Faith: The Free Gift Of God

For Christ is the end of the law

for righteousness to everyone

Who believes…..

But what does it say?

‘The word is near you,

in your mouth and in your heart’

(that is, the word of faith which we preach):

that if you confess with your mouth

the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart

that God has raised Him from the dead,

you will be saved.

For with the heart one believes unto

righteousness, and with the mouth

confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:4; 8–10

            Many are taught that everyone who believes will be saved, that is to purport that this verse (Romans 10:4) speaks about those in the future: it does not! The Greek word for believes is: πιστεύοτι, a present tense indicative word, and the meaning by it being present is just that: whoever is presently believing will be saved. How then does one come to believe? By faith! How does then one get faith? Is this faith that is necessary for one to believe impossible due to the fact of original sin that all men are infected with, and have not then the ability by any works, that is to believe by means of their own ability. It is impossible, for to be able to choose faith by your own ability is to do works and Scripture is clear that works does not give a person faith, or salvation. Paul, in verse 17 of this chapter tells this: “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the world of God” (Romans 10:17). Now let us think upon this fact: you must hear the word of God to have faith, and faith then is activated to you by the grace of God: “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 1:8). True faith never, established by works, not of doing, even if you think what you are doing is of God. Some think that they are believers by going about attempting to heal people. There are those who speak of raising the dead, (even though there is no proof of that actually happening). Speaking in unintelligible words, etc., no faith is to believe, to be converted and this by the word of God, the Gospel, and the Gospel that people need is that they are sinners and in need of a Savior and that Savior is Jesus Christ who died for sin upon the cross. The confession of our mouths is this Gospel of Jesus Christ, not His works, although they are proof of Him being God, and this confession must come from your heart that God, the Father raised Him from the dead. To be converted is to have made a vow, an oath, a promise to do and to behave in a certain manner, that is, we who confess that we are Christians must then act as Christians, and our model is Jesus Christ, and led then by the commandments of God. We must be submissive to God. There is confusion by those who have ingested the culture of this age; a culture that does not believe in absolutes and a culture that believes everyone have a truth. Many have swallowed the lie that there is no such thing as an absolute, an absolute truth, and this belief affects by undermining a person’s faith. This is a watershed issue; that there are no absolutes, no absolute truth. Fact: If attempting to land a vessel upon the planet Mars, for instance, and the mathematics enabling the vessel to hit its target is incorrect by even a minute measurement, it will miss the planet. If our theology is off by even a minute understanding, we will miss the truth and then led into doctrines that are not doctrines of God. We will be confessing, that is even if we do confess, that which is not of God, rather it will be of our own making, or that of another whose theology is askew. This dichotomy of thought, the division that is not of Scripture, will then have major consequences, first for the believer, then for the hearer. A believer will not be able to fully, if at all, answer any reasonable and rational question by the unbeliever and will not be able to defend their faith. Answers will be missing, and the Gospel will not be accepted, and even the elect will not have their faith, this free gift of God given to His children have any power in their life. There is an urgency to train Christians how to fight this war against truth, and for you, the Christian to be able to stand.

            Do you have fear? Is your fear that you will be ridiculed, or maybe that you would lose face, a job, a position, etc., and if so then your faith is not in God, or in His word: “For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame” (Romans 10:11; cf. Isaiah 28:16). We, as ambassadors of Jesus Christ, those who have converted and then by this conversion have vowed, takes an oath, a promise that is based on that vow, that oath to speak the Gospel to whomever who will listen, or ask: For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for th same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved” (Romans 10:12–13; cf. Joel 2:32).

            May you, and me, be what God has called us to be: His mouth, His feet, His witness. What do we have to fear? Nothing! We are already legally in heaven. We are a blessed people, and we are to be a blessing to those around us, both believers and non–believers. This is being a Christian and having faith, this free gift from God.

How beautiful are the feet of

            Those who preach the

Gospel of peace. (Isaiah 52:7)

            Who bring glad tidings

Of good things. (Nahum 1:15)

                        Romans 10: 15b

Celebrate the Glad Tidings and Peace

Richard L. Crumb

Faith And Truth: Two Sides Of The Same Coin

Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God

for Israel is that they may be saved.

For I bear witness that they have a zeal for God,

but not according to knowledge.

For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness,

and seeking to establish their own righteousness,

have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

Romans 10 1–3

            Once again, as in Romans 9:1–3, Paul shows his heart, that he had a great desire and prayers to God that Israel, that nation that he was of nationality, that this nation, his nation, would be saved. Paul does not say they salvation is theirs, only that it was his desire. Is this not true of us; we desire that someone, a family member, or even that our nation would be saved, but we may pray, and we may desire, but, this does not mean that salvation comes to them. Why? Do they not have the law? Yes! Do they not believe in Jehovah? Yes! Do they not have zeal for God? Yes! Give me zeal and $2.50 and I can buy coffee at Starbucks. Zeal is not either good or bad. Zeal has as its foundation our belief(s). The Roman Catholic Church had zeal, so much zeal that they would put to death those who opposed their doctrine. Islamic people will do the same and have much zeal, enough to take time each day to pray five times facing towards Mecca. Mormons have zeal, so much so that their young men travel on bikes propagating their faith. Jehovah Witnesses have a zeal, so much so that they go from door to door preaching and inviting people to come to believe as they do. It is good to be zealous, but that zeal must be based upon truth. Our faith must be based upon truth. So once again, what is truth? Paul makes mention that the Jews had a zeal fo God, but their zeal was misplaced for they lacked a zeal according to knowledge. They developed a theology outside of the truth because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness. They sought to establish their own righteousness, seeking that which they believed was pious and good. Yet, in the end they did not submit to the righteousness of God. Their truth was their truth, but not truth according to God and His righteousness. They had the law, and this law not only pointed out to them their sinfulness, and their need for a Savior, and yet, they missed what the law pointed to: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4). When anything, or anyone, replaces the righteousness of God, Jesus Christ, and this with any other belief or doctrine; then they are ignorant, and have missed God’s righteousness. Many so–called Christian Churches have developed, preach, teach, and practice doctrines that are not of God, rather they are that which they have developed and have submitted: their own righteousness. Our faith, our belief, cannot be truth faith or belief is it not based on truth. So what is truth?

            Pontius Pilate governor of Palestine asked this question: “Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth” (John 18:38:a)? Many today ask this same question, only in a sarcastic manner. Can you answer this question? Moral faith must have as its basis truth, but not someone’s truth, rather actual truth. Jesus gave us the answer: Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and for now on you know Him and have seen Him” (John 14:6–7). Faith, faith based upon truth, that is what is needed and that truth is Jesus Christ who admitted that He was God in those passages, not some representation of God, rather that a person who has seen Him has seen the Father. Now, we cannot see Jesus physically, therefore we see Jesus, God, and the Father through our belief and that belief has as its support, its basis on the thing that Jesus said and did: “Jesus said to him [Philip} ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has send the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father” Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak of My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does th works. Believe in Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves” (John 14:9–11). We do not know all the works that Jesus did, but we do know from His words that those works were due to the Father working in Him. Many use this passage to promote the use of supernatural works, things like going about healing, raising the dead, speaking in some gibberish language, etc., but is this what Jesus is speaking about? NO! Jesus said: “Must assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14: 12). Greater works? HUH! How can this be, did not Jesus raise the dead? Yes! So how can a person do greater than that? They can’t! Therefore, this passage cannot mean what churches: i.e., Bethel Church of Redding teach, some form of supernaturalism, no, context does not allow for this interpretation. Jesus did the will of His Father, and we too, that is, if we have true faith, a true belief of God, and this He did by giving a “new commandment.” “Little children, I shall be with you a little longer. You will seed Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:33–35). Was there not a commandment to love God, and ourselves? Were not Christians commanded before to love another? Yes! “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourselves” (Matthew 22:37–39). Jesus is going away to the Father to prepare a room for the children of God and now those left behind until His return have a special commandment to love, and to care for one another. This is the greatest that we can do and while doing so we are witnesses for God, and this is what we witness to, and that upon which our faith rests: Jesus Christ, the righteousness of God.

I was sought by those who

            Did not ask for Me;

I was found by those who

            Did not seek Me.

Is said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’

            To a nation that was not

Called by My name.

                        Isaiah 65: 1–2

 Place You Faith In The Truth

Richard L. Crumb

The Basis Of Faith

Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel;

“Though the number of the children of Israel

be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved.

For He will finish the work and cut it short in

righteousness, because the LORD will make it

short work upon the earth.”
And as Isaiah said before:

“Unless the LORD of the Sabaoth had left

us a seed, we would have become like Sodom,

and we would have been made like Gomorrah.”

Romans 9:27–29; Isaiah 10:22–23

            Paul in recording the words of Isaiah makes clear, very clear in fact that God will save a remnant out of the thousands in Israel, and also that if not that God leave a seed all men would become like Sodom and Gomorrah: destroyed. Why us? Because Paul is writing to not only those Jews of dispersion, but also, and mostly in this case because he is writing to those Christians in Rome who would be either Romans, or of some other nation other than Israel. If then, Israel being a nation chosen by God, a people according to His will and have His law, why are then not in total saved? Why is that those who are not Israel are saved when those of the Gentiles did not have the Law, or be of a nation chosen by God: “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness” (Romans 9:30–31)? That is a great question: Why? Paul gives the answer: “Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. As it is written: ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame’” (Romans 9:32–33; Isaiah I:14; 28:16). Why? Faith; or a lack of faith; or faith that is based on other than truth; or even a lack of knowledge as to what is the definition of faith, and this is true of many Christians today: a lack of the knowledge of faith; its definition. This is the thrust of this blog; “Consider Faith…..”.

            The world, and maybe even you, have a definition of faith that follows the words of many philosophers, that faith has its base upon feelings. This seems to be the faith that many so–called Christian Churches follow for they elevate feelings, and supernaturalism, and if you have faith then you will have some ecstatic emotional feeling, leading to bodily movements that are erratic; much like those at the Woodstock Music event, in 1969, a monumental music festival changed our world. This is contrary to truth faith for true faith does not have as its base irrational feelings, and irrational feeling that makes for a leap rooted in those feelings that lead to the heart. If, feelings, a faith based upon feelings, then any religion that makes cause for such a burning of feelings in their very soul, would have validation as being true, that their belief system(s) is true. Feelings do not determine what is true and what is not true. Faith is simply a logical reasoned determination; that is, determined by knowledge, by what must be and this, based upon demonstrable evidence.[1] Does this mean that we must have empirical evidence to have faith? NO! Does this mean that we simply believe? NO! Faith is not a thing and it is not a simple one–sided thing for it has several facets. Faith has as its base a confidence or a truth in a person or thing. Example: You are driving down the road at, let us say, high speed. Your car, supported by four tires, it may be that they are new, in good shape, at least according to the eye. Possible, you looked to see that this is true. Traveling on those tires is a form of faith, that those who built those tires did so properly, and that they do not have some hidden flaw, and you do so in faith because there are others doing the same and they are not causing some form of harm: so you travel along in confidence. You have this confidence, a form of faith even though you did not see that these tires were safe, and you had faith in those who are making the tires, even though you do not know them. Your faith, based upon empirical evidence, but not necessarily in truth. On the other hand there is a faith, Semper Fi, became the Marine Corps motto in 1883, always faithful. Your faith, or faithfulness, based upon history, and a belief that others will do what is right in any situation. Yet, not based upon actual truth, rather upon history, and that others will keep their obligation. So then, faith may have its basis upon a code of ethics, or some standard of merit. Faith is not true because we believe it to be true. Here is an important fact: It is what we believe about truth, for this belief affects everything we believe, this belief determines our theology, and our theology determines our character, and our character determines our actions. There is a faith, moral faith, and this morality of faith to have within us an established character based upon our theology, then our theology by reason be based upon our beliefs, and this belief must be based upon truth. Therefore, it is then, truth, upon that which we base our faith. Question: How do we know what we know? Did not God Himself give us instruction to be able to defend our faith, that which we know and believe to be true (1Peter 3:15)? Then this is important to know truth for that is the basis for our faith, for true faith. If then, we are to be ready to defend our faith, that hope that is within us, when asked, we are not to just defend our emotional feelings, as though this is the basis for our faith, no, we are to be able to give truth, reasons based upon truth, not feelings. Everyone has feelings. Everyone and every religion have some association with feelings, but as stated: feelings are not faith.

            This then will be the thrust for the next blogs, faith, as this is what this blog is all about, our faith, to consider our faith and if necessary to make changes from the inside out.

How can a young man cleanse his way?

            By taking heed according to Your word.

With my whole heart I have sought You;

            Oh, let me not wander from Your

Commandments!

                                    Psalm 119: 9–10

Your are a witness for God

Richard L. Crumb

---

[1] Retrieved from internet: http://www.royalrife.com/what_is_truth.pdf; December 2, 2013