Building Upon Our Faith

And when He had spoken 

these things, He was taken up

and a cloud received Him out

of their sight. And while they 

looked steadfastly as He 

went up, behold, two men

stood by them in white 

apparel; which also said,

Ye men of Galilee, why stand

ye gazing up into heaven? 

This same Jesus, which is taken 

up from you into heaven, shall 

so come in like manner as ye

have sen Him go into heaven.

Acts 1:9-11

     The Gospel is that God sent His Son to die upon the cross for the sin of the world: "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Notice this: the word is "sin" not "sins" of the world, it is this inherited sin from Adam that needed to be done away with and until that would be accomplished the "sins," plural, your sins could not be atoned. Furthermore, Jesus had to rise from the dead and then ascend into heaven bodily, and present that perfect sinless body, man, to the Father as payment for sin, and God the Father applies that now satisfied debt to one who believes on Jesus Christ and converts to Jesus Christ. This is the Gospel and more to it is necessarily for our faith to be complete and that is Jesus is coming again and this time to end all the sin of the world, the sins of all people and to judge the living and the dead: "And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever" (Revelation 5:13). This day of judgment is to be feared: "And the kings of earth, and the great men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free men, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains; and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne,and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand" (Revelation 6: 15-17)?

     After this has been accomplished, all the elect from out of all nations, tribes, people, and tongues shall be standing before the throne in the presence of the Lamb, clothed in white garments and with palms in their hands crying: "And cried with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb" (Revelation 7:10). Once again Jesus is conjoined by the Greek grammar to be God, and God to be the Lamb, both in Unity, both of the same substance for after the word God, there is a comma, and then the word "Lamb." The Lamb is said to be sitting on the throne and God is said to be sitting on the throne, God is said to be our salvation and Jesus is said to be our salvation, it is before the throne we stand and upon that throne is the Unity of the Trinity, for God is there and Jesus is there, not as separate beings, rather as One. The angels worshiped God, the elders worshiped God, the One upon the throne. Jesus is God, not a god, and Jesus is worshiped as God, not as a god. The Greek grammar is clear, that when God is mentioned and then Jesus the two and both on the throne then both are the same, equal in all ways and this cannot be construed any other way unless there is an attempt to misuse the Greek grammar. 

    Faith, true faith is what I am writing about, and it requires faith to believe what is written about God, Jesus, and the future. It takes faith because we cannot see God, Jesus and we cannot discern the future (We can speculate, but not know the future), so then, faith is required but not blind faith, faith upon what has been revealed so that we are not left ignorant, we have sure founded faith from Scripture. Therefore, if the Scripture we are reading, or if someone is preaching and teaching that which is not consistent with truth then we will not have a faith built upon a sure foundation. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17), so then for faith to be manifested in our lives it must come by way of Scripture rightly exegeted and taught. 

    True faith is one whereby you and I get to know the universal sovereignty of Jesus Christ, and this means to get to know Him personally, how to get alone with Him, to take time to worship Him. Do you not bear His name? Scripture gives us what to expect from God, from Jesus Christ, how that the future of eternal life will not be as here now on earth for there there will be no crying, no pain, no hunger, and no thirst for you will be with Jesus from which flows springs of living water (Revelation 7:14-17). Joy should flood your soul, your very being because of all what God has promised you and this you can add to you faith. 

O my God, incline thine ear,

     and hear; open thine eyes,

and behold our desolations, and

    the city which is called by they

name: for we do not present our

    supplications before thee for 

our righteousness, but for thy

    great mercies.

                     Daniel 9:18

Grow in your faith: take time for God

Richard L. Crumb