Faith « Salvation By Grace

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Posted in * Favorites, Faith, Trials and Suffering with tags Knowledge on November 28, 2007 by Harry

James is written to show believers how to live in the world
The Christian experience is not revealed in a far off heavenly place, but it is revealed in the rough and tumble of everyday life
Our lives are crowded in upon by trials and tribulations
- We are not yet in heaven
- Tears, doubts, trials, etc will come upon us
- There is no exemption
One of greatest illusions of life is to look to another person and wish we were them
James says have joy in trials – why?
- Because you know (see below)
- Bring how we feel under the dictate of what we know
- Knowledge over feelings not feelings over knowledge
People are so used to the Christian success story
- 14:36 Christianity is a big cover up
- We all have wheel barrels full of sorrow, trials, and tribulations
What do we know
- Testing of faith produces perseverance: Faith itself does not
- Just like a muscle, if not stressed, faith too will atrophy
- In shunning trials, we shun blessings
- Perseverance produces maturity
In the creed we say we believe in the father, but we don’t really know we believe until everything collapses
- Until the day it appears He has left us, until the day it seems He does not even hear our prayers, let alone answer them

Posted in Faith, Perseverance on November 19, 2007 by Harry

Berkhoff’s definition of the perseverance of the saints: “Perseverance is that continuous operation of the Holy Spirit in the believer by which the work of divine grace that is begun in the heart is continued and brought to completion.”
Saints refer to those who believe in Jesus
Perseverance of the Saints is the perseverance of God : perseverance = Preservation
There is no perseverance without faith and it those who have faith who persevere
Alistair revisits the question of 11/14/07 – a believer cannot be lost
Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Faith is a gift from God
To persevere: do not look to yourself, do not look to others, look ONLY to Jesus
Packer: “You are not strong enough to fall away as long as God is resolved to hold you.”

Posted in * Favorites, Faith, Trust on November 17, 2007 by Harry

Trust in Jesus with all.

Posted in Faith on November 16, 2007 by Harry

Examples of lives lived in faith from the bible, ie Moses, Abraham, etc.
1. Heard the story of God
2. Trusted the promise of God
3. Lived in the light of the promise, ie built the ark
#3 is critical for faith
Ways to make certain you are a man/woman of faith:
Knowledge:
- “Show me God”
- God has shown himself through creation, the bible, and Jesus
- In knowing Jesus we know God and this knowledge of God is basis for our certainty
- Faith is grounded in this knowledge, otherwise faith is worthless, we would just believe whatever people tell us
Give mental assent (agreement) to these things of truth
- Christ compels us to believe against all else, ie our own will, sin, rebellion, etc.
Trust
- Intellectual reasoning is not true faith
- Devil, demons have intellectual awareness of facts of God, yet they have no faith
- There must be trust, ie LET JESUS RUN YOUR LIFE
“Faith is both a decisive act and a sustained attitude.”

Posted in Faith on November 15, 2007 by Harry

Works are an expression of faith
In discussing what faith is it is helpful to first describe what it is not
- Faith is NOT self engendered – it is a gift from God
- Faith is not a subjective feeling
- Faith is not a projection of something we want to be true even though it is not, ie it is not a blind leap
- Faith is not based on feelings