The Law of Faith (part III)

In trying to get a handle on what faith is exactly, Hebrews chapter 11 is FULL of information.   As we saw last week in vs 1 faith is substance.  It is the beginning foundational (unseen by the human eye) “stuff” that God uses as building material.  This “stuff” starts out as supernatural “stuff” but when it is mixed with the Word of God it manifests in the physical realm.  In vs 3 we see that God used faith, in combination with His Word to create the universe.  We know Jesus to be the Word of God and John 1-3 tells us that nothing that we see was created without the Word.  So the first thing God decided to show man was the Law of Faith in operation.  If God caused things to manifest in this physical realm by combining His Word, with His Faith, then that law will work the same every single time, with the same outcome every single time.  

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Every miracle Jesus performed on the earth was manifested in this way, His faith, combined with His word, brought about the expected result.    Hebrews 11 is full of testimonies of men who lived miraculous lives because they had tapped into the system by which God displays His power in man.  Vs 6 tells us that we are not pleasing to God if we don’t believe - 1)that He exists, and 2)that He will reward us if we seek Him.  This vs is not scolding us for our lack of faith, but rather it shows God’s frustration when we will not allow Him to work in us through faith.  Imagine a husband who loves his wife passionately, who desires nothing more than to be close to her and provide good things for her.  Yet his advances are constantly rejected and the wife feels unworthy and refuses all of his gifts, the husband will be frustrated and the relationship will not be satisfying to him.  God desires to reward us and display His power through us and without faith we frustrate His goodness.  God’s Spirit in us causes us to hope for the things He hopes for.  His word alive in us gives birth to that thing hoped for, and this all happens through faith.  

 

God can only work through a yielded, rested vessel.  The Gospel of reconciliation announces to us that Christ has taken out of the way the ordinances that were contrary to us.(Col 2:14)  Everything that caused us to be at odds with God has been removed.  The only thing left for us to do, is rest in the finished work of Christ.  Yes, the Bible is full of imperatives, but every requirement has ALREADY been met in Christ and all we need to do is to come into agreement with that truth.  There is NO striving to achieve any of the imperatives on our own, as if we could!  God is definitely a proponent of supply side economics.   All demand was met in Him, through the supply of His Son.  He invested His Son in us; He is not going to leave the return on His investment to chance.  He put all His eggs in one basket, HIMSELF!

So imagine this concept applied to our faith.  Could it be that there too, He left nothing to chance?  Were you able to look at Galatians 2:20 and Acts 3:16 in the King James Version?  The original translation of Gal. 2:20 says - Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith OF the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.   Yes, it is HIS faith, CHRIST’s faith that we are trusting in to enable us to live victoriously and accomplish all God has predestined for me to accomplish.  In vs 16 we see that we are justified by HIS faith as well.  He could not leave our redemption to chance!  The very reason He sent His son, our redemption, all hinges on faith in His sacrifice.  He not only provided Himself as the substitute, but He supplies us with the faith necessary to believe on Him for our very salvation.   Can it get any better?  Just as it is Christ’s righteousness that is the foundation for our justification, it is Christ’s faith that is the foundation for our trust in His righteousness.  There are quite a few places where the New Testament refers to the faith OF God or the faith OF Christ.  In Acts 3:16 the faith that Peter had in the name of Christ to heal came through Christ.  

Do we have any idea how big this is?   As we see Christ bigger through meditating on His Word, we see that HE IS SUPPLY for every shortfall in us.  So what does that mean?  It means we are complete, IN HIM.  He has finished it at the cross.  His wisdom has angled the whole transaction in such a way that we cannot come up short in any area.  We are pleasing to Him in every way; we are what He says we are.  Every condition for blessing, provision, healing, joy, and victory has been met in Christ!  I know this has been a long post, but please meditate on the scripture you’ve been given in the 3 Faith postings; your faith will grow as you dwell on Christ

Law and Order part IV

I pray that by now we can see that God always operates in accordance with laws, because He is a just God who holds Himself to a righteous standard.  While all of creation would operate in perfect harmony with itself and with God if this standard were imposed universally, God only imposes this righteous standard on those who acknowledge Him savior and God.  (It behooves me to state here that we have no righteousness of our own, but once we are reconciled with God through Christ, we stand justified in Christ who became our substitute and paid the debt of sin so we could have His righteousness imputed to us.) God longs to be reconciled to each and every man so He can bring Him into covenant with Him and cause man to know the freedom that comes in serving the Righteous King.  Those who are subject because of the debt of sin, to the Prince of darkness, serve a ruler who rules by coercion and deception.

There will come a day where there will no longer be resistance to the Government of God, but right now, neither kingdom is allowed to operate un-opposed.  We who have been born again, translated from the power of darkness into the Kingdom of Christ (Col 1:13) who make up the body and church of Christ, are mandated to resist the opposing kingdom!  As subjects of the righteous King, Christ Jesus, we yield to His Spirit within us and allow His will to be carried out on the earth through us.  We are not autonomous, obeying our own voice, living a futile aimless life of carnality.  We do not strive for temporal earthly gain as the rest of the world does.  We LIVE to see the glory of our Lord fill the earth as we, His church, use His authority to influence outcomes in spiritual battle.

Though we resist the enemy till we see evidence of Christ's victory manifest here in the earth, the conflict takes place against principalities and powers in the spiritual realm.(Eph 6)   This is why we operate according to the law of faith.(Gal 2:20)  There is no victory to be won, and no authority to be taken.  Christ triumphed over our enemy and His, and disarmed him at the cross.(Col 2)  He is seated far above all rule and authority with His church, of whom He is the head.(Eph 1)  We are simply to stand in His authority and enforce what Christ has established.  Satan and all of his armis know they have no authority to legally stake a claim or operate where Christ's authority has been established.    But if WE the church are ignorant of this fact we give legitimacy to Satan's rule and he takes advantage.   We give up the fight prematurely when we do not see immediate results and are not confident that in the end WE will be the one left standing.

 

As we absorb God's Word daily, the Holy Spirit equips us with the knowledge of the promises that are our armor and ammunition. As we grow in confidence that the promises of God are SURE, we will stand UNTIL the enemy is forced to admit the truth of his impotence and walk away empty handed. Once we gain ground, we must maintain a presence and move ahead with patient endurance.  Let patience have her perfect work in you so that you will be entire and perfect wanting nothing. (James 1:4)Daily hide God's word in your heart, the cunning lies of the devil are no match for God's truth and wisdom!

Next posting we will take a deeper look at the Law of Faith.