Justified By Faith took it away

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2 Justified By Faith I will begin by asking you a question: Can faith alone take you to Heaven? I m not referring to becoming born again. Like Paul, I don t use the word saved for our present relationship with God. I use justified which means to be made righteous. Paul said we are justified now, but that there s a salvation yet to come: Not of the soul, but deliverance out of wrath. That s why he said to the Romans: And knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of our sleep: for now is your salvation nearer than when we (first) believed (Rom. 13:11). They were believers, so he wasn t talking about the initial salvation of their souls, because they were already believers and in a right standing with God. To be justified means that judicially God brings us into a right standing with Himself and pronounces us righteous. He looks at us as if we never sinned, even though we could have been the worst sinners going! He looks at us as not having sinned, because of what Jesus did at Calvary. We don t have to buy it, and we don t have anything to buy it with. Jesus redeemed us, that is, bought us back out of the devil s slave shop. God created man, and man was God s, but Adam sold us to the devil. God wanted to get us back so He had to pay the price. There was a price. Redeemed means to buy back, and the Greek word means to buy out of the market. (This is actually two words: Apo from or out of, and agora market. ), and He bought us out of the slave market. It cost Him something. We didn t come cheap. Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold... But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you (1 Peter 1:18-20). This means that before we ever came into existence to sin, God already knew that man was going to fall, and had already paid the price. And at the right time, at the end of time, He sent His Redeeming Lamb. John testified: Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1: 29). Nothing but the Lamb of God could take it away. The Passover lamb that God gave to the Israelites couldn t take it away. It only sheltered them from the judgment of God, but the Lamb of God took it away. Somebody wrote the song: They re underneath the blood, on the cross of Calvary, as far removed as darkness is from dawn, in the sea of God s forgetfulness, and that s good enough for me. If God has forgotten them, I m not going to remember them. Thank God, my sins are gone. 2

3 He took them away. The Greek word actually means that He sends our sins away into the sea of forgetfulness, the sea of the Blood. The blood is so powerful that even God can t see what s under it. All He sees is the blood, the life of His Son. All He hears is Jesus say, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. The prophet Micah declared, Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity...? He will turn again and have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:18-19). God has done everything to redeem us. He pardoned us of our sins. He sent Jesus to pay the penalty. Isaiah 53 says, And God laid the iniquity of us all upon Him. This is a direct reference to the picture of the scape goat in the Old Testament, when the high priest, on the day of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, laid his hand on the scape goat and pronounced all of Israel s sin upon it. Then he loosed him and chased him into the wilderness where someone made sure he died, so that he couldn t come back into the camp of Israel with their sins. Jesus had to die so our sin couldn t come back on us. Paul said, And if the blood of heifers and goats and bullocks kept the wrath of God from Israel, how much more shall the blood of Christ purge our conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Heb. 9:14). I m purged. My conscience is clean. It doesn t condemn me anymore for my sins. There is now, therefore, no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus... (Rom. 8:1). The greatest cleansing thing in the world is the blood of Jesus. By Grace Through Faith But I have all these things by faith. I couldn t earn it: For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast (Eph. 2:8-9). By grace the free gift. I shouldn t have it; you shouldn t have it. We should have had a trial and been found guilty. Jesus shouldn t have taken my place. He died the death that I should have died, that I might live the life that He wants me to live. He received the punishment that I should have received. For by grace... (that s God s part) through faith (faith is the exchange)...not of works lest any man should boast. In other words, if I would earn salvation, then I wouldn t owe God anything. I mean, when you work 40 hours for your boss, you don t go and beg him for your check, do you? If I worked for it, I earned it. That s why it s by grace, because it means the free gift something we don t deserve. I have had the devil many times say to me, You don t deserve it. I said, Thank God, I know it, but He gave it to me anyhow! I m not trying to prove my worthiness none of us are worthy: Thou alone are worthy, O Lord, to receive honor, dominion, glory and power. This free gift is John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God already gave past tense, and He s never rescinded the gift. He never took it back. There s not a work that you or I can do to get saved. We believe, and even believing faith is a gift of God. You can t believe unless God gives you the ability to believe, and He has given every man that has ever come into the world the ability to believe for salvation. If they didn t have that ability, they couldn t get saved. He gives them that gift: God hath dealt unto every man the measure of faith (Rom. 12:3). John said, But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name (Jn 1:12). Jesus came saying, 3

4 Here I am, but they wouldn t come to Him, but unto whosoever came, He gave them power, the right and the might, the authority to become the sons of God, even unto them that believe on His Name. Let s get this straight: You and I are saved, because God in His mercy paid the penalty through the Lord Jesus Christ for us, and then gave us the ability and faith to receive it. We had enough sense, when the Holy Ghost convicted us, to use that faith and believe that Jesus is the Lord who paid that price and now He s our Lord. He s our Saviour, our Redeemer. Now, back to my question: Can faith alone take you to Heaven? We have established that we are born again by faith, but is that enough to take us to Heaven? Peter s Seven Steps To Heaven While it is faith by which we received salvation when we first believed on Christ, we will see that we have to add seven things to our foundation of faith to maintain our salvation. I call these The Seven Steps to Heaven, because these seven things show that one is truly a child of God. They are the guarantee and the proof that one is indeed in Christ. Now that we have begun on our journey of faith, let s go on into perfection. We began by repenting and receiving Jesus and the new nature and the ability, the might and the right to become a child of God. Peter said, According as his divine power hath given us all things that pertains unto life and godliness... (2 Pet. 1:3). God has already given it, and He hasn t rescinded it, but you, by faith, have to appropriate it and put it into action in your life. Everything you need for life and godliness is there, just like forgiveness for your sins is there, but you still have to appropriate it by faith. You have to activate it in your life. James said that faith that s not working is dead or dormant. You would be no different than somebody that doesn t have any faith, if you have faith, but you both are starving to death. Let me put it in the natural: A millionaire is no different than a man on skid row, if he doesn t take that money and buy something to eat. So we get born again, forgiven and cleansed from our past sins, and are made partakers of the new nature, but we have only just begun. That s not the end. Now we must make our calling and election sure, if we would enter into the Heavenly kingdom. I m already in God s kingdom on earth, but I m not in His heavenly kingdom yet, and neither are you. Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:1). Who is Peter talking to? When you write a letter, you address it to somebody, so who is he addressing this letter to? To them that have obtained like precious faith; that is, the same kind Peter has! Those who have the same righteousness He s Faith Is Action (USPS ) The official voice of R.G. Hardy Ministries. Published monthly by Faith Tabernacle, Inc W. Patapsco Ave., Baltimore, MD (410) Periodicals: Postage Paid at Baltimore, MD. No Paid Advertising Accepted. Subscription $5.00 per year. Postmaster: Please send address changes to Faith Is Action, P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, MD

5 not talking to the unredeemed, and he says: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God; and of Jesus our Lord (vs. 2). I like the word multiplied here. This is what we really have to do: We have received God s graces, but we need to multiply them, bring them to their fulness. It s just like your money you put in the bank to grow interest and multiply....be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God... He has already given you grace and peace when you originally got saved, but how is it going to begin to grow and multiply?...through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. It is through knowing more about God, more about Jesus, more about His plan, more about His will, more about His Word that you grow and multiply in grace and peace. You just don t sit idle while you wait to go to Heaven. Knowing By Experience It is important to note that the Greek word for knowledge Peter used is epignosis which is an intensive form of the common word for knowledge gnosis. By adding the prefix epi, the definition takes on a stronger, fuller meaning which is to know by experience. it denotes an intimate relationship that is demonstrated by righteous conduct and a full understanding of God s will. Therefore, when both Peter and Paul use this particular Greek word translated knowledge in the KJV, they are making the point that those who have this knowledge are in a personal, intimate relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is understood that they are actively walking in fellowship with Him. According as His divine power... God s omnipotence has created everything....hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness (vs.. 3). To be saved, I have to receive Jesus, and to have these things that pertain to life and godliness, I have to appropriate them by faith to put them into operation in my life. If you re not living victoriously and godly, if you re not having the things that you need, it s not God s fault. He has already supplied it, and He hasn t rescinded them. He s given them to us, but we must receive them. Through the knowledge of Him... is how we get it. Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32). The knowledge of what Christ has bought for us is contained in the Word, and when you come up short and find something in the Word that you re supposed to have, then you can come boldly to the throne of grace and present God with His Word and what He has promised. You don t say, Now, Lord, I ve been serving You for 30 years. That doesn t mean anything. You would be trying to come in on your merits. Instead you say, I know I don t deserve it, but I know that through Jesus, You gave it, and it s Your Word, and Your Word can t fail. Whereby are given unto us exceeding, great and precious promises... This is talking about all things that pertain to life and godliness, and these things are contained in the exceeding, great and precious promises, but you have to dig it out to find the exceeding great and precious promises concerning your situation. Whenever you see whereby or therefore at the beginning of a verse, it s referring you back to something that was just said. And in this case, what was said is that God, according to His abundant mercy and grace, has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness. Whereby, to get these things, God has also given us exceeding, great and precious promises, and He s telling us what they are, so that they can generate faith: That by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature... God had given these exceeding, great and precious promises, but it s up to you 5

6 Furthermore, we partake, that is, we don t become deity. We re not going to become little gods running around, but we share in His divine nature, His holiness, His righteousness. to make it a fact. The verb might is a subjunctive, which denotes a condition. I might do this is different than I shall do this. Thus, it is a possibility to partake of the divine nature, but there are conditions to be met. Furthermore, we partake, that is, we don t become deity. We re not going to become little gods running around, but we share in His divine nature, His holiness, His righteousness. We share in His knowledge. Then through the gifts of the Spirit, one of the exceeding, great and precious promises that we receive from the Holy Ghost, we can even share in His creative power: We can do miracles! That by these you might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (vs. 4). The key word in this verse is having. It is an aorist participle, which means that this action happens before the action of the main verb. In other words: After you escaped the corruption that s in the world through lust, then you partake of the divine nature. You cannot partake of the divine nature while you are still living in the corruption and lust of the world. After God has cleansed you and begotten you, then you are able to share in His divine nature through these promises. Adding To Your Faith And beside this... (beside all of this we ve just begun!)...giving all diligence... (with all your might, with all your strength, with all your endeavor),...add to your faith... There follows seven things you must add to saving faith. In other words, you re not going to be idle, and sit down, and sing, I shall not be moved. You endeavor with all your might to make these things to come to their perfection. You must add to your faith... You just can t make it with faith alone. It saved you and started you on the way, but it will not give you an entrance into Heaven. It takes adding seven steps to Heaven, and the first is Add to your faith virtue Virtue (Arete) means moral excellence, the proper fulfillment of good character. In NT Scripture, it denotes the reflection of the character of Christ: He is the standard of excellence we are to pattern ourselves after. John said that every man that has the hope of eternal life in the age to come, purifies himself even as Jesus is pure (1 John 3:3 ). The point is, this standard is not relative to times, culture, or changing ideas of morality. It is the virtue, goodness of Christ Himself that is our model. Basically, we can call it holiness. Peter wrote in his first epistle: But as he that has called you is holy, so ye be holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy for I am holy (1 Pet. 1:15-16). God would have never commanded us to be holy if we could not, because it s part of the divine nature. 2. And to your virtue, knowledge... Knowledge (Gnosis) means moral wisdom exercised in right living, of things lawful and unlawful for Christians. It s not only knowing what is good, but it s doing it that makes you free. God said, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. This refers to practical wisdom 6

7 which teaches us discernment to make right choices that lead to living a godly, virtuous life. 3. And to knowledge, temperance... Temperance (Enkrateia) is selfcontrol; it is mastering one s desires and passions, especially the sensual appetites. You are to always have your passions, your temper, your behavior, in control and subject to the Holy Ghost. You know how to act right in any situation. You don t blow your top, but you re in control of your emotions and speech. 4. And to temperance, patience..., Patience (Hupomone) means to remain under in situations of difficulty and distress. It is characterized by steadfastness, constancy, endurance, and perseverence. It is from the two Greek words: hupo under, and meno remain. You remain under the pressure wherever you are, knowing that God said that He would not allow more than you are able, and you are cheerful, looking for the deliverance. He will make a way of escape, and you re looking for a way of escape, and you re thanking God (Ref. 1 Cor. 10:13). I m coming out with the victory is your attitude. You re not murmuring, fault-finding or complaining. If you are murmuring, fault-finding and complaining in a test, God might bring you out of the test, but He s going to bring you back to it until you get the victory over it. But one who has temperance, is in submission to the indwelling divine nature. 5. And to patience, godliness... Godliness (Eusebia). Reverence, respect, recognition, piety towards God. It is characterized by practical awareness of God in every aspect of life. The word really means to render unto God His service, His obedience, as well as to be god-like. 6. And to godliness, brotherly kindness... Brotherly Kindness (Philadelphia) is the love which Christians cherish and express for each other as brethren in the Body of Christ. John said that if you don t love the brethren, you are not saved, because you cannot love God, whom you have not seen, if you don t love him who is begotten of God and is a partaker of His divine nature. You cannot love God if you don t love God s offspring. John also said that if you hate your brother, you are a murderer. In most cases, if there were no law and a person wasn t afraid of getting caught, he d kill the person he hates. Many people do it spiritually to another s character. I have had my character assassinated many times by brethren who betrayed me. After the resurrection, Jesus appeared at Galilee where the disciples had returned to fishing. When Jesus asked Peter, Lovest thou me more than these?, Peter said, Yea, I love you. He used this Greek word phileo: I have brotherly love for you, but Jesus used agape, which is the love that sacrifices itself for the one loved. 7. And to brotherly kindness, charity... Charity (Agape) is the selfless, sacrificial love towards a person s well being; it is the love expressed by God for all mankind. The Greek word agape was dormant in Greek language usage, because the Greek world was full of hate, murder, greed, and self-love. They didn t have agape love, which means to love even if it hurts you to love. Agape love is Calvary love. Philadelphia love means you love the brethren. Agape love means you love your enemy. Jesus said, Bless them that curse you. Pray for them that despitefully use you (Matt. 5:44). This means that you love them in spite of their hatred for you. You love them, because they have a need, and you don t expect anything back. It s going 7

8 to cost you, but you love then in spite of it. People used to say to me, Brother Hardy, that person is taking advantage of you. I said, No they re not. I m loving them, and they don t have sense enough to know it. I let them. Why? So that the goodness of the Lord might lead them to repentance. This is something that if we put it into practice, and let it come into perfection, every sinner or whoever comes in this church, would know that we are saved and that there is a God. For Jesus said, By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if you love one another. (Jn. 3:35). Because the unregenerate world does not have agape love, but they seek revenge. They say, He got just what he deserved. Well, I m glad that I didn t get what I deserved! I m glad I got love and grace. If I got what I deserved, I d have had a fair trial, and I would be burning in Hell for a long time. I m glad God s agape love lifted me! That s why it s the crown jewel of these seven attributes of God. If you make faith the crown with seven jewels, then the top one is agape love. If you make it the ladder to Heaven, the top step is agape love. What is the bond of perfectness that holds everything else together? Love! And above all these things put on charity, (agape), which is the bond of perfectness (Col. 3:14). Multiplying Seven Things For if these things... These conditions have to be met, and these seven things must be added to your faith. For if these things be in you, and abound... They must also come to their fulness. Christianity consists of a whole lifetime of growing in grace and knowledge, but when these seven things come to full maturity in your life They make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (vs. 8). You cannot be an idle field. God is looking for fruit, and for your fruit to abound. Jesus said, Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples (John 15:8). But he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off... Peter is describing someone who had faith, got saved, partook of the divine nature, even laid hold on some promises, but then lacked these seven things, and had not brought them to their fulness, and so is blind and cannot see afar off. The Greek text says that he has shut his eyes willfully. Furthermore, he hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins (vs. 9). Peter is actually referring to a wellknown story from Greek mythology: Lethe was a river where people went to drink from in order to forget something. Peter was making the point that the one who does not abound in these seven things, has willfully become blind, because he has shut his eyes, and he has willfully received forgetfulness. Labon is an aorist participle, which means to receive. In other words, it was as if he went to the river of forgetfulness Lethe, in the land of the dead, Hades, and drank in order to receive forgetfulness, and received it and forgot about all the things God had done for him, specifically that he was purged from his old sins. Those who say that God has forgiven you of all your sins past, present, and future are in error. It s not taught as such in the Bible. God only forgives you of the sins you confess and repent of and forsake. He forgave you of your past sins when you got born again and confessed them, but every sin that you sinned after you got born again is not forgiven until you repent of it. If you sin tomorrow, then God is not going to forgive you unless you repent. John said, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and 8

9 to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 Jn., 1:9). Wherefore the rather brethren, give diligence (all effort) to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: (vs. 10). This means to certify our calling and election. This was a legal term that was used to ratify a contract or to guarantee in a legal sense. As we add these seven things to our faith, we are signing the covenant with God that He has freely given us. These seven things prove that we are the called ones. The called ones do these seven things, and we are to work with all our might to certify this and let everybody know it. To make sure in Greek meant to certify a contract. For if you do these things (condition), you shall never fall. You will never fall down that ladder to Heaven. Some people have started up the ladder, but they didn t keep climbing. They closed their eyes and forgot where God had brought them from, and then they fell. What happens when we do these seven things and keep working everyday to bring them to their perfection? We reach the top of the ladder, and God opens the door and welcomes us in: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (vs. 11). When we arrive at the top of love, the Lord opens up the gate to the kingdom at the rapture-resurrection. There God will meet us at the gate, and wipe all tears from our eyes and say, Come on in! Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful in the least, and now I m going to make you the ruler over much. Jesus will say, Sit with Me at the Father s right hand, because I m not ashamed to call you My brethren. If you re not going to live right, if you re not going to walk in these seven things, don t tell people you re a Christian, because they are looking at you. If you stumble on the ladder, you may cause others to stumble too. My prayer is, Lord, Don t let me be a stumbling block to anyone! Jesus said, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven (Matt. 5:16). The good works are embodied in these seven things which we must add to our faith, and keep increasing until they abound in us. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them and be established in the present truth (vs. 12). Peter said that it was needful for him (and so for ministers today) to continually stir up your remembrance though you know these things that you should not become forgetful, shut your eyes to your own calling and responsibility to multiply these things, and so fall from the truth. So vital is this need to exhort them to take heed not to fall short of these seven things, that Peter repeated his intention and purpose in verse 13: Yea, I think it meet (profitable), as long as I am in this tabernacle (speaking of his earthly body), to stir you up by putting you in remembrance... Lest we forget what God has delivered us from; lest we should become lax in our love, careless, negligent, idle, unfruitful, and barren; lest we fail to give diligence to make our calling and election sure... I stir you up! 9

10 Are Your Rewards in JEOPARDY? A Word of the Lord by Sharon Knotts When God instructed Moses to build the wilderness tabernacle, He gave Him every detail down to the screws and sockets. Everything was meticulously designed according to the pattern of the true holy place in Heaven. The NT reveals that we are the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16, 6:15), and I assure you, God has also given us specific blueprints for our becoming a holy habitation of the Lord! Paul said: Ye are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone... unto a holy temple unto the Lord. In whom we also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:20-22). The present verb tense in the Greek denotes continual action: In other words, the building is still going on! Paul used the analogy of our being the building of God again in 1 Corinthians 3, and he plainly stated that as a wise masterbuilder, he has laid the foundation, which is Jesus Christ (vv ). This time he used the past tense which shows that the foundation has been laid once and for all. In fact, Paul clearly stated: For no other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. This absolutely precludes Allah, Mohammed, Buddha, or any other pseudo-gods! But directly to those who are building on the right foundation, Paul gave a very strong warning: But let every man (individual responsibility) take heed how he buildeth thereon. Again, Paul employed the present tense which shows that the building process is ongoing. The thing we need to ask ourselves is: What is the reason for this admonition, and what is the consequence for not taking heed? In verses 12-15, Paul described the types of materials that some will use to build upon this foundation: gold, silver, precious stones, wood, stubble, and hay. Then Paul pointed to the day a particular day, that is, the day of judg- 10

11 ment when we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for the deeds done in our body (2 Cor. 5:10). This does not refer to the judgment of the wicked, but of the righteous! So what will we be judged for? The deeds done in our body, or how we built upon the foundation of Christ! How Will We Be Judged? This is where things really get interesting! Paul stated that Every man s works shall be made manifest... Again, we see that this denotes individual responsibility. Because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man s work of what sort it is (vs. 12). What happens to wood, stubble, and hay when put into the fire? It is consumed! Which means, that his works not his salvation shall be lost! What a tragedy that will be for many on that day! The good news is: If any man s works abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward (vs. 14). This is why we persevere in the fiery trials of our faith! This is why we keep our eyes focused on the eternal glories that shall be revealed, that are not worthy to be compared to our light affliction now, that is but for a moment! (Ref. Romans 8:18, 2 Cor. 4:17). But there is another scenario that awaits others, who although they make it in, will watch their rewards go up in smoke! If any man s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire (vs. 15). There Are 7 Specific Things We Will Be Judged By: Recently, in Faith Tabernacle Church, I preached a two-part message in which I go into greater detail about the many rewards that are ours to gain when we live a faithful and humble life before God. I also examine the 11

12 7 Criteria that the New Testament teaches we will be judged by. This is truly an eye-opening, soul-stirring, blues-chasing message! These 7 Criteria range from No. 1 Miranda to No. 7 Maranatha (which happens to be my favorite!). Let me give you a tidbit of these two: We all know that when a person is arrested on suspicion of committing a crime, the police officer reads him the Miranda Rights : You have the right to remain silent but if you give up your right to remain silent, anything you say can be used against you in a court of law Jesus said in Matthew 12:36: Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment. About Maranatha : This was the greeting of the early church (1 Cor. 16: 22), and it is an Aramaic word meaning: Our Lord Cometh. About 10 years ago, I began writing this on all my correspondence, and I have written it thousands of times. I just recently realized that I may be elegible for a Maranatha Reward, because Paul promised that the Lord will give a crown to all those who love His appearing! (2 Tim. 4:8). I want you to have this information, in order that you may examine your own self to see if you are in jeopardy of losing any of your rewards. 12