SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/16/2016 11:10 PM
My Worship Time Focus: (Faith’s
Definition)
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: Colossians 1:3-4a
Message of the verses: “3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in
Christ Jesus”
We looked
at the beginning of the main point entitled “The Gospel Truth is Received by Faith”
in our last SD and now we will look at the first sub-point under this main
point in today’s SD entitled “Faith Definition.”
John
MacArthur begins this section by showing us the Greek word for faith “Pistis (faith) means to be persuaded
that something is true and to trust in it.
Far more than mere intellectual assent, it involves obedience. Pistis
comes from the root word peitho (‘obey’). The concept of obedience is equated with
belief throughout the New Testament (cf. John 3:33; Acts 6:7; Rom. 15:18; 2
Thess. 1:8; Heb. 5:9; 1 Pet. 4:17). The
Bible also speaks of the obedience of faith (Acts 6:7; Rom. 1:5; 16:26).”
We cannot
think that faith is just a leap in the dark for when we look at the Biblical
definition found in Hebrews 11:1 we can see that it is not a leap in the
dark: “Now faith is the assurance of
things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews chapter eleven is what is commonly called
the “faith chapter” and the writer goes through many OT characters who acted on
faith, faith in the Lord as the followed the pattern of what the writer writes
in verse one of that chapter.
When we
drive on roads that we have never driven before we are acting in a certain kind
of faith believing that when we go around a corner that the road will not end
and we fall off into a lake or river or onto a pile of rocks as we trust the
highway systems in our country, and the same is true when we go to a restaurant
to eat out, although that takes a bit more faith than driving on our roads.
The Bible
teaches us what saving faith is and it also teaches us what it is not as James
writes in James 2:14-26. True saving
faith contains repentance and also obedience as its elements.
John
MacArthur gives us the meaning of the word repentance as it is an initial
element of saving faith: “The Greek word
for ‘repentance’ is metanoia, from meta, ‘after,’ and noea, ‘to understand.’
Literally it means ‘afterthought’ or ‘change of mind’ but biblically its
meaning does not stop there. As metanoia is used in the New Testament,
it always speaks of a chang of purpose, and specifically a turning from
sin. More specifically, repentance calls
for a repudiation of the old life and a turning to God for salvation (1 Thess.
1:9) ‘9 For they themselves report about
us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living
and true God.’ The repentance in
saving faith involves three elements: a
turning to God, a turning from evil, and an intent to serve God. No change of mind can be called true
repentance without all three. Repentance is not merely being ashamed or sorry
over sin, although genuine repentance always involves an element of
remorse. It is a redirection of the
human will, a purposeful decision to forsake all unrighteousness and pursue righteousness
instead. And God has to grant it (Acts
11:18; 2 Timothy 2:25). In fact, God
grants the whole of saving faith: ‘By
grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the
gift of God, not as a result of works, that no one should boast’ (Eph. 2:8-9
cf. Phil. 1:29).’ ‘29 For to you it has been granted for Christ’s
sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.”
A while ago
we looked at parts of a sermon that was entitled “Twin Truths” and in that
sermon we learned that God is the One who calls us to salvation as Jesus spoke
of in John 6:44 “"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me
draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” Also we have to look at what Jesus says in
John 6:47 “"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.” These are the twin truths of salvation and
both are involved. Now we believe that
the Bible teaches us that the faith that God grants to us for salvation is
permanent as in all who receive it, faith will endure.
I have some
more important quotes that we will look at in our next SD on this subject of “Faiths
Definition.”
12/16/2016 11:42 PM
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