatest mystery of all is what?
[12] What is the two-fold witness the Christian has of eternal salvation?
1.
2.
[13] The ___________________ of such faith will determine the _____________________ of
your spiritual ________________________.
[14] Justification by faith in not God the Son is just acquittal. TRUE or FALSE. Explain.
[15] Because Christians are justified by faith does that mean we must live our whole life by faith? YES or NO. Explain.
[16] What five (5) things must we do by faith?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
[17] Why do we know the Lord still heals today?
[18] How could the Apostle Paul say, “I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation?”
[19] Why could Paul and Silas sing hymns and give praise to the Lord at midnight in a Philippi an Jail?
[20] Paul never referred to himself as a prisoner of the Jews or a prisoner of Rome, but a prisoner of whom?
[21] Paul allowed his outward circumstances to control his ministry. TRUE or FALSE. Explain.
[22] Once Paul learned the truth of the sufficiency of God’s grace, he stated he could take pleasure in what five (5) things?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
[23] Paul wanted the Church of _____________________ to anchor it
______________________ in God rather than in any servant of God including himself.
[24] James and Paul both agree that dead faith produces what?
[25] The faith of Abraham resulted in his _____________________________.
[26] How can I know that my faith is the faith that justifies the sinner?
[27] Paul taught that saving faith is also ________________________ faith.
[28] Everyone will stand before the White Throne Judgment of God. TRUE or FALSE. Explain.
[29] Dead religious faith will _____________________ ___________________
_______________________.
[30] What seven (7) reasons did Paul give that he could have boasted in the flesh?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
[31] James sees ___________________ as evidence of the __________________ that justifies,
if there are no __________________ there is no evidence of _____________________
__________________.
[32] Faith that ____________________ is the faith that produces _______________________.
[33] There is a major doctrinal disagreement between Paul and James. TRUE or FALSE. Explain.
[34] We are to run the race by faith looking to Jesus who is what? (List 6 items)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
1) “For by it [faith] the elders obtained a good testimony” (Hebrews 11:2). The biblical heroes of faith pleased God by means of their faith (Hebrews 11:5, 6).
2) “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3). Without faith you will fail to see the plan and purpose of God in His creation—“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they [the disobedient] are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). To reject the revelation of God in the creation of the heavens and the earth is to be without excuse in the Day of Judgment. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1-3).
3) “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent [acceptable] sacrifice than Cain” (Hebrews 11:4). Abel’s blood sacrifice was acceptable to God because it was a type of the shed blood of Jesus. “that speaks better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24; cf. Genesis 4:3-13). Abel, by faith, looked ahead to the day that Jesus Christ, our High Priest, would enter the holy place and sprinkle His blood upon the eternal mercy seat, and obtain everlasting salvation for all believers (Hebrews 9:11, 15; cf. 1 Peter 1:18, 19).
4) “By faith Enoch” accomplished three things (Hebrews 11:5, 6):
(a) He walked with God.
(b) He pleased God.
(c) He was translated, taken up to heaven in his body of flesh and bones. Therefore, he did not experience physical death. He is thus a type of all born-again believers who will be living when Jesus comes again (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
5) “By faith Noah” built the ark (Hebrews 11:7). Noah did not have a dead faith (James 2:20). Had Noah’s faith been “dead,” there would not be a human being upon the face of the earth today. For the seven elements that embodied Noah’s perfect faith, see Hebrews 11:7.
6) “By faith Abraham” obeyed (Hebrews 11:8). He sought a country whose location was unknown to him, but God led him. He looked for an eternal city, built by Almighty God (Hebrews 11:8, 10). “By faith Abraham, when he was tested [God tested his faith], offered up Isaac” (Hebrews 11:17-19).
7) By faith Sarah conceived after she had passed the age of childbearing (Hebrews 11:11, 12; cf. Genesis 17:15-19; 21:1-8).
8) “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau” (Hebrews 11:20).
9) “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph” (Hebrews 11:21).
10) “By faith Joseph” prophesied the return of the children of Israel to the Promised Land and commanded them to take his bones with them (Hebrews 11:22; Genesis 50:22-¬26; Exodus 13:19; Joshua 24:32).
11) By faith Moses’ parents were not afraid of the ruler of Egypt who had commanded that all male children be put to death (Exodus 2:1-10). By faith Moses refused an Egyptian heritage, choosing to suffer affliction with his own people, esteeming the reproach of. Christ to be of greater value than all the riches of Egypt. “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king.” For forty years he was a shepherd in the desert. By faith he returned to Egypt and kept the Passover. “By faith they [Moses and Israel] passed through the Red Sea as by dry land” (Hebrews 11:23-29).
12) “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days” (Hebrews 11:30).
13) Between verses 29 and 30 there are nearly forty years when the nation of Israel wandered in the wilderness in punishment for their unbelief. Moses and others had faith during that period, but the nation of Israel murmured against God and against Moses (Hebrews 3:7-19; cf. Numbers 14:34). This is a condition which is repeated when any congregation no longer believes the promises of God.
14) “By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe” (Hebrews 11:31).
Other heroes in God’s gallery of faith are mentioned in verses 32-40. Many of them died violent deaths—persecuted, imprisoned, and stoned. Some were slain by the sword and others torn apart by wild beasts. Many of them died, not yet having received by faith the promises of God. Four times the people were told that “the just shall live by faith” (Hebrews 10:38). In this eleventh chapter of Hebrews we see a great host who were justified by faith and learned the secret of how to live by faith. Like the Tribulation saints, “they did not love their lives to the death” (Revelation 12:11).
24-1 Faith is a Mystery
(1 Timothy 3:8-9)
“Likewise deacons must be reverent [having spiritual dignity]…holding the mystery of the faith with a pure [clear] conscience” (vv. 8, 9). A biblical mystery is a truth of God heretofore unrevealed to all, even though it has been known by some and preached for hundreds of years. Salvation by faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of the lord Jesus Christ was such a “mystery” until it was revealed to the world at the first coming of God the Son (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), and, it remains a mystery to those who have never heard or received the gospel of the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8, 9). You are not born with saving faith. It is a mystery until it is perceived in the Scriptures or heard from one who has received the mystery of saving faith. Some believers, becoming so involved in church work and “the deeper Christian life,” forget that the Good New of salvation is a mystery to the unsaved, and will remain so until it is shared with the unsaved.
1) “If our gospel [the mystery of saving faith] is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 4:3), and they shall remain lost until they call upon Christ for salvation. “So then faith [saving faith] comes by hearing [the mystery of the faith], and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). The greatest mystery of all is the mystery of the gospel of grace. “In the beginning was the Word [God’s only begotten Son], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14). In the womb of the Virgin Mary, God the Son was made flesh. Thirty-three years later the Son was made “to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is the mystery of the faith that we must share with the world (Matthew 28:19).
2) “Now faith is the substance [assurance, confidence] of things hoped for, the evidence [proof] of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). We can be saved by grace through faith, that is, trust in Christ’s saving work (Ephesians 2:8) and we can have the assurance of eternal life with Christ. Paul said, “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what [my body, soul, and spirit] I have committed [as an act of faith] to Him until that Day” (2 Timothy 1:12).
3) The Christian’s assurance of eternal salvation is a twofold witness.
a) God’s Word witnesses to you. “He who believes in the Son has [present tense] everlasting life” (John 3:36; cf. 6:35-40). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ [by faith], he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). “This is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son” (1 John 5:9). God’s eternal, inerrant Word is our assurance of salvation by grace through faith in God the Son (Ephesians 1:13, 14).
b) God the Holy Spirit witnesses with your spirit, assuring you that you are a child of God. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16).
These two—God’s inerrant Word, and God the indwelling Holy Spirit, witness as one—“that you may know that your have eternal life” (1 John 5:11, 13). The Holy Spirit witnesses with your spirit in conjunction with the testimony of God’s Word. The more you mix the Word of God with your faith, the deeper your relationship with Christ will become (Romans 10:17). The depth of such faith will also determine the extent of your spiritual effectiveness (Hebrews 11:7, 33).
24-2 The Just Shall Live by Faith
(Galatians 3:11)
The just, those who have been “justified by faith,” are to live by faith (Romans 5:1; cf. Hebrews 10:38). Justification by faith in God the Son is more than acquittal; it is the judicial act of our Holy God, declaring the repentant sinner righteous with the righteousness of God in Christ (Romans 10:3, 4, 9, 10), because “he who believes in Him [Christ] is not condemned; but he who does not believe [in Christ] is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). Therefore, by faith the just are eternally free from the guilt and penalty of sin; they are also declaratively invested with the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Because Christians are justified by faith, they are to live their whole life by faith; “for whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23; cf. Colossians 3:17). As a child of God:
1) Pray by faith. When you ask anything from God in prayer, it must be by faith. There can be no doubting, for if you waver your will not receive anything from the Lord (James 1:5-7).
2) Walk by faith. “For we walk [live every day] by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). In the Old Testament we are told that “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:21¬23). In the New Testament we are told that “by faith Enoch…pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:5, 6). Therefore, his walk with God had to be by faith (John 8:12). You can walk with God only by faith.
3) Understand by faith. “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3). If you believe God’s Word, you will not question any part of it from Genesis to Revelation. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). You will have no problem with the theory of evolution when you believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. But “he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son” (1 John 5:10). Here is a part of the record that God the Father gave of God the Son. “For by Him [Christ] all things [not just some things] were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and. invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16). Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is the Creator and sustainer of the universe (Hebrews 1:2, 3).
4) “Be filled with the Spirit” by faith. This is a command—“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18)—and it is the only source of spiritual power for service. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). On the Day of Pentecost the Upper Room congregation (about 120) was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to serve the Lord immediately; the results were that approximately three thousand believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, repented, were baptized and added to the Jerusalem church.
Paul asked the Galatians if they had received the Holy Spirit by the works of the law, or by faith (Galatians 3:3). Again he asked those who did miracles if they did it by the works of the law, or by faith (v. 5). Then Paul said to them, “ ‘The just shall live by faith.’ Yet the law is not of faith… [for] Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us…that we might receive the promise of the [Holy] Spirit through faith” (vv. 11-14). The just, who live by faith, are filled by faith with the Holy Spirit for service.
5) Be healed by faith. The believer is warned, “Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines” (Hebrews 13:9). The doctrine of divine healing is being attacked as never before. It is exploited by many and denied by others. It is abused by some for filthy lucre and worldly fame, while others declare that God no longer heals our sick bodies. It is time for those of us who are justified by faith to start living by faith. We must take our stand upon the Word of God and believe with all our heart, soul, and mind. By faith we resist the teachings of the cults and occult movements, who profess to perform miracles in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord warns us that many will deceitfully claim His power. But He will say to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:21-23).
The Lord Jesus still heals today because “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). If this verse is true, then Jesus Christ still heals. You can trust Him. When you ask Him to heal you, don’t tell Him when or how to heal. He may choose to heal you instantly, or slowly over a period of time. He may use a human instrument, such as a doctor. All healing is from the Lord. A doctor can treat, but only God can heal. The psalmist said, “He sent His word and healed them” (Psalm 107:20). Again we read, “When evening had come, they brought to Him [Christ] many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses’ ” (Matthew 8:16, 17; cf. Isaiah 53:4, 5). The Lord Jesus Christ is Jehovah-Ropheka, “the Lord who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). He is “the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
24-3 Faith is Joyful in Tribulation
(2 Corinthians 7:4-5)
“I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation” (v. 4). The apostle Paul could truly say that his joy was overflowing; even in his afflictions. He did not merely submit to persecutions, neither did he overflow with joy because he was experiencing great tribulations; but he rejoiced while in afflictions, knowing by faith that this was part of God’s perfect will for his life and ministry. This is commitment that remains strong, even in the face of overwhelming adversity (Romans 8:28).
When Paul and Silas were at Troas, the Holy Spirit told Paul in a vision at night to go to Macedonia. In the vision “A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us’ ” (Acts 16:8, 9). Believing that the Lord had called them to preach the gospel in Macedonia, they set a straight course for Philippi, which was its chief city and a colony of Rome. There they were welcomed with a beating from the people, then cast into the Philippian prison where their feet were placed in stocks. “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:16-25). They sang because they were in the will of God; their faith produced overflowing joy in tribulation.
Paul never referred to himself as a prisoner of the Jews, or a prisoner of Rome. In every prison he spoke of himself as a “prisoner of Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:1). While in a Roman prison, he wrote to his friend and fellow laborer, Philemon, and referred to himself as “being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ” (Philemon 9).
Paul did not allow outward circumstances to control his ministry for the Lord. To the Philippian believers he said, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Philippians 4:11). This is spiritual maturity. Paul had reached the place where he was content to be abased, humbled, or to abound (Philippians 4:12). In plenty or poverty he had learned how to rejoice. By faith he could “glory in tribulations” (Romans 5:1-5). Having learned to be content in any external circumstance, he could shout, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). He believed that everything that happened to him was “for the furtherance of the gospel” (Philippians 1:12).
1) He said, “A thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me…I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He [the Lord] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’ ”
When Paul learned this, he said, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities…Therefore I take pleasure:
a) “In infirmities,
b) “In reproaches,
c) “In needs,
d) “In persecutions,
e) “In distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
2) Again he wrote:
a) “we are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed;
b) “we are perplexed, but not in despair;
c) “persecuted, but not forsaken;
d) “struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8, 9).
Paul’s faith lifted him above outward circumstances (2 Corinthians 11:21-33), inward conflicts (Colossians 2:1), and fears. “And I, brethren, when I came to you…I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling…that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). Paul wanted the church of Corinth to anchor its faith in God rather than in any servant of God, including himself.
24-4 Faith Without Works Is Dead
(James 2:14-26)
There are those who wrongly believe that James and Paul had a doctrinal disagreement regarding justification by faith or by works. Are people saved by works, or by faith? James is exposing dead faith (v. 17), while Paul uncovers dead works (Hebrews 6:1). They both agree that dead faith always produces dead works, and neither can justify sinners. Faith that does not work is not the faith of the Bible, and therefore is not valid faith. “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (v. 20).
James asked, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?” (v. 21). The faith of Abraham resulted in his works. Offering Isaac on the altar was an act of works by faith that, in turn, perfected his faith (v. 22). “And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God [he believed God with faith that resulted in deeds], and it [his faith] was accounted to him for righteousness’ ” (v. 23). James is saying that Abraham was saved by a living faith that brought forth living fruit.
What is dead faith? First, everyone has faith of some kind. There are hundreds of religions in this world, and they all require faith; but they do not all require the faith that justifies. How can I know that my faith is that faith that justifies the sinner? There is only one faith that saves, that is, faith in the saving life and work of Christ, the God-Man (Galatians 2:20). All other faith is empty and dead.
Paul taught “that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28). Again he said, “By the works of the law no flesh shall be justified…For I through the law [by faith] died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ…[therefore] the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God [by adding the works of the law to God’s grace]; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain” (Galatians 2:15-21).
Furthermore, Paul taught that saving faith is also serving faith, faith that produces works—not in order to be saved, but because that doer is saved. Every sinner who is justified by faith will stand before the Lord Jesus at the judgment seat of Christ: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are all known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences” (2 Corinthians 5:10, 11). He said, “We make it our aim” (2 Corinthians 5:9).
Paul labored for Christ more than most believers. Why? Because he knew that he, along with all who are justified or will be justified by faith, will stand before Christ where our works will be judged; not our sins, for they were judged on Calvary in the body of Christ, our Savior (Romans 8:1); 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Paul wrote of a living faith, given by God. We do not live by faith that we ourselves generate; that is always dead, empty faith. The faith that justifies is the gift of God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it [faith] is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9). This faith, God’s gift, can only be found through the infallible Word of God. (Romans 10:17).
“The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20). Paul had religious faith and zeal before he came to know Christ as his Savior. His life was filled with dead, religious works which were the fruits of his dead, religious faith (Acts 9:1, 2; 26:9-11).
Saving faith results in a changed life. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ [by faith], he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”—new faith, new life, new hope, new love (2 Corinthians 5:17). For example, in Philippians 3:3-9 Paul says, “We…have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
1) “Circumcised the eighth day” (Leviticus 12:3);
2) “Of the stock [nation] of Israel” (Exodus 4:22, 23);
3) “Of the tribe of Benjamin” (the youngest son of Jacob—Genesis 35:16-19);
4) “A Hebrew of the Hebrews” (2 Corinthians 11:22);
5) “Concerning the law, a Pharisee” (they were separatists);
6) “Concerning zeal, persecuting the church” (Acts 7:54-8:4);
7) “Concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Romans 10:1-4). The righteousness of the law had blinded him to the righteousness of God in Christ; under that law Paul was blind.
“But what things were gain to me [under the law], these I have counted loss for Christ… and count them as rubbish…not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.” This is the great change that came into the life of Paul when he came to know Christ as his Savior, through “faith in the Son of God.”
James and Paul are looking at the same truth justification. Like a coin it has two sides: one side is faith, the other side is works.
Paul teaches that faith justifies the sinner before God, entirely apart from works. “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted [imputed] to him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3). This is faith as God sees it, one side of the truth.
James sees works as evidence of the faith that justifies; if there are no works, there is no evidence of saving faith. He said, “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (v. 18). James concludes that faith without works is dead, and cannot justify the sinner. This is faith as man sees it, the other side of the truth.
As we look at both sides of the truth, we see that the faith that justifies is the faith that produces works.
There is no doctrinal disagreement between James and Paul. James said, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted [imputed] to him for righteousness” (v. 23). Paul said, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3). Both James and Paul believed in a living faith that bears living fruit; all other faith is dead, useless faith (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Faith in Christ’s vicarious death on Calvary, His physical burial for three days and nights, and His bodily resurrection from the dead is the only faith that will justify sinners in the sight of God. “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
24-5 Saving Faith Is in Christ
(Hebrews 12:1-2)
That person in whom we have saving faith is the God-Man, Christ, the promised Messiah. As His followers, we are to “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (v. 1). We are to be conscious of that great cloud, the host of heavenly witnesses, the Old and New Testament saints as represented in Hebrews 11, knowing that hey are our heavenly spectators. We are to run the race by faith, looking to Jesus, who is:
1) The author of our faith (v. 2). Christ is the leader of our faith. We are the sheep of His pasture, and we hear and know His voice as He speaks to us out of the written Word. (Romans 10:17). To know our spiritual Leader by faith is to take up our cross and follow Him (Mark 8:34-38).
2) The finisher of our faith (v. 2). Christ is the perfecter of our faith. On the cross, He said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). These words were a shout of victory, a triumph of His faith. Paul said, “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20). Paul did not live by faith in any patriarch or prophet. He learned and profited by their lives of faith, but he lived only by the faith he found in God the Son.
3) The object of our faith. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). His faith, like His human and divine nature, is immutable. He is the worthy object of our faith (Malachi 3:6).
4) The embodiment of our faith. Our faith is certified as effective because He is the resurrected God-Man, who is seated at the right hand of the Father. (v. 2).
5) The way of saving faith. Jesus is our “way” of faith, our “truth” of faith, and our “life” of faith. “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6; cf. Acts 4:12).
6) The forerunner of our faith. The word “forerunner” means to scout, to go before us and experience every inch of the way. As we run the believer’s race, looking unto Jesus who ran the course before us, understanding the race He ran, there should be no surprises; for He “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Saving faith is in a person. That person is God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This saving faith is not your faith until you accept Him as your personal Savior, for He alone is your saving faith (Acts 4:12).
Master Outline 24 – What is Faith
[1] Is the love of Christ in its fullness beyond human comprehension? YES or NO. Explain.
[2] How did the elders obtain a good testimony?
[3] Can you see God’s plan and purpose in creation with faith? YES or NO. Explain.
[4] Why was Abel’s sacrifice accepted and Cain’s not accepted?
[5] What three (3) things did Enoch accomplish by faith?
1.
2.
3.
[6] What if Noah would have had dead faith?
[7] What are the seven (7) elements of Noah’s perfect faith?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
[8] What does it mean when it says, “By faith Abraham obeyed” in Hebrews 11:8?
[9] What is a Biblical mystery?
[10] Are you born with saving faith? YES or NO. Explain.
[11] The greatest mystery of all is what?
[12] What is the two-fold witness the Christian has of eternal salvation?
1.
2.
[13] The ___________________ of such faith will determine the _____________________ of
your spiritual ________________________.
[14] Justification by faith in not God the Son is just acquittal. TRUE or FALSE. Explain.
[15] Because Christians are justified by faith does that mean we must live our whole life by faith? YES or NO. Explain.
[16] What five (5) things must we do by faith?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
[17] Why do we know the Lord still heals today?
[18] How could the Apostle Paul say, “I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation?”
[19] Why could Paul and Silas sing hymns and give praise to the Lord at midnight in a Philippi an Jail?
[20] Paul never referred to himself as a prisoner of the Jews or a prisoner of Rome, but a prisoner of whom?
[21] Paul allowed his outward circumstances to control his ministry. TRUE or FALSE. Explain.
[22] Once Paul learned the truth of the sufficiency of God’s grace, he stated he could take pleasure in what five (5) things?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
[23] Paul wanted the Church of _____________________ to anchor it
______________________ in God rather than in any servant of God including himself.
[24] James and Paul both agree that dead faith produces what?
[25] The faith of Abraham resulted in his _____________________________.
[26] How can I know that my faith is the faith that justifies the sinner?
[27] Paul taught that saving faith is also ________________________ faith.
[28] Everyone will stand before the White Throne Judgment of God. TRUE or FALSE. Explain.
[29] Dead religious faith will _____________________ ___________________
_______________________.
[30] What seven (7) reasons did Paul give that he could have boasted in the flesh?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
[31] James sees ___________________ as evidence of the __________________ that justifies,
if there are no __________________ there is no evidence of _____________________
__________________.
[32] Faith that ____________________ is the faith that produces _______________________.
[33] There is a major doctrinal disagreement between Paul and James. TRUE or FALSE. Explain.
[34] We are to run the race by faith looking to Jesus who is what? (List 6 items)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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