What Does FAITH Do?
“Even so Abraham
(The Letter of Paul to the Galatians 3: 6-9 NASB)
BELIEVED GOD,
AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.
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.”
So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham,
the believer.”
- Maybe you (like me) enjoyed a day at home yesterday, a day granted to us as a federal holiday. This day was given to us to enjoy because of the work of one man who preached:
“Let freedom ring.” (Dr. King’s speech I Have a Dream 1963)
- Maybe you (like me) enjoyed a day at home yesterday, a day that coincided with the inauguration of our new president. This day was special to us because of the work of many who collectively signed a declaration, stating:
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” (formerly titled The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America 1776).
- Maybe you (like me) watched the ten-plus hours of the presidential inauguration and (like me) cried tears when the five men of faith stepped to the podium inside the Capital Rotunda and prayed to Almighty God.
Today, as I sit reading God’s Holy Word, particularly The Letter of Paul to the Galatians, I recall how Americans have been likened to those Gauls, to those who lived in the city of Galatia during the apostle Paul’s day.
Thus, in reflection, I find myself recalling how I cry when a person accepts Jesus as his Savior, and the questions continue to return—
What does it mean to have faith in Jesus?
What Does FAITH Do?
Abraham (formerly Abram), the father of nations, displayed his faith in God, believing God, even when he could not see where God was taking him and his family.
- FAITH IS A BELIEVER!
- Abraham believed God.
- When Abraham believed God, Abraham was made right with God.
The Bible says so!
“Even so Abraham
(The Letter of Paul to the Galatians 3: 6 NASB)
BELIEVED GOD,
AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Abraham walked the face of the earth at a time before God sent His only Son Jesus to the earth. Abraham lived in a land, one filled with polytheism, and God moved him toward a land of promise, one where a person must believe in ONE TRUE GOD!
- FAITH MAKES US THE CHILDREN OF GOD!
- Abraham believed God through FAITH.
- When Abraham believed God through FAITH, Abraham was made righteous through God.
- Since Abraham believed & because through his belief, God credited it to him as righteousness, those who have been born afterwards (meaning generations of humanity) may become the children of God, like Abraham, even those who are not Jewish but Gentiles by birth.
The Bible says so!
“Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.
(The Letter of Paul to the Galatians 3: 7-8 NASB)
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.”
What Does FAITH Do?
What does it mean to have faith in Jesus?
- Faith in God takes us out of Adam and places us in Jesus.
- Faith in Jesus means we believe in Jesus, the Redeemer.
- Faith in Jesus means we believe the Bible is the Word of God.
- Faith in Jesus means we believe Jesus shed His precious blood on the cross.
- Faith in Jesus means we believe we have received God’s grace through FAITH in JESUS our Savior.
Faith in God & Faith in Jesus means: WE ARE BELIEVERS IN HIM!
The Bible says so!
“So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham,
(The Letter of Paul to the Galatians 3: 9 NASB)
the believer.”
So then, the on-going question becomes—
What Does FAITH Daily Do?
The great evangelist Billy Graham wrote: “Our faith becomes stronger as we express it; a growing faith is a sharing faith. Pray now for those you know who need Christ, and ask God to help you be a witness to them—by the life you live and the words you speak.” (Graham HOPE for Each Day 2012)
- Faith becomes stronger when we express it.
- Faith becomes stronger when we share it.
- Faith becomes stronger when we tell others what Jesus did for us on the cross and in the grave.
- Faith becomes stronger when we allow the Light of the world (JESUS) to shine through us.
FAITH SHARES JESUS WITH OTHERS!
THIS IS WHAT FAITH DOES!
“Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident;
(The Letter of Paul to the Galatians 3: 11-14 NASB)
for,
“THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
However, the Law is not of faith;
on the contrary,
“HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM.”
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law,
having become a curse for us—for it is written,
“CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”—
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.”