James 2:19 (NLT) You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.
God says in His word that His people worship in Spirit AND truth. An open heart and spirit for God is a great thing as it will always lead us to learn who our God truly is so that we can honor Him and enjoy the true Him.
Scripture also teaches that we are saved through faith, but the definition of faith can be culturally lost and what God says faith is should be our first and basic discovery of Him and salvation.
Romans 5:8 “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Saving faith is not about the mere acceptance that there is a God, nor even that He sent Christ to die for the sins of believers. Those are head facts, but (saving) faith is about identifying as the sinful person who needs to believe in this gracious love of God shown in the sacrifice of Christ. It’s about embracing that Jesus died for you personally, AND for the purpose of saving you from the power of sin (the power it has in both life and death). It’s about seeing your NEED for redemption and embracing Jesus as the redeemer, and then being redeemed by Him in every way.
This is how God describes faith throughout scripture. [2 Timothy 3:13-17, James 2:18, Romans 12:2] True, saving faith leads us into a new life with Christ. It is a transforming belief- as we encounter God’s undeserved sacrifice, bearing our condemnation through Christ for our evident (and exposed) corruption, on our eternal behalf.
Scripture renews the mind of the believer and changes their worldview and life, as God brings you into His home/kingdom, truth and salvation. — All over scripture you’ll discover your identity in Christ until you know Him and yourself divinely/ as a born-again believer.
You’ll know God’s character deeper, grow in confidence of His love, grow your relationship, wisdom, sanctification and hope of salvation.
This is the power of faith! — God connects with us through faith, and this is the only faith that saves (one that connects us back to the holy God and being made in His holy image.)
So you believe?
2ndCorinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you–unless indeed you fail the test?”
In scripture, this is your IDENTITY without Christ:
Ephesians 2:1-3 “…dead in trespasses and sins, 2 … walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who works in the sons of disobedience, 3… conducted in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath.
Ephesians 2:12 “… separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”
This is how scripture identifies you as after Christ:
Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
1stPeter2:9 “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”
If you’re a believer, then you believe that you were dead in your sin and its wages, but you have been redeemed by Christ and there is no more condemnation! So do you live as though sin is not deadly? Or as though God has not graciously sent salvation to always help and forgive you?
If you’re a believer, then you believe that you were once walking according to the course of this world/ in traditions, by culture and sinful,ungodly ways of the flesh, yet now you see Christ and so you walk with Him in the Spirit. So do you live following your old lustful nature or in the light of your savior?
If you’re a believer, then you believe you were once a child of wrath, separate from God in His justice and a stranger to His hope, power and promises, but now your original calling is redeemed! You believe you were created for God, and now recreated in Christ. You believe that you are chosen,holy, God’s own special child out of the darkness into His kingdom with a heart that proclaims praises of Him. So do you live without a Father and Lord, or without a calling and do works of vanity? Or do you know that God is King, and the savior who saved you so that you can enjoy Him full of purpose?
If you identify as a believer, have genuine faith.
Believe the gospel of salvation! — Which is that Christ died for you!