[. . . at the glorious return of Jesus Christ.] Though you have never laid eyes on Him,
yet you love Him. And though you cannot see Him at this present time, yet you have faith
in Him. For this reason you rejoice with an inexpressible joy that bespeaks the glorious
future to come, when you shall carry off in victory the ultimate prize – the deliverance
of your lives – which is the very purpose and objective of this faith of yours.
Introduction: We are about to complete our study of Peter's introductory eulogy,
that is, his heartfelt expression of praise to God the Father for His manifold blessings
to each of us. As we do so, the issue which commands our attention at the conclusion of
verse nine is that of the perseverance of the believer's faith amidst the trials of life.
Peter's discussion of the "living hope", the anticipation of the resurrection of
our bodies and the ineffable blessings of eternity to come, is set amid a realistic
appraisal of life as we know it here and now: in time, the believer's life is one of
tribulation. In fact, as believers in Jesus Christ, we are destined to encounter such
furious opposition from Satan that the achievement of our final victory – completing life
with our faith still intact – is described by Peter in dramatic terms: salvation is a
prize "to be won" (Greek komizo: to carry off as a prize, get what is
due through effort; cf. Peter's use at 1Pet.5:4, and Paul's at 2Cor.5:10; Eph.6:8). This
final deliverance is, moreover, the ultimate "objective" of our faith, because
in achieving it, we are safe, "saved" in an ultimate, unchangeable way. Until
that final victory, however, we are and shall continue to find ourselves in the middle of
an intense struggle that concerns our very [eternal] lives.
The Faith Struggle: Great in every way
is the reward for our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ despite all satanic opposition to the
contrary. We look forward with confidence to a new life, a new body, and all the blessings
of the new heavens and the new earth to come. This is our hope! But without our continued personal
faith in Jesus Christ, this hope would be entirely vain.
The contention, often heard in contemporary evangelical circles, that the preservation
and perseverance of personal faith is "automatic" is tragically wrong. The
traditional Calvinist position that, to oversimplify, those who fail to persevere in their
faith were never genuine believers in the first place is equally misguided. Previously, we
had occasion to study in some detail the parable of the sower (see 1st Peter lessons
#12-13, 16, 18; Matt.13:1-23; Mk.4:1-20; Lk.8:4-15). In that discussion, it will be
remembered, the seed of the Word of God fell on four types of soil: hard-packed, rocky,
thorny and good ground. It is the case of the rocky soil that particularly attracts our
attention here, for this type represents those who initially do express faith,
but then fall away under pressure. Such faith does not suffice to save, because the person
in question did not "endure until the end" (Matt.24:13); that is, although such
individuals once did believe in Christ, at some point this faith dissolved – and they
reverted to their unbelieving state.
No other issue of the Christian life should command greater attention from us than
this. For without our faith in Christ, we are truly lost, and the proverb comes true,
"the end is worse than the beginning" (2Pet.2:20-22). Before examining in detail
the question of loss of faith in Christ, we need first to be clear about what it
means to trust Christ for salvation.
Becoming a Believer: Everyone comes face to
face with the reality and power of God at some point in their lives (Rom.1:18-23;
Eccl.3:11). The realization of our individual sinfulness and consequent guilt before this
all-powerful God is likewise a universal constant (Rom.2:14-16; Heb.9:27). That is why one
of the remarkable things about the free gift of God, salvation through His Son Jesus
Christ, is that so many are unwilling to accept it. One would think that if the sure
certainty of physical death were not enough motivation to convince of the need for a
Savior, at least the hope of deliverance from the hands of a God demanding justice would
be:
For if we continue to sin willfully (i.e., arrogantly) after having received
full knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains any sacrifice
applicable to [such] sins, but [only] the terrifying expectation of judgment
and fiery retribution waiting to devour those who oppose [the Lord].
Hebrews 10:26-27
Included in the promise of the gospel is the good news that we have been freed from our
sins by Christ's death on our behalf, and so, by relying on His work instead of our own,
will therefore escape the future condemnation of God which is otherwise the destiny of
Adam's seed. Thus, the expectation of divine judgment and the blessed relief from this
prospect is a legitimate part of any appeal to unbelievers to accept Christ as their
savior (cf. Acts 24:15; 24:25).
It was certainly this terror of impending judgment in the form of a divinely caused
earthquake that so powerfully motivated the Philippian jailor. "Sirs," he
anxiously asked Paul and his companions as the temblor bursting open his prison's cells
brought home to him the reality of God's power, "What must I do to be saved?"
Paul's reply was immediate and unambiguous:
"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be
saved."
Acts 16:31
This is the salvation appeal in its most succinct form. You are saved by believing in
Christ, pure and simple. You become a Christian by putting your faith in Christ. The Bible
makes this clear "at many different times and in many different ways" as the
writer of Hebrews reminds us (Heb.1:1). Charles Ryrie, in his Survey of Bible Doctrine,
counts over two hundred New Testament passages alone where salvation is said to be
dependent upon faith alone. How do you become a believer in Christ, a Christian and a
follower of Christ? You simply put your faith in Him, and at that moment you enter the
family of God, becoming a part of the body of Christ, His Church. The amount of detailed
information a person must have at the point of accepting the Lord is minimal, like a grain
of mustard seed, compared to the wonderful body of truth available to him once saved. The
issue is simply "Christ": to accept God's gracious offer of eternal life, we
must first accept His Son, Christ's person and work:
No one comes to the Father, except through me.
John 14:6
God's Free Gift: Salvation is the free
gift of God through Jesus Christ. Eternal life, deliverance from death and condemnation,
cannot be purchased for any earthly sum, but it is ours for the taking, completely free of
any charge. This is because Jesus Christ has already paid for all of us, by His death on
the cross in our place. By His sacrifice, He ransomed us, paying the price for all the
sins we would ever commit, and thus opening up the door to paradise. If you have not
already done so, the water of life is available to you, free for the drinking right now
without any cost. Simply believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. As
ambassadors of Christ, as though God were urging you through us, we beg you, be reconciled
to God! (2nd Corinthians 5:20).
Let your heart not be troubled. You believe in
God; believe also in me.
In my Father's house there are many dwelling places.
If it were not so, I would have told
you.
I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
John 14:1-3
For God loved the world so much, that he gave His only beloved Son,
in
order that whoever believes in Him might not perish,
but have eternal life.
John 3:16
For you have been saved by (God's) grace
through faith (in Christ);
and this did not come from you – it is God's gift.
Nor did it come from what you have done, lest anyone should boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For there is no deliverance through any other person,
nor has any other name on earth been given by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:12
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be
saved."
Acts 16:31
The testimony of scripture is abundantly clear. All that is needed is for you to accept
the gracious offer of a loving God, who has already done everything for you. What more
could He do than to send His precious Son to die in your place, so that you could live
forever with Him? All that is needed is for you to accept, to place your faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ, to believe in Him, and eternal life will be yours. All God asks is that you
not reject this His ineffable gift.
And the Spirit and the bride say
"Come!"
And let the one who hears say, "Come!"
And let the one who is thirsty come;
let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.
Revelation 22:17
Principles of Faith in Christ:
- Etymology of Faith: While the Bible uses a
broad vocabulary to treat the doctrine of faith, our English concept of "faith"
is most commonly rendered by the Hebrew word `aman and the Greek word pisteuo
(along with their derivatives). Both verbs are most often translated
"believe". For example, in Gen.15:6, where we are told that Abraham
"believed in God, and God credited it to him for righteousness", `aman
is the word used. The verbal root is related to the idea of being firm and reliable (thus `amunoth
are pillars, while `amen, our amen, means "truthfully or reliably so"),
so that in the Hebrew, the concept of belief carries with it the idea that the object
of belief (i.e., God) can be relied upon by those who put their trust in Him. Like a solid
pillar, He will support us when we lean on Him, `aman implies (and to this we can
all say amen!). The Greek word pisteuo is the one used in the Septuagint (the 3rd
century B.C. translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek that greatly influenced New
Testament style and vocabulary) for `aman, and so always carries the same
connotations of reliance on God. In the Greek, pisteuo means to have faith, or
belief in an object. As the negative concept of apistia (faithlessness) makes
clear, the "faith" indicated by pisteuo is more than intellectual
appreciation of something (cf. Rom.11:20-23 where unbelief is a very willful attitude of
heart). Additionally, the participles of pisteuo are used by various New
Testament writers where we use the noun "believer(s)". This last fact is
significant, because to writers of scripture, believers are people who "have, are, or
have come to be in a state of believing". Whichever tense is used, the
participle used in lieu of the noun makes crystal clear that believers are people
constantly involved in the action of belief, whether that action is emphasized as
having taken place (Acts 18:27; 19:18; 21:20, 25; Titus 3:8), ever continuing (Eph.1:19),
or accomplished once and for all (Heb.4:3).
- Definition of Faith: Faith, as we know from
the book of Hebrews, is the reality of things not seen: "Faith grounds what we hope
for in reality; it is the proof of matters which are invisible" (Heb.11:1;
cf. 2Cor.4:18; 5:7). The author of Hebrews goes on to show how faith is one of
the quintessential virtues of the Christian life, because by means of faith, famous
believers of the past pleased God and witnessed to Him before mankind, acting often in
total despite of the values and standards of this world (verses 2-40). They acted in
faith, which, according to verse one, gave their hopes a reality, and therefore a
conviction, that rendered the opinions of this world valueless by comparison. The writer
puts things the opposite of what one usually sees. "Give us a sign!" is the cry
of erstwhile believers from our Lord's day up till the present. "Prove to me you're
really God!" But the writer of Hebrews tells us that for the truly commendable
believers of the past, things worked exactly the reverse of this. They had faith
that what at present they could only hope for (God's promised rewards) would indeed come
to pass; that what at present was invisible (the existence and righteousness of
God) was nonetheless a reality. This faith is then described by the author of
Hebrews as the grounds for their hope, as the proof of the invisible.
For the rewards they hoped for and the invisible God who will distribute them do exist.
By their faith, the believers described in chapter eleven give us proof of this.
If there were no true rewards, no just and righteous God, then such faith and the mighty
acts it has inspired would never exist under the sun. But as it is, the tremendous witness
of these courageous believers is abundant proof of the power and reality of God, and of
the glorious rewards He has in store for all who persevere in faith. Faith, therefore,
encompasses our entire Christianity (Gal.1:23). More than an attitude or action of mind,
faith implies reliability (Rom.3:3). It is a profession, a surrender, a yielding,
a decision, an act of humility in obedience to and in respect for the authority of God in
the fear of God. Only in such total commitment to and reliance upon the integrity of God
do we experience the reality of the as yet unseen wonders promised to us.
- Faith is More than an
Intellectual Process: Faith is more than just an understanding or acknowledgment
of God's existence or Christ's divinity. As James says, "Do you really believe in
God? That's all very nice. But the demon's believe too and shudder [in anticipation of
their coming judgment]" (Jas.2:19). James' point is that faith is not merely an
intellectual appreciation of the reality of God or even a mental recognition that Christ
is God's only true Son. Faith goes beyond mere cognizance of information. Faith both
appreciates and embraces these facts. When a person believes in the Lord
Jesus Christ as the only way to the Father, the only way to escape death and judgment,
that person is immediately changed forever, and no mere mental assessment could possibly
accomplish a miracle of such proportions. So accompanying our mental perception of the
facts of the gospel (empowered by the Holy Spirit), our faith must also entail a definite commitment to
following Christ. This notion is even present in the Greek word epignosis. Often
used (along with its cognate verb epigignosko) to express "knowledge"
of God in salvation contexts, epignosis includes the idea of acknowledgment
of, and therefore obedience to God's truth and will (Rom.1:28; 1Tim.2:4;
2Tim.2:25).
- Mechanics of Faith: The first detailed
account of personal salvation in scripture can be found at Genesis 15:6, where we read
that Abraham "trusted the Lord, and the Lord reckoned this to him for
righteousness". In Old Testament times, believers looked forward to the cross, to the
day when God would somehow wipe away sin and open the door of salvation (cf. Rom.3:25b).
God has never left Himself without a witness to the mighty deed of deliverance He would
render for the world through the sacrifice of His Son. From the coats of skin given to
Adam and Eve, through the system of Levitical offerings, up to the actual day of the
cross, God has always made it clear to anyone interested in listening that our salvation
depends upon the sacrifice of another in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.
Abraham trusted in God – not in himself or in his own righteousness – for this ultimate
deliverance, and that trust, maintained throughout his life, was the way of salvation for
him. In Romans 10:9-10, Paul tells us that the same is true for us today: if we
"confess Jesus as Lord with our mouth, and believe in our heart that God raised Him
from the dead" we shall be saved. James makes it clear that Paul is not
"adding" anything to the mechanics of faith. You can't really be a believer, he
points out, without that belief being demonstrated in your life (Jas.2:18-26). As evidence, he
quotes Abraham's successful passing of that most difficult test of faith, the command from
God that he sacrifice his son. Rather than vacillating, Abraham had faith that the God in
whom he had trusted would work it all out for good, and the deliverance of Isaac through a
substitute provided by God becomes a picture of Christ's sacrifice for us to this very
day. If we really do believe God in our heart, it is absolutely impossible that
"confessing Jesus as Lord with our mouth" will not follow, along with any and
all manifestations of our faith that God will perform through us in the Christian lives we
go on to lead. Apart, then, from the clear picture we have of the saving work of the
Person of our Savior, Jesus Christ as we look back on the cross, the way of salvation
remains the same for Paul as it was for Abraham: believe. And while Abraham could
only look forward with hope to the Sacrifice which God would provide on his behalf, we
have sure and certain knowledge of the work on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
knowledge for which, as Peter tells us, "the prophets sought and searched"
(1Pet.1:10-12). The "confession" part of Romans 10:9-10 is therefore not a
prerequisite for becoming a believer, but Paul's way of assuring us (as God did with
Abraham, and as James makes clear in his own way) that all true believers can be discerned
by their works: i.e. in this case, no one who has really put their faith in Christ would
refuse or be unwilling to confess Him as Lord.
- Content of the Gospel: Christ is the
content of the "good news" (Greek euangelia), the fair tidings from
the God
of deliverance from sin and death for all those who believe in His Son, and no other
foundation for our faith is possible (1Cor.3:11). Having said this, we need to consider
how much information or knowledge about Christ one needs to be saved in the first
instance, since it is obvious that all of us who believe learned much more about our
Savior after we put our faith in Him than we knew as we first became
believers. Considering the example of Abraham again, our father in the faith did not know
all that we now know about the incarnation of Christ, for many of the details of
Jesus' taking on of true humanity to die in our stead were veiled from sight until
they became historical reality (2Cor.3:12-18). But since the cross, Christ
Himself, not the principle of God's sacrifice on our behalf (as it was in the Old
Testament), is the clear issue in salvation, and therefore the Person and the work of
Christ is what must be believed or acknowledged (Greek epignosis: not
mere understanding but rather acceptance) in order to be saved. God the Father has made
His Son, Jesus Christ the issue, and there is thus now no other means of deliverance (John
5:23; 12:44; 14:6; Acts 4:12).
- The Act of Saving Faith:
Believing in Christ is essentially the act of accepting the substitution of Christ's Person and
work for our own, that is, recognizing that on our own, we are worthy only of death and
condemnation and completely incapable of avoiding the grave. However, once we have heard
the good news that God has provided a means of deliverance from this fate common to all
mankind, we embrace that "good news" of Jesus Christ and His death on our
behalf. Taken from this point of view, therefore, the act of belief is, in essence,
making the choice to stand on Christ's righteousness instead of on our own (cf. Gen.15:6;
Rom.3:21-26; and cf. Aaron as a picture of Christ "bearing the guilt":
Ex.28:38). We put our faith in Him for deliverance from sin and death. This last
element is a critical one. The good news of the gospel is a proclamation that we have been
forgiven on the basis of Christ's work, gaining that forgiveness through faith in the One
who procured it. Therefore cognizance on some level of our need for
forgiveness and deliverance is an important part of saving faith. As our Lord said,
"he who has been forgiven little, loves little" (Lk.7:47). Furthermore, unless
we truly believe and clearly see that we are in desperate need of deliverance from death
and sin, then how can we be properly motivated to accept the gracious offer of God? Thus
the need and the opportunity for salvation are really two
sides of the same coin. You believe the necessity of salvation
(repentance), so you trust Christ for the reality of salvation (placing
faith in Christ). Thus the two actions described in Romans 10:9-10 of believing and
confessing Christ are inextricably intertwined.
- Faith is the Basic Christian Virtue:
As we have often seen before in our study of 1st Peter, faith is the basic
Christian virtue, listed as first (and therefore foundational) in 1st
Corinthians 13, and as a basic principle which all Christians should thoroughly understand
in Hebrews 6:1 (it is also listed first in Peter's catalogue: 2Pet.1:5). It is impossible
to make any progress in the Christian life, or, indeed, to do anything at all in the will
and plan of God without faith (Heb.11:6). Faith is the basic virtue, the building-block
virtue, upon which all other Christian virtues rest (e.g. hope: Heb.11:1; love:
1Cor.13).
- Faith in Christ is the One Way
of Salvation: The Lord Jesus Christ is the center and the focus of our Christian
faith and life (Heb.12:2). By His work on the cross, He is the Savior of the whole world
(1Jn.2:2; 1Tim.4:10), and no one can approach the Father or gain His forgiveness or
approval through any other intermediary (Jn.14:6; Eph.2:18). Christ is the only
efficacious object of our faith, that is, the only Person in whom we can legitimately
believe and find deliverance from the judgment to come as Peter makes clear at
Acts 4:12: For
there is no deliverance through any other person, nor has any other name on earth been
designated as essential for our salvation. The gate is narrow, and the road that
leads to it difficult, but there is absolutely no other way to receive eternal life than
to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior (Matt.7:13; Lk.13:24). No matter how
difficult a person's life is or how isolated his geography, God has taken everything into
account, and the standard since the cross has always been the same: faith in Christ. No
amount of good works or sacrifice will ever be sufficient in the Father's eyes
to replace the work of His Son on the cross (Eph.2:8-9).
- Faith is Divisive: The gospel is free,
requires no merit on our part, and is available to all. All God asks is our obedience in
accepting the Person and the work of His Son, Jesus Christ. In the perversity of human
thinking, this very simplicity and generosity is often a stumbling block. To some, the
gospel is "too easy", to others "not nearly intellectual enough"
(1Cor.1:23; cf. 2Ki.5:1-14). Others take offense at the notion of divine condemnation of
their acts, denying the reality of their sin, hating the light of truth because of their
dark deeds (Jn.3:19-21). But we must stand for the truth, no matter what human opinions
hold sway in our time: there is no other way to be saved than through faith in Jesus
Christ. Such intransigence is often divisive, but so the truth must be. As God divided the
world between land and water (Ps.104:9), and as He had Abraham divide the carcasses and
pass between them (Gen.15:8-17), as He divided between the light and the darkness
(Gen.1:3-4; cf. Jn.1:5), so He divides between the living and the dead, the issue and the
dividing point between eternal life and eternal condemnation being faith in His Son. Until
the return of our Lord, we can expect the issue of faith in Him, that is, the gospel, to
be the sword that divides the human race into two diametrically opposed camps: believers
and unbelievers (Matt.10:34; cf. Rom.2:8).
- Faith is not the End: For those who
believe, the Christian life is only just beginning. After we have taken up our cross in
faith, Christ commands us to follow Him (Matt.16:24; Mk.8:34). As we have become members
of the family of God by faith, so now we must walk by faith as we strive to
follow our Lord throughout the course of our lives (2Cor.5:7). Moreover, Luke adds two
other important details to this command of our Lord's to follow Him, on the one hand
telling us that this is something that we must do every day (Lk.9:23), and, on the
other, that without this "following faith", we cannot even be considered His
disciples (Lk.14:27). The Greek word for disciple is mathetes, a student, from
the root of the Greek verb meaning "to learn". Thus, following Christ and
learning the truth He has bequeathed us in His holy Word are fundamentally linked and
cannot be separated. To follow Christ is to learn His Word, understanding it,
believing it, and carrying
it out (Jas.1:22):
The Christian Life
hearing (by faith)> THE WORD
BELIEVED <(by
works) doing
- Results of Faith: There are many benefits to
being a believer in Christ (In volume III of his systematic theology, Lewis Sperry Chafer
lists 33 discrete benefits that accrue to the believers account through divine grace). But
surely, one of the most important and appreciated blessings that follow faith is our
justification (Rom.5:1). This is because justification (that is, being made righteous in
God's eyes because of our reliance on Christ's work through faith) results in our
deliverance from spiritual death unto eternal life (Rom.3:21-22; 1Jn.5:11).
We who are in Christ through our faith in Him are no longer subject to the fearful and
terrible last judgment of God which is the second death (Rom.8:1; Rev.20:11-15), but have
"passed over from death into life" (1Jn.3:14).
- Faith Must be Maintained: Finally,
faith is something we can never afford to take for granted. "Examine yourselves to
see whether or not you are in the faith," Paul admonishes the Corinthians
(2Cor.13:5). Good advice, especially when we consider the ultimate prize of maintaining
our faith: the resurrection and eternal life. We can count on God to be faithful to those
who trust in Him (Ps.32:10), but we must also remain faithful to Him (2Tim.2:12-13). This
means holding fast to the faith we have professed until the end. After all, it is faith
that will ultimately decide the struggle:
For this is the victory that has overcome the
world: our faith!
1st John 5:4
Conclusion: No matter how difficult the life that has fallen to our lot,
no matter how steep the road or straight the gate, our perseverance in faith in Jesus
Christ is not vain (1Cor.15:58; Gal.6:8). For on the other side of that gate lies
eternity, with blessing and comfort beyond our mortal capacity to comprehend:
For in yet a little while
– how short, how short
[a time]! – He who is coming shall [indeed] come, and will not delay. And My righteous one
will live by (i.e., on account of) his faith – and if he shrinks back, My heart will take
no pleasure in him."
Hebrews 10:38
[Go to: Peter #25: Personal
Tribulation]
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