Our natural inability to live without sin

The entire Old Testament of the Bible clearly point to mankind’s inability to live according to the Mosaic Law, under the Law no one could be “good enough”! Therefore, as far as the Old Testament is concerned it teaches that it is impossible to live without sin. 

The Two results of sin

First it results in “eternal death” or Hell, second it separates one from the blessings of God and a wholesome relationship with Him. When I say that sin separates from God, I do not mean that God leaves us. God has promised that He Will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and God cannot break His promises. When we sin, we are the ones who move away from God and try to hide from Him. Remember Adam and Eve after they sinned and recognized their sin, they tried to hide from God the Father.

This brings up the question, “what is sin”? Is it lying, stealing, coveting or murdering or is it something else? The breaking of the 10 Commandments is a symptom of not believing in God! When we talk of sin, we tend to focus on the symptoms instead of the cause. The cause is that we don’t believe what God has said or in the one whom God sent to redeem us, Jesus. Not believing or trusting in Jesus is the only reason one is condemned to Hell.

The Solution

The Father sent Jesus to deal with the “death” or going to Hell issue, once and for all, by dying on the Cross. He was the perfect sacrifice for our sins and His resurrection was the assurance of our own resurrection or life everlasting. The sin that condemned us was the sin of unbelief in Jesus; that Jesus was God and is God in the flesh. That He was the evidence of God’s love for us. The most well-known scripture in the Bible is John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. 

As I said there is only one sin that condemns a person to Hell, and that is the sin of not believing in the one whom the Father sent. Look at the verse that follows John 3:16- John 3:17, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”. A person who does not believe in Jesus is condemned already.

The evidence that we have truly been saved is that we begin to reject and repent of those habits and ways of thinking that do not glorify God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states that, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”. These symptoms of our old-self are referred to, in the Bible, as the deeds of the flesh.  Galatians 5:19-21 describes the deeds of the flesh. “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”. 

These deeds of the flesh are all part of our sin-nature, which through Jesus Christ has been broken. As a result of what Jesus did, we are now part of the glorious church of the Redeemed.

We need help

Since the deeds of the flesh have been such a part of our lives, we need help to recognize what is good in God’s eyes and the power to overcome the habits of a lifetime. That is why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us so that we would be able to live victoriously in a sinless relationship with Him and under His blessings. The Fruit of the Spirit shows us what the nature of the Holy Spirit is and how we should function in our new relationship with God! Galatians 5:22-23 says, “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law”.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead or Trinity, He is not an “it” or some impersonal force. The Holy Spirit is God! When Jesus ascended to Heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to live in us. The moment we accepted Jesus into our lives our spirit was born-again, and the Holy Spirit came to live in us. The function of the Holy Spirit is to lead or guide us and teach us all truths about God.The Holy Spirit does this by making the Bible alive and meaningful to us. 

1. He “illuminates” the Word of God, 
2. He brings to “remembrance” the teachings of Jesus and 
3. “convicts” us when we go astray. 

The Holy Spirit is the agent by which we become “transformed” into the image of Jesus. In other words, we become more like Him. 

Transformation

When we first come to Christ our spirit is renewed, but are minds or souls initially are unchanged. Romans 12:2 says, “do not be conformed to the world but be transformedby the renewing of your mind”. In a very real sense, we have been brainwashed by our society and culture and many of the things we have learned are contrary to God’s view of right and wrong. We need to change, but that change must come from the inside out. That is what transformation is, it is the Holy Spirit changing us from the inside out. 

Conformingmeans that we learn how to walk, talk and look like a Christian, but have not been changed on the inside. 

The Book of Judges in the Old Testament is an account of how the Israelites betrayed God’s faithfulness to them time and time again. God provided a series of Judges or leaders to get them back to the worship of the one true God. An important phrase that is used in Judges to describe the rebellious people was, “they did what was right in their own eyes”. In other words, ignoring what was right in God’s eyes and doing what they wanted. Doesn’t that sound like life today? 

There are many who call themselves Christian and look like Christians in public but have a dark side in private. That means that they have not been transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit on the inside. We should never judge someone else’s salvation because all Christians are what I call, “works in progress”! Salvation is instantaneous but developing God’s character takes a life time and we will not be complete or perfected until we see Jesus face to face in that Day.

1 Corinthians 3:1 “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ”.

Getting back to Romans 12:2, “do not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Conforming is a human work; transformation is a Holy Spirit’s work. Conforming means if you talk like a Christian, dress like a Christian, act like a Christian you must be a Christian. Well, as you know that isn’t necessarily true! 

Surrender to the Work of the Holy Spirit

A Christian is one who has accepted Jesus and has surrenderedthemselves to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Their minds are being changed as they accept by faith the truths that have been revealed by God. They are replacing the old ways with new ways. You see the change must begin with a mind that is being renewed or changed by the Holy Spirit. This transformation process will produce the outward characteristics of a true Christian. In a true sense we are taking off the old ways and putting on the new. 

• Ephesians 4:20 “But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness”.
• Colossians 3:8 “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all”.

All of this means that becoming who Christ wants us to be is a process. We are all “works in progress”. First, as the Holy Spirit reveals to you and you begin to recognize what does not line up with what God says and then repenting or turning away from the old ways and putting on the new ways of thinking, living and behaving. We start out as diamonds in the rough, and then through the polishing of the Holy Spirit of God we are transformed into precious gems reflecting the glory of God.

I can’t stress enough the importance of the Bible especially the New Testament, which was written for the Christian. The Holy Spirit can only draw out of you what you put in. The more you put in to your spirit from the Bible the more truths the Holy Spirit can bring to your remembrance, illuminate and convict- as you face decisions throughout the day. 

You may be a work in progress, but the finished work is assured that is why Paul the Apostle could say in Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”. Who is the He in this verse? It is the Holy Spirit! Surrender to the Holy Spirit of God and let Him do the work only He can do in your life.

The Gift of the Father.

The gift or grace of Father God is that He provided a way to restore the broken relationship which began in the Garden of Eden, between mankind and Himself. The Father did this by providing a “Seed” [check out my last episode], a Savior, a Messiah in Hebrew, a Christ in Greek, in any language- Jesus.

The Gift of the Son.

The gift or grace of Jesus Christ is revealed in the Gift of the Holy Spirit to the believer. The Holy Spirit who empowers us to live the Christian life in grace and power.

When Jesus walked the earth, His followers had the benefit of His physical presence. They felt His love, experienced His fellowship, and witnessed His signs and wonders that only God could produce. Jesus came to the earth to live as a human being for approximately 33½ years. Jesus made it very clear that when He departed, He would leave us “another like Himself” a “comforter” or a “Helper”, but this time instead of a physical person the Helper would come in the spirit, the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus in the flesh could only be in one place at one time, but in the spirit, He could live in every believer. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that He lives in us.

In Acts 1:4 Jesus appeared to His disciples and commanded them to stay in Jerusalem where they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. They were to wait in Jerusalem for the Promise of the Father, of which Jesus had already told them before He was crucified. Listen to what Jesus said in, John 16:7 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you”. In Acts 1:8 Jesus assures his disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. Then in Acts 2, the Christian Church was started in Holy Spirit power!

Power to do what you might ask? Power to live the Christian life and to be a bold witness in words and actions of the Gospel or Good News of Jesus Christ.

You see, Jesus had to leave or ascend to heaven, in order to send the Holy Spirit to us. In the gospel of John 14:16 Jesus says the following, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you”.

The word “Helper” means intercessor, advocate, or one who is alongside you through thick and thin. Jesus calls Him another Helper, in other words, one like Himself. God will never leave you or abandon you. How wonderful it is to know that although Jesus in the flesh is not here, His Spirit lives in us. The Holy Spirit provides the love, the fellowship, the signs and wonders that only God could produce, but now through us!

An important function of the Helper is to guide you into doing what Jesus would do. Jesus says in  John 14:25, “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

The Work of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s take a look at some of the areas of life that the Holy Spirit is involved in.

1. The Holy Spirit confirms to us that we are the children of God, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God”, that was Romans 8:16. 

The most important thing that the Holy Spirit provides is the ability to hear from God and if we are His children then God’s desire to assure us of His love for us. The Holy Spirit does that by revealing to us in our heart or “knower” that we are His. 

We don’t need artifacts, tokens, emblems or symbols to make the Holy Spirit real to ourselves. We know Him because of the relationship that forms over time. We are no longer strangers to God nor is He a stranger to us. We don’t need to belong to an organization or do ritualistic steps to draw close to God, because He lives in us. When this reality becomes our everyday experience, that is when we begin to live a victorious life. Our lives become the evidence that He lives in us!

2. The Holy Spirit is our down payment or guarantee of our future resurrection. Let’s look at 4 verses that use the word guarantee:

• 2 Cor. 1:21-22, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee”; 
• 2 Corinthians 5:5, “Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee”. 

The word guarantee has an interesting origin. The word guarantee in the original language is the word arrhabōn; a Hebrew word which means, “a pledge, i.e. part of the purchase – money or property given in advance as security for the rest: — a down payment”. When you purchased cloth in Jesus’ day, the cloth merchants would give you a piece of the cloth you purchased as an assurance or guarantee that the bolt of cloth was yours when you returned. Can you see the connection… the Holy Spirit is the guarantee that Jesus is coming back for you.

3. The Holy Spirit reveals Christ to us and in us.  In John 16:12-15, Jesus makes it clear that when the Holy Spirit comes to us, the Holy Spirit will reveal what Jesus wants us to know. He will guide us into the truth because He is the Spirit of truth. Because of the unity of the Trinity, the truth that He speaks is of the Father and the son, Jesus.

4. The Holy Spirit teaches us how to pray. Romans. 8:26-27 shows us that even when we are so distressed or confused, the Holy Spirit is able to help us pray as we ought to. The Holy Spirit makes intercession for us, often with words we don’t understand (Tongues). The scriptures call these words of prayer as groanings. Since these prayers are Holy Spirit inspired, they will always be according to the will of God! The Holy Spirit or God knows what you need! This kind of prayer in the Spirit will build up your faith and build up your confidence as it says in Jude 1:20. 

5. The Holy Spirit sets us free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2 teaches us that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, that is we are not condemned to Hell! Remove that from your thinking… you are not hoping to go to Heaven, but Heaven is yours! 
The evidence of our salvation is that we are learning to be led by the Holy Spirit of God. I am no longer trying to work my way into heaven or trying to gain God’s favor, after all I am now a child of God! 

6. The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth. John 16:13 states, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come”. 
The truth is of critical importance because we know that “the truth sets us free and if the truth is in Christ, we are free indeed. The opposite of truth is error, and how many of us have lived in error and suffered the consequences of making decisions based upon bad information. Now, because of the Holy Spirit in us, we are brought out of darkness into His marvelous light. We are able to see the light of Christ and move towards it.

7. The Holy Spirit fills us! One of my favorite scriptures is Ephesians 5:18 “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit”! Here is another quote, “First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you”. The point is alcohol can take control of you; far, far better is to allow the Holy Spirit to take control of you! So, in essence to be “filled with the Spirit” means to live a Holy Spirit-led life. Remember the Holy Spirit is God, there’s that Trinity again, so having a conversation with the Holy Spirit is talking to God. Learn to spend time with your “friend and comforter” throughout the day!

8. The Holy Spirit produces in us the fruit or character of God! It is the evidence of His work and presence in our lives. Galatians 5:22-23 describes the character and nature of the Holy Spirit and because He lives in us describes the character He is building in us; “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control…”. 

9. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Holy Spirit empowers us. In Acts 1:8 Jesus states, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 
This was a promise Jesus made to those who gathered in Jerusalem anticipating the birth of the Christian Church. The church was birthed in the power of the Holy Spirit – the power to witness or testify of what God was doing in your life. Boldness to speak the message of the Gospel or Good News. Power of the Holy Spirit in manifesting the spiritual gifts described in 1 Corinthians 12. Which we will look at in our next episode.

As you can see Jesus’ gift of the Helper or the Holy Spirit is actively revealing to us that we are loved, forgiven and accepted by Father God! The Holy Spirit also empowering us for service to our King!

In conclusion, the grace or the gift of the Father was the gift of Jesus in our lives. The gift of Jesus is the Holy Spirit who enables us to live the life Jesus has called us to. In our next episode we will look at the Grace or gift of the Holy Spirit… which is the power to change and be used by God. 

The Word Grace in Greek is “Charis” from which we get “Charisma” which means spiritual gift. The word grace is used throughout the New Testament and speaks to the character and nature of God. God is a gift-giving God! James 1:17 says the following, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights…”.

Trinity

In order to see the fullness of the word Grace in the new testament we really need to take a moment and try to understand the doctrine of the Trinity. As New Testament Christians, we believe in the mystery of the Trinity; Three persons in one God. Not three gods!

The doctrine of the Trinity is often misunderstood by some groups of people to mean that Christians believe in three separate gods, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

I read recently that groups of religious Jews in Israel oppose the building of Christian churches in Israel because they believe that Christians believe in three Gods. This is in direct opposition to Judaism which believes in One God, Jehovah or Yahweh. Of course, those who believe that New Testament Christians believe in three separate gods are mistaken. 

Nontrinitarians

There are also some Christian groups that do not believe in the Trinity. They are called nontrinitarians. The largest nontrinitarian Christian denominations are The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints otherwise known as Mormons, Oneness Pentecostals, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. 

The Trinity is a spiritual concept of truth.

It is impossible to understand the Trinity in physical terms. The physical world we live in is four-dimensional and the law of physics apply. Our world has length, width, depth these three can be defined as space and the fourth dimension is time. Whether we are talking about massive mountains or sub-atomic particles everything can be physically measured. You probably learned in school that, “two things cannot occupy the same space at the same time”. That is true because we live in a four-dimensional world!

God, on the other hand, is spiritual and therefore is not constrained by the laws of physics. God exists in more than four dimensions. This fact is hard to understand because we have no experience that would help us to comprehend it. In the physical world, we live in 1+1+1=3, but in the spirit realm 1+1+1=1!

Analogies

The best we can do is try to use analogies to describe the Trinity.

1. Water H2O can exist as ice, water or steam; three in one. 
2. A man can be a son to his mother, a husband to his wife and a father to his child, but he is still only one person. 
3. How about the three-leaf clover example, three leaves but one plant. 

These examples don’t do justice to the reality of the Trinity because the Trinity is called a Mystery of Faith. Let’s look at the two words mystery and faith. 

1. The word mystery in a biblical sense means something hidden until the right time to be revealed by God. 
2. Now, faith is defined as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen”, that is Hebrews 11:1. The mystery of the Trinity is revealed by Faith! 

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association makes the following statement about the Trinity.

“The Bible shows very clearly that there is only one God, and yet that there are three personal distinctions in His complex nature, traditionally referred to as “three Persons in the Godhead”—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Each is distinct from the others but never acts independently. They are one in nature and purpose. This mystery is called the doctrine of the Trinity, though that term is not used in the Bible. The teaching, however, is present in seed form in the Old Testament and is revealed explicitly in the New Testament. Note passages such as.

1. Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
2. John 10:29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”
3. 2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

Our finite minds cannot understand or explain this mystery of God, which is nevertheless a fact. We must accept the truths found in the Word of God by faith even though we ourselves cannot comprehend them fully; By Faith We Understand:

1. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 
2. Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
3. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him
4. 1 Corinthians 2:5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
5. 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
6. 1 Corinthians 13:12, For now, we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

It is really not surprising that the infinite God should be complex in His nature beyond the ability of finite humans to comprehend! This doctrine is absolutely essential to New Testament Christianity. Theologians have pointed out that if it were not true, the Bible would be unreliable, Christ would not be divine, and His death on the cross would not atone for our sins, being merely the death of a martyr”.

To sum up…

As Christians we believe in one God in three persons, God the Father, God the Son(Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is a difficult spiritual concept, if not impossible concept to fully understand, therefore we accept it by faith! 

What we see in the scriptures is that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share the same nature and characteristics. Each person of the Godhead is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are gift-givers or givers of grace.

1. Father God gave us the Son Jesus. John 3:16
2. The Son, Jesus, gave the Holy Spirit to all believers and ministry gifts to the church. Acts 1:8, Ephesians 4:11 
3. Holy Spirit gave Spiritual Gifts to believers, 1 Corinthians 12

The Gift of Grace by the Father.

You may recall the account in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve which is found in Genesis two and three. Before they sinned, they lived in a state of innocence in relationship with God, they “walked” with Him in the Garden of Eden. When they were deceived by Satan and disobeyed God by eating of the fruit of the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil”, this became the defining moment for sin. Sin is simply not believing God, in essence disobeying what He has said. 

At that moment of disobedience, Sin entered the world and mankind would now be separated estranged from Father God. Yet, because of the love of the Father for His creation He cursed Satan and made a promise to mankind; Genesis 3:14-15, “The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. And I will put enmity (hostility) Between you and the woman, and between your seed (offspring) and her Seed (Offspring- Messiah); He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” This singular verse in the beginning (Genesis) holds the hope of all mankind. 

In verse 15, Father God is speaking to the serpent (Satan) and addresses his offspring as seed (note the lower-case “s” in the word seed). His head will be bruised, crushed or destroyed. Satan’s end is coming!

Whereas the capitalized Seed represents the Messiah, Christ or Jesus. He will be the seed (offspring) of a woman (human or incarnate) and His heel will be bruised or crushed which represents Jesus’ heel bruised on the cross of Calvary.

God the Father promised a gift (Grace) and that gift was in the person of Jesus Christ who would come to restore the relationship between the Father and His creation or mankind. Jesus would do this by forgiving our sins.

In Jeremiah 31:31-34, Father God makes a promise of a New Covenant of Grace which will replace the Old Covenant of Law in which He says, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more”.

In the New Testament, Father God fulfilled the promise of the greatest gift of grace to all of mankind in that He sent Jesus the Son to die for us so that we might receive forgiveness of our iniquity and remember our sins no more. In John 3:16 He states, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Have you received this great gift of Jesus Christ from the Father? There is no better time than right now!

Today we looked at the Gift of Father God – He gave us the Son Jesus. John 3:16

Next time we will look at the:

1. Gift of the Son, Jesus – As He gave the Holy Spirit to all believers and ministry gifts to the church. Acts 1:8, Ephesians 4:11 
2. Gift of the Holy Spirit – He gave Spiritual Gifts to the church. 1 Corinthians 12

Until then— Have a blessed week. See you the next time…

This is “Pastor Vic’s Nuggets of Truth”, podcasting from Historic Hyde Park, NY. I’m your host Dr. Vic Torres. My focus will be on the love, forgiveness and acceptance found in Jesus Christ which enables us to live the victorious life. For more information go to www.PastorVicsNuggets.com

Grace – “For by grace you have been saved through faith”

Now, what is this thing that we see in Ephesians called Grace? Grace in the biblical sense is the highest expression of love. The Greek word for Grace is “Charis” and is most often defined as an “unconditional gift”. 

We could spend a lifetime trying to figure out what this magnificent thing called God’s grace is. Grace is so awesome, so unexpected and so undeserved. God’s grace in the area of salvation is that if we put our faith in Jesus, we are forgiven of all our sins and receive the guarantee that we will go to Heaven and spend eternity with Him. In other words, Heaven is actually a free gift to those whose faith is in Jesus! 

To truly understand God’s Grace, you must understand God’s kind of love. In the New Testament there are three important words that are translated from the Greek into the word “Love”. This means that every time you see the word “love” in the New Testament it could be one of these three words.

1. Storge:  This is the type of love signifies the natural affection between family members.  Siblings, relatives, parents. We all know that kind of love.
2. Phileo:  This Greek word for love signifies, to be a friend to…fond of an individual or object; having affection for; an or feeling.
3. Agape: This Greek word for love appears most frequently in the New Testament.  It is most often understood in the Bible as “unconditional love”, or a decision to love.
   1. Agape love is a love that is the outcome of a moral principle, rather than a feeling of liking or affection such as Phileo love. As a result, Agape love means to love the undeserving, despite disappointment and rejection. But, at the same time it does not mean to love as a duty or a cold religious obligation.

Parents of children can appreciate this kind of Agape love. You know that no matter what your children do, no matter how they may disappoint you or even hurt you… you still love them and want the best for them. That is the kind of love God has for you. No matter what you have done, no matter what kind of person you have become… God sent Jesus just for you, because He loves you! 

Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love (agape) toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. Jesus paid the price for sin and the result, because we trust in what Jesus did, we are forgiven and cleansed of all of our sins. 

God’s nature is Agape love, 1 John 4:8 tells us that, “He who does not love (agape) does not know God, for God is love (agape)”. This doesn’t mean that God is capable of love, it is more than that. He is the embodiment of Love! Everything He does is from the perspective and motivation of Agape love. God loves His creation even when that same creation rejects Him. This kind of love is quite foreign to our life’s experience. Honestly, most of us have experienced a performance type of love. If we are “good” we experience love. If we are not “good”: we are punished or rejected.

Saved – “you have been saved through faith”

The Greek word here is the word Sozo, which means to be healed, delivered, made safe, or rescued. What do I need to be rescued from you might ask? How about rescued from Hell! I know that the common thinking is “I hope that I’m going to heaven”, “I’m trying to be good.” Or, “I’ve never killed anyone or robbed a bank or anything like that”! Well, the fact of the matter is that while it is a good thing to try and be good and it is a good thing that you’ve not committed any major crimes. These are not the issues that determine salvation or being saved. The real issue is do you believe that Jesus is God, that He died for your sins and that He rose again from the dead? If you believe these three points, and are living your life in a way that reflects these facts,then you are saved or have salvation! Your final destination is Heaven and God has placed His Holy Spirit in you to teach you, guide you and comfort you in your time of need. 

• Listen to what the Gospel of John 3:16-18 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 
• Then verse 17 says, For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
• And finally, verse 18, He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”. 

Can you see it? Jesus didn’t come into the world to condemn people to Hell. People are already destined to Hell because they refuse to believe in Jesus and what He did on the Cross of Calvary. Some people choose to live in denial of Jesus because they are afraid that they will have to change. The fact is you don’t change to become good enough to accept Jesus as Lord, you accept Jesus as Lord and then you will be changed!

Now salvation assures us of two important things, 1- Heaven is ours, 2- God wants to lead us into an abundant life right here on earth!

Faith – “you have been saved through faith”

So here are love and grace, two things that are quite impossible to fully understand, God’s love, and God’s grace. They are difficult to understand with our natural minds or intellect because they are spiritual principles. How then do we comprehend them; it must be by faith! When we accept by faith that God loves us, it then naturally follows that we can then accept that He wants to bless us.

Now the word faith does not mean hoping or wishing. Faith in a spiritual sense is the “substance of things hoped for; the assurance of things unseen” that’s Hebrews 11:1. This verse is the perfect way to describe true faith. You see faith is the reality of things hoped for. It is as if you see it as existing before it actually exists. Faith is the assurance of things unseen which clearly describes the spiritual realm. 

In Romans 4:20 Abraham is described in the following way, “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”. It is the promises of God that produce godly hope and faith is the assurance that He will perform it.

So, faith in operation is when a person behaves as if he has the promise before it has come to pass. Remember, the world says, show me and I will believe, Jesus said believe me and I will show you!

Gift – “It is the gift of God”

Ephesians 2 says that salvation, “is the gift of God”, The word “gift” makes it undeserved and unearned. In the Greek, it is the word- dōron; which means a present; a sacrifice or offering. Jesus was the sacrifice that enable the gift of salvation, eternal life to be given to those who receive it by faith. in John 1:29, John the Baptist says, “‘Behold’! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”! it was clearly understood that the lamb was Jesus and at the same time a sacrificial lamb!

Works – “not of works”

The word “works” is taken from the principle of the Old Testament “works of the Law”. Righteousness or being in the right place with God under the Law, depended on obedience to the Laws of the Torah, the first five books of the Bibles. These Laws had to do with the performance or practices of certain or acts dictated by the Torah. Therefore salvation, under Old Testament Law, was based upon how well or honestly you observed the Laws.

The phrase “Not of works” clearly means that it is not based on your behavior or performance as to “how good you are”! For most of us we are taught and go through life believing that if we are good, we will be rewarded. While there is a practical and natural truth to this it does not apply to God’s view of us. John 3:16 clearly shows us what motivates God to give us wonderful gifts, “For God so loved or Agape the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. You see, God gives out of unconditional love. God’s love is unearned and undeserved, it is a gift of Grace. The Greek word for work is Ergo and is defined as to toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication, it is an act: — deed, doing, labor, work.

Boast – “lest anyone should boast”

The phrase “lest anyone should boast” simply means that you can not take any credit for what God has so graciously given. You see, there is nothing you can do to save yourself, other than to put your trust or faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 3:23 makes it clear that none of us deserve salvation, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.  It is that word “all” in all have sinned. You can look it up in the Greek or Hebrew, and no matter how you “slice it” all means all. When you put your faith in Jesus, God the Father sees you as innocent and clean!

Conclusion

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”. Ephesians 2:8-9

Take these steps of faith today see yourself, not as the world sees you, but see yourself as God sees you… you are loved by the Father, forgiven by Jesus and accepted into the family of God by virtue of the Holy Spirit living in you. 

Thanks for listening to Pastor Vic’s Nuggets of Truth. If you like our show and want to know more check out our website at www.PastorVicsNuggets.com or www.PastorVic.com. Please leave a review on iTunes, etc. 

Faith in the original Greek is “pistis” and a Bible Dictionary defines faith as; persuasion, credence, moral conviction, assurance, belief or, fidelity. 

Faith is Spiritual

In our last post we looked at the definition given by Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. So, faith for a Christian is believing in the spiritual or unseen. You put your faith in Jesus and your hope in His promises. Again, it is not faith in faith or even faith in the promises found in the Bible, but faith in the one who made the promises in the Bible.

So, faith is not wishing, hoping or wanting something to be. Instead, it is the confidence and assurance that because of the love of God He will not leave you or abandon you to your circumstances. The Apostle Paul says in:

Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Do you believe that… that nothing can separate you from God’s Love?

It is your faith in the Lord that causes you to behave or act in a manner that shows you have already received that for which you are believing. Now that was a mouthful! The world says, “Show me and then I will believe!” God says, “Believe in Me and then I will show you!” Genuine faith released God’s promises.

Abraham of the Old Testament is called the “Father of Faith” because he acted on what God said even before there was physical proof. God spoke to Abraham that he would be the “father of many nations” even before he had any children of his own. 

Abraham received the promise of a son when he was 75 years old and was reminded of that promise when he was 90, but it wasn’t until he was 100 years old that the promise was fulfilled. During all that time Abraham believed in what God said. Listen to what Genesis 5:19-22 says about Abraham:

“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. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

You see faith is believing that you have it before it comes to pass. When you believe that way you are in a righteous position with God.

An Acrobat, A Wheelbarrow, and a Challenge of Faith

Taken from: Creativebiblestudy.com

The story of Charles Blondin is a great illustration of faith!  Not only was he a fascinating man, but the story of his pushing a wheelbarrow across Niagara Falls is one that all can identify with in seeing the difference between mere belief (head knowledge) and true faith (belief in action; heart knowledge).

Can you imagine a tightrope stretched over a quarter of a mile and spanning the breadth of Niagara Falls?  The thundering sound of the pounding water drowning out all other sounds as you watch a man step onto the rope and walk across!

This stunning feat made Charles Blondin famous in the summer of 1859.  He walked 160 feet above the falls several times back and forth between Canada and the United States as huge crowds on both sides looked on with shock and awe.  Once he crossed in a sack, once on stilts, another time on a bicycle, and once he even carried a stove and cooked an omelet!

On July 15, Blondin walked backward across the tightrope to Canada and returned pushing a wheelbarrow. The Blondin story is told that it was after pushing a wheelbarrow across while blindfolded that Blondin asked for some audience participation.  The crowds had watched and “Ooooohed” and “Aaaaahed!”  He had proven that he could do it; of that, there was no doubt.  But now he was asking for a volunteer to get into the wheelbarrow and take a ride across the Falls with him!

It is said that he asked his audience, “Do you believe I can carry a person across in this wheelbarrow?”  Of course, the crowd shouted that yes, they believed! It was then that Blondin posed the question – “Who will get in the wheelbarrow?” Of course, …none did.

Aside: Later in August of 1859, his manager, Harry Colcord, did ride on Blondin’s back across the Falls.

The Charles Blondin Story – a Picture of Faith

The story of Charles Blondin paints a real-life picture of what faith actually is. The crowd had watched his daring feats. They said they believed, but their actions proved they truly didn’t.

It’s one thing for us to say we believe in God. It’s true faith though when we believe God and put our faith and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. Don’t worry, Jesus has carried many across to Heaven’s gates. He can be trusted!

Believing with your mind is not the same as demonstrating faith with your actions! True faith gets you into the wheelbarrow!

Start your adventure with God today by remembering that “we walk by faith and not by sight! (2 Cor 5:7)

Faith and Experience

The three most common areas in which we seek God’s blessings are health, relationships and finances. God promises us that all of our needs will be met in Christ Jesus (Matt 6:31-34), but we must come to Him in faith, that is trusting that He will provide.

We are trusting in Him to deliver what He has promised, because He is faithful and true. We sometimes get off-track and put our trust or faith in the promise and forget about the one who made the promise. We should hope in the promise which produces an expectation, and faith in Jesus who gives us the assurance.

The point that faith requires doing something is well made in the book of James. First look at James 1:6-8,

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways”. 

We must not doubt or waver in our faith!

We must be steadfast in our faith in God. If our faith is in the promise then circumstances will cause our faith to waver, but if our faith is in Jesus and our relationship with Him then we will be steadfast. It is very much like being a passenger in a plane, is your trust in the advertising promise that you will have a safe flight or in the pilot to make it a safe flight?

Become a Doer of the Word!

The second point is found in James 1:22, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves”. If we are not doing or responding according to the Word of God; then we are hearers only! Don’t deceive yourself in thinking that you have faith if there is no out-working of that faith. It is like the person who believes it is going to rain but doesn’t bring an umbrella along. Let your actions correspond to what you are believing for!

Justification is by faith not works!

The third point if found in James 2:24-26. This section of scripture is sometimes misunderstood in particular verse 24 which says, “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only”. It is a tragic mistake to think that James is saying that salvation or any other area of spiritual life is by works and faith. In the context of verses 24-26, James is saying that faith must have some evidence or outworking that points to faith in God. Just doing good deeds or good works, while noble and should be encouraged, by itself will not justify you. However, believing in Jesus and as a result you are led to do good deeds… well that is the evidence of Faith! 

Now there will be times when we must wait upon the Lord to do His part, but this by no means suggest that we do nothing. Resisting the temptation to sin is an important faith action. Resisting doubt and fear is also an important action. The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:13,

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand”.

Too many interpret this to mean I do nothing, and God will do it all. Yet Proverbs 16:9 states, “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps”. We need to walk it out or as the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “we walk by faith and not by sight”.  

Finally, what’s “the story” when what we are believing for doesn’t come to pass. Sometimes it is just a timing issue. God is always at work and the promise is on its way. Remember God is not limited by time and space. However, it could be that as it says in,  James 4:3, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures”. In other words, God can’t bless those things that are contrary to His nature of love, forgiveness and acceptance.

Emotions and Experiences

Earlier we used the Bible Dictionary to define faith as; persuasion, credence, moral conviction, assurance, belief or, fidelity.  Then we looked at how the Bible defines faith, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

Emotions

Notice that in both cases there is no mention of feelings or emotions. Faith is a decision and commitment to believe not a feeling. If you rely on feelings, you will be “tossed” about by doubt. One moment you will feel like you are in faith, then the next you will doubt. Remember,  James 1:6-8, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways”.

Experience

The same is true of experiences. They can be misleading. I am sure everyone has experienced disappointment when you were believing for something to come to pass, and it didn’t! A sick person doesn’t get healed or even dies. A relationship is not restored! Or a financial disaster actually comes to pass! 

Faith is easy when everything you pray for comes to pass. True faith comes through the trials and tribulations of life. We live in a “fallen world”. The scriptures are clear that Satan is the ruler of this world in the sense that the world is still characterized by sin.

Jesus said. “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over Me” (John 14:30). This title of “ruler of this world” suggests that Satan is the major influence over our world. Scripture teaches that the whole world is in his power. “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the evil one” (1 John 5:19).

Sometimes bad things happen to good people, but despite the evil that sometimes befalls Christians our position must be a position of faith, which is to not doubt God’s Word. We should never succumb to the temptation to “rewrite” the Word of God based upon personal experience. 

I pray that you will be able to say, in the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”.

1. Through the illumination of the Word – this is when the Holy Spirit “lights up” a passage of scripture to you and makes it understandable and relevant for you.
2. Through personal revelation that is when the Holy Spirit reveals a truth about Jesus and the Word of God.
3. Through the Rhema Word, the Holy Spirit brings back to memory a scripture that is relevant for a decision or direction to follow in.
4. Through circumstances and opportunities, God can open and close doors as a means of directing your path.
5. Through the “still quiet voice” when God speaks to you either audibly or in your mind giving you direction for or encouragement. 

Hearing God, then what?

As God reveals His will or plan to us, what are we to do with what we know? The simple answer is to “just do it”! In the late ’80s and early ’90s, a well-known slogan for Nike Sneakers was used to almost triple their sales for Nike sneakers. It was, “JUST DO IT!”. In other words, don’t just think about it or talk about it… Just Do It!

When it comes to the things of God many people live in the place of “let’s think about this and see if it really makes sense! If you are waiting for things to make sense you are missing the point of what Faith is! Because faith is spiritual, faith will not necessarily make intellectual sense or make sense in our minds. You see, God is able to see the whole picture you can only see a part. The central issue of faith is, “do you trust God to do what He says He will do”!

Faith is one of those seemingly simple words that gets “thrown around” by Christians. Statements like a measure of faith, get more faith, faith moves mountains, faith as a mustard seed, and finally, faith pleases God. All these statements are scriptural and therefore true and yet it is important that we understand that faith isn’t something you can generate or muster-up in an emergency or on-demand! Faith is an outcome of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

To understand faith fully we need to recognize that faith has deep spiritual roots into spiritual terms like righteousness, justification, works, and grace!

When you made your commitment to Jesus Christ there were two spiritual transactions that took place. 

1. You believed that Jesus died for your sins and you are now totally forgiven of ALL your sins, most importantly the “sin” of not believing in Jesus, to begin with.
2. You also believed that although Jesus died on the cross, He rose again and sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. 

At the moment you believed you were “Justified” and therefore made “righteous”. Justified in simple terms means that there is no charge against you. You have been found innocent in God’s eyes. Let me explain, as a result of this justification, which by the way is the opposite of condemnation. Before Christ you were condemned now you’ve been justified.  The Holy Spirit came to live in you. The third person of the Godhead is called the “Holy” Spirit because since He is God, He is holy, pure and undefiled. Because of this fact He is able to live in you because you are now a holy place a temple of God. 

Let me express this a different way. Justification is a legal term and means that as far as God is concerned it is as if you never sinned at all. (“Just-if-ied” never sinned). This state of justification means that you are “righteous”. This righteousness, or being right before God, is not of your own effort, but God’s. The moment you believed Grace was in operation, which means that your salvation is a gift of God and that’s what grace means… it is a gift of God. 

Ephesians 2:8-10. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

There are three takeaways that we need to be careful that we don’t miss from Ephesians.

1. We are saved by grace and grace is a gift of God.
2. It is through faith that this grace becomes effective.
3. God has plans for you that He wants you to walk in.

The kind of faith we are talking about is “saving faith” it is the faith by which you became saved. As a result of this salvation, you are justified and not condemned to Hell. This justification also means that you are righteous in God’s eyes, the Holy Spirit living in you. 

Now let’s look at Faith in the context of everyday living as a Christian.

In human history, God has always wanted a people that He could call His own. As in the Garden of Eden before the Fall, He wanted a people that He could fellowship with and a people that would obey Him. In the Old Testament, it was the Jews of Israel; in the New Testament, it was the believers in Jesus Christ. We know that both the Old and New Testaments are 2 separate covenants with God.

Old Testament Covenant– it’s all about the Law. The Law was passed from Moses to the people of Israel and an important point to keep in mind is that the people of Israel agreed to abide by the Law. They agreed to the Ten Commandments and all of the regulations that Moses received from God when Moses was on Mount Sinai (Mount Horeb in Deuteronomy). 

The Hebrew Bible is called the Tanakh. It is composed of three parts; the Law or Torah (the first five books of the Bible [Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), the Prophets (of which there are 5 major and 12 minor writings), and the rest of the books of the Tanakh which were called the Writings. So, you have the Torah or Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. The entire Christian Old Testament Bible and Hebrew Tanakh, which are the same but in different order of books, are about the Law or Law of Moses.

The Hebrew Law was how the Jewish people could enter into and maintain their righteous relationship with God. Observance of the Law justified the Jew. This observance of the Law meant that there were many things that Jews could do or not do- these were acts or actions and could be described as “works of the Law”. When one of the commandments of the Law was broken an elaborate system of sacrifices was instituted to restore the right relationship with God. 

Here is an interesting thought, was it the strict observance of the Law, the “letter of the Law “so to speak, or the “spirit of the Law that God was looking for? The letter of the Law was by works or the effort of the individual, the spirit of the Law was to walk by faith. You see even the Mosaic Law was intended by God to promote faith in God. 

New Testament Covenant 

The New Testament Covenant is referred to in the book of Hebrews as the “better covenant”. It is better on so many levels as chapters 8,9 and 10 of Hebrews points out. 

The New Testament points out that what the Law, under the old covenant, was incapable of producing righteousness. All the Law showed was mankind’s inability to keep the Law perfectly and the sacrificial system introduced by the Levites was unable to produce the kind of change that was permanent and pleasing to God. The Apostle Paul makes it abundantly clear that “we are justified by faith”, and not the Law. 

The weakness of the Law was that it was based upon “works” the human ability to observe the Law. Paul makes it clear in the book of Romans that it is by Grace that we can draw close to God. Works just makes us aware of our inability to keep the Law, in Paul’s words, the Law simply made us aware of how sinful a person was. 

The gift of Jesus Christ to humanity was part of God’s unfolding plan, love and grace to mankind. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (justified)” John 3:16-17.

We are saved when we believe in Jesus, that is God’s gift. What ties us to Jesus is our faith in Him. Faith in what He accomplished on the cross of Calvary and what He accomplished when He rose again, three days later. Forgiveness of all of our sins, that is we have been justified and made righteous. When Jesus ascended from the grave, the Holy Spirit descended to live in the Believer. 

Our faith is in Jesus and Him alone. What Jesus promised through the Father he will fulfill. Be careful now, our faith is not in the promise, but in the one who makes the promise. It is always about relationship, not cold religion. That is what separates the followers of the Law from the followers of Grace. The Law resulted in Legalism, true Grace results in freedom.

Faith

For some Christians, faith is seen as something to employ in order to get God’s attention. We may have a need, desire or some impending health crisis. Don’t get me wrong when we have needs, we should bring them to the Lord. We are encouraged in the Word to bring our issues to the Lord. But faith is not something we turn to only when we are in trouble. 

Faith is the continual manifestation of our righteousness before God. In other words, I am trying to live in a way that is pleasing to God and therefore I know that I have access to Him. 

It is because of my fellowship or intimacy with God that I am confident, sure that He hears me and will answer me in my time of need. He is my help as I walk by faith in Jesus.  “Paul says in Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure”.

As in the Garden of Eden, before the Fall, God wants to walk with you and fellowship with you. As you see your relationship with Him in this manner… you will find that your faith will grow and all of the promises that faith brings will be yours.