For the Glory of God Alone

Are we as disciples of Jesus Christ supposed to compartmentalize our lives? Are we supposed to do certain things for the Lord and with Him in mind, while other parts of our lives are done for ourselves or for others? Yet isn’t this the way most Christians live? I’d like to talk about this, because the Scriptures teach a very different way of life. In God’s Word, we learn to live our lives only for the glory of God.

The early Reformers called this Soli Deo Gloria, which is a Latin expression meaning solely for the glory of God. So let’s take a look at this together and see what it means to live solely for the glory of God and find out if that’s just for church leaders, such as priests or pastors.

Glory Can Be Given
Glory is something that may be given to another. This is certainly true in every day life. We often glorify certain people by the way we speak about them, by the way we treat them, and by the way we serve them.

We’ve all seen Hollywood stars and musicians when they are in all their glory. They are enjoying great fame, notoriety, and a place of high esteem in the hearts and minds of people across the world.

So if we can give glory to people, can we also give it to God? Sure we can! We see this all throughout Scripture.

Jesus Glorified the Father
Jesus said to the Father in prayer, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” (Jn 17:4). This prayer was about glorifying God. How do we glorify God? Put differently, how do we give God glory? In this statement, Jesus teaches us that the way He brought glory to the Father was by completing the work the Father gave Him to do.

We Must Live to Glorify Jesus
Just as Jesus glorified the Father, his disciples should glorify God. This is the chief end of man, the primary purpose of our lives.

We bring glory to the Father on earth by completing the good works He has given each of us to do. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Mt. 5:14,16). When people see our good deeds and praise God in heaven, it glorifies Him. God is glorified by our obedience to Him.

The apostle Paul wrote: “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1Co 10:31). So when he said, “whatever you do,” that includes everything you do. It includes not only eating and drinking, but also working, playing, shopping, relating to others, clothing yourself, adorning your body, and everything else you do. Giving glory to God is not just something you do at church once a week. It’s not just something you do when you are praying. It’s something you do in every aspect of your life.

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." (Col 3:23-24). It cannot be more clear than this. Whatever it is you do, do it like you are doing it for the Lord, not for men. After all, you are serving the Lord Christ, so act like it in all you do.

“Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1Pe 4:11). You see, the glory belongs to Jesus Christ forever. So we need to give Him the glory due His name in our speaking, our serving, and all we do. We need to do what we do by the strength God supplies.

Over and over again throughout Scripture, we see this doxology repeated: “To Him be the glory forever.”

The apostle John wrote: “And He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father--to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (Rev 1:6).

What does it mean that Jesus has “made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father”? It means that Jesus has made our lives to be the realm in which He reigns supremely and completely. And priests represent the people before God. So in every aspect of our lives, we are called to be kings and priests, but not for our own glory. As John wrote, “to Him be the glory.”

Paul wrote: “to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” (Eph 3:21). In the church glory is to be given to Jesus. The church is not a building, it’s not a meeting. It’s the people who have been called out of darkness into His glorious light. In the church be glory to Him forever!

John saw the angels around the throne of God in heaven saying, "Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen." (Rev 7:12). So again, the very praises of God that are spoken around His throne admonish us and remind us to give Him glory.

Paul wrote: “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” (Rom 11:36). Leading up to this verse, Paul had been explaining the ways of God concerning man, and he had to conclude in the end that all these things come from God in His sovereignty. He also concluded that all these things are through Him, and they are all to be directed back to Him, so that He may receive all the glory.

Paul summarized it well when he wrote: "For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf." (2Co 5:14-15). This means that we no longer live for ourselves. We live for Jesus Christ who, in His great love for us, died for us and rose again on our behalf. We don't put God in a box. We don't serve Him only on Sundays when we are at church or only serve Him when we are praying. We give glory to Him with our whole lives.

Putting it All Together
We bring glory to the Father on earth by completing the good works He has given each of us to do. When people see our good deeds and praise God in heaven, it glorifies Him. God is glorified by our obedience to Him.

The good works He has given each of us to do include spending time in the Lord’s presence and speaking with Him. But it goes way beyond just the spiritual aspects of life. Everything we do should be done for the glory of God. That includes working, speaking, eating, drinking, giving, serving, and literally all that we do. This is the primary purpose for our lives. It’s the reason we’re alive.

Are you living your life completely for the glory of God? Ask yourself these questions:

When I eat, am I truly able to say I am eating for the glory of God?
Can I honestly say that my drinking is bringing glory to God?
Am I bringing glory to God through my work?
Am I bringing glory to God by the way I dress and adorn myself?
Each time I speak, am I glorifying God with my words?
Do all my relationships with others bring glory to God? Think about your relationship with your wife, your husband, your fiancé, your children, your neighbor, your coworker, and your boss.
In my planning, do I glorify God?
Does my playtime glorify Him?
Is God glorified by the way I spend my leisure time?
Does the music I listen to glorify God?
Do I glorify God by the movies, videos and television programs I watch?
Do I glorify God by the way I spend my money?
Do I glorify God when I am using the internet?

If you are like me, and you have discovered some area of your life that is not glorifying to God, then you’ve just discovered an area of your life that is not pleasing to God. If so, the thing to do is just repent. Right where you are, right now, you can tell the Lord you’re sorry for doing that. Ask Him to forgive you, and help you to immediately begin doing that for His glory.

Perhaps you are a Christian, but have just realized that you’ve never made a decision to live your entire life for the glory of God. Maybe you’ve separated your spiritual or church life from everything else you do, and you are living a double life. Again, simply repent. Change your mind about that and ask God to forgive you. Then determine with His help to live your life completely for His glory.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. The Soli Deo Gloria gold seal was designed by the author of this article, who owns the rights to it.

Author's note: This post concludes a five part series on the five solas. If you have not read the rest of the series and would like to do so, you may find those parts here:

Scripture Alone
By Faith Alone, Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV
By Grace Alone
In Christ Alone

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Seeking Glory from God, The Light and the Glory, Whatever You Do, Do All Like This, Pleasing the Lord, Success in God's Eyes, Having a Servant's Heart, Holy Living in a Perverted World, The Difference Between a Disciple and a Believer, Seeing Jesus, Loving Him, Character and Glory, and Walking in the Perfect Will of God. You may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Christ Alone

It’s pretty uncommon to find a man who would enjoy it when the wife he loves falls in love with another man. That’s not something most men would enjoy. Nor is it any more common to find a woman who would enjoy it when her husband falls in love with another woman. Infidelity like this can destroy a marriage relationship.

Many times we find in the Scriptures that God’s relationship with His covenant people is like the relationship between a husband and wife. The connection between Christ and the Church is like a marriage relationship between a man and woman. And in that relationship, there is only one husband – Jesus Christ.

Yet today we find that the Church has many lovers. Christians are infatuated with many others besides Christ. And in the Church they are often times even taught to do so. It ought not to be. Christ expects fidelity from His people in this holy relationship.

I’d like to open up the topic of Christ alone, which the early Reformers referred to in Latin as Solus Christus.

Jesus Is the Way
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” (Joh 14:6). He left no room for alternative paths. Notice how singular it is. Jesus is THE Way, not one of many possible ways. He made it clear that there is no one who comes to the Father except through Him.

One Mediator
Paul taught that we only have one mediator. “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1Ti 2:5) Yet how many people look for other mediators like pastors, priests, and saints? We need to get back to pointing people to Jesus. He alone can save.

Faith in God
Many people claim to have “faith”, but in whom is their faith? Who or what is the object of their faith? “And Jesus answered saying to them, ‘Have faith in God.’”(Mar 11:22). According to Jesus, our faith should be in God, not in men, whether alive or dead. Our faith should not rest in any other.

The apostle Paul did not just speak mere words, because he did not want people putting their faith in man’s wisdom. But he demonstrated the power of God through signs and wonders. He told the Corinthians that he did this “So that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” (1Co 2:5)

Paul was clear that our faith is based on the fact that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.” (1Co 15:14) He taught that our faith would be futile if Jesus had not been raised from the dead. “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” (1Co 15:17)

It’s through faith in Jesus that we have access to God. “In whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.” (Eph 3:12). When we come to God through faith in Jesus, we not only have access to His throne, we have direct access. We have confident access.

The Colossians had faith in Christ. “For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.” (Col 2:5)

The Thessalonians had faith toward God. “For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.” (1Th 1:8)

They had faith in the Truth. “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.” (2Th 2:13)

Peter wrote to the saints saying that their faith was in God. “For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” (1Pe 1:20-21)

We are admonished to focus on the Lord. We are to fix our eyes on Him alone. “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:2). When your eyes are focused on someone, you are not paying attention to anyone else. When your eyes are fixed on a person, you don’t look away. That’s the way we are to be with the Lord. Our lives must be centered on Him alone. There’s no room for another.


No Other Name
"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Act 4:12). We know from Scripture that no one else can give salvation. No one else can redeem your soul. There is no other name but the name of Jesus by which we must be saved! That leaves no room for any other way to God. There is no co-redeemer! Yet how many Christians are calling on another name to save them, besides the name of Jesus? How many are depending on another to act as their mediator before God? Some are looking for their pastor or priest to be their mediator. But there’s only One Mediator – Jesus Christ.

Putting It All Together
With so many people putting their faith in various things like objects, departed saints, and false gods, as well as some putting their faith in faith, it’s important that we find out what the object of our faith should be. We are never taught in Scripture to put our faith in material objects such as relics, statues, or anything else we can touch. We are never taught to put our faith in ourselves. We are never taught to put our faith in man, whether dead or alive. We are never taught in Scripture to put our faith in Mary. We are not to put our faith in man’s wisdom. We are not to put our faith in faith. All of this amounts to spiritual adultery, and the Lord will not tolerate this any more than a husband would tolerate his wife sleeping with another man. The Church would spare itself from so many sorrows if we would put our faith in Christ and Christ alone.

If you have been putting your faith in others besides Jesus Christ, then this message is for you. Let’s repent of these wanderings. Let’s depart from this unfaithfulness, and return to the Lord. He will forgive. He will restore. He will revive us. But we need to do it now while there is still time.

I was once living a life of spiritual adultery. I considered myself a believer, but I had many mediators. I had many gods. When I prayed, I would put out an “all points bulletin”, asking anyone in heaven who could hear my prayer to take my request to God. I often prayed to Mary. I prayed to various saints. I even prayed to angels. Eventually I began to pursue the beliefs of Buddhism. I didn’t know the Truth, so I was bound by sin, caught up in many addictions. I believed many lies until one day my friend Alan kindly told me I was searching for Jesus. I didn’t believe him at the time, but I really was searching for Jesus. And he was not afraid to offend me by telling me so. I’m so glad he did that. We need to point our family and friends to Jesus.

It was only when I found Jesus that my eyes were opened. It was when I found Jesus that I found forgiveness and deliverance from sin. He set me free from all the bondage I was in. He broke my addictions. He took away my shame. He brought me into a personal relationship with Himself. He gave me a new life. And He filled me with peace and joy.

Before I close, I'd like to share a song called "In Christ Alone" that expresses the heart of this message. Please return to this page for my closing after you watch the video here.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

By Grace Alone

All of us have received a gift at one time or another. When you receive a gift, it can be rather humbling, can’t it? Don’t you sometimes feel like you don’t deserve it? This is why people often exchange gifts, because if they know they will be given a gift, they want to give the other person something in return. But when you have not done anything to deserve a gift, in fact even done something hurtful to someone and they offer you a gift, it is humbling.

I want to talk to you about a gift. It’s the most important and the most valuable gift you will ever receive. It’s the gift of God’s grace.

There's a clear distinction in Scripture between faith and works. We know that we are saved by faith alone through grace. The early reformers called this sola gratia in Latin. As Paul said, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Eph 2:8-9).

That English word gift in this verse of the Bible comes from the Greek word δωρον, doron, do'-ron, which means a present; specifically a sacrifice, a gift, or an offering.

You see, it's not by works, so that no one can boast. If you can work for it, then you can boast that you did it yourself. But it's the gift of God. It's based on His unmerited favor toward you. We need to really get that into our spirit.

We begin our walk with Jesus the moment we put our complete confidence and trust like this in Him. It's at that moment that we are given the gift of God's righteousness. We are justified. It happens instantly, and we are completely forgiven. It's not something we can work for or try to earn.

When someone gives you a gift, you simply receive it. If you don't receive it, then it will remain in the hands of the giver. God's righteousness is a gift.

Our Best Efforts Are Just Like Filthy Rags
Let’s stop and think about that for a moment, because these days righteousness is not something we normally think or talk much about. To be righteous means you have done no wrong and you cannot be blamed for anything. Yet the prophet of God cried out: “All our righteous deeds are like filthy rags!” He said, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isa 64:6).

That’s really how God sees it. I mean He is truly righteous – completely without sin. And when anyone who does not know Christ tries to do the right thing, he is attempting to be righteous. But because of our sin nature, even our good deeds are all like filthy rags. Would you take a bag of stinking, dirty garments and dress up in them before you go to stand in the presence of a president or a mighty king? Of course not! Then why would you dress up in the filthy rags of your own righteousness before you go to stand before the holy and righteous King of all kings – God Himself? Yet isn’t that what we do when we think we will gain acceptance from God based on our own good works?

Many people have unsuccessfully attempted to obtain righteousness through their own works. And Scripture tells us that no one will ever obtain righteousness this way. So if you are doing this, stop trying! Give it up.

The apostle Paul had every reason to consider himself righteous before he came to know Christ. He said it this way: "I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless." (Phi 3:4-6)

Paul was considered blameless by men according to the Law. But when he came to know Christ, who is truly righteous, he saw his own sinfulness. He exchanged his dirty rags for the righteousness of Christ. He counted all those great things he had once done as a total loss. "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ." (Phi 3:7)

He took it a step further than that. It was not just those things that he counted as loss, but ALL things. He said: "More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith." (Phi 3:8-9)

Paul said that he considered all things from his past legalistic life as rubbish. The actual word he used in the Greek means animal dung. That's pretty extreme, but that's what the Lord expects us to do. Don't put any confidence in the things you have done for God. But like Paul, put your confidence in what Christ has done for you. Then like Paul, you will be found in Christ, in a relationship with Him, not having a righteousness of your own, but having the righteousness that comes from God. This righteousness is given to you on the basis of faith.

Get Credit for Something You Didn't Do!
You see, Jesus is perfect and without sin – perfectly righteous. He is God. And when He died on the cross for you, He took the punishment for you and me, which we deserved. When you believe in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, God actually gives you credit for His righteousness. That’s right. You get credit for something you did not do or earn!

The apostle Paul put it this way: “Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.” (Rom 4:4)

We can all understand this. When we work, we get paid a wage. So we get exactly what we deserve. It’s the same spiritually. If you want to work to obtain righteousness, you will get what you deserve. Since no one will be declared righteous before God based on their own good works, then those who live this way will not please God. They will stand before God dressed in filthy rags.

But the apostle Paul goes on to say: “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.” (Rom 4:5)

Isn’t that wonderful news? It’s the person who does NOT work to obtain righteousness that obtains it. It’s the one who simply believes God, who justifies ungodly people. He makes ungodly sinners righteous! The one who believes in Him receives credit for his faith. What credit does he receive? The credit he receives is righteousness!

God wants to give this gift of righteousness to you. He wants to give you credit for something you didn’t do. The way I explain this to my children is like this. Imagine if I did your chores for you and then rewarded you with a gift for a job well done! That’s what God desires to do for you. But you have to receive it by faith. Everything is by faith. But it's not mere mental assent to the truth. You must step out on your trust in Him and take action based on your confidence that you have received this gift from God.

Like the Criminal on the Cross
I'd like to give you one last illustration of this wonderful gift of grace. When Jesus hung on the cross between two criminals, one of them insulted Him and mocked Him. But the other man was humble and repentant. He acknowledged his own sin and accepted the death penalty as a just punishment for what he had done. He knew he deserved it. He earned it. But he recognized Jesus as the King who would inherit a kingdom. He acknowledged the righteousness of Christ by saying that Jesus had not done anything wrong. He cried out to Jesus, asking Him to save him.

Here's the passage: "One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, 'Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!' But the other answered, and rebuking him said, 'Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.' And he was saying, 'Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!' And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.' "(Luk 23:39-43)

You see what Jesus said to the second sinful man, the one who repented? He said that the man would be together with Jesus in Paradise that same day! That's grace! That's what it's like when you are given this gift of righteousness from God. It's instant. That criminal died there that day and never had a chance to do one good work for the Lord. He never got circumcised or baptized either. He was simply saved by grace through his faith in Jesus. He got credit for the righteousness of Christ at that moment.

Putting it All Together
Maybe you started off your walk with God trusting in His grace, but you have returned to trying to earn it by your works. Just quit that right now. It’s a waste of time. Our works should simply be evidence that we have believed in Jesus Christ, and not something we are still doing to try and earn His love. Just repent of that and ask Him to forgive you for trying to obtain righteousness yourself through legalistic acts. Then rest once again in His love and stand in his grace by faith alone. Accept it fully as yours, though you don’t deserve it.

Or maybe you have never accepted this wonderful gift from God. If so, you still have time. Now is the time of God's favor. Now is the day of salvation. Receive God's gift of righteousness to you today.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

By Faith Alone - Part IV

If you have been following this series, you will know by now that Sola fide is a Latin phrase, meaning "by faith alone". The early reformers used it to describe the fact that our salvation is by faith alone.

Perhaps the reason why there is such controversy over the matter of salvation by faith alone is semantics. Maybe some people think that when we say you are saved by faith, they assume it is a moment in time. Well, it truly begins at a moment in time, as we have seen in the preceding parts of this series.

Paul did teach that there is a time when we are first introduced to the faith. He wrote: “Through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.” (Rom 5:2). But it must continue throughout our lives.

In this last part of the series, we'll look at the Scriptures that teach us to continue in the faith. We'll see the importance of ongoing faithfulness in the life of a believer. And we'll find out what the source of our faith is.

Continue in the Faith
Paul taught that we must continue in the faith. “If indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.” (Col 1:23)

“But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.” (1Ti 2:15)

Paul was “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." (Act 14:22)

Faith is something we must stand firm in. “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (1Co 16:13)

Paul himself had kept the faith throughout his life and to the end. As an old man, he could say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” (2Ti 4:7)

Faith must be kept. It’s our responsibility to keep it in order to avoid being shipwrecked. “Keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.” (1Ti 1:19). This is how we keep from falling away from the faith. “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” (1Ti 4:1)

The Importance of Faithfulness
The Greek word for faith is often translated into the English word faithfulness, depending on the context. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.” (Gal 5:22). This describes the ongoing aspect of our faith.

Jesus said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.” (Mat 23:23). Do you see how he told them that they should not have neglected faithfulness? Jesus considered this a weighty provision of the Scriptures.

We are called to continue to have faith, even in the midst of persecutions. “Therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.” (2Th 1:4)

So we see that Paul always taught that saving faith must continue throughout our lives to the end.

Source of Faith
Finally, there is a source of all our faith. It doesn’t come from within us. So it’s important that we know who the author of our faith is and who can make it perfect. “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:2). Jesus authors our faith and He is the one who will perfect it, so focus on Him.

We actually get faith from hearing the Word of Christ. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Rom 10:17)

Putting it All Together
We begin our walk with Jesus the moment we put our complete confidence and trust like this in Him. It's at that moment that we are given the gift of God's righteousness. We are justified. It happens instantly, and we are completely forgiven. We are saved by faith in Christ alone. But then we must continue in our faithfulness to Him throughout our lives. We need to keep the faith.

In this series, I mentioned that having faith in God is similar to when we have complete confidence in an elevator to take us to the top of a tall building, or when we trust an airplane to take us across the ocean to another continent. You wouldn't do that without being persuaded that you will be safe.

If faith in God is like that, then we could say that faithfulness is like continuing to travel by plane on a daily basis throughout your entire lifetime. Faithfulness would be like continuing to trust the aircraft day after day, even though there are times when there's very bad turbulence on your flight. Faithfulness is like continuing to travel by air, even though you hear news reports of other planes crashing. Faithfulness is like staying on the elevator all way up to the top of the skyscraper, and not getting off at the third floor out of fear that you won't be safe. Faithfulness is like taking a job on an upper floor of a skyscraper, and trusting the elevator not just once but on a daily basis.

But every analogy falls short at some point. And these analogies are no different. You see, unfortunately planes do sometimes crash and elevators do sometimes fail. But Jesus never fails. He is worthy of your complete trust, not just for a moment or a day, but forever. It's essential that we remain faithful to Jesus Christ unto the end. Don't stop trusting Him when times get difficult or other things distract you.

Therefore, since faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ, we should spend time reading the Bible, talking about what it says, and listening to others speak God's Word. This will increase our faith. And of course, we should be doing what it says. We need to be doers of the Words of Christ, not merely hearers.

If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, I want to encourage you to keep the faith with a sincere heart and a good conscience. I want to encourage you to remain faithful to the Lord to the very end.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: If you have not yet read the other parts to this series, you can find them at these links:

By Faith Alone - Part I
By Faith Alone - Part II
By Faith Alone - Part III

You may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

If you have not yet put your faith in Christ, I urge you to do that today. He loves you and wants you to know Him personally.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

By Faith Alone - Part III

One of my hobbies used to be going to the tops of the world's tallest buildings. I've been to the tops of the World Trade Center in New York City, the CN Tower in Toronto, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and other high buildings. But each time I went up, I had to trust the elevator to do what it was intended to do. If I didn't trust it, I would never go up in the first place.

Faith in God is a bit like that. Faith is not simply giving mental assent to something. It's not simply agreeing theoretically with an idea or concept. It is the kind of confidence you have when you take an elevator to the top of a 100-story building. You absolutely trust the elevator to do what it is supposed to do. You step out and take action to demonstrate your trust in the object of your faith.

Sola fide is a Latin phrase, meaning "by faith alone". The early reformers used it to describe the fact that our salvation is by faith alone. Some people disagree with that notion and say that a person is saved by his good works or by a combination of good works and faith. In this study, we’ll look at this controversial topic to see what the Bible says about it.

In this third part of my series on "By Faith Alone", we'll see the difference between faith and works. Then we’ll look at living by faith. We'll also see what the test should be to determine if you are in the faith, and we’ll discover how you receive the Spirit.

Difference Between Faith and Works
When it comes to being righteous, Christ has fulfilled the Law in perfect righteousness, so once you put your trust in Jesus, look no further. Paul said, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”(Rom 10:4). Once we have faith in Christ, we no longer need to try and fulfill the Law.

“However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, ‘HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM.’” (Gal 3:12). You see, if you want to work for your salvation, then you need to live according to everything written in the Law. That’s quite a heavy load to carry. Then it’s no longer about trusting Jesus to save you, but it’s about working to attain righteousness. This is quite the opposite of faith.

Paul was a trained Jewish rabbi, who studied under one of the best rabbis. But when he came to know Jesus Christ, he knew that faith expressing itself through loving acts was all that mattered now. He said, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.” (Gal 5:6). It no longer makes any difference whether a person has obeyed certain aspects of the Law or not, such as circumcision.

So does this mean we no longer need to do any works at all? No, it doesn’t. As Paul wrote, faith will express itself through love, and love is not a feeling but an action. So when you have true, saving faith in Christ, you’ll be serving Him out of love. James the brother of Jesus Christ, eventually came to know the Lord himself and became His bond servant. He wrote: “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?” (Jam 2:14)

James emphasized the need for works, but did not teach that we need to work to earn God’s righteousness. The works James spoke of were works that one does when he already has true saving faith. As James saw it, any faith that doesn’t produce works is a dead faith. He said, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” (Jam 2:17) “But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” (Jam 2:20). “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” (Jam 2:26)

His main concern was that there be evidence in our lives of the saving faith in Jesus. He tried to show that it is not possible to say you have faith, yet not have any works. He said, “show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (Jam 2:18)

James even went so far as to say, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (Jam 2:24) This message of James about works is not emphasized elsewhere in the New Testament. For this reason, church leaders were at one time unsure whether to include it in the canon of Scripture. On the surface, it seemed to contradict Paul’s message of faith alone. But it has nevertheless been included, because it is inspired, it is true, and it’s not inconsistent with the rest of Scripture.

If you just read this last verse in James 2:24, it may appear to contradict the apostle Paul’s gospel of salvation by faith alone. But when you read the entire epistle and read the entire New Testament, you come to see that it is merely emphasizing the fact that true believers need to be doers of the Word, not hearers only. As James said, “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22).

This is consistent with Jesus’ teaching. He said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you evildoers.'” (Mat 7:21-23). Jesus taught that we must do the will of His Father in heaven.

Jesus also taught about the person who builds his house on the rock by acting upon His Word. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall." (Mat 7:24-27).

So we are justified by faith alone, not by our works. But once we have been made righteous by faith in Jesus Christ, there must be evidence of that faith through our actions. We will desire to act upon Jesus’ words. This is really a continuation in the faith we began to have the moment we were justified.

Living By Faith in Jesus
It’s by faith in Jesus that we live our lives. Paul said it like this: "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Gal 2:20).

And in the book of Hebrews, we learn that the righteous shall live by faith. “BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” (Heb 10:38-39)

It’s impossible to please God without faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Heb 11:6)

All the righteous people throughout history lived by faith:

By faith Noah prepared an ark for the salvation of his household. (Heb 11:7)
By faith Abraham obeyed by going out to a place that he was to receive for an inheritance. (Heb 11:8)
By faith Sarah received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life. (Heb 11:11)
By faith Abraham offered up Isaac, his only begotten son. (Heb 11:17)
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau. (Heb 11:20)
By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph. (Heb 11:21)
By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the future exodus. (Heb 11:22)
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents. (Heb 11:23)
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. (Heb 11:24)
By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. (Heb 11:27)
By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood. (Heb 11:28)
By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though through dry land. (Heb 11:29)
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down. (Heb 11:30)
By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace. (Heb 11:31)
Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. (Heb 11:32-34)

So it’s very clear from Scripture that it is by faith we live victorious lives that are pleasing to the Lord.

Test to See if You Are in the Faith
In all of the preceding Scriptures, it’s abundantly clear that we are saved by faith alone. Since that is so crucial, how do you know if you are in the faith? There is a test you can give yourself.

“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?” (2Co 13:5). The test is this: Ask yourself if you recognize that Jesus Christ in you. If you do not, then you fail the test. Does He live in your heart? He wants to.

Paul said, ‘So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love.” (Eph 3:17) You see, He dwells in our hearts by faith. You must believe.

Receive the Spirit by Faith
As believers in Jesus, we have a promise from Jesus that He would send the Holy Spirit. Even this is received by faith. “This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” (Gal 3:2)

“So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” (Gal 3:5)

You see, the Gentiles receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. “In order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Gal 3:14)

Putting it All Together
There's a clear distinction in Scripture between faith and works. We know that we are saved by faith alone through grace. As Paul said, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Eph 2:8-9).

You see, it's not by works, so that no one can boast. It's the gift of God. It's based on His unmerited favor toward you. We need to really get that into our spirit. It's not something we can work for or try to earn.

When someone gives you a gift, you simply receive it. If you don't receive it, then it will remain in the hands of the one giving it. God's righteousness is a gift. He wants to give it to you. But you have to receive it by faith. Everything is by faith. But it's not mere mental assent to the truth. It's the kind of confidence you have in an elevator when you ride it to the top of a tall building. Elevators may fail, but Jesus Christ never fails! You can completely trust Him to save you.

All the righteous people recorded in Scripture lived by faith and pleased God that way. That's how you receive the Spirit of God. It's by faith, not by works.

And there's a test you can give yourself to see if you're in the faith. Ask yourself whether Jesus Christ lives in your heart by faith. If you answered yes to this, then you pass the test. If not, then you need to know Him.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: Don't miss the final part of this series at By Faith Alone - Part IV.  You may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

By Faith Alone - Part II

During my lifetime, I've had the privilege and the pleasure of traveling to various countries, including Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, and Hungary. I personally enjoy flying. Anyone who has traveled at all knows that when you board a passenger plane to travel, you trust that the plane will do what it is designed to do. You are persuaded that it is airworthy and will carry you across the country or over the ocean to your destination.

Faith in God is a bit like that. Faith is not simply giving mental assent to something. It's not simply agreeing theoretically with an idea or concept. It is the kind of confidence you have when you board an airplane to cross the ocean. You absolutely trust the plane to do what it is supposed to do. You step out and take action to demonstrate your trust in the object of your faith. Of course, as a Christian, you should be praying and putting your trust in God for safe travel, since accidents do happen.

Sola fide is a Latin phrase, meaning "by faith alone". The early reformers used it to describe the fact that our salvation is by faith alone. Some people disagree with that notion and say that a person is saved by his good works or by a combination of good works and faith. In this study, we’ll look at this controversial topic to see what the Bible says about it. We’ll find out how faith is a key to answered prayer.

Everything we receive from the Lord we receive by faith. Let’s look at some examples in Scripture.

“But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.” (Jam 1:6). When you pray to the Lord, be sure you ask in faith believing.

“And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.” (Jam 5:15). When we pray for someone to be healed, it’s the prayer of faith that heals.

“But Jesus turning and seeing her said, ‘Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.’ At once the woman was made well.” (Mat 9:22) It was the woman’s faith in Jesus that instantly made her well.

“Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘It shall be done to you according to your faith.’” (Mat 9:29). The blind man received his sight by faith.

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.” (Mar 10:52)

“Then Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed at once.” (Mat 15:28). Jesus delivered this woman’s daughter from demons, because he saw her faith in Him.

How much faith do you need? “And He *said to them, ‘Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.’” (Mat 17:20). All you need is a little bit to move a mountain.

“And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and cast into the sea,” it will happen.” (Mat 21:21)

When the apostles were asked how they healed the lame man, here is what they said: "And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.” (Act 3:16). They healed the lame man by faith in Jesus Name.

Putting it All Together
You may wonder what this has to do with our main topic of “by faith alone”. It has everything to do with it. Jesus spoke to a lame man one time, whose friends had brought him to Jesus to be healed. When He saw their faith, He said to the man, “Take courage. Your sins are forgiven.” But certain religious people watching this were thinking He was blaspheming by claiming to forgive sins. They knew that only God can forgive sins. Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “’Which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up, and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’--then He *said to the paralytic, ‘Get up, pick up your bed and go home.’ And he got up and went home.” (Mat 9:5-7).

Jesus demonstrated at that time that He has power to forgive sins when a person has faith in Him. Since we cannot see whether the person’s sins are forgiven, He demonstrated it by also healing the man instantly from lameness. It was all based on their faith.

So whether you need salvation, healing, miracles, deliverance from demons, or an answer to your prayers, faith is the key. It’s all by faith alone in Jesus’ name.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: We'll study more about faith in the rest of this series. So I hope you will follow it at the following links:

By Faith Alone - Part III
By Faith Alone - Part IV

You may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

By Faith Alone - Part I

When I was an Infantryman in the US Army, I went to Airborne School at Fort Benning, GA and earned my wings. It was exhilarating to jump out of a plane at 2,000 feet with nothing between me and the ground but air. I know from experience that when you jump from a plane, you are trusting the parachute to do what it is supposed to do. You have confidence in it.

Faith in God is a bit like that. Faith is not simply giving mental assent to something. It's not simply agreeing theoretically with an idea or concept. It is the kind of confidence you have when you jump from an airplane. You absolutely trust the parachute to do what it is supposed to do. You step out and take action to demonstrate your trust in the object of your faith.

Sola fide is a Latin phrase, meaning "by faith alone". The early reformers used it to describe the fact that our salvation is by faith alone. Some people disagree with that notion and say that a person is saved by his good works or by a combination of good works and faith. In this study, we’ll look at this controversial topic to see what the Bible says about it.

First of all, we know there is only “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” (Eph 4:5) So in Part One of this series on Faith Alone, we’ll study that one and only faith, and we'll see what it actually is, whether we are saved by faith alone or not.

Faith Defined
In the letter to the Hebrews, we read: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1). Hope is the expectation that something good is going to happen. And faith is being sure of things hoped for. So faith is being sure that the good thing you are expecting to happen is actually going to happen. And it’s being sure about that before you can see it. So what’s that have to do with receiving forgiveness from God?

Saved by Faith
Faith has everything to do with receiving forgiveness from God. In fact it’s the key. In Luke’s gospel we read that a woman who was a sinner came to Jesus when she found out that he was reclining in a man’s house in that town. She began to pour perfume on his feet and kiss them, and wet them with her tears of repentance for her sin: “Then He said to her, ‘Your sins have been forgiven’…And He said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’ " (Luk 7:48-50). Jesus forgave the woman right there on the spot, and told her it was her faith that saved her. So Jesus Himself taught that we are saved by faith alone. He didn’t say, “Your faith will save you in the future, as long as you do the following things.” He didn’t say, “I will forgive you after you do this, this and this.” In fact, he put it in the past tense, when He said, “Your sins have been forgiven,” and “Your faith has saved you.”

Faith is from the Greek word pistis, which means persuasion, that is, credence; moral conviction, especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; assurance, belief, faith, fidelity. This word comes from peitho, pi'-tho, which means to convince; agree, assure, believe, have confidence, obey, persuade, trust, yield.

The apostle Paul taught the same thing like this: “But what does it say? ‘The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.’” (Rom 10:8-11). So we need to believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and confess with our mouth Jesus as Lord, and we shall be saved. That’s it. Nothing else added.

The word for believe here is from the Greek word πιστεύω, pisteuo, pist-yoo'-o, meaning to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), that is, credit; by implication to entrust (especially one’s spiritual well being to Christ): - believe, commit (to trust).

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Eph 2:8). There it is again that we are saved through faith. It’s all by grace, meaning a gift to you from God. Just believe it and it’s yours.

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." (John 11:25). He taught that if we believe in Him, we shall live.

“You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (2Ti 3:14-15). So it’s a salvation through faith.

“Obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” (1Pe 1:9). That’s easy to understand, too. When you have faith, the outcome or end result is your soul is saved.

“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.’" (Rom 1:17). This is a key verse, so go back and read it again. It says that the righteous person shall live by faith. That means if you want to be a righteous person, you will live your life by trusting the Lord for that righteousness. How do I know? Because it says that God’s righteousness, which is perfect, is revealed from faith to faith.

"By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin." (Rom 3:20)

“Even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction.” (Rom 3:22). Here again, all those who believe receive the righteousness of God.

"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law." (Rom 3:28)

“And may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.” (Phi 3:9). Which one would you rather have – a righteousness of your own or the righteousness that comes from God? I think I’d rather have God’s righteousness. Well, it comes on the basis of faith, not faith plus something else.

“Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.” (Gal 2:16). Just in case you still thought there must be some mistake, we see here that we are not justified by doing everything written in God’s Law. Rather it is through faith alone. In fact, it’s impossible to be made righteous by the works of the Law.

Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." (Gal 3:11)

Let me ask a question: Who are the sons of Abraham? “Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.” (Gal 3:7) Did you see anything there besides faith?

“The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.’” (Gal 3:8). Here it says that God justifies the Gentiles by faith – period.

“But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” (Gal 3:22). There’s a promise from God in Scripture that was given to Abraham. That promise is given by faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe.

“Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” (Gal 3:24-25). The Law is pictured metaphorically as a tutor. A tutor usually helps you learn things. So the Law helps you learn that you are a sinner and need to be saved by Christ. Once you get that, you don’t need the Law to do anything else for you. You simply need to put your faith in Christ and He justifies you.

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:26) This really needs no explanation. Jesus is God’s Son, and you become a son of God, too, through your faith in Jesus.

At one point, this issue of circumcision arose in the first century church. Up to that point, disciples of Christ were mostly all Jewish, so they had all been circumcised. But as more Gentiles became believers, some Jewish leaders taught that they must be circumcised. In other words, they taught that salvation was by faith in Jesus plus circumcision. So this matter was brought before the Church elders in Jerusalem. They concluded that circumcision was unnecessary, saying, “And He [the Lord] made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.” (Act 15:9) They acknowledged that God cleansed the hearts of Gentiles the same way He cleansed the hearts of Jews, and it was by faith.

Paul had been a Jewish Pharisee who persecuted Christians. And on the day he came to know Jesus, the Lord spoke to him directly about his mission to the Gentiles, which was “To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.” (Act 26:18). This is powerful. It means the Gentiles have an inheritance among all those who have been sanctified or made holy. So how are those people sanctified? The Lord told Paul they were sanctified by faith in Jesus Himself.

Paul described his ministry as one where he was “Solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Act 20:21). That was his mission. He told people to repent toward God and put their faith in Jesus Christ. He did not preach that they must join a certain religion or that they must do certain works to be saved. The message was simply repent and believe.

While Paul was held as a prisoner, he had a chance to share the gospel with rulers. “But some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.” (Act 24:24). As we see here, the message he shared with Governor Felix and his wife was one of faith in Christ Jesus.

“But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction.” (Rom 3:21-22). Has a righteousness apart from the Law been manifested? Yes! We get credit for the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus – whether we are Jews or Gentiles. “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” (Rom 3:28)

In all of these passages, notice one very consistent thing: God is the Justifier. It’s all possible through Jesus, “Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the Justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Rom 3:25-26).

“Since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.” (Rom 3:30) One and the same God justifies both the circumcised and uncircumcised the same way – through faith.

“Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.” (Rom 3:31). Our faith does not nullify the Law. Instead it establishes the Law.

“For what does the Scripture say? ‘ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.’ Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: ‘BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.’" (Rom 4:3-8). Why not be like Abraham? Believe God and He will give you credit for His righteousness. Not a bad deal! Simply believe in Him who justifies the ungodly, and your faith is credited as righteousness.

“Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, ‘FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.’" (Rom 4:9). Paul is saying here is that it was not because of circumcision that Abraham was considered righteous. It was because of his faith.

“And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them.” (Rom 4:11). Paul speaks here of the faith which Abraham had while uncircumcised, and he calls Abraham the father of all who believe without being circumcised.

“For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.” (Rom 4:13). So when God promised Abraham descendant as numerous as the sand of the seashore, it was not through the Law but through the righteousness Abraham had by faith alone.

“For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified.” (Rom 4:14). It would, in fact, make our faith void and cancel out the promise of God to Abraham, if the only way to inherit the promise to Abraham was by obedience to the Law.

“For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.” (Rom 4:16). The promise of God to Abraham is guaranteed to all who are of the same faith as Abraham. It’s one and the same faith.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5:1) This is as clear as it can be. We have been justified by faith. As a result, we enjoy peace with God and He is no longer angry with us who believe in Jesus.

“What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith.” (Rom 9:30). It’s a righteousness that is by faith, and Gentiles attained it. In fact, the Gentiles attained it without seeking it through any kind of attempt to observe the Law.

“Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.” (Rom 9:32). Paul explains why the Jew did not receive righteousness, even though they did seek to attain it. It’s because they pursued it by works, not by faith. This means anyone who pursues righteousness by works will not attain it.

The Jews were the original olive braches growing from God’s vine. But God removed them. “Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear.” (Rom 11:20). The reason they were broken off was they did not have faith. And since Gentiles are enjoying God’s righteousness completely by faith, it should humble us and cause us to stand in the fear of God, because we could be removed from God’s vine for the same reason.

When you hear the good news, you have to mix it together with faith. “For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.” (Heb 4:2)

Putting it All Together
From the Scriptures, it is abundantly clear that we are saved by faith alone. It's so crucial that we understand this, because so many people think they need to add something else to be saved. For some it is faith in Jesus plus circumcision. And for others it is faith plus their good works. But if we add anything to faith in order to be saved, we nullify our faith. Then it is no longer by grace.

As the apostle Paul wrote: "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you." (Gal 5:1-2). If you add anything to faith in Jesus alone, then Christ is of no benefit to you.

Some people think that they simply give mental assent to the gospel. But true faith is more than that. It is the same kind of trust you have when you jump out of a plane or fly across the ocean, or ride an elevator to the top of a tall building. You have absolute confidence in Jesus Christ to save your soul.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: We'll study more about faith in the rest of this series. So I hope you will follow it at the following links:

By Faith Alone - Part II
By Faith Alone - Part III
By Faith Alone - Part IV

You may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Scripture Alone

Scripture alone, Christ alone, faith alone, grace alone, and for the glory of God alone. This series is known as the five solas, because these were originally Latin phrases that each contained the word "sola" meaning "solely" or "alone." It describes what the Protestant Reformers believed. The Latin expressions were Sola Scriptura, Sola fide, Sola gratia, Solus Christus, and Soli Deo Gloria. In this post, I'd like to explore the first of the five, which is sola Scriptura, meaning "Scripture alone".

The Bible is replete with exhortations about this.

Invalidating the Word of God
Jesus rebuked the religious people of his day, who had many man-made traditions, which were merely precepts of men that actually nullified the Word of God. Jesus said,"But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God," he is not to honor his father or his mother.' And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. "You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'" (Mat 15:5-9). You see, these leaders atually taught their disciples that when they made a vow to give some money to God, they were no longer obliged to help their own parents, even if they were in need. So by this precept, the leaders nullified the Word which commands us to honor our father and mother.

Live on God's Word
Jesus Himself said to the devil: "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'" (Mat 4:4). So we live on every one of God's Words. Our life depends on it!

We are to long for the Word, not man-made traditions, because it's by the Word that we grow up in our faith: "like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation." (1Pe 2:2)

The Word was God
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (Joh 1:1) Jesus is the Word. The Word is a Person and He is God. We are told to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. (Heb 12:2).

Accurately Handle the Word
We are exhorted to "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." (2Ti 2:15)

Hold Fast the Word
We are always to be "holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict." (Tit 1:9)

Held Together by the Word
Jesus upholds all things by His powerful Word. "And He [Jesus] is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high," (Heb 1:3)

It's a Living Word
"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Heb 4:12) This cannot be said of man-made precepts and traditions.

It's All Inspired by God
"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." (2Ti 3:16-17). The word for inspired is theopneustos, which means God-breathed. So all Scripture came from the breath of God that he breathed upon men. It is all profitable and by it we are equipped for good works.

Able to Save Your Soul
The Word is able to save your soul: "Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls." (Jam 1:21)

You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (2Ti 3:14-15)

We have been born again through the Word of God, not man-made precepts and traditions: "for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God." (1Pe 1:23)

Doers of the Word
We are to be doers of the Word, not man-made traditions: "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves." (Jam 1:22)

"but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:" (1Jo 2:5)

Source of Faith
Our very faith comes from hearing the Word, not from hearing man's ideas or observing man's traditions. The apostle Paul said: "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." (Rom 10:17)

Endures Forever
"BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER." And this is the word which was preached to you." (1Pe 1:25) On the other hand, traditions will pass away, and so will man's words.

Pay Attention to the Word
It's like a lamp shining in a dark place & we do well to pay attention to it: "So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts." (2Pe 1:19)

Word Abides in You
Jesus said, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (Joh 15:7). He didn't say that church traditions need to abide in us or that man's teaching must abide in us.

"I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one." (1Jo 2:14)

Persecuted for the Word
John was persecuted for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus: "I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus." (Rev 1:9)

He Who Hears and Understands the Word Bears Fruit
We bear fruit if the word implanted takes root in the good soil of a receptive heart: "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty."
(Mat 13:23)

Search the Word Daily
The Berean disciples were considered nobler than those in Thessalonica, because they received the Word with all readiness of mind. And they did not just believe it because the apostle said it, but they searched the Scriptures daily to see if the things he taught were really true. “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Act 17:10-11)

Voice of the Lord
In the Church today (both Protestant and Catholic), disciples are trained to listen to the voice of man, such as the pastor or the denominational dogma, not the voice of the Lord. But we need to train people to listen to the Lord’s voice instead. Jesus said “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.” (Joh 10:3-4). We follow Jesus because we know Him personally and we know His voice. We can hear from Him for ourselves, not because everything we know about Him has been filtered through someone else.

Guidance from the Spirit of Truth
Often Church leaders would prefer to control people, and do not want them reading their own Bibles or deciding for themselves what the Bible says. While it is true that teachers are an important gift in the Body, they should not teach people to become dependent upon them for Truth. Instead they should teach people how to read the Word for themselves and understand it through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Jesus assured us that the Holy Spirit would help us hear His voice and understand His Word when He said, "When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth." (Joh 16:13a). John the apostle said it like this: “As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.” (1Jo 2:27)

Focus on the Word
The Psalms are full of references to the Word. From the Psalms we learn that the Word has been tried like silver seven times. The Word is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path. Just read Psalm 119 and you will see there is a heavy emphasis on the Word. Nearly every single verse in that psalm makes reference to the Word of God. We need to meditate on the Word, ponder it, put our hope in it, reach out for it, long for it, and obey it. That's the heart of God.

So I think it is well established that the Word is our sole rule of faith. If we disciples would start reading our Bibles and ask God to show us the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth, we would be amazed what the Lord will begin to open our eyes to see in Scripture.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: This post concludes a five part series on the five solas. If you have not read the rest of the series and would like to do so, you may find those parts here:

By Faith Alone, Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV
By Grace Alone
In Christ Alone
For the Glory of God Alone

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like The Bible is the Word of God, Progressive Revelation, The Scripture Must Be Fulfilled, The Uniqueness of God's Word, Deleted Scriptures in the Bible?, Is Obedience Optional?, Seeking Glory from God, The Light and the Glory,  and Walking in the Perfect Will of God. You may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.