The faith for which it is worth to die ... is a faith that saves.
In the days of Noah they were all bad. All were sinners, feasting, getting drunk, and living in immoral luxury. Nobody paid attention to God.
Nobody cared about the commandments of God. Nobody ... except Noah. Noah was good. God spoke to Noah because Noah listened to him and believed him."By faith Noah, when he was warned by God about things that were not yet seen, with fear he prepared the ark in which his house was saved; and by that faith he condemned the world, and was made heir of the righteousness that comes by faith "(Hebrews 11.7).
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The world was bad and full of darkness. But Noah believed God, and he was saved.
After the flood, many descendants of Noah returned to idolatry. They made gods of stone and clay. The idolaters gathered in the plains of Shinar (present-day Iraq), until God scattered them "on the face of the whole earth" (Genesis 11.9). But in the midst of that idolatry in Shinar, there lived a righteous man: Abraham.
God spoke to Abraham because Abraham paid attention to him and believed him.
Because of his faith, Abraham obeyed God. By faith he lived as
foreigner in the promised land (Hebrews 11.8-9). "Abraham believed
God, and it was counted for righteousness "(Romans 4.3).
The world was bad and full of darkness.
But Abraham believed God, and he was saved.
The descendants of Abraham became the people of Israel.
Sometimes the Israelites believed God and walked in their ways. But more often than not they showed their disbelief with their sinful and rebellious lives. Filth, sorcery, lawsuits, and greed governed their lives until God himself (in the person of Jesus) came to earth to speak to them.
A few, the followers of Jesus, paid attention to God. They believed God, and because of their faith God adopted them as their children (Galatians 3:26). By faith they became children of God, and as children, also heirs; "Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ" (Romans 8.16-17).
The world was bad and full of darkness.
But the followers of Jesus (the first Christians) believed God and were saved.
When the church of Jesus was still new, almost all of its members abandoned the faith and went back to sinning. In the name of Jesus, millions of false Christians killed their enemies, robbed the poor, persecuted the true Christians, blasphemed the truth, and finally flooded Europe into the barbarian Ages.
During that dark time, there were few who maintained their faith in God. There were few who brought the light of the gospel of generation to generation. But, thank God, there were some (maybe more than what we know). Finally, at the time of the Reformation, the church of Jesus flourished and grew again.
Those who believed God during the Reformation obeyed him as well. They lived holy lives, and baptized with water those who believed in Jesus. For this they received the nickname of Anabaptists (rebaptizers). The faith of the Anabaptists kept them firm in the midst of great persecutions. Because of their faith, the brothers were slaughtered, Burned alive, and quartered. The enemies of the faith drowned the Anabaptist sisters and buried them alive. But by faith these martyrs were delivered "from the wrath to come" (1 Thessalonians 1:10). Faith opened their eyes (Acts 26:18). Faith gave them an inheritance among the sanctified (Acts 26.18). Because of their faith, they never retreated to perdition, but obtained the result of faith, that is, the salvation of their soul (Hebrews 10.38-39 and 1 Peter 1.9).
The world was bad and full of darkness.
But the Anabaptists believed God, and they were saved.
More than four hundred years have passed since the Reformation. Many descendants of the Anabaptists along with the descendants of the "reformers" have become lukewarm and unconcerned about their religion. Many no longer believe in God. They walk proudly in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. We live in a "barbaric age", in a very bad and very sinful time. Our generation is going to hell. But God speaks to us still. Do we believe what he is saying? Are we paying attention to him?
Do not forget this:
• Noah believed God and was saved.
• Abraham believed God and was saved.
• The first Christians believed God and were saved.
"He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but whoever does not believe,
he will be condemned "(Mark 16.16).
How can we show that we believe God?
The faith for which it is worth to die ... is a faith that works.
Abraham believed God and his faith was counted for justice (Romans 4.3). But Abraham not only believed. He demonstrated his faith by his works (James 2.21-22). We, if we believe God, are children of Abraham and heirs of the world with him (Romans 4.13, Galatians 3.28-29). Like Abraham, we demonstrate our faith by the works we do.
Many think that when you believe God, you can continue in the sin and be saved anyway. But this is a lie of the devil. If we believe God, we will no longer be in sin. God has said that all who sin go to hell. If we believe this, and if we believe there is a hell, we will not sin anymore.
The Bible says that the works we do can not save us (Ephesians 2: 8-9) But it also says that we are "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). "My brothers, what will it profit if someone says he has faith, and has no works? ... Was not Abraham our father justified by the works, when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? Do you not see that faith acted together with his works, and that faith was perfected by works? ...
You see, then, that man is justified by works, and not only by faith .... For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead "(James 2.14-26).
Noah demonstrated his faith in God by making the ark.
Abraham demonstrated his faith in God by sacrificing his son.
The first Christians demonstrated their faith in God by evangelizing the world.
How do we demonstrate our faith in God?
The faith for which it is worth to die ... is a faith for which it is worth living.
Nowadays it is very easy to say that one "believes". Because of this there are many false believers with a dead faith (James 2.26).
Four centuries ago, it was not easy to believe God. If one believed God and He obeyed, it was very likely that he lost his head or that he was burned alive. Back then no one said he "believed" if it was not true. The faith of then was more than a profession. Believers lived by faith and died by faith. Although the way of the faithful was dangerous, many believed God ... and the church of Jesus flourished in the midst of persecution. The faith for which it was worth dying is the faith for which it is worth living in our day.
Pleasant faith believes that God exists: "He believes there is him." The prayers of some people give the impression that they are talking to themselves. Have you ever prayed without thinking that you are in the presence of God? He wants his faith to be focused on the reality of his existence. Contrary to what modern philosophies suppose, God is there. He insists that you think in this way to please Him.
What is the faith? In short, faith is trust, certainty and security in God and Jesus Christ. Living faith is not only believing in the existence of God, it must be demonstrated through service and obedience to his commandments. God increases our faith if we ask him fervently and seek to approach him in prayer and studying his word.
The battle for faith is a good battle.
The Bible is clear in its teaching about the power of faith. However, many believers are confused about it. This confusion is partly due to the role played by the different "faith" ministries. Some minister effectively, while others seem to use faith in such a way that they make man master of his destiny, instead of recognizing God as the Sovereign Lord.
Faith without works is dead
The apostle James, half brother of Jesus Christ, wrote about the dead faith in the epistle that bears his name. Dead faith is believing in God without obeying his commandments.
As James wrote, "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe and tremble. But do you want to know, vain man, that faith without works is dead? "(James 2: 19-20).
Later, James referred to the example of Abraham, who not only had faith but also had works, because he believed in the word of God and also obeyed his commands; "Was not Abraham our father justified by the works, when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? Do you not see that faith acted together with his works, and that faith was perfected by works? "(James 2: 21-22). True faith is not just believing in God; it is to live by faith serving God and obeying his commandments.
In Matthew 9: 27-30, we find the example of faith of two blind men who came to Jesus Christ to ask for healing. When they did, Jesus asked them, "Do you think I can do this?" And then they answered: "Yes, Lord." "Then he touched their eyes, saying: According to your faith be it done unto you."
The faith of these men that Christ could heal them became the reality they desired. In addition, he gave them the certainty or confirmation that they would receive what they asked for. These men believed, for they had faith in what would happen in the future.
It is, then, faith the certainty of what is expected, the conviction of what is not seen. Hebrews 11: 1
Faith is in the present tense. He believes now. He receives it now. Act now One of the great differences between faith and hope is in the verb tense. Hope is generally related to the future, while faith is related to the present.
Sometimes we hear that someone is taking a step of faith in a new adventure. They usually mean that they do not know what is going to happen or what the future holds for them. They only feel the urge to do something new and they do it.
Although there is no physical evidence of our faith, we have enough evidence in the Word of God. The evidence of what we believe is our faith in the Word of God. God is a witness. He never lies. If we take God by His Word, that Word will pass the test because it is eternal.
Expressions like "have faith, everything will be fine" are commonly used to support or reassure those who face difficult problems or distressing situations, but how is the concept of faith in the Bible described? Does having faith really work?
In the New Testament, the word "faith" comes from the Greek pistis. According to New Strong's Expanded Dictionary of Bible Words, "the term pistis denotes a belief determined by predominant trust (or security), whether in God or in Jesus Christ, which arises from faith in them. . 'Faith' means confidence, security, certainty, and conviction "(p 1315).
God has set a table before us full of abundant blessings. Naturally speaking, if someone puts a beautiful table of food in front of us we know what to do with it. We do not sit down wishing and hoping we can have some of that food. We do not complain to our guest that we do not have enough. Neither we get angry or we get angry because someone at the table receives a large portion of potatoes with cream. We begin to serve the food.
It has been placed before us so that we can serve and fill ourselves. There's probably more in the kitchen if we empty the pots. We know that everyone at the table has the same rights and privileges to receive their portion of each plate.
When we have faith we decide to please God and we no longer want to play with sin: the one who keeps playing with sin not only does not please God but hinders God's plans because although the Lord wants to bless him he can not receive, because each Once he sins, he denies the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. And a wall rises that God can not see. What area today do we need to submit to obedience to Christ? How is your testimony you are a man or woman of faith?