Thursday, August 30, 2018 – Ephesians 6:23

The Blessing of a Faithful Life as Noted in Ephesians, Pt. 1 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q5lKcabQ0g&t=30s

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

www.GraceDoctrine.org

5. The Encouragement, vs. 21-24.  

Eph 6:23, “Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Faith” is the Greek noun PISTIS, πίστις that can mean, “faith, trust, trustworthiness, reliability; confidence, assurance, conviction; belief, what is believed or doctrine.” “Faith” is one of the most crucial terms in the entire Bible and PISTIS is the chief word conveying this concept. It is used in the Septuagint for the related Hebrew words, EMUNAH, “fidelity, faithfulness;” AMAN, “a faithful attitude toward another human being, God or His Word;” BATACH, “to rely on, put confidence in;” CHASAH, “to seek refuge in.”

The Verb PISTEUO, πιστεύω means, “believe, have faith in, be convinced of, trust, rely on, have confidence in.” In the NT, it always concerns believing in God and Christ; therefore, it signifies absolute confidence and trust, complete surrender, and heartfelt obedience to them and their Word.

The Adjective PISTOS, πιστός means, “trustworthy, faithful, reliable, credible, trusting, and believing.”

God is faithful towards us, Deut 7:9; 1 Cor 1:9; 2 Thes 3:3; 1 John 1:9.

Deut 7:9, “Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments.”

1 Cor 1:9, “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

2 Thes 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”

Likewise, His Word is faithful, i.e., “faithful is the word/saying,” 1 Tim 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim 2:11; Titus 3:8.

In turn, we too should be faithful to Him in our service and worship daily.

Faith is not a passive resignation to life like fate; rather, it is confidence that God will fulfill His promises and will carry out His salvation plan; past, present, and future. Having faith and applying it to life: We are saved by grace through faith, we walk by faith, and we are victorious in faith, which aligns with our salvation; past, present, and future.

In fact, the title “the believers” describes both Jews and Gentiles who have expressed their faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah, Acts 2:29-36, 44; 4:32, which is God’s plan for past salvation. “To believe or begin to believe” are equal to being or becoming a Christian, Rom 13:11; 1 Cor 3:5; 15:2.

PISTIS denotes the entire teaching about Christianity, and although pertinent in every believer’s life, it is also a unique spiritual gift given to some believers by God, 1 Cor 12:9; 13:2.

For the believer, faith implies a relationship with the living God whose Word has convinced you to respond on the basis of that relationship. Therefore, faith of the Christian is one that is persuaded that God has revealed Himself in His Word and the believer gives every aspect of his life over to God and His Word, even when confronted by attacks or challenges to the reality of the relationship.

Habakkuk 2:4, “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.” Cf. Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38.

Rom 1:17, “For in it, (the gospel of Jesus Christ), the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH".”

We find in the NT that the believer can become:

  1. Strong in the Faith, Acts 16:5; Rom 4:20.

  2. Grounded and established in Faith, Col 1:23.

  3. Stand fast in Faith, 1 Cor 16:13; cf. Eph 6:16.

  4. Be full of faith, Acts 6:5; 11:24.

  5. Be on the road to deeper faith, 2 Cor 10:15; 2 Thes 1:3.

  6. And unfortunately, there exists the possibility of weakening in one’s faith, Rom 14:1.

We also see from Scripture, that anything we do that is not based on faith in God is actually sin in God’s eyes, Rom 14:23.

Rom 14:23, “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.”

Therefore, if we have any doubts, worries, fears, etc., due to a lack of faith, we are operating in sin.

Yet, our faith grows out of God’s call, Acts 2:39, and His Word, as it is received, Acts 2:41. It results from the fact that God opens hearts of those with positive volition, Acts 16:14-15. Paul’s writings view faith as the normative expression of the Christian.

The basis of faith is the Word of God and God’s action in history. As such, faith is directed at God Himself, both subjectively, (based on perception and feelings), as well as objectively, (not influence by feelings, but based on fact, experience, or some measurable quality). God and Jesus Christ are the objects of faith, central to the life lived by faith, John 14:1.

In addition, as the prototype for the unique spiritual life of the Church Age, Jesus is rightly called the “author (leader, pacesetter) and perfecter (finisher) of our faith,” Heb 12:2.

In the great portrait gallery of faith, Hebrews chapter 11, we are given a lengthy series on the OT models of faith. These saints believed God’s promises in spite of the apparent hopelessness of their circumstances. Without seeing the realization of the promises, they lived and died believing that the promised Messiah would one day come and of the promised inheritance God would give them. Faith characterized their lives. They might be said to have realized that “without faith it is impossible to please (God),” Heb 11:6.

The book of James advises us that works must follow as the “fruit of faith” and as “proof of salvation.” He cautioned against a “faith” that rests upon an intellectual assent to the truth that lacks a life yielded and obedient to God. Therefore, Faith is the yielded life to God and His Word, as we actionably live faithfully unto Him in thought, word, and deed.