The Power of Faith

And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Gen 15:6
Abraham believed. He believed in God not only as existing but as his own personal Lord. He cared what God thought, he sought God, he obeyed God and he had faith in God.

This kind of faith is enough to save the soul and inherit eternal life.

Habakkuk 2:1-4
1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

We see that justification by faith was thought of way back in the Old Testament.

Justification by faith through faith in Jesus Christ.

Acts 13:38-41
Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;
Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.

The law given into the hands of Moses showed us what sin is but it cannot justify sin or save from sin. That took an intercessor. One who suffered the penalty of sinning against the law even though he did not break the law. Jesus did just that for us. Jesus died for every sin against the law of God. He did not even commit one sin, yet he died as if he did. He died in our place and on our behalf so that we could be excused from our sin and inherit eternal life. This sin is excused if we trust in Jesus to save us from our sins. In other words we must believe and have faith in this promise in order for his death to count for us.

Romans 3:25-31
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

All the law is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He established the law and fulfilled it. All the law is contained in Jesus Christ. By believing and trusting him entirely for our salvation the law is fulfilled in us who believe. True faith is Christ is the same as keeping the whole law. Faith in Jesus Christ is substituted in place of keeping the ordinances of the law.  Faith is believing that His death and sacrifice counts on our behalf.  Faith in Christ believes He is the Messiah that came to save us from our sins.  True faith believes in Christ's death, His resurrection and His ascension into heaven. 

Romans 4:1-5
2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Faith works this way. We believe on him who justifies the ungodly. We know that before coming to Christ we have sinned. We know that we are in an ungodly state. We are lost. We have no hope. When we come to Christ repenting of sin and making him Lord of our lives, we become justified. We actually become just as if we never sinned. Whatever happened before is gone. We are justified by faith.

Romans 5:1-2
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Praise God for such hope and promise. We are justified by faith. We have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ by faith. We walk by faith. We have access to God by faith in Jesus Christ. Amen

Romans 5:18-19
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Through Adam came offence and death came upon all mankind. Not only physical death but death spiritually. We were eternally separated from our creator. One man's disobedience brought a lost condition upon all of mankind.

Through one man, Jesus Christ the situation is reversed. By one man's obedience salvation was made available for all of mankind. There is one stipulation in order to receive this eternal life and that is faith in Christ. Jesus Christ reversed the curse for all those who believe in Him.

Romans 9:30-32
30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.
31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;

Gentiles were not given the law and did not live by the law of righteousness. Yet through faith in Christ for their salvation, they are made righteousness without doing the deeds of the law. We receive all this through Jesus Christ and faith.

Israel followed after the law of righteousness but did not attain it. This is because they did not have any faith in Jesus Christ. They rejected the way of salvation so they are not justified by faith. Until they recognize the true way of salvation they will be lost because the Law of Moses cannot save the soul. It only shows us what sin is and how we greatly need a savior.

1 Corinthians 6:10-12
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

This is true liberty in Jesus Christ. We are made free from sin through faith in Christ. We are free from the power of sin. We are washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God. Amen. True faith will free from sin. The power over our old nature is overcome by the Spirit which is given to us from God after we come to Christ by faith.

Galatians 3:6-8
6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

We become as the children of Abraham when we believe upon the chosen seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ. We are his children not by natural birth but by faith. Abraham also was justified by faith. His faith was counted as righteousness.

 Galatians 3:22-27
22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

The scripture shows us what sin is and concludes that we are all under the bondage of sin. Then we look to Jesus and find out that we can be free from sin by faith in Him. We become children of God through this faith. We become righteous by this faith. We put on Christ, become a new creature and are saved by faith. Eternal life is ours by faith. After the faith was revealed we are no longer under the condemnation of the law. The law says "The soul that sins shall die." Faith says, "All who believe in Jesus Christ shall be saved."

Philippians 3:9-11
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

If we strive to keep the law in order to obtain righteousness, we can't. We are trying to establish our own righteousness by works which cannot save the soul. True righteousness is obtained only by faith in the one who is truly righteous, Jesus Christ. There is no way to be righteous apart from Christ, I don't care how good we try to be.

Hebrews 10:38-39

38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

We are truly saved by faith in Christ but we see here that it is possible to draw back and no longer walk in faith. We are not once saved, always saved. We don't have to draw back though, we can walk in the full assurance of salvation through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ that covers the sins of those that believe.

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.