THE EFFICACIOUS NATURE OF FAITH -- Tomorrow:
"For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Cor 5:7)
Devotion 4 of 24
THE PREEMINENCE OF FAITH
"Without faith, it is impossible to please God"
The affirmation of Scripture is, "without faith, it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6). There is no circumstance of life that can negate this statement. It makes little difference what accomplishments one may have enjoyed, if faith is not possessed, God's favor CANNOT be experienced! Faith, then, is a line of demarcation that stands between pleasing God and it being IMPOSSIBLE to please Him.
It is remarkable how little this is believed in the religious world. It is as though Satan extended himself to blind men to this truth. As long as people think human efforts alone will please the Lord, they will leave Him out of their lives. They will be noted for NOT trusting the Lord, NOT living for Him, and NOT confidently looking forward to being with Him forever. They will be unsure about salvation, uncertain about their eternal destiny, and very shaky about whether or not God as received and accepted them.
Men have even debated over faith, whether or not men can overthrow it, or if it is nothing more than a "step" in several acts of obedience that all carry equal weight. All such disputations are profitless, for "without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God." It makes no difference what one does, what creed they have embraced, the church with which they are affiliated, or if they have maintained, what appears to be, spotless moral purity. If they do not have faith the kind of faith God speaks about they are in a lost state.
THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH
It was Habakkuk the prophet who first said, "Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:4). Observe the personal emphasis: the just (or justified) individual lives by "HIS" faith. It is not possible to have spiritual life because of the faith of someone else. It is your own faith that produces life toward God. This is in diametric opposition to the principle of the clergy, who presume to stand between men and God. While this principle was true under the law, it is not true under Christ. The just shall live by faith." This affirmation is quoted several times in the new covenant writings (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38).
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD BY FAITH
Before God, the real issue is righteous whether or not men are righteous in His sight. This cannot be skirted, or placed upon the shelf of forgetfulness. No one must be content to be deceived on this matter. All of the "unrighteous" will be condemned, for "the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor 6:9).
Now enters the Gospel of God, which is "the power of God unto salvation" (Rom 1:16). It boldly announces that God has a righteousness He will give to men. "For therein (in the Gospel) is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17). To be righteous is the quest of everyone possessing faith. The Gospel announces the availability of the righteousness of God Himself, conferred upon men through their faith (Phil 3:9). This righteousness is initially appropriated by faith. It is also maintained and retained through individual faith. That is the Spirit's application of "the just shall live by faith."
Those who walk by faith live in the favor of God. Their persuasion of the truth of the Gospel causes the face of God to shine upon them.
JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, NOT BY LAW
To be "justified" is to be pronounced righteous before God. It is to be cleared of all guilt and made acceptable to God, obtaining peace with Him. "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith" (Galatians 3:11). Although some men have elected to argue about the means through which men are justified, the Spirit declares that the means of our exoneration is "evident" it is "by faith."
Justification is a matter of being alive alive to God. "The just shall live by faith," maintaining sensitivity and relation to the living God through Christ and by the Spirit. This is contrasted with seeking the approbation of God through the law principle, or adherence to a set of rules. Those who walk by faith do not pursue the acceptance of God by following a procedure. Rather, they focus on believing the good news concerning what the Lord has wrought in their behalf. This is what pleases the Lord.
FAITH DOES NOT DRAW BACK
"Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him" Hebrews 10:38). The contemporary church appears to have little grasp of the seriousness of drawing back from God. Those who "draw back" move closer to condemnation and hell! That is the solemn proclamation of Scripture. Adam and Eve drew back in Eden, and Israel drew back at Sinai. They did so because their conscience was defiled and did not allow them to come close to God. But faith is not like this. Faith compels the believer to come close to God, staying there as long as he can, and obtaining as much as possible. Faith basks in the presence of God, and dreads the thought of being cast out from His presence.
The person who walks by faith comes closer to God throughout the entirety of life. When chastened, he nestles in the Lord's bosom. In times of trouble, he runs to the Lord to obtain safety. In times of blessing, he joyfully thanks the Lord. Temptation cannot drive the believing one from God. Nothing is able to separate him from the love of God, and he knows it. Faith does not draw back because it does not want to draw back.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the life that is maintained by faith.