FAITH IS EXERCISED IN CONVERSION-Part 4

Man's sin is not a manifestation of freedom, but of perversion.

The Scripture Witness to freedom is limited to man's relation to God-
John 8;32-36--''And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man; how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free/Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever; but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.''

Freedom, therefore, becomes actualized in submission.
The more communion with God, the more free the lives of God's people become.
Christians are free from something lesser to something greater.

All, embracing The Lord Jesus Christ by faith are ordained of God to Eternal Life-Acts 13;48-
[Turn].

WHAT IS SAVING FAITH/
Faith can be known only, by what it does.
Its Nature is seen, in the way, it expresses itself.

But, let me, 1st of all, clear the ground, by saying, that faith, which saves the soul, is no mere
unreasonable assumption, such as passes for Christian Faith.
Day after Day, We hear people, chant the words, ''I believe,'' Who, no more know, What it is to
believe, to the saving of the soul, than a pig knows, what it is to fly.
These people can give no coherent account, of what they believe, or, why they believe it.
Yet, they pass as Christians, and think they're Christians.

George Whitfield once asked a man, of this sort, ''What do you believe/'', and the man replied,
''I believe what the church believes''.
Mr. Whitfield then asked, ''And what does the church believe/''
To which, the man replied, ''Oh, the church believes, what I believe''.
Mr. Whitfield then asked, ''What do you both believe/''
The man replied, ''The same as each other.''
This is as intelligent, as much that passes for Christian Faith in Today's Religious World.

Hebrews 11;1 defines and describes faith--The basic definition must be understood.
The following examples illustrate it;
The key is in verse 27-''As seeing him who is invisible.''

Faith apprehends as a real fact, what is not revealed to the natural senses.
Faith is conviction of things when they are not seen-giving substance to things hoped for.

Don't overlook the meaning of the two words-substance and evidence.
The word substance is made of two Greek words, meaning, ''that which stands under a foundation''. Thus it speaks of the ground, on which, One builds hope;
It stands for the whole body of documents, bearing on the ownership of one's property,
forming the evidence of ownership.

''Faith is a title deed of things hoped for.'' The Holy Spirit's energized act of faith, that is exercised on The Lord Jesus is The Title Deed, which God places in the believer's hand, guaranteeing him, possession of the thing, for which he trusted.

The word ''Evidence'' means, ''A Proof of that, by which, a thing is proved or tested.''
It means being convinced.
It is a conviction put to the test-as when Noah built The Ark.
Saving Faith is not just a mental assent, to certain propositions; It reaches The Heart.

Today, There's a kind of unbelieving believing, which is very common.
Many say they have trusted Christ, yet they never serve Him.
Many affirm that Christ arose from The Grave, but live, as though, He were dead.
Many will say, they believe in a coming Day of Judgment, yet live as though, they were wholly
unaccountable to a Holy and Righteous God.

Now get this truth; There are no Atheists among the devils. They know too much, to ever
have succumbed to that delusion--James 2;19-''The devils also believe, and tremble.''
But, Why/ Because they believe not only, in God's Existence, but also, in His Power and
Absolute Sovereignty.

Faith which saves the soul has confidence in Jesus Christ, as Sin-Bearer, Deliverer, Teacher,
Master, Guide, and Lord. The Regenerated Man has a living faith--Thus, he believes on Christ.
Christ is The Object of Faith, Its Living Goal, Its Magnet.

Faith is always in motion towards Christ. I Peter 2;4--''To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious.'' We are ever coming.

There's nothing static in true faith. Each Grace is a living movement, granted to The Regenerated Person by God. The Lord Jesus Christ is the living, magnetic Center, Who draws The Regenerated into His Fellowship, by His Spirit and Word.

The Regenerated Person believes in Christ--Colossians 1;4-''Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints.''

Christ is the sphere of the believer's life. Christ surrounds him on all sides. Jesus Christ is the
foundation of The Life of Faith--It is ob Him, by His Power, that the structure of faith is built--
2 Timothy 1;12-[TURN]

Faith is joined to the person trusted, not only the goal, the sphere, the supporting basis;
but Jesus Christ is The Person, in whom faith centers.
-end-