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sermonette: Three Aspects of Faith

Simple Believing, Trust, and Christ as the Goal
John W. Ritenbaugh
Given 15-Jul-06; Sermon #784s; 21 minutes

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I want you to turn to Luke. 7 verses 29 and 30. Luke 7:29 and 30. It says there and all the people that heard him and the publicans justified God being baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. I want to go into this regarding faith because it's so important to us. Following the time that we are called and baptized, in fact, I do not think that there is any spiritual principle that is any more important than faith once we are called, because, as we find in Hebrews the 11th chapter verses 1, verse 1, that faith stands under it is the substance of things hoped for, that is, it stands under. Everything that we hope for regarding Christianity. This was Adam and Eve's problem. They really did not believe God. They heard the word of God, but when push came to shove and they were confronted regarding the depth of that belief by Satan, they very quickly abandoned the faith that they did have in God, and they sinned. So hardly anything is more important to the success of our lives once we are called than faith. Now these two verses provide us with an interesting contrast between two very different groups. There were the Pharisees and lawyers and the what we would call the common people. OK, now my focus is not really on the groups themselves, but on the words that Luke used to show the effect of the path of each and especially the doctors of the law and their failure to be baptized. Now there is an important word in verse 30. It is translated in the King James Version as rejected. The lawyers rejected the counsel of God. Now there is a better word that can be used there, better English word, and that is the word frustrated. In this case, frustrated means blocked. They blocked OK? Now that same word that is translated here rejected. In Galatians 2 and verse 21, It is translated as frustrated. In Galatians 3 and in verse 15, that same word is translated disannulled. Now, rejected, It is not wrong, but I feel that frustrated or blocked would have been better. Now there is an additional word there. That would be helpful to replace, and that is the word council. God's advice, His counsel, His instruction, or His intent. Now when we put all of this together, The doctors of the law called here the lawyers, the doctors of the law frustrated or blocked the purpose or the intent of God's instruction. Now the background context here is that Jesus was eulogizing John the Baptist before these people who simply could not be satisfied with whatever personality came before them, regardless of whether that personality had the truth. John was a much different personality than Jesus. He came as the Bible describes, neither eating nor drinking. And the people knew that that he was rather ascetic individual and then on the other hand there was Jesus who came eating and drinking. It's almost as if he was at one with the common people, but neither of them satisfied. The mindset of those to whom they were preaching and so in most cases the people heard them but frustrated or blocked whatever they heard. So they came really to somewhat radical conclusions regarding John and Jesus. In another case, Jesus said, Who do men say that I am? And so there were a variety of opinions given by the apostles to Jesus regarding that that. Question? Luke does here is he shows the result. Was that the learned Jews of the day by their own choices frustrated God's intent in that they refused to go forward and be baptized. He is saying that the offer from God to be called of him was available to them, but because they chose to discount or disbelieve the message, And because of this misjudgment, They hurt themselves. Is that, Not what verse 30 says. They rejected the counsel of God against themselves. They were their own worst enemy. Paul said something similar in one of the epistles to Timothy. Now what is intriguing and worthy of a great deal of introspection for us is how much our experiences prior to being called affects our faith and therefore our growth within God's purpose. And if we allow previous experience, It can stop us dead in our tracks. I mean, look at Adam and Eve. They saw God, their Creator, with their own eyes. He was their companion. Their only companion for who knows how long they had his word directly from his mouth. You can eat everything except from this one tree. And yet they rejected his counsel. Frustrating what he said and blocked. The possibility of growth. Now here in a more complex situation we have The doctors of the law, the Pharisees doing the same things, and just as Adam and Eve's decision hurt them. Got them kicked out of the garden. So did the decisions of these people hurt them. An important aspect of this Is that we exert some measure of control over which we are to go and therefore we are in some measure responsible. In other words, we are accountable before God. I want to show you Something regarding faith. That is not seen in Most English translations. I once, I once read an essay. In which a man said that there are 3 aspects of faith that must work together for the best if the most is going to be produced out of Christian life. Now, the first aspect, is in one sense the most important because it lays the foundation for the other two. And if it is not present, then the other two are not going to be there at all. Let's go to John the 8th chapter. John the 8th chapter and verses 30 and 31. We all know what this chapter is about, very important dialogue that Jesus had with the Jews regarding Bondage and liberty. In verse 30 he says, Or that he did not say this. John is just recalling what happened. As he as he spake these words, many those hearing him believed on him. Verse 31 then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him. Please note that he said it to those who believed on him, so there was a measure of faith there. If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed. OK, two of the three aspects of faith that this essayist mentioned in his article there. are in these two verses. The foundation. But the weaker of the two is simply translated as had believed in verse 31 in modern translations. Now, I checked this out and the had believed is correct. It is correct grammatically. Now the more perfect faith, the better of the two, but the one that would not exist without the one in verse 31 is in verse 30, and it is translated Believed on Him. had believed in verse 31. Indicates simple acceptance. The 2nd in verse 30, believed on him indicates repose within. Significant, that's a significant difference. Now there is a 3rd that doesn't appear in these verses. And it can be translated, believed into or unto. Here As you can begin to see, the prepositions that are used. are significant in terms of the level of faith that is being indicated. Now this 3rd Faith, This concept indicates motion. Or movement toward him. The overwhelming majority of people who heard Christ when he preached in his day. And who call themselves Christian in our day, sincerely possess the first. Simple belief. It is simple acceptance. Now it is a foundation that is good, but it doesn't necessarily produce anything except the lowest level of works, and it indicates a measure of confidence that usually has its basis. This is kind of dangerous in the authority of the person of the speaker. In other words, because somebody trusts the man who is talking, they can. have this 1st 1st level of faith in Christ. Now, as necessary as this aspect is, It lifts one only to the level of demons. You know what James said in James 2, the demons believe that there is a God, and they tremble. But will that belief in God produce good works? Not at all. It is simply an intellectual acceptance of something that is true. There is a God. Jesus is the Christ. So we know that this faith can even be dead because it produces nothing. Now, The session that Jesus had with the people here in John the 8th chapter. Eventually, Took up stones. And threw them at him to kill him. These are the people who believed him. You see what I mean? There are people who are going to believe that they are Christians, Jesus prophesized, who kill true Christians thinking that they are doing God service. Interesting. OK. OK. The second aspect of faith indicating repose within. Takes up, takes another person, takes the person or the faith up another level. Because it indicates an active reliance upon or trusting in. And the context plus the preposition that is used. Shifts gears to a higher level. This indicates a leaning against or supporting by. repose within or hanging from. Remember that Isaiah said, Behold, I lay in Zion a stone, a sure foundation. OK, now this aspect indicates an active building upon. That is because he is the basis of our hope, the guarantee of our security, the source of our tranquility, and the very ground of our whole life as shown by our works. In other words, he is the reason why we do what we do and that other motivations brought in from the world are actually being put aside. Now, the third level is even harder to find. And incidentally, this essayist blamed it on the translators and what he feels was the wrong use of prepositions. Now turn with me to the book of Philippians. And Philippians 3. In Philippians 3 and in verse 4. Paul says Although I might have confidence in the flesh, so he's beginning to talk about faith, trust, confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinks that he has whereof, he might trust in the flesh, I more drop down to verse 9 and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ. The righteousness which is of God by faith that I may know Him, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain under the resurrection of the dead. And let's see. I think that's, let's drop down to verse 14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as the perfect, be thus minded. And if, and if in anything that you would be otherwise minded, God shall even reveal this unto you. Now the difference between what Paul said and the other faiths. In this faith, The faith of Christ, Christ becomes the goal. Not a mere work. But His perfection. becomes the goal in a person's life, one that we believe in and strive to become. And it should be expressed by the prepositions into or unto. You see, it is something that we are moving beyond toward. And very active. In its purposeful life. So the difficulty for the translators. Is that all of these prepositions can be derived from the same Greek word. So it requires a pretty thorough understanding. Of the context in which this preposition I EIS. Appears I think that we can grasp this. This aspect of faith is a great motivator that expresses the deep and most real union of our hearts and minds with him. It moves beyond. Merely believing him. And beginning to actively produce works, but to actually be united with him in thought, in mind. It is the faith, the mind, the belief of Christ Himself that is being transformed. In us. That's why this section of Philippians showing Paul's attitude and his manner of life, he is actually showing what this level of faith will do. To a person. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, into Christ Jesus or unto Christ Jesus. What a level. Of committed belief that is Christ was that real to him. Not somebody far off in any way. To Paul, being in Christ is the very summit of a person's life. Now, let me just conclude here. The difference between the publicans and the doctors of the law. Is that the publicans deliberately chose to believe and act upon the foundation of that belief. And thus they had an opportunity then to become like Paul was in the 3rd level. The doctors of the law deliberately chose not to. And ended up outsMarting themselves, probably through constantly demanding more proof. More signs or whatever. When they already had more than enough, as proved by the faith and the resulting action of the publicans. The publicans succeeded. The doctors of the law outsmarted themselves and failed. So level 1, mere acceptance. Level 2, a faith that leans upon it trusts, and level 3, a measure that deliberately strives to be like Christ. He is the goal.