A Faith Complete?

We need to KNOW God, and have FAITH in Him, a real and visible faith. First to know that He is (exists) and then that He is our divine Father (through sonship). As such He is the First Cause of all life, and all things good. 

But receiving faith, by the hearing of it, is one thing, but the deepening of that faith, by the trying of it, is another. We must have a living walk of faith and fruits of it expressing in our lives.

“But if Christ lives in you, [then although] your [natural] body is dead by reason of sin and guilt, the spirit is alive because of [the] righteousness [that He imputes to you]. And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you. So then, brethren, we are debtors, but not to the flesh [we are not obligated to our carnal nature], to live [a life ruled by the standards set up by the dictates] of the flesh. For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Romans 8:10-14 (Amplified)

The Wages Of Sin

Many believe that if you are a good Christian then you will eventually die and then go on to heaven. It is what the churches teach, but they miss the reward of discipleship. Discipleship says that we inherit with Christ, and that we are caught up with Him upon His return. The dead in Christ will arise and meet Him in the sky:

“Then we, the living ones who remain [on the earth], shall simultaneously be caught up along with [the resurrected dead] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so always (through the eternity of the eternities) we shall be with the Lord!” 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (Amplified)

You see an eternal reward after you have died means that you have died in sin. Under the power of Grace which negates sin, you still are in a state of perdition, thus by sin you die. Therefore by definition you have not received your highest reward. In the above passages it tells you that you die because of sin, but that if you are in Christ you are raised from the dead (Romans 8:10). Or, as it say in Corinthians the last enemy to be destroyed is death. It goes on to tell you not only that is to be destroyed, in you, but the how and why.

“For this perishable [part of us] must put on the imperishable [nature], and this mortal [part of us, this nature that is capable of dying] must put on immortality (freedom from death). And when this perishable puts on the imperishable and this that was capable of dying puts on freedom from death, then shall be fulfilled the Scripture that says, Death is swallowed up (utterly vanquished [a]forever) in and unto victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? Now sin is the sting of death, and sin exercises its power [b][upon the soul] through [c][the abuse of] the Law. But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:53-57 (Amplified)

The scriptures of the Bible are always clear on the subject of Eternal Life. Man has preached throughout the ages that you must die first before you can enter into heaven. This however is contrary to the teachings of Christ and the scriptures themselves. What continues to preached from the pulpit is this concept:

“Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:24-26 (King James Version)

So the concept that death is destroyed after all things are completed here on earth. But as in all things you can not take a portion of a passage, you must understand the whole of it, and apply that truth to your understanding. If discerning, through a thorough study of scripture, of God's truths you will find that we are told that “this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality”. This is a command and an expectation of those who follow Christ (Luke 9:23). Christ said “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which art in heaven, is perfect” Matthew 5:48 (King James Version). In perfection, or sinlessness, there isn't an accommodation for sin which brings a condition of death. Death is the reward of sin, so again if there is no sin (1 Corinthians 10:13) there isn't any death. This of course, goes in the face of current theology, and a good way to invite derision and belittling.

Love Will Set You Free

Yes love is a condition of the heart, but love is also a power to be applied to the things of life. Jesus said that ALL of scriptures currently available to Him, the prophets and the law, were fulfilled in love. To love God and to love your fellow man. It is a principle, or tenet, of the basis of our faith in God. It is the means that we become “born of God” as His children.

“No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and [a]habitually] practices sin, for God’s nature abides in him [His principle of life, the divine sperm, remains permanently within him]; and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of God. By this it is made clear who take their nature from God and are His children and who take their nature from the devil and are his children: no one who does not practice righteousness [who does not conform to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action] is of God; neither is anyone who does not love his brother (his fellow [b]believer in Christ). For this is the message (the announcement) which you have heard from the first, that we should love one another, [And] not be like Cain who [took his nature and got his motivation] from the evil one and slew his brother. And why did he slay him? Because his deeds (activities, works) were wicked and malicious and his brother’s were righteous (virtuous). We know that we have passed over out of death into Life by the fact that we love the brethren (our fellow Christians). He who does not love abides (remains, is [a]held and kept continually) in [spiritual] death. Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity).” 1 John 3:9-12, 14 & 18 (Amp.)

So the last thing we see here is that comes through the practice of love. There is an interesting key here about overcoming sin: love and practicing righteousness. Thought and action (or will). First before all else, we must learn to love. Love unconditionally, spiritually and in truth. We must have that powerful, all encompassing, Christ-filled love. This is the love Jesus admonishes us to have in the Gospel of John 13 & 14. Love is a power. It is the same love that compelled and sustained Him when He gave His life for a lost world.

But that to really make something real and tangible in our lives, there must be thought and action (or will). This conforms to the law to make anything manifest in our lives. First you have the mold we want to fill, then the faith in action, or the will to perform that makes it real. The action, or the energy of the will, required to manifest this sinless state or condition, is the practicing of righteousness. We must DO something, we must apply our will.

Now we can understand why our will must conform to God's will. It is in the prefect manifestation of the Will Factor, or the righteousness, that fills the mold, creates the state of sinlessness while we are yet in the world, living, breathing, and existing in it. Only God's will is perfect and it is this will that abides in Christ, which He gave to abide in us. This state of sinlessness resides within us, alive in our discipleship to Christ. The keys to heaven are within us, thus we must understand that our walk of faith is something we can attain.

Faith's Expected Reward

We have now talked about sin's reward, namely death, what is the reward of faith? Let's gain a better understanding of what that means in our walk of faith.

“But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].” Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified)

“Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience. But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing” James 1:2-4 (Amplified)

In Revelation it explains about “he who overcomes” and what rewards specifically are given to the overcomer. Our journey is not in vain, with every trial, test, and tribulation, we are given the opportunity to overcome as stated in 1 Corinthians 10:13:

“For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not [a]adjusted and [b]adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to [c]a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 (Amplified)

Again this is power for our lives that God gives through our love for Him. It is a condition of that love because we have drawn Him near to our lives. This is our opportunity to practice righteousness, however if we are not in a state of love, as earlier described, the we have handicapped ourselves and our efforts to meet these challenges using our ability to practice or use the power of righteousness and our love. In other words, we are not prepared and therefore will more than likely fail in our efforts.

It is because we are using our minds, our abilities, our efforts (or will) to accomplish our victory without the power of our faith, love. Love needs to be expressed in our walk of faith. If you truly love someone, who you sin against them? And in loving God, would you ignore the principles of faith which He gave? I hope you answered in negative, because in using love is the only way to take the path, or our walk of faith. Christ already walked this path.

He is our vine, we are His branches, we draw life giving sustenance from the vine that supports us, nourishes us, and gives us life. What we must do to receive these blessings is to submit ourselves to God, through our discipleship in Christ, in all things. This places the power of God in our lives without any interference of the mortal desires, the mortal failings in life, and the mortal concepts of what is good. Our lives then become a reflection of God in all that we say, do, think, and feel.

“For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness—in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God]. So then, brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands and strengthen your feeble and palsied and tottering knees, And cut through and make firm and plain and smooth, straight paths for your feet [yes, make them safe and upright and happy paths that go in the right direction], so that the lame and halting [limbs] may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured. Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:11-14 (Amplified)

As the above passage illustrates, one of the interesting things is that we have to be willing to suffer through the trials and tribulations, with love, and the practicing of righteousness, and then we get more righteousness. We strengthen our ability to meet the new challenges in our lives. This in turn give more strength to apply righteousness and so on. This how we get to see God, in our lives, and is only part of the reward for faithfulness. We get peace, strength, healing, and much more.

“For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [[a]full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.” 2 Peter 1:3-4 (Amplified)

So we CAN be without sin, here, now. And here is the real promise of Eternal Life, this is the reward of Faith:

“By faith Enoch was taken up so that he didn’t see death, and he wasn’t found because God took him up.[a] He was given approval for having pleased God before he was taken up. It’s impossible to please God without faith because the one who draws near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards people who try to find him.” Hebrews 11:5-6 (Common English Bible)

Here we are back at the same passage that started this section, but this time an important part has been added. Here we find that Enoch, who walked in faith, had love for God (the account of Enoch is in Genesis) who had been practicing righteousness which pleased God and did not die. He was taken up to heaven “directly” from this earth. Has God stopped being God? Are miracles still happening today? Then what Enoch accomplished then must, and can, happen today. Why? Because if you succeed in the goal of your discipleship in Christ, and apply correctly the principles of our faith, namely love, then you gain the reward of faith here and now.

This should be the ultimate reward we seek. Eternal Life before (and without) the reward of sin, in other words “death”. This is what the Bible teaches, not something I am trying to use to corrupt your walk of faith. This is the Bible, as written, and is the infallible word of God. This what Christ taught and take by God through the disciples. We are talking about a perfect and deathless life, as a reward of faith and an unconditional love for God and our fellow man. When we use unconditional love, an Holy righteousness, and then walk in faith, then our journey is not in vain.

The Call To Holiness

“(I’m speaking with ordinary metaphors because of your limitations.) Once, you offered the parts of your body to be used as slaves to impurity and to lawless behavior that leads to still more lawless behavior. Now, you should present the parts of your body as slaves to righteousness, which makes your lives holy. When you were slaves of sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What consequences did you get from doing things that you are now ashamed of? The outcome of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and become slaves to God, you have the consequence of a holy life, and the outcome is eternal life. The wages that sin pays are death, but God’s gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:19-23 (Common English Bible)

“Therefore, come out from among them and be separated, says the Lord. Don’t touch what is unclean. Then I will welcome you.[a] 18 I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.[b] My dear friends, since we have these promises, let’s cleanse ourselves from anything that contaminates our body or spirit so that we make our holiness complete in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 6:17-18, 7:1 (Common English Bible)

We have been called, and we are admonished to make our calling and election sure. We are a royal priesthood, an holy people, and a chosen generation. So we need to be mindful of things that apply to our walk of faith and the real truth of things. And we need to be without sin, which is separation from God and happens only because of sin. And understand the true meaning of holiness, to be one with God without separation or division.

As you go back to your daily lives, do not forget you calling on your life nor the promises which God has given. The calling for every person of faith, is to love unconditionally, to practice righteousness in all you say, do, think, and feel. This is the walk of faith, and to walk in faith brings Life Eternal in the here and now, not only after we die.

“For God has not called us to impurity but to consecration [to dedicate ourselves to the most thorough purity]. Therefore whoever disregards (sets aside and rejects this) disregards not man but God, Whose [very] Spirit [Whom] He gives to you is holy (chaste, pure).” 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 (Amplified)

Everyone has the gift of salvation, whether they take it or not, but not all take it into their lives in order to receive it. But we can receive it when we embrace God's purpose for our lives. As Paul admonishes us:

“Therefore let us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ (the Messiah), advancing steadily toward the completeness and perfection that belong to spiritual maturity. Let us not again be laying the foundation of repentance and abandonment of dead works (dead formalism) and of the faith [by which you turned] to God, With teachings about purifying, the laying on of hands, the resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgment and punishment. [These are all matters of which you should have been fully aware long, long ago.] If indeed God permits, we will [now] proceed [to advanced teaching].” Hebrews 6:1-3 (Amplified)

All this will lead to change, if a person of faith will walk along this path of faith. You will find that you think differently, act differently and will want different things than you used to want. Others will also note the change in your character, and the very real growth of the fruits within you. You will become what other people of God will want to be, and what God want in your lives. He becomes the blessing, made real in your life, as He blesses others, through you, with who He is.

It doesn’t take great upheaval in one’s life, if you are already Christian, to have God accomplish this change within you—just let Him in and He will do the work. God's work in us, as Christians, is to transform us into the image of His Son. To gain our inheritance in Christ and be blameless before His throne. And that too will become a pearl of Great Price in our lives, and a treasure worth finding and holding close.

Be blessed, be loved and be and peace. May the light of God's glory and presence fire the brilliance of your souls. You are greatly loved.