Are your beliefs worthy of your faith?

Everyone has strong beliefs about an assortment of subjects, not limited to politics, education, religion, marriage, family, life, death and God. When it comes to God people say with confidence that they believe in God or that they don’t and that their beliefs are spot-on. We all live based on what we believe to be true making important decisions every day that affect our lives and fortunes. Many believe themselves to be Christian based on the belief that they are forgiven of their sins and on their way to Heaven because of what they deem as true. It is vitally important that our beliefs for making these “life and death” matters of Heaven or Hell be founded on the truth of what God has revealed. It is important to ask ourselves the question, “Is believing the right doctrine enough to secure our future in heaven or anything for that matter? And where does faith come in? Is faith the same as belief? If not, what is the difference? Are your beliefs worthy of your faith? Let’s take a look at these words and see if they are saying the same thing.

Faith or belief are all translated from the same root word in Greek, the noun - “pistis” and the verb – “pisteuo” translated “to believe” or “to have faith.” Unbelief, doubt, etc., are all derived from the same Greek words with the prefix a- (a- means “no”). While faith surely includes the element of belief, they are not one and the same. The misperception developed due to the fact in classical Greek that the words were used in relationship to trusting something or someone. Certainly one must believe that something, or someone exists before it is possible to put one’s faith in that person or thing.

To put one’s ‘faith’ in something, or someone, means that one is putting his or her trust in that person or thing. Who or what one trusts can have far-reaching, even eternal, ramifications. It means reliance on, dependence upon, that person or thing. I can believe something that I have read in the Bible declaring it true, however this does not establish that I am walking by faith in the biblical reality that I have given mental assent to. True faith is more than simply believing.

The most fundamental aspect of faith is to be receptive to God. Our receptivity to God is not based on facts or mental understanding as to what is true or what is false, but rather is our receptivity of the person of Jesus Christ Himself. As the Apostle John declares in John 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” Paul taught the same truth in Colossians 2:6-7 “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him…established in your faith.” The gift of God to mankind is Jesus Christ and the reception of that gift is received by faith. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).  Our receptivity to God’s activity allows us to function in confidence regardless of circumstances. 

Whereas, belief is primarily soulical, a function of our minds, trying to figure out what is true or false, right or wrong, (where I am in control), faith is receptive to the Spirit of Christ as I choose to trust God even without seeing. Understanding our spiritual union in Christ allows us not to function merely out of the rational thoughts of the mind (seeing) but rather live from the relational union of the spirit. The difference between belief and faith is the difference between rational (soul) and relational (spirit). “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). “But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him” (1 Cor. 6: 17).

Christians are often more comfortable relying on doctrinal beliefs in a type of mind-game rational using everything they know to come to the right conclusions. Belief is like a maze of thoughts bombarding our minds. The Christian is left attempting to sort out and explain what is true and what is false establishing what they believe, giving a defense of the faith, which then develops into a neatly packaged belief-system that they can depend on and trust in, often arguing about. We become self-conscious about our beliefs and as such it can make us feel uncomfortable if we don’t have all the answers to life’s perplexing problems.

Faith is very different as it is not about facts and figures and often doesn't have a reason to give for “why” one is believing.  Faith differs greatly from belief and actually transcends it, as faith connects me to the spiritual realm where I am one with Christ. Faith agrees with what God is revealing to me in my spirit. Faith does not depend on intellectual acceptance or recognition as does belief. Faith can’t figure everything out and can’t be “nailed down.” Faith must trust God because we can never figure God out, “how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out” (Romans 11:33)! Faith is our receptivity to what God is doing even when we don’t understand which often we will not understand. Faith is our willingness to listen rather than simply thinking about what is the right thing to do doctrinally. Faith hears what others are saying, being open to the body of Christ and the wisdom of a multitude of counselors (Prov. 15:22). ”God has been made known to all…leading to obedience of faith” (Rom. 16:26).  The Greek word for obedience is (hupakouo) which means "listening under." The obedience of faith is not mental assent to a belief about God but is a willingness to listen under and hear His voice to determine what God is saying. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).  This obedience of faith is the ongoing relational reality of the Christian life that is not just for the moment but rather for every situation that I find myself, both now and forever. The obedience of faith is for me, as I listen to what God is saying to me but my faith is not always for others. Beliefs can be passed on to others as creeds or commands but only faith is personal and must be realized for oneself. Faith cannot be passed on. Faith is between you and God and no one else. Paul desired to be an encouragement to the Saints at Roman and for their faith to be an encouragement to him. “For I long to see…that I may be encouraged together with you…each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine” (Rom. 1:11-12). Faith is between you and God for the moment and should not be considered something that you can use as a spiritual gift or commodity for tomorrows tests.  God is revealed from “faith to faith” (Rom. 1:17). Beliefs require facts while faith requires relationship. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

Faith is always receptive to God’s revelations which are very specific and/or “point on” for what He is doing in our life “for such a time as this?” (Esther 4: 14). Faith is receptive to God’s activity or action, which is grace. Believing alone does not mean that I experience the grace of God. I might talk about God’s grace in theological beliefs but only faith identifies with grace! Faith is personal and allows me experience my identity in Christ. Belief can be sterile, even becoming demanding and controlling, often directed toward other people. Belief is more of a “shotgun” approach which tends to take a broad view and attempts to apply them to everybody else. Beliefs can kill, faith experiences life! “…for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6). Jesus spoke of this in Matt. 23:1ff. “Then Jesus spoke…saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees…tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.” Those who want you to believe a certain way will refer to the "principles" and "precepts" of scripture using them as bully-pulpit to demand allegiance from you to obey. Belief often leads to behavioral prescriptions for success and what is promoted in our culture as behavior modification. Belief frequently develops into performance based religion. 

Belief is one-size-fits-all, (cookie-cutter-religion) while faith is individual and intimate and is only realized as a Christian participates with the intimacy of the Triune God. Beliefs are a “dime a dozen” and a public matter but faith is “priceless” and between God and the person He has revealed Himself. It is only as we begin to live by faith that we begin to experience the intimacy of relationship with God. “…Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20).

Belief has to always be accurate or correct, for to doubt or to have uncertainty is the “kiss of death” for belief. The assumption of belief is, it has solved all of life’s problems and has all of the answers to life’s most perplexing questions. To question or to doubt would mean that you don’t believe and that would be the cardinal sin of “believe right religion.” They teach that doubt is the enemy of good and you must strengthen your beliefs and become mature in the Lord – in your beliefs about Him. Failure is seen as weakness and weakness is viewed as having an inadequate belief system. The cure or remedy of religious belief is that you study to strengthen your beliefs so you will be prepared to face every challenge because of your knowledge.

Unfortunately many times people’s beliefs talk them out of living by faith but those who are learning to walk by faith are experiencing God. You might ask, “Does any Christian truly live by faith?” The answer is a resounding YES!

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Nineteen times in Hebrews chapter 11 Paul declares that the people of God lived BY FAITH.

³ By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. 

⁴ By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice…

⁵ By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death… 

⁷ By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household…

⁸ By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going… 

⁹ By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise…whose architect and builder is God. 

¹¹ By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive…

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac…

²⁰ By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come… 

²¹ By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph…

²² By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones…

²³ By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict… 

²⁴ By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵ choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, ²⁶ considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. 

²⁷ By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. 

²⁸ By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.

²⁹ By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.

³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 

³¹ By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

³² And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets… 

³³ who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. ³⁵ Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; ³⁶ and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated ³⁸ (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.

³⁹ And all these, having gained approval through their faith…

We began this article by asking the question, “Are your beliefs worthy of your faith?” After our discussion, I would declare, “Absolutely NO!” Only Jesus Christ is worthy of your faith.

Living by faith allows us to be the Christian human beings God created us to be, choosing to function dependent and deriving from God. “…for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). It is only in this divine-human relationship of being Christian that the “static” foundation of belief finds its expression in the dynamic receptivity of faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). When Paul says “without faith it is impossible to please Him,” the word for “impossible” is “adunamis” which means no power or more literally, “no dynamic.” (The Greek word dunamis is the root of the English word “dynamite.”) That is why Paul says that without faith there is no power or dynamic to please Him. It’s like plugging a power tool into a dead socket which is why James states in chapter 2 that faith without works is dead. Faith always derives from the receptivity of God’s activity or you have just voided the whole definition of faith! That is why our faith receptivity always has to be connected and deriving from His grace activity because that’s what grace is, it’s the “dunamis” the power of God.

The words of the song of a well-known hymn “Living by Faith” by James Wells are appropriate:

I care not today what the morrow may bring,

If shadow or sunshine or rain,

The Lord I know ruleth o’er everything,

And all of my worries are vain.

Refrain:

Living by faith in Jesus above,                                                                    

Trusting, confiding in His great love;

From all harm safe in His sheltering arm,

I’m living by faith and feel no alarm.

Though tempests may blow and the storm clouds arise,

Obscuring the brightness of life,

I’m never alarmed at the overcast skies—

The Master looks on at the strife.

I know that He safely will carry me through,

No matter what evils betide;

Why should I then care though the tempest may blow,

If Jesus walks close to my side.

© 2015 by Don Burzynski 

The Resurrection – The Living Reality of Christ In You

The resurrection is more than just an historical miracle or a theological explanation and therefore must be understood as a living reality for the Christian.

Jesus death on the cross was a corrective or remedial action which was necessary to remedy man from the problem of man’s deficiency not just his sins. What was this human deficiency you ask? The human race deficiency was that man was not a man as God intended man to be. What qualifies or disqualified mankind from being man as God intended?

Adam and Eve who (represented mankind) was given the choice of life and death in the Garden of Eden. God had told Adam to eat freely of the “tree of Life,” which was the choice of life, to experience the very Life of God. It was God’s desire and design that man derive his life from God. (Man is never on his own doing his own thing but is always deriving spiritual life from one of two sources, either God or Satan).

In order for there to be a choice there was the ‘necessary opposite’ of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” God warned Adam not to eat of this tree due to the death consequence of doing so (“but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17). To eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil would cause man to experience spiritual death, something that was not God’s intention for man.  In essence the choice would determine what spiritual source Adam (and all of us, as Adam was representative man for the human race) would derive from, either God or Satan. Adam’s disobedience choice is known as the Fall of Man.

The Gospel is God’s remedy for man’s disobedient choice and the catastrophic consequences which resulted. Jesus Christ the Son of God became flesh (“…And the Word became flesh” John 1:14, the incarnation), to become the alternative representative man for humanity and die in man’s place.

He was willing to submit to death, though He was “without sin” (“…For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin…” Heb. 4:15; “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” II Cor. 5:21), so that as representative man (“…The last Adam became a life-giving spirit…” 1 Cor. 15:45) He might become our substitute and assume the death consequences of our (man’s) sin (“…For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son…” Rom. 5:10), and by His Divine Life overcome the “power of death” (“…that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil…” Heb. 2:14), and make His life available to humanity again (“…much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life…” Rom. 5:10).

Why did Jesus die for you? How you answer this question makes a huge difference. How do you interpret the death of Jesus? Was God the Father an offended deity who was angry due to our sin and thus demanded that a penalty of death be paid for sin before He would forgive us (mankind)? This is the popular view of the crucifixion, which is portrayed in movies and the preaching of our day, which casts God as an angry, bloodthirsty, death-dealing God who poured out His disciplinary wrath and judgment upon His own Son, Jesus, Why? Because someone must pay the price for man’s sin! While God the Father is seen as angry judge, Jesus is portrayed as a loving and forgiving God who was willing to show us grace and appease a judgmental God and redeem us from the consequences of our sin. Jesus is the mercy side of God and the Father is the justice side of God.

What does this kind of perspective do to our view of God? It divides the Father and the Son and severs the Loving Trinity into a distorted God whom people are afraid.  The Father is seen as being against us; the Son is for us. The Son is acting as our legal advocate attempting to convince the Father, the Judge, to let us off the hook. What a tragic twisting of the Oneness of the Triune God who is Love.

The truth is that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are always One and In Union with each other and as a result have the same purpose, which is to restore humanity to God’s original intent. God is for us and not against us or angry with us, never has been and never will be! God is grace and love and His intent has always been to deal with the death consequences of “the one having the power of death” (Heb. 2:14) by defeating Satan “once and for all” (“…He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Heb. 9:2) in behalf of mankind.  

In order for Jesus Christ to restore man to God’s original intent, “…Christ in you…” Col. 1:27; “…Christ lives in me…” Gal. 2:20; “…For to me, to live is Christ…” Phil 1:21 the restoration of God’s life to man required that Christ take our spiritually died condition and the sinful consequence thereof. Jesus could not give us His life and identity for us, unless He first took our spiritual death and sinful identity and dealt the death blow to it (“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit” 1 Pet. 3:8). God gave His Life FOR us, in order to give His Life TO us, in order that He might LIVE His Life THROUGH us!

In the Fall of Man, Adam lost the indwelling life and presence of God “…BUT God so loved the world that He gave…” (John 3:16)! God’s redemption and restorative grace would not tolerate the “one having the power of death” (Heb. 2:14) to hold man hostage forever (II Tim. 2:26).

Jesus willingness to die on the cross was the undoing of Satan’s death consequences. Jesus “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Phil. 2:8), “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (II Cor. 5:21). “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power” (Acts 2:24), what was “the agony of death” that we were freed from?  It was the spiritual dead condition that we were born into, which Jesus put to death “the one having the power of death, that is the devil” (Heb. 2:14), “…The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

On the cross, Jesus exclaimed, “Tetelestai – It is Finished!” His obedience unto death allowed for His resurrection life to be the restorative reality for mankind.

God’s ultimate purpose was to give us His life! In the resurrection of Jesus life, He overcame death, God overcame Satan.

The resurrection is the living reality wherein the living Lord Jesus is presently indwelling Christians and living out His resurrection life in Christian behavior, TODAY! Sadly many will survey the historical cross of Christ and His resurrection 2000 years ago without a living reality of what it means to be a Christ-one with the resurrection of Christ as life both now and forever.

In declaring the purpose of His coming, Jesus said, “I came that you might have life, and have it more abundantly” (Jn. 10:10). It was the resurrection that provided man with the opportunity to be restored with His life to all who are willing to receive. As Paul wrote, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul. The last Adam (Jesus) became a life-giving spirit” (I Cor. 15:45). Paul wrote, “As in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive” (I Cor. 15:22).

All men are united spiritually with either Adam or Christ, in either spiritual death or spiritual life. The “last Adam,” Jesus Christ, came to die on our behalf and offer His resurrected life which was poured out at Pentecostal, the “life-giving Spirit” to once again allow man to be and to live as God intended man to live. Paul wrote, “the Spirit gives life” (II Cor. 3:6) which is the risen and living Lord Jesus who now functions as the “Spirit of Christ” (Rom. 8:9) restoring man to spiritual life function as God designed.

This resurrection life is the Spirit of Christ who is Eternal Life. “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).  This Eternal life that the resurrected Lord Jesus makes available to mankind is Himself. “I AM the resurrection and the life” (Rom. 11:25), Jesus said to Martha, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14:6).  Mankind’s greatest need is the restoration of the presence of God’s life in their spirit to energize their behavior to the glory of God. John declared, “He that has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life” (I Jn. 5:12).

The most important question that man should ask is, how do I partake of this resurrection life of Jesus? Peter answers the question when he writes, to be “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Pet. 1:3). Jesus knowing His calling and purpose for coming to earth spoke these words to Nicodemus, “You must be born again” (Jn. 3:7). “Unless one is born from above” (Jn. 3:3), and receives the resurrection life of Jesus Christ being filled with God’s presence man cannot be man as God intended man to be.

One of the best known scripture verses is what Jesus spoke to Nicodemus and it still remains His invitation today, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16).

So what does it mean to believe? It is to receive, “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (Jn. 1:12,13). Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (Jn. 5:24). If any man believes and receives the One who is the Resurrection and the Life he shall “passed out of death into life” (I Jn. 3:14). Our gospel is one of resurrection life, “You were raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead… He made you alive together with Him” (Col. 2:12, 13).

The Christian is a Christ-one, “Christ is our life” (Col. 3:4). The Christian life is the Christ life dwelling within us and functioning through us. Christianity is Christ – living His resurrection life in and thorough us. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3). The Resurrection – The Living Reality of Christ In You.

© 2015 by Don Burzynski