Faith and Hope

Posted on September 2, 2011

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Without faith, it is not possible to please God.  Those who come to God must believe that He exists.  In addition, they must believe that He rewards those who look for Him.  See Hebrews 11:6; Lamentations 3:25; Psalm 33:18.

Faith is from God, from reading His powerful message, the Bible, the New Testament. It has the powerful message that saves. We do not get faith supernaturally, as many teach, but we get faith in a very human way, from reading the supernatural message!

2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

WE MUST HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD TO HAVE FAITH.

Where does our faith come from?  Our faith comes from HEARING the word, see Romans 10:17.  From hearing the word and being TAUGHT, Colossians 1:5, 7.  From continuing in what we have been CONVINCED of, see 2 Timothy 3:14, and being PERSUADED, 2 Corinthians 5:11.  In Acts 26:17 Jesus tells Paul he is sending him to the Jews and Gentiles to OPEN THEIR EYES and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.  How do you think Paul is going to open the eyes of the Jews and the Gentiles?  Remember, faith comes from hearing the word, and Jesus sent Paul to preach the gospel. 

1 Corinthians 1:18 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel–not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Paul is going to open their eyes by preaching to them, and others are doing the water baptism for him.

Read what Paul says in Romans 16:25-27.  Now to him who is able to ESTABLISH YOU BY MY GOSPEL AND THE PROCLAMATION OF JESUS CHRIST, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and MADE KNOWN THROUGH THE PROPHETIC WRITINGS by the command of the eternal God, SO THAT ALL NATIONS MIGHT BELIEVE AND OBEY HIM–to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ!  Amen.

Paul says that God made the prophetic writings of the Old Testament known so that all nations might believe and obey.  So again, the word of God tells us that faith comes from hearing.  Here are more scriptures that explain how we have to HEAR the message that saves: Acts 8:31: 10:14; 11:14; 16:31; John 9:36; Ephesians  1:13; 4:21; Titus 1:3; Colossians 1:5; 1:23.

We have been JUSTIFIED THROUGH FAITH—faith that Jesus’ blood purifies us by our obeying and repenting of our sins. Through Jesus, we have GAINED ACCESS TO GRACE BY FAITH that his blood washes away the sins we confessed and repented of, sin that we no longer want to do, faith in Jesus’ blood and no more in the old law’s command for blood of animals to offer for sin, see Romans 5:1, 2.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, see Romans 3:22.  Through faith we have been justified, and we are credited with righteousness for believing.  Romans 4:20-24 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.  This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”  The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

See 1 Thessalonians 1:3, We continually remember before our God and Father YOUR WORK PRODUCED BY FAITH, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Believers TEACH FAITH to their children and this passes down to the children of their children. 

2 Timothy 1:5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

Deuteronomy 6:1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to TEACH you…

6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  7 Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

For everything that was written in the past was WRITTEN TO TEACH us, so that THROUGH THE ENDURANCE TAUGHT IN THE SCRIPTURES and the ENCOURAGEMENT THEY PROVIDE we might have HOPE.  See Romans 15:4, 5.

John 20:30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.  31 But these are WRITTEN that you may BELIEVE that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by BELIEVING you may have life in his name.

Jesus came and taught faith!

We did not come to know Christ while we were indulging in impurity. The change in our lifestyle shows that we came to know Christ when we HEARD of him and were TAUGHT, with regard to our former way of life, to put off our old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of our minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.  See Ephesians 4:18-24.

But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, IF we HOLD ON TO OUR COURAGE and the HOPE of which we boast.  Hebrews 3:6.

So then, brothers and sisters, STAND FIRM and HOLD FAST to the TEACHINGS we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.  See 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17.

Paul warns and encourages us in Hebrews 3:6, 2 Thessalonians, and Colossians 1:23 to continue in our faith, to make it established and firm…  God does not make us love and want him without or wanting, as false denominations teach.

We have hope because of Jesus’ words–telling us we are no longer excluded Gentiles, no longer excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, no longer are we without HOPE  and without God in the world, see Ephesians 2:12.

See Titus 1:2; and, 3:7.  We have HOPE of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.

We long for an immortal physical body, we desire, we hope for the redemption of our bodies.  For in this HOPE we turn to God and are saved.  See Romans 8:23-25.

Through Jesus, we believe in God, because God raised Jesus from the dead and glorified him–So our FAITH and HOPE are in God.  Read 1 Peter 1:21.  We too want eternal life.

We DRAW near to God because of a better HOPE given us than that of the law; we hope in the perfection we receive through Jesus.  See Hebrews 7:18, 19.

Now FAITH is CONFIDENCE in what we HOPE for and assurance about what we do not see.  Read Hebrews 11:1.

It is impossible to please God without faith.  We must believe that he rewards those who look for him.  Faith comes from hearing the word, from learning about Jesus, from being convinced, and persuaded.  They who wrote down the gospel, they did so by the command of God that we may believe and obey, to have our eyes opened.  Everything in the past was written in the Old Testament to teach us, to give us hope.  We have access to grace by faith.  Through this faith, we have been justified, and God credits us with righteousness.  We are to hold on to our courage and the hope, we are to stand firm and hold fast to the teachings.  We are to believe without wavering, and God strengthens us in our faith.  The good works of believers produce faith in others.  Believers teach faith to their children, and to their children.  We all engaged in impurity, but we did not come to know Christ while we were indulging in impurity, but rather while we heard of him and learned.  We have hope of eternal life, we hope for the redemption of our bodies, for in this hope we turn to God and are saved.  We draw near to God because of a better hope given us.  Faith is confidence in what we hope for; faith is assurance about what we do not see.

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Posted in: Calvinism, Truth Revealed