Archive for the 'Bible Studies for Life' Category
The Focus of Our Faith
Have you ever heard someone say, “Just believe”? Some people seem to believe that faith in itself is all that is needed, as if somehow the object of our faith is not important. Believe in the sky? The ground? Some spirit? Our ancestors?
To me, that’s like believing any car is sufficient for a trip across the country. It doesn’t matter whether it runs, has tires, a working transmission, or seats. Isn’t one car as effective as another? Almost no one would buy into such logic. But when it comes to faith, many do.
The Object of Our Faith
A strong object for our faith is essential to get us through difficulties in life. The Apostle Peter wrote to some early believers, “You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials so that the genuineness of your faith – more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”1
In the summer 2014 edition of Bible Studies for Life, author MaryJo Sharp says, “Since we can have confidence in Christ’s victory over death, we can certainly have assurance of His power over every kind of pain or sorrow. This, then, is our firm anchor in times of trouble–a mighty foundation for hope.”2 This awareness is crucial to the people of God. We don’t have faith in faith; we have faith in God. The object of our faith matters.
To return to our car illustration for a moment, if I intend a cross country trip, does my faith matter more than the car (the object of my faith)? If I jump into a clunker, am I likely to arrive without incident, if at all? No. If, however, I climb into a dependable car, with faith it will carry me without fail, I have a much better chance to reach the goal. The object of our faith is important. Misplaced faith is no better than a lack of faith.
There is Salvation in No One Else
Saving faith is also dependent on its object. Those who would be reconciled to God must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, not simply believe. Jesus Christ is the savior of the world, thus He is the One in whom we believe. The Apostles Peter and John proclaimed this clearly to the religious leaders of their day, saying of Jesus, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.”3 And in John 3:36, the prophet John the Baptist warned, “The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”
No faith, no matter how earnest, placed in anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ, will avail salvation. Not our works, our parents, our church, nor our pastor will bring salvation on our behalf. Make Christ and Him alone the object of your faith because He will never fail.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
General Editor, Bible Studies for Life
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
Our God is Faithful
One of the many wonderful facets of God’s character Christians have long been sustained by is God’s faithfulness. Knowing that He keeps His children has encouraged and sustained millions of saints through the ages. His faithfulness in the past is an indicator of His future faithfulness. God is worth trusting because He has proven Himself trustworthy.
Man’s faithlessness vs. God’s faithfulness
In an era when marriages fail, business leaders are found guilty of ethical violations, politicians are convicted of corruption, and professional athletes take banned substances, we might wonder whether anyone is faithful to commitments they have made or oaths they have taken.
Thankfully, God is true to His promises. He is faithful to all He has said He will do.
All along our walk of faith are temptations to divert us from following God. Often, these are during times we doubt God’s continued love or assurance of His presence.
What does God’s Word say about His faithfulness?
“Know that Yahweh your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands.” Deuteronomy 7:9
“‘Kings will see and stand up, and princes will bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel – and He has chosen you.” Isaiah 49:7b
“And they said to Jeremiah, ‘As for every word the LORD your God send you to tell us, if we don’t act accordingly, may the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us.” Jeremiah 42:5
And the simple phrase, “God is faithful.” Found in 1 Corinthians 10:13, 2 Corinthians 1:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:4, 2 Thessalonians 2:3
It is the unchanging, ever consistent presence and power of God that increases our faith day by day. We are emboldened for greater faith as we experience the faithfulness of God in our obedience. Faith leads to greater faith, which leads to great faith.
God’s ultimate faithfulness to His children is seen in His provision of Jesus. If God bankrupted heaven to redeem humanity, would He really abandon us after He had gone to such lengths to save us? I don’t think so.
“Because God wanted to show His unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have the hope as an anchor for our lives, safe and secure.” Hebrews 6:17-19a
His purpose is unchangeable. We are heirs of promise. God guaranteed it. An oath is involved. God cannot lie. It is impossible! We have a refuge. This is strong encouragement. We have hope. This hope in Christ is an anchor for our lives, and this anchor makes us both safe and secure.
Our faith need not be perfect; it only need be placed in the powerful God.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
General Editor, Bible Studies for Life
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.