Lesson 12
Will you trust Me?”
The
Challenge of living the FAITH-REST LIFE
Biblical Faith is
Non-Meritorious
Biblical faith is not a work, it is the one thing you can do without doing anything
(cf. John 6:27-29; His commandment 1 Jn.
Faith is the only way that is consistent with grace! (Rom 4:16a)
(1) Faith is an admission of one's spiritual inability and helplessness to merit or work for salvation or as a believer to handle our own life apart from God's grace provision as revealed in the New Testament (Rom. 4:1-5; Eph. 2:8,9; Titus 3:5; Gal. 2:20).
(2) Faith is
a rejection or repudiation of any confidence in the flesh (Phil. 3:1-9; see also Jer. 17:5-9;
(3) Therefore, recognizing one's helplessness and the sufficiency of Christ, biblical faith rests in God's complete and finished work and provision in Jesus Christ or Christ's merit (Rom. 4:4-5, 16; 11:6; Heb. 4:10).
Faith is Not Necessarily Demonstrated by What You are Doing for God.
This is a popular notion, but not quiet true. Should be, but not necessarily true!
Rabbit trail on this
passage in Phil 2:12-13.
Paul is dealing here with the process of living the CWOL.
We
need to remember that Paul often refers to Salvation in three phases or looks
at salvation from three different aspects or perspectives.
Past - present - Future (Phase 1,2,3)
Past tense (Ph-1) - This is the justification phase when we enter the royal family of God; "have been saved"
Present tense (Ph-2) - Describes where we live right now; after salvation
We must learn
about the provisional aspect of our position in Christ, that
occurs for us at salvation is that we were retroactively identified with Christ
in His death burial and resurrection and are raised to walk in newness of life.
What we need
now in the present day by day is to grasp the truth of Rom
Future tense (Ph-3) Part of the blessed
hope