Like Precious Faith

Like Precious Faith

As God’s children, our entire existence is built on our faith. As the Scriptures say, “The just shall live by faith,” so we realize that faith is in constant development when matters are proceeding in the right direction.

Everyone’s faith has a beginning, a continuation, and an end. The difficult part is not to grow weary, but to receive faith throughout one’s life.

To this end we need enlightened eyes of the heart, so we “may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of His glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe . . . .” Eph. 1:18-19. The worth of this precious faith has to be revealed to us.

This was the faith that Jesus had when He offered Himself to God. It was the same faith that the apostles and the others had when they finished their life in sanctification, many of them suffering a martyr’s death.

It is the same faith that God gave us, which led us to the same blessed life: crucified according to the flesh, but made alive to God in Christ Jesus.

This precious faith produces a precious and meaningful life which, in turn, results in a preaching of the same precious faith. We preach the word of faith.

However, many people stumble in their unbelief and do not want to receive this faith which was to open their eyes so they could turn away from darkness to light and from Satan’s power to God, receiving forgiveness for their sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus. Acts 26:18.

God does not give sparingly, but He does give righteously! He desires everyone to be saved and to acknowledge the truth. Therefore He gladly gives this precious faith to all who want to receive it.

However, people are miserly. Their idea is to get off as easily as possible. Most Christians have received a cheap faith, not because God willed it like that, but because they had no room in their hearts for anything else. They sigh under the burden of sin, but not so much over their own sin as over the others’ sin. Yet they do not want to receive the faith that makes an end of sin. They are willing to be led out into darkness, choosing to get off easily. The apostle Peter says that they are appointed to it. 1 Pet. 2:8.

However, he did not address his letter to them but to those who had the same precious faith through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He knew that the Spirit was working with them and that their faith was developing, and that it was worthwhile to write a word of exhortation to them.