Faith defined as (Divine Evidence and Conviction) allows us to fit
some pieces together that simply won't fit if we use the contemporary
definition of trust and belief. One is the idea that faith begins with Him. The
definition I have presented to you requires His initiating the contact, this
definition of faith also allows Him authorship whereas faith defined as our
belief and our trust drops the authorship into our hands. Faith as I have
defined it also provides us with insight into the idea that Faith is a gift
that is not merited. Ephesians 2:8 “For it
is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God”. NIV
What is it talking about?
Is it Grace? Of course not, the word Grace means unmerited goodness of God, so
to say that grace is not “of ourselves” is foolish. The Apostle is speaking of
faith when he says it is not “of ourselves” it is the gift of God. So we understand
that faith is a gift that is unmerited. This also falls in line with the
definition I have suggested in these writings, if faith is our belief or our
trust then it is of ourselves we are responsible for it and whether we have
enough of it or not will fall squarely on our shoulders.
The definition I have provided also allows for us
to have faith and do nothing with it. James told us we can have faith and do
nothing with it and it will still be faith just dead faith.
So to conclude this particular definition of the
Christian term Faith I would like to present a possible flow to this and
conclude with how it brings about new birth or being “Born Again”.
We are dead spiritual due to natural decent from Adam;
we are spiritually dead and have no thoughts of God other than what He prompts
in our hearts and minds. When he does, we can either receive those thoughts and
act on them or reject them. Either way they are faith. Act on it and it is
living faith don’t act on it and it is dead faith but God has given us faith in
both instances. The interesting thing about this is His initiating the contact;
I’ll pick up this idea another time but for now let’s move on. When we respond
He gives more faith and so on until it leads us to a realization of our internal
spiritual needs. Once having been persuaded we begin a journey to the cross at
which point we begin to raise up the sin offering that was provided for us by
the Son of God. Now when we have presented nothing but the blood as atonement
for our sins God acknowledges His acceptance of that sacrifice by giving us a
faith (Divine evidence or conviction) about our own standing with Him. He
communicates this with us in various ways which makes it clear to us as His
individual children, but as He does this in such a way as to identify us with
all His other children so there is no distinction we are all equal. Using a
couple of phrases from the Bible I will attempt to describe in general terms
what saving faith looks like.
God accepts our sin offering and shows it in a manner
similar to the Old Testament fire falling on the thing, but in a way that is peculiar
to the Christianity. God testifies of His acceptance of the sacrifice we are
offering by communicating to us clearly that our status is now His child, He
provides us with our adoption papers so to speak in that in that moment He
sends the Spirit of Adoption into our hearts, this is none other than the Holy
Spirit (the one given to the first man in the Garden of Eden) by so doing He
fulfills His promise to the first fallen of mankind. In the same moment He
pours His love out into our inmost being and in doing so we know we are His
dearly loved children. Through these Divine evidences and convictions we are
now established in Him and we know in that moment we are His child and that the
sin offering was in deed sufficient and we are a new creature breathed to life
once again. This evidence is true faith, it is complete enough and by it we are
“saved” or “Born again”. This faith is what the early church had and knew it is
what changed the course of history not just then but at various times since
when men and women began to seek something more than a form of religion. There
is so much more to share on this subject but I sincerely hope this helps you in
your journey to a deeper walk with Him. I will post more on other words and
phrases in future posts.
HIS T2
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