FAITH
The Bible Teaches That … 1. WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD. (Hebrew 11:6) Probably everyone believes that God exists, and that it is necessary to have faith in order to be saved. Since this is true, then the lesson which we need today is on the part of faith in God's plan of redemption.
We cannot please God unless we have faith in Him. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that this is impossible.
Jesus said, "… I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." John 8:24.
The Bible Teaches That … 2. FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR, THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEE Hebrews 11:1. We do not see God, yet we believe He exists. We have not seen Christ, yet we believe He came to earth and made a way possible for us to be saved. We cannot see salvation, yet we believe that if we obey God's commands we shall receive it.
The Bible further teaches that we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
The Bible Teaches That … 3. THERE IS ONE FAITH. In Ephesians 4:5, we find the words "One Lord, one FAITH, one baptism". We are to contend earnestly for "THE FAITH" once delivered to the saints (Jude 3).
The world teaches that there are many faiths, or many doctrines, and it matters little which one we embrace. The Bible does not teach this.
The Bible Teaches That …. 4. FAITH COMES BY HEARING THE WORD OF GOD. In the last lesson we studied how that people must hear the gospel before they can expect to be saved. In this lesson we also want to note that hearing produces FAITH.
In Romans 10:17, we read: "So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God." This leads us to the conclusion that we must first of all hear the Word of God before we can have faith which will lead us in the direction of salvation.
The Bible Teaches That … 5. FAITH ALONE WILL NOT SAVE. One of the popular doctrines in the religious world today is that all one has to do to be saved is simply to believe. The Bible does not teach this. Such a teaching has arisen from the idea that God has given us grace and if will just in Him there is nothing else to do.
The Bible teaches that those who hear the gospel must believe and then obey the gospel in order to be saved. There is no Bible example of anyone being saved by just believing.
It is true that Jesus said, "He that believeth and baptized shall be saved." However, Jesus did not say that he that believeth without baptism shall be saved.
One of the prevalent doctrines today is that of 'faith only.' However, no one that I know of really believes this. All will acknowledge that a person must repent of sins if he expects to enjoy forgiveness. This immediately shows that one must do something more than believing.
In Acts 16:31, we read the statement: "And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." If we use only this verse we might approach the doctrine of salvation by 'faith only'; but, when we read the next verse we find that the Scriptures continue in thought to say: “they spake unto them the word of the Lord and to all that were in his house; and he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes and was baptized, he and all his straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house." (Acts 16:32-34).
In this passage we definitely see that believing in God included obeying the gospel and being baptized.
In Romans 16:26, we have the expression "obedience of faith." This seems to point out just what the Scriptures teach on the subject. We hear the gospel, believe it to be true, and then submit to obedience of the commands of the gospel.
The Bible Teaches That … 6. WE BECOME CHILDREN OF GOD BY FAITH. It is true that we become children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Yet, this does not mean that only faith causes us to be saved.
In Galatians 3:26-27, we read: "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." In these two verses, we see the use of faith in our salvation. We believe that the gospel is God's power to save. The gospel teaches us that we are to be buried with Christ in baptism, and therefore, upon being baptized in faith, we receive remission of sins and become children of God.
The Bible Teaches That … 7. WE MUST KEEP THE FAITH. After becoming children of God by faith through baptism, we then must continue in faith or keep the faith. Paul said; "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).
It is our duty to hear the gospel and believe it to be true, and to obey the commands of the gospel so that through faith we might become children of God. Upon becoming children of God, we must keep the faith and lay hold of life eternal.
Section 1 - Fill in the blanks.
Question 1 "Without ______ it is impossible to please God."
Question 2 "Faith is the ______ of things hoped for, the ______ of things not seen."
Question 3 We walk by ______ and not by ______.
Question 4 "One Lord, one ______, one baptism."
Question 5 "We should contend ______ for the faith."
Question 6 "Faith cometh by ______ and ______ by the word of God."
Question 7 "_______ on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house."
Question 8 "… made known unto all nations for the ______ of faith." Romans 16:26.
Question 9 "For ye are all the ______ of God by ______ in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been ______ into Christ have put on Christ."
Question 10 "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the ______."
Section 2 - True or False
Question 1 It is necessary to have faith in order to be saved. TrueFalse
Question 2 Without faith, it is impossible to please God. TrueFalse
Question 3 There are many faiths; all are similar. TrueFalse
Question 4 Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. TrueFalse
Question 5 Faith only will save. TrueFalse
Question 6 We must believe and obey in order to be saved. TrueFalse
Question 7 We become children of God by faith through baptism. TrueFalse
Question 8 We may be saved by faith without baptism. TrueFalse
Question 9 It isn't necessary to contend earnestly for the faith. TrueFalse
Question 10 We may finish our course without keeping the faith. TrueFalse
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