The Apostle Paul also
taught that a believer’s continuing faith played a role in his sanctification,
both as an instrument to enable specific ministry and as a conduit for receipt
of Divine grace and transformation in general. As in the Old Testament king David, despite trial and
affliction (Psalm 116:1-9), spoke for the Lord because he believed (Psalm
116:10), so Paul and other preachers speak and preach the truth and endure
persecution (2 Corinthians 4:8-12) because of their continuing faith in Christ
(2 Corinthians 4:13) arising out of their conversion. That is, Christian ministry, specifically bold preaching of
the gospel in the face of tremendous hostility and opposition, arises out of
the continuing faith and confidence of the believer in the risen Christ, his
Redeemer (2 Corinthians 4:14).
Paul also taught that God fills believers with all joy and peace as they
believe and by means of their faith (Romans 15:13); faith is the human response
through which God makes the believer holy, filling him with the holy attributes
of hope, peace, and joy. The
Apostle Paul taught that faith was the necessary foundation for boldness and
perseverance in gospel ministry and the means through which God transforms
believers into His image. Thus, as
the verb believe illuminates the
believer’s greater entrustment of himself to Christ in progressive
sanctification, so the noun faith
illuminates the role of faith in the spiritual life of the regenerate.[i] Faith prompts the believer to perform
specific spiritual ministries, such as speaking for Christ (2 Corinthians
4:13), for power from the Holy Spirit arises out of the “hearing of faith.”[ii] Faith prompts generous sharing of
physical goods with other believers (Philemon 5-7). Saving faith will always result in good works (James 2).[iii] Furthermore, faith is indeed essential
for spiritual life and growth, because whatever does not proceed out of,
whatever is not sourced in faith is sin (Romans 14:23).[iv] A strong faith will trust in God and
His promises despite human impossibilities, while a weak faith will stagger in
such situations (Romans 4:19-20).[v] The degree of weakness or strength of
faith leads the believer to its respective degree of proneness to wander and
susceptability to fall or to stedfastness and faithfulness (Romans 14). Patience is produced by faith that is
successfully tried and tested.[vi] It is not surprising, then, that by “taking[vii]
the shield of faith” and the “breastplate of faith and love,” the Christian can
“quench all the fiery darts of the wicked,” “stand,”[viii]
and “resist . . . the devil . . . steadfast in the faith”[ix]—faith
is key to resisting sin and Satan.
Indeed, God continually keeps, preserves, and guards His people through
faith, and so brings them to ultimate salvation.[x] Those with faith are the regenerate,
and all such people definitively overcame the world at the moment of their
conversion, are overcoming now, and will ultimately and finally overcome the
world and enter the eternal kingdom.[xi]
Faith in both its initial bestowal
and its increase in sanctification is not an autonomous product of man, but is
initially created and subsequently strengthened by the supernatural efficacy of
the Holy Spirit,[xii] although
not the Spirit alone, but also the Father and the Son, and therefore, the
entire Trinity, give believers both initial faith (2 Peter 1:1) and ever
greater measures of faith, love, and other spiritual graces (Ephesians
6:23). Through the efficacious
working of God, the believer’s faith is established, strengthened, and
confirmed, with the result that it abounds[xiii]
and “groweth exceedingly.”[xiv] God produces this increase of faith
through the Scripture, for faith, while ultimately resting on God, proximately
rests upon His revelation of Himself in the Word. While God produces faith, believers are responsible to “add
to their faith” virtue, knowledge, and other holy graces, which develop out of
the root of faith; believers are
to diligently and industriously pursue the means to obtain what they desire God
to bestow upon them,[xv]
and in this manner their faith, knowledge, godliness, charity, and other holy
graces will be in them all the more, increasing and abounding, with the result
that they bear spiritual fruit.[xvi] Sanctification takes place as one is
“nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine,” inspired words that
both produce faith and sound doctrine and which describe and delimit what such
faith and doctrine are.[xvii] Believers are to “stand fast in the
faith” (1 Corinthians 16:13), for Paul writes, “by faith ye stand” (2
Corinthians 1:24). Indeed,
believers “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7),[xviii]
so the spiritual life of the Christian is a walk of faith, specifically, faith
in the Son of God (Galatians 2:20),[xix]
through whom believers are strengthened by the Spirit to employ their free,
gracious, and confident access by faith to the Father.[xx] Rather than Jewish ceremonial, faith
that works by and is being energized by love is what matters (Galatians 5:6).[xxi] The believer’s faith can grow in
quantity, resulting in his proper exercise of his spiritual giftedness and in
holy living (Romans 12:3-21), for the more faith the believer has, the more
spiritual joy and other holy graces he has, and the greater progress he makes
in holiness (Philippians 1:25).[xxii] An increase of faith will result in an
increase in good works, in the “work of faith.”[xxiii] Indeed, while all believers already
have Christ in them,[xxiv]
the Father grants that believers, as they are spiritually strengthened, have
Christ dwelling[xxv] in their
hearts by faith in an ever greater way, and as His special presence in them
increases, they are rooted and grounded in love for their brethren,
experientially know the love of Christ, and are filled with ever greater degrees
of the fulness of God.[xxvi]
[i]
The first
part of this paragraph examines uses of pi÷steuw, and the
latter half uses of pi÷stiß;
similarity of content justifies bringing the two together.
[ii]
Galatians
3:5, cf. 3:2. Spiritual gifts,
such as the first century sign gift of miracle working power mentioned in 3:5,
are a product which developed out of the continuing hearing of faith (e˙x aÓkohvß pi÷stewß). The
Spirit Himself was received at the moment of conversion and regeneration by the
hearing of faith, e˙x aÓkohvß pi÷stewß, 3:2,
and His gifts are bestowed in the same manner, 3:5.
[iv]
pa◊n de« o§ oujk e˙k
pi÷stewß, aJmarti÷a e˙sti÷n (Romans
14:23b). While the specific issue in context is faith in eating certain foods
(Romans 14:22-23a), Christian life is a life e˙k pi÷stewß, for oJ di÷kaioß e˙k pi÷stewß zh/setai, Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38.
[v]
That the
faith of the Christian life is an outflow of the initial entrustment to Christ
of the people of God is evident in Romans 4:19-20’s placement within a context of
many instances of pi÷stiß that refer to the
moment of justification.
[vi]
James 1:3;
cf. 1 Peter 1:7.
[vii]
The
command of Ephesians 6:13, aÓnala¿bete th\n panopli÷an, is to take up the armor to use it in battle, here in spiritual
battle.
[viii]
Ephesians
6:13-18; 1 Thessalonians 5:8. The
shield of faith can by no means be neglected; “above all,” e˙pi« pa◊sin, (cf. Colossians 3:14; Luke 3:20; not the tiny
minority text reading e˙n pa◊sin), “taking the
shield of faith.”
[x]
God has a
certain inheritance reserved in heaven (klhronomi÷an . . . tethrhme÷nhn e˙n oujranoi√ß) for those whom He keeps by His power through faith
unto eschatological salvation, tou\ß e˙n duna¿mei Qeouv frouroume÷nouß dia» pi÷stewß ei˙ß
swthri÷an e˚toi÷mhn aÓpokalufqhvnai e˙n kairwˆ◊ e˙sca¿twˆ, 1 Peter 1:5-6, so that they will certainly receive
the end of their faith (to\ te÷loß thvß pi÷stewß),
the salvation of their souls (1 Peter 1:9), even if God tries their precious
faith (1 Peter 1:7). Sanctifying faith, which is the continuation of initial
justifying faith, reaches its ultimate issue in glorification.
[xi]
1 John
5:4-5, o¢ti pa◊n to\
gegennhme÷non e˙k touv Qeouv nikaˆ◊ to\n ko/smon: kai« au¢th e˙sti«n hJ ni÷kh
hJ nikh/sasa to\n ko/smon, hJ pi÷stiß hJmw◊n. ti÷ß e˙stin oJ nikw◊n to\n
ko/smon, ei˙ mh\ oJ pisteu/wn o¢ti ∆Ihsouvß e˙sti«n oJ ui˚o\ß touv Qeouv; Those
who have been and consequently are born of God (to\ gegennhme÷non e˙k touv Qeouv) are having victories, are overcoming (nikaˆ◊) the world, because the root of that victory, through
which the world was at its fundamental level overcome, hJ ni÷kh hJ nikh/sasa to\n ko/smon, (cf. 1 John 2:13; 4:4 with nika¿w in the perfect) took place at the moment of faith, pi÷stiß, and regeneration, through which they were brought
into union with that Christ who has overcome (neni÷khka) the world (John 16:33), and gives them His Spirit to destroy their
sinfulness and sinning, so that those who believe are those who are overcoming
now (oJ nikw◊n to\n
ko/smon . . . . e˙stin . . . oJ pisteu/wn),
the root of faith in Jesus Christ continuing to powerfully produce results, so
that these will ultimately, finally, and completely overcome the world. Faith “is the victory” as a metonomy
for the means through which victory was obtained; because faith unites believers with Christ, faith is the
means through which victory is achieved.
It is noteworthy that 1 John 5:4 is the only
instance of the noun pi÷stiß in either John’s Gospel or his three Epistles,
although he uses the word several times in Revelation.
[xii]
That is,
faith is a fruit of the Spirit, something that originates in Him, in contrast
to the works of the flesh, which are indeed products originating with the
fallen human person, rather than with God (Galatians 5:19-23).
[xiii]
bebaiou/menoi e˙n thØv
pi÷stei . . . perisseu/onteß e˙n aujthØv,
Colossians 2:7. Compare the other bebaio/w texts in the New Testament: Mark 16:20; Romans 15:8;
1 Corinthians 1:6, 8; 2 Corinthians 1:21; Colossians 2:7; Hebrews 2:3; 13:9.
[xiv]
2 Thessalonians
1:3, uJperauxa¿nei
hJ pi÷stiß; a continuing action, resulting in strength to endure
persecutions and tribulations, 1:4, and set in contrast to a faith that is
“lacking” or deficient (uJste÷rhma, 1 Thessalonians
3:10).
[xv]
2 Peter
1:5-7. Believers are to add or supply
(e˙picorhge÷w) such virtues to their faith, but God gives (corhge÷w, 1 Peter 4:11; cf. 2 Peter 1:1, 3) the faith in the
first place. Compare the e˙picorhge÷w/ corhge÷w in 2
Corinthians 9:10. By adding or ministering
additionally (e˙picorhge÷w) to their faith,
an entrance into God’s eternal kingdom will be given or ministered additionally
(e˙picorhge÷w) to them, 2 Peter 1:11.
[xvi]
2 Peter 1:8,
“these things” (tauvta) the holy graces of
the previous verses, can be in them and be increasing or abounding (uJpa¿rconta kai«
pleona¿zonta), and they will make them (kaqi÷sthsin) not to be unfruitful (oujk aÓrgou\ß oujde« aÓka¿rpouß).
[xvii]
In 1 Timothy
4:6, rather than giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils,
through his faithful warning ministry Timothy will “be a good minister of Jesus
Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine,” kalo\ß e¶shØ dia¿konoß
∆Ihsouv Cristouv, e˙ntrefo/menoß toi√ß lo/goiß thvß pi÷stewß, kai« thvß kalhvß
didaskali÷aß. The articular thvß pi÷stewß is not limited to a body of teaching or truth rather than personally
possessed and exercised faith because:
1.) Elsewhere in the pastoral epistles a distinction between articular
and nonarticular pi÷stiß as, respectively, a
body of truth and personally exercised faith, cannot be maintained; see, e. g., 2 Timothy 1:5; 3:10. 2.) thvß pi÷stewß is in the second attributive position, and
“[e]specially when the article is used to denote the second attributive
position would we say that it has almost no semantic meaning” (pg. 239, Greek
Grammar Beyond the Basics,
Wallace). 3.) The personal
exercise of faith is intimately associated with the body of doctrine in which
faith is exercised. 4.) Being
“nourished up” in the realm and by the instrumentality of “the words of faith”
supports the idea that personal faith is in view. 5.) Other portions of Scripture indicate that faith is
produced by the Word (Romans 10:17, cf. v. 8). Compare also “faith in Him,” to\n lo/gon thvß ei˙ß aujto\n pi÷stewß, Dialogue with Trypho 40.
[xviii]
Note that
there is nothing in the context of 2 Corinthians 5:7 that suggests that only a
subcategory of Christians who have discovered the secret of the Higher Life
walk by faith, while the rest of God’s people do not do so, nor that believers
enter into a walk of faith at some point subsequent to their conversion, from
which they can fall by not walking by faith but then re-enter by starting to
walk by faith again. It is certain
that the faith of believers can vary in its strength, and believers can
certainly fail to exercise faith in specific situations, but nothing like the
distinctive Higher Life theology is supported by 2 Corinthians 5:7 in its
context.
[xx]
Romans
5:2; Ephesians 2:18; 3:12. Access
(prosagwgh/) was obtained at the moment of faith and
regeneration, and continues always to be available to the believer (note the
perfect tense e˙sch/kamen in Romans 5:2).
[xxi]
e˙n ga»r Cristwˆ◊
∆Ihsouv ou¡te peritomh/ ti i˙scu/ei, ou¡te aÓkrobusti÷a, aÓlla» pi÷stiß di∆
aÓga¿phß e˙nergoume÷nh. Note the rather frequent association of
faith and love: 1 Corinthians 13:2, 13; 2 Corinthians 8:7; Galatians 5:6, 22;
Ephesians 1:15; 3:17; 6:23; Colossians1:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 3:6; 5:8; 2
Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Timothy 1:5, 14; 2:15; 4:12; 6:11; 2 Timothy 1:13; 2:22;
3:10; Titus 2:2; Philemon 5; Revelation 2:19.
[xxii]
In
Philippians 1:25’s th\n uJmw◊n prokoph\n kai« cara»n thvß pi÷stewß, pi÷stewß and uJmw◊n modify both prokoph\n
and cara»n; compare 1:20.
The connection between joy and faith is also affirmed in Romans 15:13.
[xxiii]
1
Thessalonians 1:3. In the “work of
faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope” (touv e¶rgou thvß
pi÷stewß, kai« touv ko/pou thvß aÓga¿phß, kai« thvß uJpomonhvß thvß e˙lpi÷doß) the genitives all produce what is signified by the
head noun. God works to fulfill in
believers “the work of faith with power,” 2 Thessalonians 1:11; oJ Qeo\ß . . .
plhrw¿shØ pa◊san eujdoki÷an aÓgaqwsu/nhß kai« e¶rgon pi÷stewß e˙n duna¿mei.
[xxiv]
Colossians
1:27; 2 Corinthians 13:5.
[xxv]
Ephesians
3:17, katoike÷w. Paul
teaches that all believers have the Holy Spirit (and consequently the undivided
Trinity) dwelling (oi˙ke÷w, Romans 8:9, 11; cf.
1 Corinthians 3:16) in them, but Christ’s presence dwelling (katoike÷w) in them can increase, so that their personal
possession of the Divine presence can grow towards that of Christ the Mediator,
in whom dwells (katoike÷w) all the fulness
of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 1:19; 2:9), and who dispenses of that fulness
to them (John 1:16). (The truth
here stated does not, and should not be employed to by any means deny the absoute
uniqueness of the hypostatic union as properly confessed at Chalcedon, nor
should any attempt being made to reduce the union of natures in the undivided
Person of Christ to a mere Nestorianizing indwelling of God in the human
Christ.) Compare the greater
strength of katoike÷w as compared with oi˙ke÷w
in the LXX in Genesis 19:30; Jeremiah 31:28 (Eng. 48:28); Ezekiel 38:11; Judith
5:5; cf. also Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho 78; Theophilus to Autolycus 2:3, and Philo, Flaccus 55.
[xxvi]
Ephesians
3:14-19. A greater degree of the
presence of the Son in the believer necessitates a greater presence of the
Trinitarian God, for the Divine essence is undivided.
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