Even Our Faith: Part 3-The Righteous Live By Faith

May 21, 2023

We are in a series entitled “EVEN OUR FAITH” working to discover exactly what it means to live an LIFE of OVERCOMING VICTORY…

Last week we talked a lot about Romans 10:17 where it says that this “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

So once again in honor of this, let’s get our faith-exercise outfit on & let’s read 1 John 5:1-4 together…

:: 1 John 5:1-4 (NIV) :: 1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. PPT 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

RECAP:

• At the time of writing this letter, John is an old man, writing to young Christians… “little children”, “my children”, “dear children”... a young church that finds itself in a dual world, “mundo dualista” of having to live IN the world but feeling ALIENATED, SIDELINED and being considered OUT OF TOUCH with the world around them on every issue…they’re not woke enough for the world around them but they’re not legalistic enough, or following Jewish culture enough for the Jewish leaders of the day

• He’s telling them that the WAY OUT OF THIS “mundo dualista” is not to fight it or to give in to it but that it is THEIR FAITH that OVERCOMES it…This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

• Then last week we took a REALLY deep dive into the differences between these two words ‘Faith’ and ‘Belief’ or ‘Believing’ and the ultimate conclusion that we came to is that FAITH is something you HAVE and BELIEVING is what you DO.

• FAITH is something that’s OBJECTIVE, concrete, steadfast… that’s completely different from a BELIEF that’s SUBJECTIVE, changing, feelings based.

• FAITH is supernatural (superpower) ability … BELIEF is mental assent or agreement

  • … you can ‘believe’ anything you want to but that doesn’t make it true

  • … you can ‘believe’ sky is purple, universe was created by a flying spaghetti monster, Bronco’s are going to win the Superbowl this year…) but simple belief doesn’t make it true & that doesn’t give OVERCOMING VICTORY…

  • BELIEVING that the earth was flat was obviously wrong and it didn’t change anything about the shape of the globe. But FAITH? My Bible says that Faith can move mountains.

• FAITH is a spiritual force :: BELIEF is a personal choice

• FAITH is GOD’s POWER at work through His word :: BELIEF is our RESPONSE to that power.

• FAITH is active because the Word Is ALIVE :: BELIEF is activated when we RESPOND.

• Faith IS power :: BELIEF = NO power in itself

Now… one of the things that came up as we were talking last week, Jermaine said that he had heard that the two words in the Greek are the same & how did we know the difference… I said then that I didn’t really know but I’d look it up… I’m not really a Greek & Hebrew scholar but as a disciple I want to be a good Bible scholar so as soon as everybody left Sunday night I began to study these two words in the ORIGINAL language, greek… to see what he was talking about…

Here’s what I found: Bottom line, Yes, they’re the same root word … BUT … there are some subtle differences in the way they’re used and that’s how we know which one should be used…

• MOST of the time the translators chose the word “FAITH” it’s the Greek word “pistis”

• MOST of the time the translators chose the weird “BELIEVE” it’s the Greek word “pisteuo”

• “Pistis” is always a noun… “pisteuo” is always a verb.

  • The word choice is a little bit similar in English to the fact that you can go to a “play” (noun: a theatrical production, a performance) but if you’re IN the play, you don’t “PLAY” (verb: engage in a game or activity…)... you “ACT” or you “Perform”...

• πίστις pistis, n. [243] [√ 4412]. faith, faithfulness, belief, trust, with an implication that actions based on that trust may follow;

• You could make an argument for the fact that “faith” and “belief” (both nouns) being ‘the same thing’ often when the word “pistis” or “pistos” is used, it’s used with the word theos so that means “God’s faith” or the “God-kind of faith so THAT is the kind of faith we’re talking about when we say ‘supernatural faith’...

• This “God-kind of faith” that is supernatural (comes by hearing the Word) and implies that actions based on that supernatural faith will follow…that action is the ACTION of believing.

• All of this reinforces our conclusions last week about the fact that there’s absolutely a difference between faith & belief…

The LAST bit of recap is that we came to the ultimate conclusion that living a life of…

PPT OVERCOMING VICTORY is the INTERSECTION of SUPERNATURAL FAITH and BELIEF in Jesus as Lord.

NOW… tonight we’ve got three scriptures to read that will launch us into the next battle toward living a life of overcoming victory…This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. ::

:: Romans 1:17 :: 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

:: Galatians 3:11 :: 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”

:: Hebrews 10:36-38 :: 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” 38 And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.

You can tell from each of these scriptures that they’re all referencing / quoting something… not making some NEW declaration but quoting something that the reader/listener would have already known… to find that out we need something called “cross references”

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CROSS REFERENCES:

• Usually in printed Bibles or if you’re reading an app, you may need to ‘turn them on’

• They will give the reference where the passage is found that is being quoted.

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Look at Galatians 3 & see what he says… :: Galatians 3:10-12 :: 10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”

Paul is saying that the prerequisite of victorious, world-overcoming life, by the law’s standard, is perfect, personal, and perpetual, obedience; in other words, if I try to live out my salvation by fulfilling the law “I have to PERSONALLY, ALWAYS, ABSOLUTELY OBEY the LAW.” … in other words… Do this and live; make a mistake and you’re putting yourself under a curse.

Same thing for Romans 1:17 (LINK)… same thing for Hebrews 10:36-38 (LINK)… each of these scriptures is using this passage from Habbakuk to prove that we got our SALVATION only through Jesus, what makes us think we can live in VICTORY through living by the Law?

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Now… when you and I look at the scriptures… this letter to the Galatians or Romans, we roll our eyes and we’re like “silly little Galatians…” but then we turn around and realize that we feel like we’re not living in victorious, world-overcoming life and we’re like, “Oh no… I have to try harder… I have to sacrifice more… I have to sin less… I have to grunt & sweat more…

Personal confession: “I” literally talked to Annette this week about some of the areas i’m not seeing world-overcoming victory in my life… specifically talking about being a better provider, being able to manage our household better with all dignity… better business man… better pastor of Dwell Life… and I literally texted the words, “it makes me want to work longer & harder…” as if my working longer & harder is what is going to make those SPIRITUAL overcoming victories in my life a reality!

What if the victories I’m NOT seeing in my life are not a result of me ‘not trying hard enough’ but more about the fact that I’m not ACTING based on the WORD OF GOD that’s been spoken into my life!?!?

What Paul seems to be saying to the Galatians is that the fact that they’re not living the righteous, victorious, overcoming life may be an indication that they’re trying to ACHIEVE that righteousness by the LAW…thus putting themselves under the CURSE of the law. (because if you’ve broken ANY of it, you’re receiving the curse of ALL of it…).

But the ones who live that righteous, victorious, world-overcoming life have to live by supernatural, Word-given, God-given objective FAITH…faith that comes by hearing & hearing by the word of God…

And if I WAS able to accomplish it by “working longer & harder” I’d become “the proud one” from Habakkuk 2!

Instead, you live by…Not simple mental assent or belief… but God-given, superpower Faith. “God you have spoken & what you said, I’m going to live out… No matter whether this looks like victory or success to the people around me, I’m going to live by the Word that you’ve spoken to my heart… and BECAUSE I’m listening to the Word you’ve spoken, Faith has come… and this Supernatural Faith is my victory. Whatever I may be in the eyes of others is of no value… but in YOUR eyes I am victorious”

So from all we’ve learned about faith … this ‘victory that overcomes the world’ kind of faith, here are the questions that I’m sitting in for myself:

• Do I have this active, living ‘victory that overcomes the world’ in my life?

  • Am I walking in VICTORY like John describes?

  • Do I often have feelings of DEFEAT or DEPRESSION that do not line up with what John is talking about?

  • If there are SOME areas of my life that see victory…are there OTHER areas that I need to ‘increase my faith’?

Well, how do I increase my faith? if “faith comes by hearing & hearing by the word of God”… then …

• Is there ‘scripture’ that I’m not living by that would lead to victorious world-overcoming faith?

  • This could be the Word of salvation… 2 Cor 6:2 …Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”— ::

  • This could be scripture on trust or sin or something else that God has shown you directly from His Word but you haven’t been willing to accept yet…

  • 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

  • Or it could be that, just like the Galatians you’ve BELIEVED in Jesus, but you’re trying to gain righteousness through your own effort… Galatians 3: 10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse… 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.

And finally

• Is there a specific Word from God on something you need to do or say that you need to obey:

  (remember our definition of faith earlier that FAITH comes with “an implication that actions based on that trust may follow”)

  • This could be a calling that God has given you that you’re having trouble trusting him to complete.

  • This could be a specific relationship that needs to be mended or fixed by God’s effort & grace…not yours

  • Or an act of obedience that you know you need to obey