The Battle for "Justification by Faith!" - Part 4

Okay what is faith? The scriptures do the best job of defining faith - Hebrews 11:1(NIV) Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. So, faith is certainty in something that we do not see and have not experienced. But where does that kind of faith come from as it regards our trust in God? I mean isn’t the scripture clear that I will never place my trust in God because before Christ I only want to flee from God?:

Romans 3:11-12 (NIV)
11 there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”

John 1:1-5 (NIV)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (emphasis mine)

And here is maybe the most definitive passage for me:

John 3:18-21 (NIV)
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

Okay let’s break this down so that we have a clearer understanding of faith:
1. If you believe (have faith) in Christ you are saved
2. If you do not believe (have faith) in Christ then you are condemned
3. We are all in darkness (see the Romans 3 passage above)
4. Darkness flees from light
5. So, we see that we are all without faith and therefore condemned

Okay let’s stop right there for a moment – from this passage (up until verse 20) we see that we are all without faith and therefore condemned – the verdict has been issued! So, how are any of us saved?

Well look again at verse 21: 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.

We only come into the light to prove that what has been done in us has been done through God. In other words the only reason that I no longer flee from the light is because God has reached into my darkness and washed me with His light! Therefore my darkness has been driven out by God’s light! I did not choose to have that happen (remember the darkness always flees from the light) – no God decided to cast light into my heart and once He did I delighted to show what He had done in me because I am now redeemed!

So faith is not my gift to God in salvation as though I had partnered with Him in the redemption of my soul. No, faith is God’s gift to me as the vehicle that He uses to connect me with His righteousness so that I might be declared “Not Guilt!”

With this in mind let’s look at a passage that we studied before:

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Why is boasting impossible, because it is God would saved me and it is God who gave me the faith to trust Him! My salvation is totally His gift, I only enjoy the gift I do not earn it!!!

Today let us rejoice in the fact that we are justified by God, that He has done the work and that we are merely the recipients of the greatest gift that has even been poured out on humanity! Let us be a people of worship!!!