Focus: Life Of Faith

Text: Gal.2:20

"The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God…"

From the moment Jesus Christ becomes the Savior and Master of our lives through repentance and regeneration, we cease to live our lives according to the dictates, rules or standards of the flesh. We begin from that point to live by the rule of faith - the faith of Christ the Son of God. We begin to live a heavenly life in our earthly body. Our body becomes the vehicle by which the life of Christ is expressed or conveyed. Faith brings us into the heavenly dimension of existence. By faith we are divinely connected to eternal possibilities, and our hearts are in tune and in sync with ultimate realities. From the moment of our spiritual conversion the faith of the Son of God takes over our whole system and existence as its modus operandi.

Faith in Jesus Christ connects us to:

*Favor to obtain

Divine favor is ours to obtain by faith. Faith in Christ opens up to us the vast treasures of grace and the unsearchable riches of Christ.

Faith is the hand that takes everything God has to offer. Everything God has provided for us is appropriated solely by faith. Faith exposes us to all the favors of God, and by faith we obtain them. The Scripture says, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may OBTAIN mercy, and FIND grace to help in time of need" (Heb.4:16).

*Access of God to enjoy and ability to tap into

Access to God is made possible by faith. By faith we enjoy unhindered access to God. To the saints in Rome, Paul writes, "By whom also we have ACCESS BY FAITH into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Rom.5:2).

To the Ephesian believers, he says, "For through him we both have ACCESS by one Spirit unto the Father" (Eph.2:18). And again he says, "In whom we have boldness and ACCESS with confidence BY THE FAITH OF HIM" (Eph.3:12). Then in Hebrews, we read, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Heb.11:6). Through the faith of Christ God becomes accessible to us.

It is also by faith that we are able to tap into the infinite ability of God. Faith is the key with which we tap into, and appropriate to ourselves the limitless power of Christ. The treasure house of God has no bottom, and faith is our tapping instrument. Jesus says, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth" (Mk.9:23). He says again, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father" (Jh.14:12). We are empowered by faith to do the works of Christ, even greater works than He did.

*Invisible realities to connect to

The author of Hebrews declares, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…" (Heb.11:1). There are unseen things in the spiritual realm. There are invisible realities only seen by the lens of faith. The author of Hebrews talks of those who have "tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost," and who have "tasted of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come" (Heb.6:4,5). By faith we are given a foretaste of the powers of the future world constructed, ordained, ordered and owned by God.

*Truth to live by

In the Hebrew language faith and truth belong to the same family. Truth gives birth to faith. Faith comes by hearing the word of God, which is the word of truth. Isaiah calls God in 65:16, "the God of truth." The word he uses for truth is 'amen.' In Rev.3:14, Jesus Christ is called "the Amen." Amen is another word for faith. Truth is the bedrock upon which faith rests. Faith lives and thrives by truth. The psalmist says, "I have chosen the way of truth…" (Ps.119:30). He says, "Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth" (Ps.31:5). The God known to faith is the God of absolute truth and of ultimate reality.

David says, "Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom" (Ps.51:6). I love the place where the psalmist says that "truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven." Isn't that awesome? Heaven and earth functioning together in truth and righteousness. The psalmist says again, "Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth…" (Ps.85:11; 86:11).

Paul says, "But unto them that are contentious, and DO NOT OBEY THE TRUTH…" (Rom.2:8). Living by the truth means obeying it. The Scripture gives us the revealed truths of God. Paul says, "But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel…" (Gal.2:14). The man of faith lives by the truth of the gospel. He walks uprightly. John says, "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and DO NOT THE TRUTH" (1Jh.1:6). Light and darkness share nothing in common. We are the children of light; we walk in the light of truth. John says, "I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children WALKING IN THE TRUTH…" (2Jh.1:2). We live by faith and walk in the pathway of truth.

*Hope to embrace

The Christian faith tells us that we have a glorious future in Christ. Our faith connects us to a sure hope. Hebrews tells us concerning Abraham, "For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Of the patriarchs, we are told, "But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city… For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come" (Heb.11:10,16; 13:14). Act.2:26 tells us about David who said, "Moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope" (Act.2:26).

Paul has a lot to say about the hope of our faith. He says, "For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith… For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel… The hope of the gospel… Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Gal.5:5; Col.1:5,23,27). He tells us to put on "for an helmet, the hope of salvation" (1Thes.5:8). He continues, "Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and GOOD HOPE through grace" (2Thes.2:16). In Titus we read, "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began… Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ… That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Tit.1:2; 2:13; 3:7). Peter says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a LIVELY HOPE by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1Pet.1:3). John writes, "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1Jh.3:3).

This is an incredible and amazing hope. This is hope made sure. Our faith in Christ has given us something to look forward to - a beautiful and blissful future. In Christ, our "past is settled, our present makes sense, and our future is secure." The Christian faith is indeed a restful faith. Let's embrace our hope in Christ!

We have favor to obtain, access of God to enjoy and His ability to tap into, invisible realities to connect to, truth to live by, and hope to embrace. Amen!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter