Reference: Faith
American
The assent of the understanding to any truth. Religious faith is assent to the truth of divine revelation and of the events and doctrines contained in it. This may be merely historical, without producing any effect on our lives and conversation; and it is then a dead faith, such as even the devils have. But a living or saving faith not only believes the great doctrines of religion as true, but embraces them with the heart and affections; and is thus the source of sincere obedience to the divine will, exhibited in the life and conversation. Faith in Christ is a grace wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, whereby we receive Christ as our Savior, our Prophet, Priest, and King, and love and obey him as such. This living faith in Christ is the means of salvation-not meritoriously, but instrumentally. Without it there can be no forgiveness of sins, and no holiness of life; and they who are justified by faith, live and walk by faith, Mr 16:16; Joh 3:15-16; Ac 16:31; 1Jo 5:10.
True faith is an essential grace, and a mainspring of Christian life. By it the Christian overcomes the world, the flesh, and the devil, and receives the crown of righteousness, 1Ti 4:7-8. In virtue of it, worthy men of old wrought great wonders, Heb 11; Ac 14:9; 1Co 13:2, being sustained by Omnipotence in doing whatever God enjoined, Mt 17:20; Mr 9:23; 11:23-24. In Ro 1:8, faith is put for the exhibition of faith, in the practice of all the duties implied in a profession of faith.
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"Because your faith is so small," He replied; "for I solemnly declare to you that if you have faith like a mustard-seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Remove from this place to that,' and it will remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you.
"'If I possibly can!'" replied Jesus; "why, everything is possible to him who believes."
In solemn truth I tell you that if any one shall say to this mountain, 'Remove, and hurl thyself into the sea,' and has no doubt about it in his heart, but stedfastly believes that what he says will happen, it shall be granted him. That is why I tell you, as to whatever you pray and make request for, if you believe that you have received it it shall be yours.
He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who disbelieves will be condemned.
in order that every one who trusts in Him may have the Life of the Ages." For so greatly did God love the world that He gave His only Son, that every one who trusts in Him may not perish but may have the Life of Ages.
After this man had listened to one of Paul's sermons, the Apostle, looking steadily at him and perceiving that he had faith to be cured,
"Believe on the Lord Jesus," they replied, "and both you and your household will be saved."
First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for what He has done for all of you; for the report of your faith is spreading through the whole world.
But worldly stories, fit only for credulous old women, have nothing to do with. Train yourself in godliness. Exercise for the body is not useless, but godliness is useful in every respect, possessing, as it does, the promise of Life now and of the Life which is soon coming.
Easton
Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true (Php 1:27; 2Th 2:13). Its primary idea is trust. A thing is true, and therefore worthy of trust. It admits of many degrees up to full assurance of faith, in accordance with the evidence on which it rests.
Faith is the result of teaching (Ro 10:14-17). Knowledge is an essential element in all faith, and is sometimes spoken of as an equivalent to faith (Joh 10:38; 1Jo 2:3). Yet the two are distinguished in this respect, that faith includes in it assent, which is an act of the will in addition to the act of the understanding. Assent to the truth is of the essence of faith, and the ultimate ground on which our assent to any revealed truth rests is the veracity of God.
Historical faith is the apprehension of and assent to certain statements which are regarded as mere facts of history.
Temporary faith is that state of mind which is awakened in men (e.g., Felix) by the exhibition of the truth and by the influence of religious sympathy, or by what is sometimes styled the common operation of the Holy Spirit.
Saving faith is so called because it has eternal life inseparably connected with it. It cannot be better defined than in the words of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism: "Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel."
The object of saving faith is the whole revealed Word of God. Faith accepts and believes it as the very truth most sure. But the special act of faith which unites to Christ has as its object the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ (Joh 7:38; Ac 16:31). This is the specific act of faith by which a sinner is justified before God (Ro 3:22,25; Ga 2:16; Php 3:9; Joh 3:16-36; Ac 10:43; 16:31). In this act of faith the believer appropriates and rests on Christ alone as Mediator in all his offices.
This assent to or belief in the truth received upon the divine testimony has always associated with it a deep sense of sin, a distinct view of Christ, a consenting will, and a loving heart, together with a reliance on, a trusting in, or resting in Christ. It is that state of mind in which a poor sinner, conscious of his sin, flees from his guilty self to Christ his Saviour, and rolls over the burden of all his sins on him. It consists chiefly, not in the assent given to the testimony of God in his Word, but in embracing with fiducial reliance and trust the one and only Saviour whom God reveals. This trust and reliance is of the essence of faith. By faith the believer directly and immediately appropriates Christ as his own. Faith in its direct act makes Christ ours. It is not a work which God graciously accepts instead of perfect obedience, but is only the hand by which we take hold of the person and work of our Redeemer as the only ground of our salvation.
Saving faith is a moral act, as it proceeds from a renewed will, and a renewed will is necessary to believing assent to the truth of God (1Co 2:14; 2Co 4:4). Faith, therefore, has its seat in the moral part of our nature fully as much as in the intellectual. The mind must first be enlightened by divine teaching (Joh 6:44; Ac 13:48; 2Co 4:6; Eph 1:17-18) before it can discern the things of the Spirit.
Faith is necessary to our salvation (Mr 16:16), not because there is any merit in it, but simply because it is the sinner's taking the place assigned him by God, his falling in with what God is doing.
The warrant or ground of faith is the divine testimony, not the reasonableness of what God says, but the simple fact that he says it. Faith rests immediately on, "Thus saith the Lord." But in order to this faith the veracity, sincerity, and truth of God must be owned and appreciated, together with his unchangeableness. God's word encourages and emboldens the sinner personally to transact with Christ as God's gift, to close with him, embrace him, give himself to Christ, and take Christ as his. That word comes with power, for it is the word of God who has revealed himself in his works, and especially in the cross. God is to be believed for his word's sake, but also for his name's sake.
Faith in Christ secures for the believer freedom from condemnation, or justification before God; a participation in the life that is in Christ, the divine life (Joh 14:19; Ro 6:4-10; Eph 4:15-16, etc.); "peace with God" (Ro 5:1); and sanctification (Ac 26:18; Ga 5:6; Ac 15:9).
All who thus believe in Christ will certainly be saved (Joh 6:37,40; 10:27-28; Ro 8:1).
The faith=the gospel (Ac 6:7; Ro 1:5; Ga 1:23; 1Ti 3:9; Jude 1:3).
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He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who disbelieves will be condemned.
For so greatly did God love the world that He gave His only Son, that every one who trusts in Him may not perish but may have the Life of Ages. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. read more. He who trusts in Him does not come up for judgement. He who does not trust has already received sentence, because he has not his trust resting on the name of God's only Son. And this is the test by which men are judged--the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness more than they loved the Light, because their deeds were wicked. For every wrongdoer hates the light, and does not come to the light, for fear his actions should be exposed and condemned. But he who does what is honest and right comes to the light, in order that his actions may be plainly shown to have been done in God. After this Jesus and His disciples went into Judaea; and there He made a stay in company with them and baptized. And John too was baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there were many pools of water there; and people came and received baptism. (For John was not yet in prison.) As the result, a discussion having arisen on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification, they came to John and reported to him, "Rabbi, he who was with you on the other side of the Jordan and to whom you bore testimony is now baptizing, and great numbers of people are resorting to him." "A man cannot obtain anything," replied John, "unless it has been granted to him from Heaven. You yourselves can bear witness to my having said, 'I am not the Christ,' but 'I am His appointed forerunner.' He who has the bride is the bridegroom; and the bridegroom's friend who stands by his side and listens to him, rejoices heartily on account of the bridegroom's happiness. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must grow greater, but I must grow less. He who comes from above is above all. He whose origin is from the earth is not only himself from the earth, his teaching also is from the earth. He who comes from Heaven is above all. What He has seen and heard, to that He bears witness; but His testimony no one receives. Any man who has received His testimony has solemnly declared that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks God's words; for God does not give the Spirit with limitations." The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything to His hands. He who believes in the Son has the Life of the Ages; he who disobeys the Son will not enter into Life, but God's anger remains upon him.
Every one whom the Father gives me will come to me, and him who comes to me I will never on any account drive away.
For this is my Father's will, that every one who fixes his gaze on the Son of God and believes in Him should have the Life of the Ages, and I will raise him to life on the last day."
"no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; then I will raise him to life on the last day.
He who believes in me, from within him--as the Scripture has said--rivers of living water shall flow."
My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them the Life of the Ages, and they shall never, never perish, nor shall any one wrest them from my hand.
But if they are, then even if you do not believe me, at least believe the deeds, that you may know and see clearly that the Father is in me, and that I am in the Father."
Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me: because I live, you also shall live.
Meanwhile God's Message continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem very greatly increased, and very many priests obeyed the faith.
To Him all the Prophets bear witness, and testify that through His name all who believe in Him receive the forgiveness of their sins."
The Gentiles listened with delight and extolled the Lord's Message; and all who were pre-destined to the Life of the Ages believed.
and He made no difference between us and them, in that He cleansed their hearts by their faith.
"Believe on the Lord Jesus," they replied, "and both you and your household will be saved."
"Believe on the Lord Jesus," they replied, "and both you and your household will be saved."
that they may turn from darkness to light and from the obedience to Satan to God, in order to receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified through faith in Me.'
through whom we have received grace and Apostleship in His service in order to win men to obedience to the faith, among all Gentile peoples,
a righteousness coming from God, which depends on faith in Jesus Christ and extends to all who believe. No distinction is made;
He it is whom God put forward as a Mercy-seat, rendered efficacious through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness-- because of the passing over, in God's forbearance, of the sins previously committed--
Standing then acquitted as the result of faith, let us enjoy peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Well, then, we by our baptism were buried with Him in death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from among the dead by the Father's glorious power, we also should live an entirely new life. For since we have become one with Him by sharing in His death, we shall also be one with Him by sharing in His resurrection. read more. This we know--that our old self was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our sinful nature might be deprived of its power, so that we should no longer be the slaves of sin; for he who has paid the penalty of death stands absolved from his sin. But, seeing that we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him; because we know that Christ, having come back to life, is no longer liable to die. Death has no longer any power over Him. For by the death which He died He became, once for all, dead in relation to sin; but by the life which He now lives He is alive in relation to God.
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus;
But how are they to call on One in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in One whose voice they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how are men to preach unless they have been sent to do so? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good!" read more. But, some will say, they have not all hearkened to the Good News. No, for Isaiah asks, "Lord, who has believed the Message they have heard from us?" And this proves that faith comes from a Message heard, and that the Message comes through its having been spoken by Christ.
The unspiritual man rejects the things of the Spirit of God, and cannot attain to the knowledge of them, because they are spiritually judged.
They only heard it said, "He who was once our persecutor is now telling the Good News of the faith of which he formerly made havoc."
know that it is not through obedience to Law that a man can be declared free from guilt, but only through faith in Jesus Christ. We have therefore believed in Christ Jesus, for the purpose of being declared free from guilt, through faith in Christ and not through obedience to Law. For through obedience to Law no human being shall be declared free from guilt.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any importance; but only faith working through love.
For I always beseech the God of our Lord Jesus Christ--the Father most glorious--to give you a spirit of wisdom and penetration through an intimate knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened so that you may know what is the hope which His call to you inspires, what the wealth of the glory of His inheritance in God's people,
But we shall lovingly hold to the truth, and shall in all respects grow up into union with Him who is our Head, even Christ. Dependent on Him, the whole body--its various parts closely fitting and firmly adhering to one another-- grows by the aid of every contributory link, with power proportioned to the need of each individual part, so as to build itself up in a spirit of love.
Only let the lives you live be worthy of the Good News of the Christ, in order that, whether I come and see you or, being absent, only hear of you, I may know that you are standing fast in one spirit and with one mind, fighting shoulder to shoulder for the faith of the Good News.
not having a righteousness of my own, derived from the Law, but that which arises from faith in Christ--the righteousness which comes from God through faith.
Let your language be always seasoned with the salt of grace, so that you may know how to give every man a fitting answer.
But hold yourself aloof from foolish controversies and pedigrees and discussions and wrangling about the Law, for they are useless and vain.
Dear friends, since I am eager to begin a letter to you on the subject of our common salvation, I find myself constrained to write and cheer you on to the vigorous defense of the faith delivered once for all to God's people.
Fausets
Heb 11:1, "the substance of things hoped for (i.e., it substantiates God's promises, the fulfillment of which we hope, it makes them present realities), the evidence (elengchos, the 'convincing proof' or 'demonstration') of things not seen." Faith accepts the truths revealed on the testimony of God (not merely on their intrinsic reasonableness), that testimony being to us given in Holy Scripture. Where sight is, there faith ceases (Joh 20:29; 1Pe 1:8). We are justified (i.e. counted just before God) judicially by God (Ro 8:33), meritoriously by Christ (Isa 53:11; Ro 5:19), mediately or instrumentally by faith (Ro 5:1), evidentially by works. Loving trust. Jas 2:14-26, "though a man say he hath faith, and have not works, can (such a) faith save him?" the emphasis is on "say," it will be a mere saying, and can no more save the soul than saying to a "naked and destitute brother, be warmed and filled" would warm and fill him.
Yea, a man (holding right views) may say, Thou hast faith and I have works, show (exhibit to) me (if thou canst, but it is impossible) thy (alleged) faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Abraham believed, and was justified before God on the ground of believing (Ge 15:6). Forty years afterward, when God did" tempt," i.e. put him to the test, his justification was demonstrated before the world by his offering Isaac (Genesis 22). "As the body apart from (chooris) the spirit is dead, so faith without the works (which ought to evidence it) is dead also." We might have expected faith to answer to the spirit, works to the body. As James reverses this, he must mean by "faith" here the FORM of faith, by "works" the working reality. Living faith does not derive its life from works, as the body does from its animating spirit.
But faith, apart from the spirit of faith, which is LOVE (whose evidence is works), is dead, as the body is dead without the spirit; thus James exactly agrees with Paul, 1Co 13:2, "though I have all faith ... and have not charity (love), I am nothing." In its barest primary form, faith is simply crediting or accepting God's testimony (1Jo 5:9-13). Not to credit it is to make God a "liar"! a consequence which unbelievers may well start back from. The necessary consequence of crediting God's testimony (pisteuoo Theoo) is believing in (pisteuoo eis ton huion, i.e. "trusting in") the Son of God; for He, and salvation in Him alone, form the grand subject of God's testimony. The Holy Spirit alone enables any man to accept God's testimony and accept Jesus Christ, as his divine Savior, and so to "have the witness in himself" (1Co 12:3). Faith is receptive of God's gratuitous gift of eternal life in Christ.
Faith is also an obedience to God's command to believe (1Jo 3:23); from whence it is called the "obedience of faith" (Ro 1:5; 16:26; Ac 6:7), the highest obedience, without which works seemingly good are disobediences to God (Heb 11:6). Faith justifies not by its own merit, but by the merit of Him in whom we believe (Ro 4:3; Ga 3:6). Faith makes the interchange, whereby our sin is imputed to Him and His righteousness is imputed to us (2Co 5:19,21; Jer 23:6; 1Co 1:30). "Such are we in the sight of God the Father, as is the very Son of God Himself" (Hooker) (2Pe 1:1; Ro 3:22; 4:6; 10:4; Isa 42:21; 45:21-25).
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"Because you have seen me," replied Jesus, "you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Meanwhile God's Message continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem very greatly increased, and very many priests obeyed the faith.
through whom we have received grace and Apostleship in His service in order to win men to obedience to the faith, among all Gentile peoples,
a righteousness coming from God, which depends on faith in Jesus Christ and extends to all who believe. No distinction is made;
For what says the Scripture? "And Abraham believed God, and this was placed to his credit as righteousness."
In this way David also tells of the blessedness of the man to whose credit God places righteousness, apart from his actions.
Standing then acquitted as the result of faith, let us enjoy peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
For as through the disobedience of the one individual the mass of mankind were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the mass of mankind will be constituted righteous.
Who shall impeach those whom God has chosen? God declares them free from guilt.
For as a means of righteousness Christ is the termination of Law to every believer.
but has now been brought fully to light, and by the command of the God of the Ages has been made known by the writings of the Prophets among all the Gentiles to win them to obedience to the faith--
For this reason I would have you understand that no one speaking under the influence of The Spirit of God ever says, "Jesus is accursed," and that no one is able to say, "Jesus is Lord," except under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
If I possess the gift of prophecy and am versed in all mysteries and all knowledge, and have such absolute faith that I can remove mountains, but am destitute of Love, I am nothing.
We are to tell how God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not charging men's transgressions to their account, and that He has entrusted to us the Message of this reconciliation.
He has made Him who knew nothing of sin to be sin for us, in order that in Him we may become the righteousness of God.
even as Abraham believed God, and his faith was placed to his account as righteousness?
Now faith is a well-grounded assurance of that for which we hope, and a conviction of the reality of things which we do not see.
But where there is no faith it is impossible truly to please Him; for the man who draws near to God must believe that there is a God and that He proves Himself a rewarder of those who earnestly try to find Him.
What good is it, my brethren, if a man professes to have faith, and yet his actions do not correspond? Can such faith save him? Suppose a Christian brother or sister is poorly clad or lacks daily food, read more. and one of you says to them, "I wish you well; keep yourselves warm and well fed," and yet you do not give them what they need; what is the use of that? So also faith, if it is unaccompanied by obedience, has no life in it--so long as it stands alone. Nay, some one will say, "You have faith, I have actions: prove to me your faith apart from corresponding actions and I will prove mine to you by my actions. You believe that God is one, and you are quite right: evil spirits also believe this, and shudder." But, idle boaster, are you willing to be taught how it is that faith apart from obedience is worthless? Take the case of Abraham our forefather. Was it, or was it not, because of his actions that he was declared to be righteous as the result of his having offered up his son Isaac upon the altar? You notice that his faith was co-operating with his actions, and that by his actions his faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And Abraham believed God, and his faith was placed to his credit as righteousness," and he received the name of 'God's friend.' You all see that it is because of actions that a man is pronounced righteous, and not simply because of faith. In the same way also was not the notorious sinner Rahab declared to be righteous because of her actions when she welcomed the spies and hurriedly helped them to escape another way? For just as a human body without a spirit is lifeless, so also faith is lifeless if it is unaccompanied by obedience.
Simon Peter, a bondservant and Apostle of Jesus Christ: To those to whom there has been allotted the same precious faith as that which is ours through the righteousness of our God and of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
And this is His command--that we are to believe in His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as He has commanded us to do.
If we accept the testimony of men, God's testimony is greater: for God's testimony consists of the things which He has testified about His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in his own heart: he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, in that he has refused to accept the testimony which God has given about His Son. read more. And that testimony is to the effect that God has given us the Life of the Ages, and that this Life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the Life: he who has not the Son of God has not the Life. I write all this to you in order that you who believe in the Son of God may know for certain that you already have the Life of the Ages.
Hastings
Noun for believe, having in early Eng. ousted 'belief' (wh. see) from its ethical uses. By this severance of noun and vb. (so in Lat. fides
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"Not every one who says to me, 'Master, Master,' will enter the Kingdom of the Heavens, but only those who are obedient to my Father who is in Heaven.
"You," replied Simon Peter, "are the Christ, the Son of the ever-living God." "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-jonah," said Jesus; "for mere human nature has not revealed this to you, but my Father in Heaven. read more. And I declare to you that you are Peter, and that upon this Rock I will build my Church, and the might of Hades shall not triumph over it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of the Heavens; and whatever you bind on earth shall remain bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall remain loosed in Heaven." Then He urged His disciples to tell no one that He was the Christ. From this time Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer much cruelty from the Elders and the High Priests and the Scribes, and be put to death, and on the third day be raised to life again. Then Peter took Him aside and began taking Him to task. "Master," he said, "God forbid; this will not be your lot." But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Adversary; you are a hindrance to me, because your thoughts are not God's thoughts, but men's." Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If any one desires to follow me, let him renounce self and take up his cross, and so be my follower. For whoever desires to save his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it. Why, what benefit will it be to a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give to buy back his life? For the Son of Man is soon to come in the glory of the Father with His angels, and then will He requite every man according to his actions. I solemnly tell you that some of those who are standing here will certainly not taste death till they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom."
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked Him, "Why could not we expel the demon?"
But whoever shall occasion the fall of one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him to have a millstone hung round his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as the redemption-price for many."
"Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you pay the tithe on mint, dill, and cumin, while you have neglected the weightier requirements of the Law--just judgement, mercy, and faithful dealing. These things you ought to have done, and yet you ought not to have left the others undone.
for this is my blood which is to be poured out for many for the remission of sins--the blood which ratifies the Covenant.
"The time has fully come," He said, "and the Kingdom of God is close at hand: repent, and believe this Good News.
And signs shall attend those who believe, even such as these. By making use of my name they shall expel demons. They shall speak new languages.
"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel," he said, "Because He has not forgotten His people but has effected redemption for them, And has raised up a mighty Deliverer for us In the house of David His servant-- read more. As He has spoken from all time by the lips of His holy Prophets-- To deliver us from our foes and from the power of all who hate us. He dealt pitifully with our forefathers, And remembered His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to Abraham our forefather, To grant us to be rescued from the power of our foes And so render worship to Him free from fear, In piety and uprightness before Him all our days. And you moreover, O child, shall be called Prophet of the Most High; For you shall go on in front before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, To give to His People a knowledge of salvation In the forgiveness of their sins, Through the tender compassion of our God, Through which the daybreak from on high will come to us, Dawning on those who now dwell in the darkness and shadow of death--To direct our feet into the path of peace."
And coming up just at that moment, she gave thanks to God, and spoke about the child to all who were expecting the deliverance of Jerusalem.
They came in glory, and kept speaking about His death, which He was so soon to undergo in Jerusalem.
But I have a baptism to undergo; and how am I pent up till it is accomplished!
And the Apostles said to the Lord, "Give us faith."
and He said, "Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise again from among the dead; and that proclamation would be made, in His name, of repentance and forgiveness of sins to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem. read more. You are witnesses as to these things.
The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and exclaimed, "Look, that is the Lamb of God who is to take away the sin of the world!
This, the first of His miracles, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee, and thus displayed His glorious power; and His disciples believed in Him.
This, the first of His miracles, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee, and thus displayed His glorious power; and His disciples believed in Him.
"Demolish this Sanctuary," said Jesus, "and in three days I will rebuild it." "It has taken forty-six years," replied the Jews, "to build this Sanctuary, and will you rebuild it in three days?" read more. But He was speaking of the Sanctuary of His body. When however He had risen from among the dead, His disciples recollected that He had said this; and they believed the Scripture and the teaching which Jesus had given them. Now when He was in Jerusalem, at the Festival of the Passover, many became believers in Him through watching the miracles He performed.
Now when He was in Jerusalem, at the Festival of the Passover, many became believers in Him through watching the miracles He performed.
Now when He was in Jerusalem, at the Festival of the Passover, many became believers in Him through watching the miracles He performed.
He came to Jesus by night and said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher from God; for no one can do these miracles which you are doing, unless God is with him.
And just as Moses lifted high the serpent in the Desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
He who trusts in Him does not come up for judgement. He who does not trust has already received sentence, because he has not his trust resting on the name of God's only Son.
He who believes in the Son has the Life of the Ages; he who disobeys the Son will not enter into Life, but God's anger remains upon him.
Of the Samaritan population of that town a good many believed in Him because of the woman's statement when she declared, "He has told me all that I have ever done."
"Unless you and others see miracles and marvels," said Jesus, "nothing will induce you to believe."
Thereupon the people, having seen the miracle He had performed, said, "This is indeed the Prophet who was to come into the world."
"This," replied Jesus, "is above all the thing that God requires--that you should be believers in Him whom He has sent."
For God's bread is that which comes down out of Heaven and gives Life to the world."
"I am the bread of Life," replied Jesus; "he who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never, never thirst.
But from among the crowd a large number believed in Him. "When the Christ comes," they said, "will He perform more miracles than this teacher has performed?"
He who believes in me, from within him--as the Scripture has said--rivers of living water shall flow."
Once more Jesus addressed them. "I am the Light of the world," He said; "the man who follows me shall certainly not walk in the dark, but shall have the light of Life."
Jesus heard that they had done this. So having found him, He asked him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"
"I am the Resurrection and the Life," said Jesus; "he who believes in me, even if he has died, he shall live;
"I am the Resurrection and the Life," said Jesus; "he who believes in me, even if he has died, he shall live;
Thereupon a considerable number of the Jews--namely those who had come to Mary and had witnessed His deeds--became believers in Him;
His answer was, "The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. In most solemn truth I tell you that unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains what it was--a single grain; but that if it dies, it yields a rich harvest. read more. He who holds his life dear, is destroying it; and he who makes his life of no account in this world shall keep it to the Life of the Ages.
In the degree that you have light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light." Jesus said this, and went away and hid Himself from them.
in order that the words of Isaiah the Prophet might be fulfilled, "Lord, who has believed our preaching? And the arm of the Lord--to whom has it been unveiled?"
"Let not your hearts be troubled. Trust in God: trust in me also.
"I am the Way," replied Jesus, "and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you--all of you--knew me, you would fully know my Father also. From this time forward you know Him and have seen Him."
Believe me, all of you, that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me; or at any rate, believe me because of what I do. In most solemn truth I tell you that he who trusts in me--the things which I do he shall do also; and greater things than these he shall do, because I am going to the Father.
"Yet it is the truth that I am telling you--it is to your advantage that I go away. For unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
"Nor is it for them alone that I make request. It is also for those who trust in me through their teaching;
"Because you have seen me," replied Jesus, "you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
But these have been recorded in order that you may believe that He is the Christ, the Son of God, and that, through believing, you may have Life through His name.
"Listen, Israelites, to what I say. Jesus, the Nazarene, a man accredited to you from God by miracles and marvels and signs which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know, Him--
"Listen, Israelites, to what I say. Jesus, the Nazarene, a man accredited to you from God by miracles and marvels and signs which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know, Him-- delivered up through God's settled purpose and foreknowledge--you by the hands of Gentiles have nailed to a cross and have put to death. read more. But God has raised Him to life, having terminated the throes of death, for in fact it was not possible for Him to be held fast by death. For David says in reference to Him, "'I constantly fixed my eyes upon the Lord, because He is at my right hand in order that I may continue unshaken. For this reason my heart is glad and my tongue exults. My body also shall rest in hope. For Thou wilt not leave me in the Unseen World forsaken, nor give up Thy holy One to undergo decay. Thou hast made known to me the ways of Life: Thou wilt fill me with gladness in Thy presence.' "As to the patriarch David, I need hardly remind you, brethren, that he died and was buried, and that we still have his tomb among us. Being a Prophet, however, and knowing that God had solemnly sworn to him to seat a descendant of his upon his throne, with prophetic foresight he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, to the effect that He was not left forsaken in the Unseen World, nor did His body undergo decay. This Jesus, God has raised to life-- a fact to which all of us testify. "Being therefore lifted high by the mighty hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out this which you see and hear. For David did not ascend into Heaven, but he says himself, "'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand until I make thy foes a footstool under thy feet.' "Therefore let the whole House of Israel know beyond all doubt that God has made Him both LORD and CHRIST--this Jesus whom you crucified."
"Therefore let the whole House of Israel know beyond all doubt that God has made Him both LORD and CHRIST--this Jesus whom you crucified." Stung to the heart by these words, they said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles, "Brethren, what are we to do?" read more. "Repent," replied Peter, "and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, with a view to the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
And all the believers kept together, and had everything in common.
But in this way God has fulfilled the declarations He made through all the Prophets, that His Christ would suffer.
be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that through the name of Jesus the Anointed, the Nazarene, whom *you* crucified, but whom *God* has raised from among the dead-- through that name this man stands here before you in perfect health. This Jesus is the Stone treated with contempt by you the builders, but it has been made the Cornerstone. read more. And in no other is the great salvation to be found; for, in fact, there is no second name under Heaven that has been given among men through which we are to be saved."
Behold, you despisers, be astonished and perish, because I am carrying on a work in your time--a work which you will utterly refuse to believe, though it be fully declared to you.'"
seeing that He has appointed a day on which, before long, He will judge the world in righteousness, through the instrumentality of a man whom He has pre-destined to this work, and has made the fact certain to every one by raising Him from the dead."
"Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has placed you to take the oversight for Him and act as shepherds to the Church of God, which He has bought with His own blood.
For these reasons, then, I have invited you here, that I might see you and speak to you; for it is for the sake of Him who is the hope of Israel that this chain hangs upon me."
but as regards the holiness of His Spirit was decisively proved by His Resurrection to be the Son of God--I mean concerning Jesus Christ our Lord,
For in the Good News a righteousness which comes from God is being revealed, depending on faith and tending to produce faith; as the Scripture has it, "The righteous man shall live by faith."
For what if some Jews have proved unfaithful? Shall their faithlessness render God's faithfulness worthless?
This declaration of blessedness, then, does it come simply to the circumcised, or to the uncircumcised as well? For Abraham's faith--so we affirm--was placed to his credit as righteousness.
who was surrendered to death because of the offences we had committed, and was raised to life because of the acquittal secured for us.
But God gives proof of His love to us in Christ's dying for us while we were still sinners.
and if children, then heirs too--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ; if indeed we are sharers in Christ's sufferings, in order that we may also be sharers in His glory. Why, what we now suffer I count as nothing in comparison with the glory which is soon to be manifested in us. read more. For all creation, gazing eagerly as if with outstretched neck, is waiting and longing to see the manifestation of the sons of God. For the Creation fell into subjection to failure and unreality (not of its own choice, but by the will of Him who so subjected it) Yet there was always the hope that at last the Creation itself would also be set free from the thraldom of decay so as to enjoy the liberty that will attend the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole of Creation is groaning together in the pains of childbirth until this hour. And more than that, we ourselves, though we possess the Spirit as a foretaste and pledge of the glorious future, yet we ourselves inwardly sigh, as we wait and long for open recognition as sons through the deliverance of our bodies.
in agreement with the statement of Scripture, "See, I am placing on Mount Zion a stone for people to stumble at, and a rock for them to trip over, and yet he whose faith rests upon it shall never have reason to feel ashamed."
For as a means of righteousness Christ is the termination of Law to every believer.
But what does it say? "The Message is close to you, in your mouth and in your heart;" that is, the Message which we are publishing about the faith-- that if with your mouth you confess Jesus as Lord and in your heart believe that God brought Him back to life, you shall be saved. read more. For with the heart men believe and obtain righteousness, and with the mouth they make confession and obtain salvation.
But, some will say, they have not all hearkened to the Good News. No, for Isaiah asks, "Lord, who has believed the Message they have heard from us?"
to a third man, by means of the same Spirit, special faith; to another various gifts of healing, by means of the one Spirit;
If I possess the gift of prophecy and am versed in all mysteries and all knowledge, and have such absolute faith that I can remove mountains, but am destitute of Love, I am nothing.
But if Christ is preached as having risen from the dead, how is it that some of you say that there is no such thing as a resurrection of the dead? If there is no such thing as a resurrection of the dead, then Christ Himself has not risen to life. read more. And if Christ has not risen, it follows that what we preach is a delusion, and that your faith also is a delusion. Nay more, we are actually being discovered to be bearing false witness about God, because we have testified that God raised Christ to life, whom He did not raise, if in reality none of the dead are raised. For if none of the dead are raised to life, then Christ has not risen; and if Christ has not risen, your faith is a vain thing--you are still in your sins. It follows also that those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this present life we have a *hope* resting on Christ, and nothing more, we are more to be pitied than all the rest of the world. But, in reality, Christ *has* risen from among the dead, being the first to do so of those who are asleep. For seeing that death came through man, through man comes also the resurrection of the dead. For just as through Adam all die, so also through Christ all will be made alive again. But this will happen to each in the right order--Christ having been the first to rise, and afterwards Christ's people rising at His return. Later on, comes the End, when He is to surrender the Kingship to God, the Father, when He shall have overthrown all other government and all other authority and power. For He must continue King until He shall have put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that is to be overthrown is Death; for He will have put all things in subjection under His feet. And when He shall have declared that "All things are in subjection," it will be with the manifest exception of Him who has reduced them all to subjection to Him. But when the whole universe has been made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also become subject to Him who has made the universe subject to Him, in order that GOD may be all in all.
But possessing the same Spirit of faith as he who wrote, "I believed, and therefore I have spoken," we also believe, and therefore we speak.
while we look not at things seen, but things unseen; for things seen are temporary, but things unseen are eternal.
for we are living a life of faith, and not one of sight.
even as Abraham believed God, and his faith was placed to his account as righteousness?
even as Abraham believed God, and his faith was placed to his account as righteousness? Notice therefore that those who possess faith are true sons of Abraham. read more. And the Scripture, foreseeing that in consequence of faith God would declare the nations to be free from guilt, sent beforehand the Good News to Abraham, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed."
It is evident, too, that no one can find acceptance with God simply by obeying the Law, because "the righteous shall live by faith,"
Before this faith came, we Jews were perpetual prisoners under the Law, living under restraints and limitations in preparation for the faith which was soon to be revealed.
The Spirit, on the other hand, brings a harvest of love, joy, peace; patience towards others, kindness, benevolence;
For I always beseech the God of our Lord Jesus Christ--the Father most glorious--to give you a spirit of wisdom and penetration through an intimate knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened so that you may know what is the hope which His call to you inspires, what the wealth of the glory of His inheritance in God's people, read more. and what the transcendent greatness of His power in us believers as seen in the working of His infinite might when He displayed it in Christ by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His own right hand in the heavenly realms, high above all other government and authority and power and dominion, and every title of sovereignty used either in this Age or in the Age to come. God has put all things under His feet, and has appointed Him universal and supreme Head of the Church, which is His Body, the completeness of Him who everywhere fills the universe with Himself.
Moreover He is the Head of His Body, the Church. He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, in order that He Himself may in all things occupy the foremost place. For it was the Father's gracious will that the whole of the divine perfections should dwell in Him. read more. And God purposed through Him to reconcile the universe to Himself, making peace through His blood, which was shed upon the Cross--to reconcile to Himself through Him, I say, things on earth and things in Heaven. And you, estranged as you once were and even hostile in your minds, amidst your evil deeds, He has now, in His human body, reconciled to God by His death, to bring you, holy and faultless and irreproachable, into His presence; if, indeed, you are still firmly holding to faith as your foundation, without ever shifting from your hope that rests on the Good News that you have heard, which has been proclaimed in the whole creation under Heaven, and in which I Paul have been appointed to serve. Now I can find joy amid my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my own person whatever is lacking in Christ's afflictions on behalf of His Body, the Church. I have been appointed to serve the Church in the position of responsibility entrusted to me by God for your benefit, so that I may fully deliver God's Message--
Let your language be always seasoned with the salt of grace, so that you may know how to give every man a fitting answer.
For if we believe that Jesus has died and risen again, we also believe that, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who shall have passed away.
But Jesus--who was made a little inferior to the angels in order that through God's grace He might taste death for every human being--we already see wearing a crown of glory and honour because of His having suffered death.
For Good News has been brought to us as truly as to them; but the message they heard failed to benefit them, because they were not one in faith with those who gave heed to it.
Hence too He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, seeing that He ever lives to plead for them.
But Christ appeared as a High Priest of the blessings that are soon to come by means of the greater and more perfect Tent of worship, a tent which has not been built with hands--that is to say does not belong to this material creation-- and once for all entered the Holy place, taking with Him not the blood of goats and calves, but His own blood, and thus procuring eternal redemption for us. read more. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have contracted defilement make them holy so as to bring about ceremonial purity, how much more certainly shall the blood of Christ, who strengthened by the eternal Spirit offered Himself to God, free from blemish, purify your consciences from lifeless works for you to serve the ever-living God?
Since then, brethren, we have free access to the Holy place through the blood of Jesus,
let us draw near with sincerity and unfaltering faith, having had our hearts sprinkled, once for all, from consciences oppressed with sin, and our bodies bathed in pure water.
Now faith is a well-grounded assurance of that for which we hope, and a conviction of the reality of things which we do not see.
But where there is no faith it is impossible truly to please Him; for the man who draws near to God must believe that there is a God and that He proves Himself a rewarder of those who earnestly try to find Him.
Through faith he left Egypt, not being frightened by the king's anger; for he held on his course as seeing the unseen One.
What good is it, my brethren, if a man professes to have faith, and yet his actions do not correspond? Can such faith save him? Suppose a Christian brother or sister is poorly clad or lacks daily food, read more. and one of you says to them, "I wish you well; keep yourselves warm and well fed," and yet you do not give them what they need; what is the use of that? So also faith, if it is unaccompanied by obedience, has no life in it--so long as it stands alone. Nay, some one will say, "You have faith, I have actions: prove to me your faith apart from corresponding actions and I will prove mine to you by my actions. You believe that God is one, and you are quite right: evil spirits also believe this, and shudder." But, idle boaster, are you willing to be taught how it is that faith apart from obedience is worthless? Take the case of Abraham our forefather. Was it, or was it not, because of his actions that he was declared to be righteous as the result of his having offered up his son Isaac upon the altar? You notice that his faith was co-operating with his actions, and that by his actions his faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And Abraham believed God, and his faith was placed to his credit as righteousness," and he received the name of 'God's friend.'
and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And Abraham believed God, and his faith was placed to his credit as righteousness," and he received the name of 'God's friend.' You all see that it is because of actions that a man is pronounced righteous, and not simply because of faith. read more. In the same way also was not the notorious sinner Rahab declared to be righteous because of her actions when she welcomed the spies and hurriedly helped them to escape another way? For just as a human body without a spirit is lifeless, so also faith is lifeless if it is unaccompanied by obedience.
Him you love, though your eyes have never looked on Him. In Him, though at present you cannot see Him, you nevertheless trust, and triumph with a joy which is unspeakable and is crowned with glory,
For it is contained in Scripture, "See, I am placing on Mount Zion a Cornerstone, chosen, and held in honour, and he whose faith rests on Him shall never have reason to feel ashamed." To you believers, therefore, that honour belongs; but for unbelievers-- "A Stone which the builders rejected has been made the Cornerstone," read more. and "a Stone for the foot to strike against, and a Rock to stumble over." Their foot strikes against it because they are disobedient to God's Message, and to this they were appointed.
For every child of God overcomes the world; and the victorious principle which has overcome the world is our faith.
John sends greetings to the seven Churches in the province of Asia. May grace be granted to you, and peace, from Him who is and was and evermore will be; and from the seven Spirits which are before His throne; and from Jesus Christ, the truthful witness, the first of the dead to be born to Life, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins with His own blood,
and from Jesus Christ, the truthful witness, the first of the dead to be born to Life, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins with His own blood, and has formed us into a Kingdom, to be priests to God, His Father--to Him be ascribed the glory and the power until the Ages of the Ages. Amen.
Morish
??????. This is a kindred word to 'believe,' and indeed the two cannot be separated. In the O.T. the word 'faith' occurs but twice. De 32:20; Hab 2:4. The words are emun, emunah; but aman is often translated 'to believe.' The first time this occurs in the O.T. is when it is said of Abraham that "he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness." Ge 15:6. This is referred to in Rom. 6 where the faith of the believer is counted for righteousness, and the conclusion is drawn that if any believe on Him that raised up Jesus the Lord from the dead, righteousness will be reckoned to them.
This may be called saving faith. It is confidence in God founded on His word; it is believing in a person, as Abraham believed God. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." Joh 3:36. There is no virtue or merit in the faith itself; but it links the soul with the infinite God. Faith is indeed the gift of God. Eph 2:8. Salvation is on the principle of faith in contrast to works under the law. Ro 10:9. But true faith is manifested by good works. If a man says he has faith, it is reasonable to say to him, "Show me thy faith" by thy works. Jas 2:14-26. Otherwise, if the faith does not manifest itself, it is described as 'dead,' and is altogether different from real, active belief. A mental assent to what is stated, as a mere matter of history, is not faith. A natural man can believe such things: "the devils also believe and tremble," but true faith gives joy and peace.
There is also the power and action of faith in the Christian's walk: "we walk by faith; not by sight." 2Co 5:7. We see such faith exemplified in the lives of the Old Testament saints, as given in Heb. 11. The Lord had often to rebuke His disciples for their want of faith in their daily walk. The believer should have faith in the living God concerning all the details of his daily life.
THE FAITH is at times referred to in the sense of 'the truth;' that which has been recorded, and which the Christian has believed, to the saving of his soul. For this the Christian should contend earnestly; for it is fundamental; and many false prophets are gone into the world, and have even crept into association with the saints unawares. Jude 1:3.
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He who believes in the Son has the Life of the Ages; he who disobeys the Son will not enter into Life, but God's anger remains upon him.
that if with your mouth you confess Jesus as Lord and in your heart believe that God brought Him back to life, you shall be saved.
for we are living a life of faith, and not one of sight.
For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves. It is God's gift, and is not on the ground of merit--
What good is it, my brethren, if a man professes to have faith, and yet his actions do not correspond? Can such faith save him? Suppose a Christian brother or sister is poorly clad or lacks daily food, read more. and one of you says to them, "I wish you well; keep yourselves warm and well fed," and yet you do not give them what they need; what is the use of that? So also faith, if it is unaccompanied by obedience, has no life in it--so long as it stands alone. Nay, some one will say, "You have faith, I have actions: prove to me your faith apart from corresponding actions and I will prove mine to you by my actions. You believe that God is one, and you are quite right: evil spirits also believe this, and shudder." But, idle boaster, are you willing to be taught how it is that faith apart from obedience is worthless? Take the case of Abraham our forefather. Was it, or was it not, because of his actions that he was declared to be righteous as the result of his having offered up his son Isaac upon the altar? You notice that his faith was co-operating with his actions, and that by his actions his faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And Abraham believed God, and his faith was placed to his credit as righteousness," and he received the name of 'God's friend.' You all see that it is because of actions that a man is pronounced righteous, and not simply because of faith. In the same way also was not the notorious sinner Rahab declared to be righteous because of her actions when she welcomed the spies and hurriedly helped them to escape another way? For just as a human body without a spirit is lifeless, so also faith is lifeless if it is unaccompanied by obedience.
Dear friends, since I am eager to begin a letter to you on the subject of our common salvation, I find myself constrained to write and cheer you on to the vigorous defense of the faith delivered once for all to God's people.
Watsons
FAITH, in Scripture, is presented to us under two leading views: the first is that of assent or persuasion; the second, that of confidence or reliance. The former may be separate from the latter, but the latter cannot exist without the former. Faith, in the sense of an intellectual assent to truth, is, by St. James, allowed to devils. A dead, inoperative faith is also supposed, or declared, to be possessed by wicked men, professing Christianity; for our Lord represents persons coming to him at the last day, saying, "Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?" &c, to whom he will say, "Depart from me, I never knew you." And yet the charge in this place does not lie against the sincerity of their belief, but against their conduct as "workers of iniquity." As this distinction is taught in Scripture, so it is also observed in experience: assent to the truths of revealed religion may result from examination and conviction, while yet the spirit and conduct may remain unrenewed and sinful.
2. The faith which is required of us as a condition of salvation always includes confidence or reliance, as well as assent or persuasion. That faith by which "the elders obtained a good report," was of this character; it united assent to the truth of God's revelations with a noble confidence in his promise. "Our fathers trusted in thee, and were not confounded." We have a farther illustration in our Lord's address to his disciples upon the withering away of the fig tree: "Have faith in God." He did not question whether they believed the existence of God, but exhorted them to confidence in his promises, when called by him to contend with mountainous difficulties: "Have faith in God; for verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe (trust) that these things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith." It was in reference to his simple confidence in Christ's power that our Lord so highly commended the centurion, and said, "I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel," Mt 8:10. And all the instances of faith in the persons miraculously healed by Christ, were also of this kind: their faith was belief in his claims, and also confidence in his goodness and power.
3. That faith in Christ which in the New Testament is connected with salvation, is clearly of this nature; that is, it combines assent with reliance, belief with trust. "Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name," that is, in dependence upon my interest and merits, "he shall give it you." Christ was preached both to Jews and Gentiles as the object of their trust, because he was preached as the only true sacrifice for sin; and they were required to renounce their dependence upon their own accustomed sacrifices, and to transfer that dependence to his death and mediation,
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Jesus listened to this reply, and was astonished, and said to the people following Him, "I solemnly tell you that in no Israelite have I found faith as great as this.
Not long after this, Felix came with Drusilla his wife, a Jewess, and sending for Paul, listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus.
First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for what He has done for all of you; for the report of your faith is spreading through the whole world.
For what if some Jews have proved unfaithful? Shall their faithlessness render God's faithfulness worthless?
As for you and your faith, keep your faith to yourself in the presence of God. The man is to be congratulated who does not pronounce judgement on himself in what his actions sanction. But he who has misgivings and yet eats meat is condemned already, because his conduct is not based on faith; for all conduct not based on faith is sinful.
Only let the lives you live be worthy of the Good News of the Christ, in order that, whether I come and see you or, being absent, only hear of you, I may know that you are standing fast in one spirit and with one mind, fighting shoulder to shoulder for the faith of the Good News.
Dear friends, since I am eager to begin a letter to you on the subject of our common salvation, I find myself constrained to write and cheer you on to the vigorous defense of the faith delivered once for all to God's people.