Tag: by faith
Righteousness by faith
Scripture reading for June 25: Romans 9
“What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a Stone of stumbling, and a Rock of offense; and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.”” Romans 9:30-33
Righteousness simply means to have right standing before God. The Gentiles have God’s law through nature and conscience. They know that they are eternal beings because God has put eternity in man’s heart. (Ecclesiastes 3:11) The Jews had God’s law through Moses and did not keep it. Because they had a sin nature from Adam, they fell under condemnation for breaking God’s law. Because all men and women, from Adam and Eve until today have sinned before God, no one can have righteousness through perfect obedience of God’ law as Jews or following conscience as Gentiles. Truly, all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory and perfection. We cannot stand on our own in the final judgment.
God provided sacrifices that would temporarily cover man’s sin and give them relief from condemnation by faith in God’s mercy through their obedience. The only way of obtaining righteousness for sinful man is to come to God by faith and ask for forgiveness and mercy. The Jews failed to pursue righteousness by faith and instead tried to work to keep God’s law. Their own sin natures brought failure and condemnation. But God provided the final and only Sacrifice for sins and sinners in His Son, Jesus Christ. He was born a Jew and was placed by God among the Jews. Many Jews refused to come to Him by faith and will be put to shame. But for all who receive Him, their condemnation is removed and adoption results!
Have you ever tried to be good enough to be accepted by God through religious practice or good works? Have you stumbled over the Gospel of Grace through faith in Jesus Christ or have you found adoption and forgiveness through Him? Do you have confidence for righteousness now and at the judgment?
Prayer: Father God, thank You for removing my condemnation and giving me Christ’s righteousness by faith. I have confidence through faith in Your promise of eternal life through trusting in Jesus Christ. Use me to testify to Your amazing Gift of right standing before You now and at the final judgment. Amen.
Money and power
Scripture reading for May 15: Acts 8
“Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for He had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you though you could obtain the gift of God with money!”” Acts 8:14-20
The church was growing rapidly and was now growing in Samaria. Jesus had visited their region and the woman at the well had shared Jesus with her fellow Samaritans. Now Philip, the deacon turned evangelist, had preached there and many had been baptized in the Name of Jesus. The apostles in Jerusalem, Peter and John, had come to see this church and build it up. They saw that these believers had not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, although they had been baptized in water. They laid their hands on them and prayed over them to receive the Gift of the Father, the Holy Spirit. Although it doesn’t specifically say, these so filled must have spoken in tongues and were filled with joy and boldness.
Simon, a former sorcerer, who had believed and was baptized watched the apostles. He went to Peter and John with money to purchase the ability to lay hands on people to receive the Holy Spirit. Peter and John rebuked him sharply. God’s Gift is never for sale! His heart was not right and he must quickly repent or perish! The Holy Spirit is received by faith through God’s grace to those who ask. (Luke 11:13)
From this passage, is it possible to have repented, believed, and been baptized in Jesus’ Name and still not be filled with the Holy Spirit? Was it necessary for the apostles to lay hands on them for their reception of the Holy Spirit? How do you know when you have received the Holy Spirit?
Prayer: Father God, thank You for Your Gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank You for the infilling of the Holy Spirit for empowering us to be a witness and pray effectively. Give me deeper insight into how to pray for those needing this Gift and how to help all believers to be filled. Amen.
Faith to ask and receive!
Scripture reading for July 9th: Matthew 9
Key Scriptures: Matthew 9:27-30 “And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When He entered the house, the blind men came to Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.” But they went away and spread His fame through all that district.”
Jesus had taught often on prayer. He encouraged His followers to ask, seek, and knock. He also stated that they would receive, find and have doors opened. He encouraged persistence and belief. As Jesus passed by, two blind men heard He was near and began to cry out with loud voices. They addressed Jesus with a messianic title, ‘Son of David’, and asked for mercy. Even when Jesus passed them by and went into a house, they followed Him. Jesus asked them if they believed He was able to heal their eyes. They responded in the affirmative. Jesus took them at their words, and declared that they would have what they believed for. Their eyes were immediately opened! Ask and you will receive! Have faith to ask and then receive according to that same faith.
Matthew 9:20-22 “And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her He said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.””
Faith confession and prayer: Father God, I believe in You and in Your Word. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and simple trust to act when You present opportunities to believe and act on Your Word. Help me to ask in faith always and receive by faith always. To You be all glory and honor and praise!
Matthew 10:1 “And He called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.”
From death to Life!
Scripture reading for September 7th: Proverbs 8-11, Colossians 2
Key Scriptures: Colossians 2:13-16 “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
Paul explained the amazing work of Jesus Christ through His sacrifice on the cross. The written code of the Law was nailed to the cross, so that it could no longer provoke us to sin. He defeated and disarmed our arch foe, Satan, and his demons. He triumphed over them through the cross! In Him we now have victory and empowerment to live righteously by faith.
Proverbs 11:3-4 “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.”
Prayer: Lord, thank You for Christ’s amazing sacrifice for me. Through Him, I am saved from death and given life! Amen.
Crucified with Christ
Scripture reading for August 16th: Psalm 101-104, Galatians 2
Key Scriptures: Galatians 2:20-21 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”
Paul was writing to the Galatian church in response to some false teachers that were trying to get the church to add law-keeping to their faith in Jesus. He explained how his identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion brought new life to him through faith, not trying to keep the law. In fact, if he went back to trying to keep the law, Christ died in vain and grace would be nullified.
Psalm 103:1-5 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy Name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Prayer: Thank You Lord, for salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, and resurrection. I bless You for all Your benefits today! Amen!
Living by Faith!
Scripture reading for June 13th: Nehemiah 3-5, Romans 1
Key Scriptures: Romans 1:16-17 “I am not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Paul, writing to the Roman believers, declared the Gospel of Jesus Christ as God’s power for salvation. This message of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ brought faith to those who would believe. Their faith in Jesus brought righteousness that enabled them to live by faith.
Nehemiah 4:14 “After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
Prayer: Lord, thank You for the faith granted me to believe in Jesus Christ. May I live fully by faith today. Amen.
Times of refreshing!
Scripture reading for May 8th: 2nd Kings 10-12, Acts 3
Key Scriptures: Acts 3:19-21 “”Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets long ago.””
Peter called on the Jews to repent and turn to Jesus Christ, the One spoken of by the prophets. Jesus, alone could restore all things and bring times of refreshing that would follow repentance and turning of hearts to Him.
2nd Kings 12:4-6 “Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the holy things that is brought into the house of the Lord, . . .and the money that a man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the Lord, . .and let them repair the house wherever any need of repairs is discovered.”. . . “But by the 23rd year of King Jehoash, the priests had made no repairs on the house (of the Lord).”
Prayer: Lord, my heart is moved to see Your Holy Temple restored and cleansed. Cleanse me and Your Church and bring times of refreshing as we obey You. Amen.
Believe in your heart, confess with your mouth!
Scripture reading for June 26th: Romans 10
“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, the did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”
Paul prayed for the salvation of his Jewish brothers and sisters! He personally knew their zeal for God, having himself been so zealous that he persecuted Christians and had them arrested and even killed. His own zeal was not in accordance with personal knowledge of Christ. He sought to establish his own righteousness by zealously keeping the law and standing against Christ. This changed when he personally met Christ and acknowledged His Lordship!
Paul explained the way of Jesus to his own brothers and to us as well. “”The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming; That if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heat that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.”” (Romans 10:8-11)
The way of Jesus is so simple! We believe in our heart and confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord! Have you believed this simple word of God? Today is the best day to respond in faith! You will never be sorry!
Jews need salvation!
Scripture reading for June 25th: Romans 9
Paul had a great desire to see his own brothers, the Jews, saved! In fact, he was willing to be cut off from Christ in order to see them come to know Christ! (Romans 9:3) This was the same attitude that Christ, Himself took when He went to the cross on behalf of His brothers! Paul had the Holy Spirit and he reflected God’s heart for the Jews as well as all people!
The Jews should have been the first to recognize Christ. They had the law, the covenants, and the promises of God through the Old Testament Scriptures as well as the lineage of Christ flowing from their line through Abraham! But Paul went on to point out that not all who descended from Abraham were God’s children of promise! (Romans 9:7-9) It was through Isaac that offspring would be reckoned. And even Isaac’s offspring, twins Jacob and Esau, found God’s promise flowing through Jacob and not Esau! This was announced before they were born! Not all Jews were part of God’s plan. Was God unjust?
Paul concluded that the Jews missed out on God’s promise. “What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works.” (Romans 9:30-32)
We learn that we can all, like the Jews, miss God’s promise by trying to work for our right standing with God. We must simply believe in Jesus Christ and rest in the promise of righteousness by faith that has always been the way of God’s children. Have you trusted in Christ?
Pleasing God by faith!
Scripture reading for December 15th: Hebrews 11-13
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Hebrews 11:1-3
One of the foundational aspects of our faith is trusting God as creator of all things. This particular aspect of faith is attacked in our land today by those who put their faith in the theory of evolution. Evolution is a type of religious system that puts time and chance as key ingredients to finding the basis of beginning in all things. A creator is ruled out in favor of man’s invention of ‘truth’.
We who trust God’s word know that He spoke a command and it happened. Faith trusts what God has said. The Bible records a number of human beings who trusted God’s word and were commended by Him. Enoch is one such person recorded in Hebrews 11.
“By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:5-6)
Enoch was a man who walked with God. He was a prophet who warned of the coming of the Lord in judgment. His only recorded message is found in Jude 14-15. Enoch began to walk with God after the birth of his son, Methuselah, whose name tells of coming judgment. (Genesis 5:21-24) The flood came in the year Methuselah died and he lived longer than any other man recorded in Scripture. Enoch so walked with God that he was snatched up to heaven and became a type of ‘faith-walker’ that would inspire others throughout the ages!
There is no other means of pleasing God! Jesus is coming again. Will you walk with God today as if that were true and warn others about this coming event? God has promised to “snatch up” those who walk with Him! ( 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18)