True Faith

[arunangelo]

Faith is to believe what we do not see or we do not understand.  It is like a little boy who believes everything his father tells him.  He believes, because, he trusts his father.  He trusts his father because his father loves him; and because, his father is his very own.  This is how it should be between God and us. We therefore, should have faith in God by believing in everything He tells us, even when we do not understand it; and by believing in His way of life.  To believe is to accept in our heart and to act according to what we accept.  Therefore, to believe that God loves us is to accept His love in our heart by loving others the way He loves us (John 15:12). Similarly, to believe in His forgiveness is to forgive others the way He forgives us (Matt 6:12). Also, to believe in His mercy is to be merciful like He is.  God showed His love for us by having mercy on us and forgiving us of our sins against Him. He did this by compensating for our offenses against Him by His life.  We too to have to forgive our offenders of their offenses against us; by having mercy on them; and by compensating for their offenses by the sacrifices we make for them.   We must be willing to lay down our life for others, including for those who cause us grave hurt; just as God in His Divine mercy sacrificed His life for us, although we gravely hurt Him (by our sins).  This is what it means to have faith in Jesus.  

   Faith of itself, if is does not have works, is dead faith (James 2:17), because, faith in God is to believe in Him and to do His works.  Similarly, works not done without faith (in God) is worthless (Psalm 127,1), because, works that are not God’s cannot last. To do God’s works, our thoughts must be like God’s, which is unconditional love for others. True faith always results in worship of God, that is truthful and from the heart.

[Audax]

Amen, great post.  It's important that we praise and believe in God's amazing Grace.  But it's equally important that we know how to obtain it and walk in it.  Unbelievers and those with a fruitless faith, are not true believers and they should know it for the sake of their eternal destiny.  Too often we let our theological theories croud out the reality of the existential circumstances where these things are applied.

There is a debate among Christians about whether we can loose our salvation or not under various theoretical circumstances.  While the question is a real one, it is not the primary question we should be asking until we clear other things up first.  For whatever our view on that issue, we should all know the admonition of Scripture to keep pressing forward in our faith.  The faith that saves is the faith that endures, and produces fruit.  

Hbr 3:12-14  "Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.  But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is {still} called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,"

When the word faith or belief appears in Scripture it is with the idea of continuing action, not one time past action.  John 3:16 for instance.  "Believeth."  That's present tense.  

I appreciate your post.  

Benjamin