Does everyone who has faith
in God have the same kind of faith? Does it matter if we don’t? Do all types of
faith lead to the same end result?
The Lord Jesus led me to read
2 Peter 1 (Select vv. NASB).
Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus
Christ,
To those who have received a faith of the same kind as
ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace
be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that
His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness,
through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and
excellence. Vv. 1-3
This letter is addressed to
those of us who have received a faith “of the same kind” as that of the New
Testament apostles, i.e. a faith equal, equally precious, and of the same
consistent value as the faith that they had.
So, does this mean that there
is more than one kind of faith? The Bible does appear to teach that there is,
in fact.
The Bible speaks of a faith
which is not accompanied by repentance or obedience. It speaks of shallow faith
which does not last when persecution comes. It speaks of faith absent of
genuine fruit, which should be in keeping with repentance. It speaks, as well,
of dead faith, which is absent of works of the Spirit. And, it speaks of
professions of faith in Christ which are lies, because the people claiming
faith in Christ are still walking in darkness.
Added to that is the fact
that even the demons believe, and they shudder, but obviously their faith does
not result in salvation and eternal life with God.
Many people have “faith,” but
it is often more in a religion, or in a concept, or in their own ideas of who
God is. Or, their faith is actually founded in men, and not in God, and not in
His Word, but in a false gospel which tickles itching ears and tells them what
they want to hear, not what they need to hear. So, at least here in America,
many people will claim to be Christians and to have faith in Jesus Christ, but not
all faith is genuine faith.
Genuine Faith
So, what constitutes genuine
faith, that is of the same kind as that of the NT apostles? It is, for one, the
kind of faith taught by Jesus and by the NT apostles. It is spiritual, not
natural; of the Spirit, not of the flesh, for it is divinely persuaded by God
as to his holiness and righteousness and as to his will and purposes for our
lives. And, because it is supernatural faith, it submits to God’s will and
purposes. It is crucified with Christ in death to sin, and it is resurrected
with Christ to newness of life, created to be like God in true righteousness
and holiness. And, it results in us being spiritually born.
We now walk (in lifestyle) according
to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh, though not necessarily in
absolute perfection, for our salvation is a process, a daily walk, which involves
daily dying to sin and self and daily, by the Spirit, putting to death the
deeds of the flesh. It isn’t as though we will never sin again, but it is that
sin is no longer our master, but now we are sold out to Christ and to living to
his righteousness.
For by these He has granted to us His precious and
magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. V. 4
Many people have been given
this concept of God’s grace to us that it is merely forgiveness of sins
resulting in freedom from the punishment of sin and the promise of heaven as
our eternal home when we leave this earth, either through death, or through the
Lord coming to take us to be with him.
But, that is only half the
truth, not the whole of it. For God’s grace, which brings salvation, instructs
(commands) us to say “NO!” to ungodliness and worldly (fleshly) passions
(lusts), and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we await
Christ’s return. For, you see, the gift of God’s grace to us is not a mere
get-out-of-jail-free card, nor is it carte blanche to continue in willful sin
against God without guilt and without remorse.
For, Jesus died on that cross
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He died that we might no
longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us. He died,
too, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who
walk, not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. FOR, IF we walk
according to the flesh, we will die in our sins, not have eternal life with God
(Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17).
You see, the gift of God’s
grace – the gift of salvation from sin – is more about escaping the corruption
that is in the world by lust, and it is more about us becoming partakers of the
divine nature than it is about anything else. Jesus died to transform us, and
to conform us to his likeness. He said that if anyone would come after him, he
must deny self, take up his cross daily and follow (obey) him. He said if we
hold on to our old lives, we will lose them for eternity, but if we lose them
(die to sin), for his sake, we will have eternal life with him.
Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence,
in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,
and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance,
and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness,
and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are
increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Vv 5-8
Yet, when we believe in Jesus
Christ with this genuine faith, that is not the end of it all. That is only the
beginning! We have a lifetime ahead of us of putting off the flesh and putting
on the Spirit; of resisting Satan, fleeing temptation, and drawing near to God
in full assurance of faith. We have a lifetime of resting in the Lord,
believing in his promises, rejecting Satan’s lies, forgiving others who have
sinned against us, and walking in love, etc.
We have now entered the
process of sanctification in which we grow in our faith, and we mature in
Christ, we learn perseverance, and we experience suffering, which God uses in
our lives to purify us and to make us holy. This is not the time to sit back
and relax and put our feet up and assume that now that our eternity is secured
we can just go on with our lives, business as usual, still living to please our
flesh and do what makes us “happy.”
When Jesus died on that
cross, he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the
righteousness of God. He paid the price for our sin so that we could be set
free from our slavery (addiction) to sinful practices. He redeemed us with his
blood, i.e. he bought us back for God. Our lives are no longer our own to be
lived how we want, but we now belong to God, to live holy lives pleasing to
him, which is our acceptable worship of him.
For he who lacks these qualities is blind or
short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling
and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never
stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. Vv. 9-11
If our salvation from sin
does not result in transformed lives, of the Spirit of God, turned from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, then I would question
whether or not what we have is truly genuine faith.
I do know that it is possible
for a genuine believer to fall back into sin, for a period of time, and to
forget that he (or she) was delivered from slavery to sin, for we have biblical
examples of this taking place, but a true follower of Christ should not be one
who makes a practice of sin, in lifestyle, or the Bible says he (or she) does not
have the hope of eternal life with God.
So, we should be diligent in
making certain of our calling, first to make sure we truly are in Christ, by
genuine faith, and then to make certain of what all God requires of us for
salvation, not in the way of earning our salvation, but in the way of following
our Lord in obedience in doing what God requires of his followers.
For, our obedience to God (to
Christ) is what reveals that our faith is genuine, and that it is not a false
faith which allows us to continue in sinful practices. If our faith is genuine,
which is revealed by these godly practices, then “the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”
Fit for Service
An Original Work / October 5, 2011
Holy Spirit, come within us.
Cleanse our hearts,
and from sin free us.
Make us holy vessels fit
for service to the King.
Fill us with Your love and power.
Anoint us within this hour
To be living witnesses
For Jesus Christ, our King.
Our praise to Him bring.
Father God, our heart’s desire,
Come and speak to us in power.
Revive our hearts to obey You;
Live for You always.
May we love and serve You only,
Walking with You;
Not a phony.
May we always tell the truth,
And show integrity.
Your true servants be.
Jesus, Savior, sanctify us.
Purify our hearts within us;
Be transformed into Your likeness,
Holy unto You.
May we always listen to You
Speaking Your words
Now within us.
May we heed Your counsel to us;
Follow You today.
Do all that You say.
Friday, January 12, 2018,
12:21 p.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for this teaching from your Word. May we take
this to heart, and make certain of our salvation, that we are genuinely in
Christ Jesus, by faith in him.
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