Tag: Faith

Faith of the gospel

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on June 2, 2024. Posted in Philippians, What’s new?.

What does “faith of the gospel” mean in Philippians 1:27?

Philippians 1:27 states, “Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (ESV). To understand the phrase faith of the gospel, we must review both the immediate context and related biblical passages.

The chief theme of Philippians is encouragement. In Philippians 1:27, Paul encourages believers to walk “worthy of the gospel of Christ” (ESV). To walk worthy of the gospel of Christ means that we are “standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (ESV). Believers should strive for the “faith of the gospel.”

Paul’s use of the word of instead of in is key to understanding what the “faith of the gospel” is. When someone speaks about “faith in the gospel,” the emphasis is on personal conviction and trust. Someone with faith in the gospel is convinced that Jesus lived, died, and rose again on the third day (see 1 Corinthians 15:1–4). “Faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27, ESV), however, shifts our focus from personal conviction to the shared faith of all believers. Essentially, the “faith of the gospel” is about the totality of what Christians believe. It has a unifying power. Believers are collectively committed to “all the truths revealed, the duties enjoined, and the blessings promised” in the gospel (Joseph Benson, Benson Commentary on the Old and New Testaments).

The “faith of the gospel,” then, corresponds to several New Testament passages. For example, in Romans 1:16–17, Paul writes, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith’” (ESV). Through the gospel, God draws both Jews and Gentiles to Himself, creating a body of believers who are not ashamed to “proclaim the excellencies of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9, ESV).

On the church as a body, Paul writes, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Ephesians 4:4–6, ESV). As one body, believers should be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3, ESV). This unity of faith and purpose accompanies the faith of the gospel.

Paul says that we should be “striving for” the faith of the gospel. This implies the presence of opposition and the need to strive. In striving for the faith of the gospel, believers should “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24–25, ESV). Mutual love, good works, fellowship, and encouragement are “duties enjoined” by the gospel.

The phrase faith of the gospel reminds believers that faith is more than personal conviction; it is also the shared faith of all believers. It is not “I believe the gospel” but “We believe the gospel” (see John 6:69). Since we hold the same truths and believe the same gospel, we should labor “side by side” (Philippians 1:27, ESV) with our brothers and sisters in Christ for the gospel, maintaining the spirit of love, peace, and unity.

Bible verses about faith

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on January 4, 2024. Posted in Bible verses about...? Directory, What’s new?.

What are some Bible verses about faith?

Matthew 21:22
And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.

2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.

James 2:19
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

Luke 1:37
For nothing will be impossible with God.

1 Corinthians 2:5
That your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Mark 9:23
And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”

James 2:24
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Matthew 17:20
He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Luke 17:5
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

1 John 5:4
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

1 Corinthians 13:13
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Special thanks to OpenBible.info for the data gathered on the most well-known Bible verses.

The most holy faith

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on November 27, 2023. Posted in Jude, What’s new?.

What is “the most holy faith” (Jude 20)?

In Jude 1:17–23, the writer calls believers to remain faithful in their walk with God. He reminds his friends in Christ of the apostles’ predictions—that false teachers, scoffers, and faithless people would come into the church and try to divide and tear them down. Jude urges the church to resist all such efforts: “But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith” (verse 20, NLT).

The “most holy faith” is the bedrock of our spiritual life, the belief in the saving work of Jesus Christ accomplished through His death and resurrection. The apostle Paul gives a similar prompting: “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught” (Colossians 2:6–7, NLT).

Jude encourages readers “to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people” (Jude 1:3). The most holy faith—the believer’s trust in Jesus Christ and the message of the gospel—is the “very faith” Paul preached but had once “tried to destroy” (Galatians 1:23, NLT). After his conversion, Paul would fight “the good fight” of faith for the rest of his life (2 Timothy 4:7) and urge fellow believers to do the same: “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:12).

Jude calls it the “most holy” faith because it is singularly set apart from all the rest (Ephesians 4:4–6). The body of doctrine we hold—the faith we cling to—must remain pure and uncorrupted by false teaching and flashy new doctrinal additives (Galatians 1:6–9). For this reason, the author of Hebrews warns, “Do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace, not from rules about food, which don’t help those who follow them” (Hebrews 13:9, NLT). Strange and divisive teachings tear down our faith and lead us away from the path God has planned for us. Peter instructs, “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment” (1 Peter 2:2, NLT).

Building ourselves up in the most holy faith involves a daily determination to learn as much as we can about the untainted truth of God’s Word and then obey it and live by it (see James 1:22–25; see also Acts 20:32; Hebrews 5:12; Titus 1:9). God gives us His Word to teach, correct, prepare, and equip us for “every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17). The earliest believers strengthened themselves in the most holy faith when they “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42).

Jude discloses the key to building ourselves up in the most holy faith, and that is “praying in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 1:20). God’s Word and prayer is the dynamic duo of spiritual growth (see Acts 6:4). Praying in the Holy Spirit “helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And . . . the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:26–28, NLT). When a Christian yields to the Spirit and is led by the Spirit in prayer, God can direct that person in His will and purposes. As a result, growth in faith is accomplished.

The most holy faith is the foundation of our Christian lives. The apostle Paul explains, “Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:10–11, NLT). Christ Jesus Himself is “the chief cornerstone” of our faith (Ephesians 2:20). Believers must “stand firm in the faith” and hold to their confession of trust in Jesus Christ until the end (1 Corinthians 16:13; Philippians 1:27; Hebrews 3:14; 1 Timothy 6:20–21).

Faith without works is dead

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on September 20, 2023. Posted in Questions about Salvation, What’s new?.

Why is faith without works dead?

James says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26). Faith without works is a dead faith because the lack of works reveals an unchanged life or a spiritually dead heart. There are many verses that say that true saving faith will result in a transformed life, that faith is demonstrated by the works we do. How we live reveals what we believe and whether the faith we profess to have is a living faith.

James 2:14–26 is sometimes taken out of context in an attempt to create a works-based system of righteousness, but that is contrary to many other passages of Scripture. James is not saying that our works make us righteous before God but that real saving faith is demonstrated by good works. Works are not the cause of salvation; works are the evidence of salvation. Faith in Christ always results in good works. The person who claims to be a Christian but lives in willful disobedience to Christ has a false or dead faith and is not saved. Paul basically says the same thing in 1 Corinthians 6:9–10. James contrasts two different types of faith—true faith that saves and false faith that is dead.

Many profess to be Christians, but their lives and priorities indicate otherwise. Jesus put it this way: “By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers’” (Matthew 7:16–23).

Notice that the message of Jesus is the same as the message of James. Obedience to God is the mark of true saving faith. James uses the examples of Abraham and Rahab to illustrate the obedience that accompanies salvation. Simply saying we believe in Jesus does not save us, nor does religious service. What saves us is the Holy Spirit’s regeneration of our hearts, and that regeneration will invariably be seen in a life of faith featuring ongoing obedience to God.

Misunderstanding the relationship of faith and works comes from not understanding what the Bible teaches about salvation. There are really two errors in regards to works and faith. The first error is “easy believism,” the teaching that, as long as a person prayed a prayer or said, “I believe in Jesus,” at some point in his life, then he is saved, no matter what. So a person who, as a child, raised his hand in a church service is considered saved, even though he has never shown any desire to walk with God since and is, in fact, living in blatant sin. This teaching, sometimes called “decisional regeneration,” is dangerous and deceptive. The idea that a profession of faith saves a person, even if he lives like the devil afterwards, assumes a new category of believer called the “carnal Christian.” This allows various ungodly lifestyles to be excused: a man may be an unrepentant adulterer, liar, or bank robber, but he’s saved; he’s just “carnal.” Yet, as we can see in James 2, an empty profession of faith—one that does not result in a life of obedience to Christ—is in reality a dead faith that cannot save.

The other error in regards to works and faith is to attempt to make works part of what justifies us before God. The mixture of works and faith to earn salvation is totally contrary to what Scripture teaches. Romans 4:5 says, “To him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.” James 2:26 says, “Faith without works is dead.” There is no conflict between these two passages. We are justified by grace through faith, and the natural result of faith in the heart is works that all can see. The works that follow salvation do not make us righteous before God; they simply flow from the regenerated heart as naturally as water flows from a spring.

Salvation is a sovereign act of God whereby an unregenerate sinner has the “washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” poured out on him (Titus 3:5), thereby causing him to be born again (John 3:3). When this happens, God gives the forgiven sinner a new heart and puts a new spirit within him (Ezekiel 36:26). God removes his sin-hardened heart of stone and fills him with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit then causes the saved person to walk in obedience to God’s Word (Ezekiel 36:26–27).

Faith without works is dead because it reveals a heart that has not been transformed by God. When we have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, our lives will demonstrate that new life. Our works will be characterized by obedience to God. Unseen faith will become seen by the production of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives (Galatians 5:22). Christians belong to Christ, the Good Shepherd. As His sheep we hear His voice and follow Him (John 10:26–30).

Faith without works is dead because faith results in a new creation, not a repetition of the same old patterns of sinful behavior. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Faith without works is dead because it comes from a heart that has not been regenerated by God. Empty professions of faith have no power to change lives. Those who pay lip service to faith but who do not possess the Spirit will hear Christ Himself say to them, “I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers” (Matthew 7:23).