FAITH - Fruit of the Spirit

• Faith “of” Christ - In 2 The 1:11, we find: “Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:”. The question needs to be asked, “Whose ‘work of faith’ is it?” Can a person’s works, or efforts, make some type of contribution to his eternal salvation? Absolutely not! The answer is very clear from the Scriptures in Tit 3:5-7: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us ... being justified [or saved] by his grace...”. Speaking of man’s works, Rom 11:6 adds, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work”. The reason man is incapable of doing anything to alter his eternal destiny is because he is spiritually dead, as Eph 2:1-3 describes. “Faith” is synonymous with the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is called “Faithful” in Rev 19:11: “he [Lord Jesus] that sat upon him was called Faithful and True”. What was the “work of faith”, or rather, “the work of Christ” that He so faithfully performed? Isa 53:11 reveals the answer. The “travail”, or “work”, that Christ did is to bear our iniquities and endure the punishment for sin - eternal damnation which the Bible calls the “second death” in Rev 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death”. Isa 63:1-5 acknowledges that only the Lord Jesus was qualified to atone for the sins of His people: “And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me”. In John 4:34 we also find this statement, “Jesus saith unto them, My meat [food] is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work”. His perfect work was completed while on the Cross he uttered the words of John 19:30, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost”. What was accomplished was the Atonement for the sins of all the elect. Christ was able to endure Hell with “Faith” in the promise to Him by His Father, that His soul would not be left in Hell and that His body would not be subject to “corruption”, or decay (Acts 2:25-28). Faith is the distinct property of the Savior. Keep in mind that Christ obeyed all of God’s Laws, the Bible, perfectly in thought, word, and deed, as Psa 40:7-8 indicates: “Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart”. In other words, faith is a person, and a person has “substance”. Thus, the faith [*Refer to original KJV: Gal 2:16-20, Rom 3:22, Php 3:9, Rom 3:3, Col 2:12, Gal 3:22] related to eternal salvation, the Saving Faith, is the “Faith of”  Lord Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of [our] faith ! (Heb 12:2)

Tit 3:5-7 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified [or saved] by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Isa 53:11 “He [referring to the Father] shall see of the travail [or work] of his [Christ’s] soul, and shall be satisfied: by his [Christ’s] knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he [Christ] shall bear their iniquities.”

Acts 2:25-28 “For David speaketh concerning him [Lord Jesus], I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 27Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption [quoting Psalm 16:10]. 28Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.”

Col 2:11-12 “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”

Php 3:9 “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ [refer to original KJV], the righteousness which is of God by faith:”

• Faith “in” Christ - In Heb 11:5-6 we read, “… without faith it is impossible to please him [God]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”. We learned in an earlier lesson that the definition of faith related to salvation in Heb 11:1 points altogether to the Lord Jesus Christ as God the Son and the Word of God made flesh. God is only pleased with His work. He is pleased with His salvation program that is centered around the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, as Gal 2:16 “a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ” and 20 insist “I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”. So, in light of what we have been discussing in the Bible, how does one “get” faith? And this is a both a fair and crucial question. Rom 10:17 teaches, “So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. The Bible is the setting, or backdrop, by which one can hear with “spiritual ears” the words of eternal life. You might recall how frequently the Lord Jesus made the statement as found in Mat 11:15, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear”. So the Faith of Christ is a Gift according to Eph 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith [the faith of Christ]; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast”. After salvation we are given “faith” along with the other eight fruit (or “products”) of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, according to Gal 5:22-23: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance”. Moreover, believers are exhorted to “walk [or live] by faith, not by sight”, as 2 Cor 5:7 admonishes. In our discussion of faith I cannot emphasize enough the place of prominence and supremacy that is held by the Bible, the Living Word of God. The example of the conversion of Timothy, Paul’s protégé, as 2 Tim 3:15-17 declares, should reinforce the total preeminence of the Scriptures, not only with respect to salvation, but in every area of our lives. We are to depend entirely upon the Bible by trusting each sacred word implicitly and by seeking divine motivation to be obedient to what we learn.

Gal 2:16 and 20 “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified… I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but 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.”

2 Tim 3:15-17 “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, [or God-breathed] and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect [or complete] throughly furnished unto all good works.”

• We Walk by faith, Not by Sight - This verse 2 Cor 5:7, has been all but abandoned in our modern, “Christian culture”, which sadly highlights a plethora of sight-based “gospels” that feature healings, visions, miracles, and financial prosperity. Faith is defined in Heb 11:1 as, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. What one sees physically does not produce faith. From Rom 8:24, We learn that one is “saved by hope”, but it is not something we can see physically and if we see something physically, there is really no need for hope: “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it”. 1 Pet 1:3 speaks about being “begotten again” (or “born again”) to such a glorious hope: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again [born again] unto a lively [or living] hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”. In other words, faith is a person, and a person has “substance”. Thus, the faith related to eternal salvation is the Lord Jesus Christ! What is it that a child of God hopes for? 1 Cor 15:19 stresses the importance of a “living hope”: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable”,  for each believer who anticipates spending eternity – not just a few years on this earth – with the object, or substance, of his hope, the Lord Jesus Christ: “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Tit 2:13) . 2 Cor 4:18 also mentions the difference between “things not seen” and the “things which are seen”. The “things on the earth” are the things which can be seen – or temporal things: “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal”. This verse, like Heb 11:1, indicates that “the things which are not seen are eternal”. If we are a true Christian, things that are eternal in character should grip our minds and hearts and motivate us to greater obedience, as Col 3:1-2 asserts: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

Heb 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

Heb 11:9 “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.”

Heb 11:17-19 “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18Of whom it was said, That in Isaac [figure of Christ] shall thy seed be called: 19Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.[Isaac figure of Christ, Gal 3:16]”

Heb 11:24-26 “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 25Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.”

Rom 4:1-5 “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”