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By Larry Dickens

Benchley, March 9, 2012

• Faith is not the only thing involved in being a Christian, but the element of faith is a most significant thing.
• When you obeyed the gospel, you responded to the faith (Jude 3).
• When you were baptized, you became faithful to the Lord (Acts 16:15).
• Local churches can be called “faithful” (Colossians 1:2).
• All who are Christians are “of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).
• It is by faith that we live (Romans 1:16-17; Galatians 2:20; II Corinthians 5:7).
• The meaning of faith involves the idea of belief
• Our believing is in things concerning Jesus and His Kingdom (Acts 8:12).
• That faith comes always from the word of God (Romans 10:17).
• Believing was the purpose of what the Bible says about Jesus Christ (John 20:30-31).
• Faith involves personal confidence in the truthfulness of the gospel message.
• The idea of faith involves the willingness to place one’s trust and reliance on someone else (God).
• Faith means that I am totally willing to rely on God in all things (Romans 4:3).
• Abraham was fully assured that God was able to perform what he had promised (Romans 4:20-21).
• If I have faith personally, I have a similar trust in God (I Peter 4:19)!
• Faith involves the idea of fidelity.
• The Bible steward was faithful because he was loyal, committed, and trustworthy (I Corinthians 4:2).
• Our faithfulness (commitment and trustworthiness) is to last even tot he point of death (Revelation 2:10,13).
• Living by faith involves confessing our faith
• This is a condition of our salvation (Romans 10:8-11).
• Confessing Christ is a condition of the Christian’s daily life. Living by faith is always confessing Him (Matthew 10:32-39).
• The daily confession of Christ is my tie to the fellowship of God (I John 4:15).
• So if by faith we live, we conduct our lives with trust in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:20).
• The life of faith trusts in the works of Jesus, especially His death, burial, and resurrection (I Corinthians 15:1-4).
• Living by faith always involves “holding fast” the word of God (Titus 3:5-7).
• I may say I believe in God, but if my life does not demonstrate that truth, my actions prove my words to be false.
• So then, living by faith exercises good works (Titus 3:8).
• A faith which is without good works is an unsaving, non-justifying, dead faith (James 2:14-26).
• The life of faith involves trusting in the words of Jesus, and living accordingly (Matthew 6:33-34; Luke 6:46-48).
• Living by faith involves benefitting from faith
• Faith brings blessings like joy and peace, hope, and power (Romans 15:13).
• Through faith we receive our spiritual blessings. We are blessed because we believe that He hears our prayers (Ephesians 3:12; Philippians 4:6-7).
• Again, the blessing of personal confidence in ourselves coming through faith in Christ (Philippians 4:13).
• The life of faith does not go unrewarded in this life, even though its primary concern is the life to come.
• Living by faith involves maintaining our faith.
• There is a need to stand fast, for faith, if left alone, will die (I Corinthians 15:1-2).
• We must take care to hold fast so that unbelief will not replace faith and we fall away (Hebrews 3:12-14).
• Otherwise, we might not get to enter into the promised land because of unbelief (Hebrews 3:15-19).
• If we should come short of entering His rest, it will be because the gospel was not united by faith in us (Hebrews 4:1-2).
• Faith comes by the word, but the word must also be united with personal faith in those who hear it!
• We live by faith when we add virtues of Christian character to it (II Peter 1:5-7).
• How can one say that he has faith or is faithful, when year after year he continues to woefully lack in these virtues of Christian character? Living by faith means the addition of these virtuous traits. For that reason we need to be all the more diligent in the increasing of those qualities (II Peter 1:8-11).
• To be sure we do not fall from our own steadfastness, we need to “grow in the frace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:17-18).
• To summarize:
• A “faithful” Christian is one who takes his faith very seriously.
• Because it is essential to his salvation.
• Because it is essential to receive God’s blessings now and ultimately eternal life!
• A “faithful” Christian is one who lives by faith. Are you “living by faith?”

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By Jesse Jenkins

Benchley, June 26, 2011

• Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 11:5-6; Acts 10:33-35; James 2:24 – These passages all harmonize!
• Saved:
  • Not by works (excluded):
    • Sinlessness
    • Devise own plan
    • Any man’s plan
  • By works (included):
    • Faith that responds in works of obedience (Galatians 5:6)
• God’s offer:
  • Joshua 6
    • Boastful work? No.
    • Man’s faith? No.
    • Man’s obedience? YES.
  • II Kings 5
    • Boastful work? No.
    • Man’s faith? No.
    • Man’s obedience? YES.
  • John 9
    • Boastful work? No.
    • Man’s faith? No.
    • Man’s obedience? YES.
  • Mark 16:16
    • Boastful work? No.
    • Man’s faith? No.
    • Man’s obedience? YES.
  • Was the blessing each received by the grace of God? Yes!
  • Did they receive the blessing while rejecting God’s plan? No!
  • Did they receive the blessing at the point of faith? No.
  • Did they receive the blessing when they, through faith, worked the works that God commanded? Yes.

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By Jesse Jenkins

Benchley, May 29, 2011

• Differences of the two laws:
  • Old:
    • Keep Sabbath
    • Animal blood
    • Mechanical music
  • New:
    • Meet on Sunday
    • Jesus’ blood
    • Vocal music
• This is all true, but if this was the only difference, we would still be under the same system but with different commands.
• System of law demands:
  • No man could fully follow the law as the system demanded and be made perfect in God’s eyes.
• System of faith demands:
  • No man can have faith enough to justify himself. He needs the grace of God to carry him the rest of the way.
• Philippians 3:13-14 – We must press on toward the goal!

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By Brent Hairston

Benchley, May 8, 2011

• Faith in Christ vs. works of the law, continued:
  • Galatians 4:1-7 – adopted sons, heirs vs. slaves, not heirs
  • Galatians 4:21-31 – Isaac – child of promise vs. Ishmael – child of slavery
• Becoming adopted sons of God
• Paul’s exasperation with the Galatians because they turned back from the faith.

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By David Watson

Benchley, April 24, 2011

• Paul was very upset with the Galatians for leaving the faith that the had taught them.
• Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit:  Acts 10:44-48; 11:1-14,15-18
• Law of Moses vs. faith in Christ (Hebrews 9:8-14):
  • Faith in Christ vs works of the law:
    • Galatians 2:3 – No circumcision required vs. circumcision
    • Galatians 2:4 – Liberty vs. bondage
    • Galatians 2:16 – Justification vs. no justification
    • Galatians 3:6 – Faith is righteousness vs perfect lawkeeping
• Galatians 3:13:  Christ bore the curse of the law by being crucified for us.  I Peter 2:21-24; Hebrews 9:27-28; 10:1-22

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By Jesse Jenkins

Benchley, March 13, 2011

• All have sinned.  Romans 3:10-12, 23
  • This leaves us with four possibilities:
    • No escape – not compatible witht he love of God
    • Saved in sin – not compatible with the justice of God
    • Lived so righteously that merits forgiveness – not possible
    • God imputes righteousness – Romans 4:6-8
• This has two possibilities:
  • God imputes righteousness without respect to what one does.
  • God imputes righteousness with respect to what one does.
• This leaves two possibilities:
  • Man lives so good that God counts him righteous because he has merited forgiveness.
  • Because of man’s faith in Christ, God forgives him, i.e. imputes righteousness, to him.  Romans 4:6-8; Psalms 32:1-2
• This has two possibilities:
  • God counts man righteous even though he is not truly righteous.
  • God counts man righteous because God imputes righteousness unto him, forgives him, does not impute sin unto him.
• This leaves us one possibility:
  • Man is not saved by his own righteousness, but by the mercy of God.
• Imputed righteousness does not mean that Christ’s personal righteousness is accounted as mine.  It does mean that my unrighteousness has been seen and forgiven, as made possible by the sinless life and death of Christ and by my complete trust and reliance upon Him!
• Thus, God’s amazing grace is seen:
  • In giving the gospel
  • In His continued forgiveness to those who walk in the light (I John 1:7)
• If we walk in the steps of that faith of Abraham, God will not impute sin unto us; rather He will forgive us – impute righteousness unto us.  And being forgiven, we will be righteous by the grace of God.

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By David Watson

Benchley, August 8, 2010

• Life:  Genesis 2:7,22; I Kings 18:21; Acts 17:24-31; Psalms 53:1
• Death:  Psalms 90:10; Ecclesiastes 2:16, 8:8; Psalms 49:7-20; James 4:14; I Thessalonians 4:17
• Eternal life or death:
  • Eternity is certain:  II Peter 3:3-4,10
  • God will punish His people who go back to sin.
  • Judgment is based on works.  Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:25-29; II Corinthians 5:9-10

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By Jesse Jenkins

Benchley, July 25, 2010

• Different beliefs regarding the relationship of faith and works:
  • Faith without works saves
    • Methodist Discipline Article #9
  • Works without faith save
    • This belief is held by:
      • Those who teach that a child is born in sin.
      • Those who teach purgatory.
      • Those who teach baptism for the dead.
      • Those who teach salvation is by works of merit.
  • Faith and works save
    • Is this correct?
    • Many would answer “yes”.
    • But to be exact, the answer is “no”.
    • One is not saved by faith and works as two distinct things, but by a faith that works obedience to God’s word.
  • Faith that works obedience saves
    • This is true in initial salvation.
    • This is true in continued salvation.
    • This is true in restored salvation.
• Ephesians 2:8-10
  • Salvation is by faith and is the gift of God.
  • It is not of works that allow one to boast.
  • It is of faith that works that which God has ordained.
• Paul and James on Abraham
  • Romans 4:4-6 and James 2:21-26 considered
  • Paul uses “works” in the sense of perfect meritorious lawkeeping – earning one’s salvation.
  • James uses “works” in the sense of obedience.
  • But they are talking about the same kind of faith.
    • Paul shows Abraham was justified by trusting God to PROVIDE.
    • James shows Abraham was justified by trying God to DIRECT.

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By David Watson

Benchley, May 23, 2010