The Effects of Faith

 Who shall bring a charge 

Against God's elect?

It is God 

Who justifies.

Who is he who condemns?

It is Christ who died,

And furthermore is also risen,

Who is even at the right hand

of God, Who also makes Intercession for us.

Romans 8:33-34

     It is union with Jesus Christ that is the first effect of faith. We are in Him by faith. How else can it be so for none of us have seen Jesus Christ and our faith is propositional, therefore our union with Him must by necessity be by faith, not any faith as has been discussed, but by the faith given freely, salvation faith. The union between the children of God and Jesus Christ is a federal union, being such as Jesus is our head, it is He who is our representative with authority.  As federal head we are in Him and our faith, our security, our eternity is founded upon the covenant of redemption between the Father and the Son. This covenant is unique in as much as Jesus, the wisdom of God, the Word of God, the second Person of the Godhead, God Himself, true God, being of the same essence yet the Son in His substance, knew the Will of God before the foundation of the world. It is before the foundation of the world that this foundation of redemption was set in place, therefore as the children of God we were in Him before the foundation of the world. It is a mystery, yet, it is one of His promises of that covenant that all that the Father would give to the Son would come to Him. It is that His people would be made willing by means of His power. When Jesus Christ ascended into heaven He took His place at the right hand of God, and there presented the sacrifice, the propitiation, the repentance and remission of sins, and this presentation is not a one time presentation, it is eternal, it is God Himself, the Son of God who is the assurance and the authority of that intercession. 

     So not to become egotistical, lazy and tacitly accept what Jesus Christ has done for the children of God and hold our "ticket" to heaven as being one of the elect, let us consider this: "among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of he flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others" (Ephesians 2:3). Who are the "we" and the "ourselves?" Look at verse one and you will see to whom Paul was writing; it is to the saints who were in Ephesus. Until we come to Jesus by faith we are and remain, children of wrath, we are in this position until we do so and in this state we deserve condemnation. You see, we do not receive the saving benefits of that covenant until we are united to Him, and that unification comes by faith. This is outlined in Scripture and cannot be denied, the union with Jesus Christ is consummated by faith. It is then to believe in Jesus Christ and to be in Jesus Christ are convertible terms of expression. They mean substantially the same thing, and the same effects are attributed to faith as are attributed to union with Christ.

Teach me, O LORD, the way

     of Your statutes,

And I shall keep it to the

     end.

                       Psalm 119:33

God is the LORD

Richard L. Crumb