I Have Faith

The Gospel according to Luke shows us an important story that concerns faith. This same incident is also shown in Matthew 8:23-27 and Mark 4:35-41. I am sharing it from Luke due to how Jesus challenges the disciples with a simple yet powerful question. "Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” (Luke 8:22-25)

Jesus' question, "Where is your faith" should provoke every believer, everyday. Why? Recently it came to my attention through a Christian social media discussion group, a discussion concerning the Christian life beyond conversion. This was due to the common belief among most Evangelicals. Evangelical meaning, a Christian church believing in the Bible as the sole source of authority for the church. The major focus is in salvation only through conversion and spiritual regeneration. I believe this to be true for Bible believing churches, but once one is converted the majority believe and teach, "We are all sinners and even as born-again believers, we sin every day in thought, word and deed. Yes, we should strive for spiritual perfection, but we will never achieve it as long as we are in our earthly body." Is this statement in alignment with the scriptures? Well, if you are a typical Evangelical, then this is true. But if this is true, then that would mean that once one is converted that they have a dual nature. The nature of God and the nature of the devil, the sin nature.

Few have realized what the believer's legal position in Christ is; who they are in Christ; and how the Father sees them in Christ. I have posted only a very small number of scriptures to help you understand that once you are born again you are no longer a sinner in God's eyes. The apostle Paul tells us, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (Corinthians 5:17) First, we need to see that God says that the believer is a New Creation. What does that mean? The Apostle Peter tells us, "God has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 2:4) The believer, through the born again experience immediately becomes a partaker of God's nature for a purpose. To escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. To escape sin and its author, Satan, the god of this world. (2 Corinthians 4:4)  

The apostle Paul continues, "old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." This means that the old man (old satanic, sinful nature) has died, has been put away, and now the believe has a new nature, "...the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:24) If the believers new nature is the divine nature created according to God in true righteousness and holiness, then how can the believe be a sinner any longer? According to the Apostle John, "Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God." (1 John 3:9) How can this be? You have been told your entire Christian life that you are a born again sinner and will always be a sinner as long as you live on planet earth. But this is not what the Bible teaches through the Apostles Paul, Peter and John' writings.

So what is the problem? The problem exists in two areas. First, the church has been very strong in teaching man his need of righteousness, but also teaches his weakness and his inability to please God, but has been sadly lacking in bringing the church forward to the truth of what and who the believer is in Christ. This is due to looking at the flesh (the five senses) rather than growing ones faith through the Word of God to believe God and not fleshly experiences. Secondly, it is coming to the knowledge that it is ones spirit that is born again and not the soul (mind, will and emotions) or the body. This is evidenced in many scriptures. For example, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:1-2) The Apostle Paul tells us to present our bodies to God and renew our minds. Naturally, we renew our minds through the Word of God which builds our faith (Romans 10:17) and is able to save our soul (mind, will and emotions (James 1:21). 

The body does not sin in and of its self. The body responds to sin as an act of the will, a result of the unregenerate soul, a mind the is not being renewed with God's Word. Therefore, a mind that is not being renewed with the Word of God, results in ungodly thoughts which will be acted upon in the body, which translates into sin. (James 1:14-15) When believers are constantly told that they are still sinners, they will continue to sin because they become filled with a sin consciousness. Trying not to sin, they always think of not sinning, becoming more cognizant of sin than righteousness. They let their thoughts rule their lives rather then their recreated spirit have the ascendancy over their soul and body. This is not grace at work, but the works of the law. Even if a believer thinks or acts out in sin, it no way means that they have a dual nature, one of God and one of the devil (sin). As a matter of fact, it is a believers choice to sin. (Romans 6:11-14) However, if they do, they can be forgiven and have the unrighteousness removed by God through repentance. (1 John 1:9)

Many have come to believe that the Apostle Paul was a sinner due to poor interpretation of Romans 7:15-23. In order to believe that Paul was a born again sinner based on this one passage of misinterpreted scripture, we would have to eliminate everything that he spoke in the seven and one half previous chapters of the Book of Romans, the rest of Romans, not to mentioned everything else that he spoke that is contrary to this erroneous belief in his other letters to the church. The Holy Spirit reveals to Paul and he records for us one of the most monumental things that refutes such teaching and sets the believer free, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but 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 for me." (Galatians 2:20)

The old sinful, satanic nature of Paul (actually Saul before his conversion) was crucified with Christ, when Christ was crucified. Christ, not sin lived in Paul. Then he drives the point home, "the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Although Paul still lived in a body of flesh, he was more than a conqueror, (Romans 8:37); the body of sin was done away with (Romans 6:6); sin did not have dominion over him (Romans 6:14); he was recreated in the image of God (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:24). So, how could he say these things, which are true, and live free of sin? He lived by faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. If you go back and carefully read the Book of Romans, you will no longer live in the realm of defeat due to sin. Instead you will live in victory through Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 15:57) You will truly understand what Paul meant when he said, "For freedom, Christ has set us free. Now walk in it." (Galatians 5:1) You will also begin to see how God sees you in Christ, not in your flesh. Because the real you, is your spirit. 

This is called "identification." Identification scriptures are throughout the New Testament and can be found in all the verses of scripture that say, "In Him"; In Christ"; In Whom"; and "Through Christ." Please take time to search the scriptures for these wonderful nuggets of truth and find your true identification as the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), not a sinner with no hope or no ability to please God our Father. Keep in mind, to believe Gods Word takes faith. The faith that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6) is spiritual and comes from a recreated spirit, not reasoning or intellectualism from a unregenerate mind. (The above barely touches the tip of the ice burg, if you will, when it come to who and what the believer is in Christ and how the Father truly sees them). Enjoy your freedom in Christ!!!