Faith of the Lord Jesus

Faith of the Lord Jesus is the foundation of salvation

I’m harassed from incorrect and unhealthy demands of faith. I have seen many believers who have collapsed under these incorrect burdens, and too many believers are whipped towards these unhealthy burdens. We have heard many times teaching, were when you believe Jesus so you will be saved, this teaching is taught and is understood perhaps too often as the faith of a man, which is decisive and solves yours salvation. However, the Bible teaches, that Jesus has believed His Father and has died and resurrected: and, this is the base of the salvation of a man. Next we examine, what means saving by the faith of the Lord Jesus.

The man is saved on the basis of the redemption work of the Lord Jesus. Satan has captured the man to make evil will of satan. Consequence of this imprisonment the man makes a sin. In Calvary God prepared salvation to people, so that he gets connection to the living God, who releases the man from the power of the sin and satan. The gospel is preached to people and when the people hears gospel so by the gospel (word of God) the Holy Spirit prove and indicate sin to the heart of the people. As this consequence the man comes to repentance. By way of the gospel the Holy Spirit also prove and indicate to people grace of the Lord Jesus and righteousness of the Lord Jesus and also judgement of damnation those who don’t believe the Lord Jesus or judgement of grace those who believe the Lord Jesus. When the man comes to repentance and receives salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, so from him comes the child of God, and he gets forgiveness of the sins by way of crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

1 Cor 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Mark 1:15 And saying(Jesus), The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel

Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me (Jesus).

Work of God

If the man comes to the faith, so it is work of God, because without gospel and testimony of the Holy Spirit nobody can come to the faith. Because of this also Jesus said: it is work of God, that you believe to God, no man can come to Jesus except the Father draw him and John the Baptist said, that a man can’t receive nothing, except it be given him from the heaven. When the man has come to the faith so God gives him the Holy Spirit.

Teaching of the word of God rests in crucifixion of the Calvary, as the place of the forgiveness of the sins. The crucifixion doesn't bring to people automatically forgiveness of the sins. First is preached gospel from Christ Jesus and they, who make repentance and receive salvation in Christ Jesus, and believe to Jesus Christ, for them the cross is a place of forgiveness of the sins. For them who don't make repentance and don’t believe Jesus Christ, for them gospel preaches a death and judgement of damnation.

John 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe into Him whom that One sent.

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 3:27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Foundation of the faith

Foundation of our faith is in the loyalty of Christ and in redemption work of Calvary. Without the faith of Christ Jesus our faith don't benefit anything. When we have saved by faith of Christ Jesus and by His redemption work, so we must receive salvation and believe to Jesus Christ, who has saved us, otherwise we can't get salvation. God bears faith to the man by the Holy Spirit and by word of God. The man then receives by salvation by believing to Christ. In other words, without the Holy Spirit and testimony of the Holy Spirit is impossible come to the faith. When the man has come to faith to Christ Jesus, so he is sealed on the Holy Spirit in other words the Holy Spirit comes to live to the heart of the man.

In the life of faith God affects will and work by the Holy Spirit and by the word of God. We believe, because He affects faith in us. The man doesn't have to believe to Jesus Christ, because it is voluntary, but faith is not our earning, but grace of God. Also our faith is needed, but God affects our faith so it is not alone our own faith, but faith affected by God.

Receiver of faith in other words the man is responsible about it, that he agrees to believe to God accordance with will and word of God. But without effect of the donor of faith receiver can't believe.

Phil 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure

Col 1:29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

Eph 2:

⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.

¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

For by grace of God we are saved, not through our own works that nobody should boast. As the believers we are work of God, in which we are created in Christ Jesus for the good work, not so alone from our faith, but in the faith, in which Christ Jesus lives in us and by that way He prepares us to receive good works, in which we may wander. The faith has always an affecting factor and a receiver. God is an affecting factor and a man is a receiver.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

We have saved just because of this, when Jesus believed His Father and reconciled us. We then from the grace of God receive salvation, and we believe to Him. We receive and we believe because Christ Jesus believed before us, otherwise we don’t have the faith. The faith of Jesus Christ and the atonement of Jesus Christ brought salvation to the world, which we can receive through faith from the grace of God.
After this, we believe to Jesus Christ, because He affects faith in us.

Romans 15:18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,

1 Thess 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Our faith is always anchored to Christ Jesus in the Holy Spirit. We can't believe to Christ without the effect of the Holy Spirit. We can to give up from the faith, but we can't ever to believe without the effect of the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

My task is believing to Jesus Christ, because He affects in me, what is acceptable for Him.

1 Cor 4:7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

John 6:38 For I (Jesus) came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me

Repentance and believing also belong to process of the salvation. Because Jesus said: Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel, Mark 1:14,15.

Repentance means that we repent our sins and confess them for God and then start wandering in the new life according to the renewing process of God in the Holy Spirit through the word of God. Repentance is important, because without repentance, we can’t receive the salvation. Receiving the salvation is also grace work of God, because testimony of the Holy Spirit shows to our conscience that we need salvation and without the testimony of the Holy Spirit, we couldn’t receive the salvation. Therefore, also repentance is grace of God, but our part is receiving that grace like the Bible says: We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation, 2 Cor 6:1,2.

In other words; We are saved because Christ Jesus has believed and reconciled us, and we are received salvation from the grace of God, and we believe to Him. Jesus believed to His Father and was obedience to Him, and then He died and resurrected. Without obedience of Christ Jesus can't be acceptable sin offering, atonement, resurrection, and not salvation and not gospel to which believe. Therefore, faith of Jesus Christ is needed to redemption, and when Jesus has believed and reconciled us, so also we can believe.

Death to the work of flesh

The succeeding to winning of the sins is dying of the work of flesh with the help of the Holy Spirit and word of God. The Bible teaches: “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God, 1 Peter 4:1,2. God gives you weapons against the sin, and it is the Holy Spirit, who takes your flesh to suffer. Because flesh wants to live in the sins according to the lust of the flesh. Furthermore, if your flesh may not live in the sins, so then the flesh suffers, cause it loves the sin. God is not a sadist, because way of faith accordance as mind of the Spirit of God and because the mind of the flesh is enmity towards God, so then the flesh has to die and suffering, so that the Spirit of God can rule us by righteous way. The Holy Spirit also affect in your heart that you began to love will of God.

This is indeed great love, that sin which want to control us and to destroy us, so God removes that sin away from our life. We don’t come by faith perfect, but we grow by faith towards perfectness like apostle Paul wrote in the Holy Spirit, Philippians 3:12. The Bible promises power of the Holy Spirit for them, which believe to Jesus and to His name, which are not born from the will of the man, but from the will of God. This is indeed very important, that people believe to word of God not as a word of men, but as it is, truly the Word of God, which also works powerfully in those who believes. However, if people hold the word of God only as the word of the men it can't benefit and not help them.

Are you frightened about death of your flesh? I have frightened that calling, which had been given to me, come and follow Jesus and die yourself, so that you will find real life. God doesn't leave you to die alone, but the Spirit of God help our weakness, not our power and not our wisdom, but our weakness. That weakness, which have no ability to win sin by own power, but needs there the help of God. That weakness, which have no ability to wander in the righteousness of God by own power, but needs also there the help of God.

Obedience of faith

However, what means obedience of God? The gospel has preached that would born obedience of faith towards God. Letters of Romans teach like this and this same line is through the Bible.

God has promised in His word gives the Holy Spirit for them, which obey God. Read now accurately, you don’t get the Holy Spirit for this reason that you obey God, but you will get the Holy Spirit for this reason, so that you could obey to God in the holy Spirit. This is important understand, that God gives to us the Holy Spirit, so that we could and can in the Holy Spirit obey God.

Acts 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

Your flesh can't affect in your heart will and work, that the will of God would take place. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of obedience, every bring and affect in the hearts of believers obedience towards God. In that God is He, who affect will and work in your heart by the Holy Spirit and by word of God.

Behind of the life, which is accordance with will of God is God, every by the Holy Spirit affect godly life in the hearts of believers. Like this has God closed away boast of the flesh. Life of faith and obedience, good wandering is all clean grace of God, which He affects in His children by His Spirit and word, you are the receiver of His grace.

Petri Paavola