The Activity of Faith
Minister: | Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: | 11/6/2016 AM |
Text: | II Timothy 1; Lord's Day 7 |
Psalters: | 264, 68, 234, 161 |
- Faith is active.
- The bond of faith becomes an activity because it is living – as a branch grafted into a living tree.
- The bond provides us with both the ability (power) and the activity.
- Faith must be active, for faith without works is dead (James 2: 17).
- How is the activity of faith worked?
- The Holy Spirit works this activity, infusing into us the ability and the desire to believe.
- The Spirit works this activity through the Word, the means of grace (Romans 10:13-17; Canons III,IV-17; V-14).
- The essential activity of faith is abiding in, a returning to, and a drawing from Christ.
- The bond of faith becomes an activity because it is living – as a branch grafted into a living tree.
- Faith is first knowledge: holds for truth what God reveals in Scripture.
- “Believed” means "to count to be true," "to take a statement or someone as truth."
- First, faith is not blind, for it has a basis in the revelation given by God of Himself (Romans 4:3).
- Faith takes for truth what God says in the Bible.
- Faith appropriates, i.e., takes Bible truths and applies them to oneself.
- “Believed” means "to count to be true," "to take a statement or someone as truth."
- And faith is trust: we are “persuaded” (confidence of heart).
- This persuasion arises from knowing HIM.
- Faith is the persuasion that Christ will care for me, perfecting, establishing, strengthening and settling (I Peter 5:10).
- Faith believes that Jesus will do as He promised.
- In the measure of our personal knowledge of Him, we rise above all doubts and emotional fears.