Living by Faith

"Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith." Galatians 3:11

The author of Hebrews makes an interesting statement in Hebrews 4. In Hebrews 4:11 it says, "Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience." The disobedience spoken of is in relation to the people of Israel's inability to enter God's rest. Therefore, the conclusion can be made that if you are engaged in works of any sort, in order to establish or maintain your right-standing with God, you are being disobedient. Back in Deuteronomy 6:10-11, God said to the Jews, "And when the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that He would give you—a land with great and splendid cities that you did not build, with houses full of every good thing with which you did not fill them, with wells that you did not dig, and with vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant— and when you eat and are satisfied ..." When you are promised things you did not work for, that is an inheritance or a gift. When you are given things you have worked for that is compensation you are entitled to for work you have performed. Furthermore, when you are focused on working with the intent of receiving compensation, the focus is on you and not on God. When you are resting in what you have been given as an inheritance of your faith in Jesus Christ, your focus is on God. There is a significant difference. What may be difficult for people to understand is that from the outside it is hard to tell what the motivation is behind the actions of a person. Now, we are not supposed to be fruit inspectors who focus on all the actions of our fellow Christians as if we are the measure of what proper behavior should be. However, the difference is noticeable when you do discover what is motivating a person. It may be as simple as a person saying they want to do something as opposed to them saying they are commanded to, or have to do, something. One, wanting to do something, is often motivated by the desire to share what they have with others or discover more of what they have been given by God. The other, doing something in response to a command, is often motivated by trying to be rewarded for your actions; obtaining something you do not already possess. One is living by faith. The other is living by works.

How does a Christian live by faith? You must first define what is faith. Faith is your response to the truth God has revealed. Let us look at three areas of the Christian faith: forgiveness, giving, and attending church. Ephesians 1:7 says, "In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." Christians no longer have to ask God to forgive their sins because we already have forgiveness as an inheritance of our faith in Jesus Christ. Our response of faith is not to continually ask God to forgive our sins, but to thank Him for no longer counting them against us. This frees us to approach God with confidence to receive His grace and mercy when we sin. In 2 Corinthians 9:7, we read, "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." Contrary to popular belief, Christians are not commanded to tithe or, honestly, give at all. Faith says that giving should be a result of you deciding what to give, how much to give, and to whom you give to, based on what you have decided in your heart to give. It should not be in response to an outward command compelling you to part with your money out of fear of punishment for not doing so or in hopes of receiving compensation for your actions. In Hebrews 10:25, the author writes, "Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching." This verse is not a command for Christians to go to church. When you have been touched by the teaching of God's grace and are discovering the inheritance you have freely been given by God through your faith in Jesus Christ, your natural response of faith is to seek out like-minded believers to fellowship with, learn from, share your faith with, encourage, and support. There is no need to be commanded to meet together and you for sure won't develop a habit of avoiding fellowship. When you are continually asking God to forgive your sins, giving out of compulsion, and go to church because you feel you are commanded to do so, you are following the example of disobedience and not living by faith. You are responding to outward commands designed to modify your behavior instead of naturally reacting to a change of heart resulting from an encounter with the living God.