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"Faith"
Faith in the Greek is “Pistis” (Pis-tis), which is defined as a moral conviction of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God, Gospel truth itself, belief, assurance, believe.
Romans 1:16-19
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them.Faith is believing God. Faith is made the condition, because unbelief was the cause of “Man`s Fall,” of “Sin`s” entrance, and of “Death`s” appointment for man. This lies on the surface of the history. Eve fell by not believing what God had said. She tampered with the words in which man can deal deceitfully with them.
(1). She omitted the word “freely” in (Genesis 3:2
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:). Compare what God said in (Genesis 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:).(2). She added to the sentence, “neither shall ye touch it,” in (Genesis 3:3
But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.). Compare what God said in (Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.).(3). She altered the certainty “thou shall surely die,” in (Genesis 2:17
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.). Into the contingency “lest ye die,” (Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.).Satan`s two assurances, (1). “Ye shall not surely die,” and (2). “Ye shall be as God,” were believed: and God`s Words, having been omitted, added to and altered, were in the end not believed.
Thus, by believing Satan`s words, was sin brought into the world, and death by sin. Hence, only by “believing” God, can man regain life, and sin be put away.
Only by believing God in what He has thus revealed about man himself, can the sinner be acquitted, and pronounced “not guilty,” and in this sense righteous.
Only by believing God in what He has revealed concerning Christ, can man be reckoned as being actually righteous, in Christ, and as having a Divine righteousness actually imputed to him.
This is the reason why believing what God says is made to be one necessary condition of justification. Man must believe God in what He says in His Word: and he must believe “All” that God Says.
In what sharp contrast does this set, all that goes to make up religion! Religion occupies man entirely with himself: with what he has done, with what he can do, and with what he must do. God occupy man with Himself, and with what He has said.
That it is which gives its character to all religion in the present day: “Man`s Day.” Man is exalted, and God is set aside. Man`s doing are substituted for man`s believing. This is why, on all hands, man`s works are substituted for God`s words. All as the importance of man`s works, increases in his opinion, so God`s Words decreases.
This is why, in the religious world the two great questions which occupy man are: (1). What he must do to be righteous, and (2). What he must do to be holy. It is all doing, from first to last, instead of believing God.
But the modern, social gospel of humanity is the gospel of the Old Serpent. It is based on faith in deed: But it is faith in the devil`s two lies, (1). “Ye shall be as God,” and (2). “Ye shall not surely die.”
So subtle is the poison of the Old Serpent, that not only does man, today, in this his new theology not believe God`s Words: but he does not believe God. This is why he puts forth his utmost efforts to get rid of all that is supernatural in the Scripture of truth.
Here God steps in with His irreversible decree. He lays down the one indispensable condition on which He will ever have any respect to man`s doing: or to alter His sentence of death on account of man`s own self undoing.
“Man Must Believe God.” We have the way back to God`s favor unalterably laid down at the fountain head of God`s revelation of Himself, and of humanity. The only way of access to God is by faith, i.e., by believing what He has said. Whosoever does that: and takes that first simple step, stands judicially acquitted.
1 Samuel 8:7
And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.What was appropriate for a Dispensation when God was ruling in Israel among the nations, in righteousness and judgment, is not appropriate for the present Dispensation when He is dealing in grace.
Then, every sin was visited with the judgment it deserved, by the righteous rule of a Righteous God.
But since man has rejected His rule and murdered His Son, God has withdrawn both Himself and His Son: and the world is left to itself and to the rule of the god of this age, (Ephesians 2:2
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:).God is not “administering,” “ordering” or “ruling” its affairs: though He is over-ruling in all things in order to secure the accomplishment out of His secret counsels and purposes. His Rule, and Dominion is in abeyance (temporary suspended): and while He is silent, He is, by His Spirit whom He has sent, bringing the world in guilty, of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment, (John 16:8
And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:). Of sin (said the Lord), because they believe not on Me.The world waits for nothing but judgment. A judgment summons has been obtained, and all that is needed now, is for the execution to be put in, the usurper (Satan) to be cast down, and out, (Revelation 12:7-9
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.).This is the character of this present Dispensation. God is keeping silence. He is taking out His own people in pure grace: and mean while He is dealing with the world on the same principle. His sun rises on the evil and the good, and His showers descend on the just and on the unjust, (Matthew 5:45
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.).Nothing but a living faith in the living God will carry the faithful through it. All else will be useless. Church membership and Church ordinance will alike be of no avail: all earthly props will fail, and He Who hath spoken will be the support of those who believe what He hath said.
One thing, however is certain, and that is, that we have, in the Scriptures of Truth, a revelation from God absolutely without error, and whatever difficulties we may encounter in seeking to understand it, they are all the outcome of our own infirmities.
Of another thing we are also certain, that the written Word can not be separated from the living Word, nor the spiritual meaning of the one understood without a living union with the other.
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