Faith Is Required To Believe What God Says About You.
Walking by faith means trusting God completely, even when we don’t understand everything. Faith helps us live the way God wants us to. It gives us the strength to do what’s right, even when it’s hard. This message explains how faith makes us right with God, how it helps us live holy lives, and how it changes us to become better people. Show More
Faith and Doing What’s Right
What Is Faith?
Faith means believing in things we can’t see yet. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” It’s like trusting that the sun will come up tomorrow, even though it’s still night.
Abraham showed strong faith when God promised him a vast family, even though he and his wife Sarah were barren and very old. Abraham believed God would keep His promise, and he was right! God gave Abraham and Sarah a son, Isaac, when Abraham was about 100 years old! This kind of trust is what God wants from us.
This kind of trust is not based on emotions or feelings; it is based on deciding to believe what God says. Once we have made the decision, we must act or perform according to the decision. A phrase I often use in my life is the following, “I don’t want to be a legend in my own mind!” This means that I may have noble and courageous thoughts, but if I don’t do what God has called me to do, I let God down and let myself down and those around me.
Walking by faith produces righteousness in us. Faith is the key to being close to God. For example, in the Bible, Abraham trusted God so much that God said he was “righteous,” which means he was living the right way. Listen to what Romans 4:3 says,” For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now see what God saw in Abraham; Romans 4:19-21, “And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” Abraham believed what God said, even when it seemed impossible. Because of his faith, God blessed him.
We must decide that since we have a God for whom nothing is impossible and we belong to Him, nothing is impossible for us if God has called us to it; the Lord always equips those whom He calls.
Being righteous doesn’t mean being perfect. It means trusting God and letting Him lead us. When we have faith, we follow God’s direction and try to make good choices. This makes us more like Jesus, who always did what was right.
Keep this in mind, you are not righteous because you are good, you are righteous because of your faith in Jesus. The cross of Jesus is a public demonstration of God’s righteousness. God accounts for or transfers Christ’s righteousness to those who trust in Him. Again, I say, we do not become righteous because of our inherent goodness; God sees us as righteous because of our identification by faith with His Son.
You are Justified
The Bible teaches that we are “justified” by faith. This means that God forgives us and sees us as good people because we believe in Jesus. In Romans 5:1, it says, “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This peace comes from knowing God loves us, no matter what.
We don’t earn God’s love by doing good things. Instead, God gives us His love as a gift when we believe in Him. Faith is like a bridge that connects us to God. It helps us feel close to Him and gives us hope. Here are three scriptures that speak to the issue of faith and justification.
Romans 1:16-17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’”
Romans 3:28-30, “Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.”
Romans 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”
You are Righteous
Because of your faith in Jesus Christ, you are declared righteous, and the Holy Spirit has enabled you to know what is right and what is wrong. The Holy Spirit living in you is your compass in life; the Word of God, the Bible, is your map. With the Spirit of God and the Word of God, you can know what is right.
Here are some scriptures on righteousness.
Romans 1:17, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Romans 3:22, “Even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;”
Romans 4:5, “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,”
2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,”
You are Holy
Living a Holy Life
God wants us to live holy lives. To be holy means to be special and set apart for God and His purposes. The Bible says we should give our lives to God and live in a way that pleases Him. This means making good choices, treating others kindly, and staying away from things that are wrong. Romans 12:1 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
God helps us live holy lives through His Spirit. The Bible calls us His “temple” because He lives in us and works in our hearts. 1 Corinthians 3:17 states, “If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” When we make mistakes, God forgives us when we repent and helps us do better next time.
Holiness is God’s plan for usListen to Ephesians 1:4, “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,” And now 2 Timothy 1:9, “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,”
You are Sanctified
Becoming More Like Jesus
Faith helps us grow and change. This is called “sanctification,” which means becoming more like Jesus. When we believe in Jesus, God starts to change our hearts. We learn to love others more, forgive people who hurt us, and make choices that honor God.
The Bible says in John 17:17, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” This means the Bible helps us grow closer to God. When we read it, we learn how to live the way He wants us to.
God also gives us the Holy Spirit to guide us. The Holy Spirit is like a teacher who helps us know what is right and gives us the power to do it. Sanctification isn’t something that happens all at once. It’s a journey, and God is with us every step of the way.
The Apostle Paul gives his personal testimony of Jesus’ call on his life and said in Acts 26:18, “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”
1 Corinthians 6:11, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”
The power of the Gospel is that it changes you from the inside out. That is the meaning of being transformed, as we find in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” We begin to think differently because the Holy Spirit reveals the truth in the Bible, and we now want to please God.
Our nature has been changed. We are no longer sinners unable to help ourselves, but our sin-nature has been replaced by a nature that is able to be led by the Spirit of God. The Apostle Paul confirms this in Romans 7 when he says that human nature is weak; he says that when I want to do the right thing, I wind up not doing it, and when I want to avoid doing the wrong thing, that is the very thing I do! Haven’t we all experienced that? Paul says in, Romans 7:24-25, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” The Bible confirms the wonderful truth that in Jesus Christ there is deliverance. Then Paul makes a wonderful statement in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” The Devil will try to use guilt and shame to separate us from the Lord. However, the Lord says you are not condemned but that you are free! In John 8:31-32. & 36 Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Conclusion
When you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, a spiritual transaction took place. Because of your faith in God, you are made righteous; that is, you are standing rightly before God. Because of your faith in Jesus, you have been justified, and all your sins are forgiven. Because of your faith in Jesus, God declares you are holy, this means you are fit to be used by God. Finally, because of your faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit is at work in you, sanctifying you as you are transformed into the image of God’s son, Jesus.
Walking by faith is all about trusting God and letting Him lead us. Faith makes us right with God, helps us live holy lives, and changes us to be more like Jesus. When we walk by faith, we can feel God’s love and share it with others. Faith isn’t just believing in God; it’s living for Him every day. It’s a journey of love, trust, and growth. As we walk by faith, we show the world how great God is and how much He cares for everyone.
