F A I T H and sin
In the course of our coming explorations on the path of faith and love we will find that we will need a close and accurate definition of the word Faith. This word will become the key that unlocks the Scriptures. Many people, particularly Christians have a difficult time in arriving at an acceptable definition of Faith. It usually involves some form of long, insistent, intense and fervent prayer in an attempt to convince God of our seriousness and righteousness. This can be considered to be a little bit silly in the light of God's knowledge of our hearts and his plans for us. If we look at Rom. the 14th chapter verse 23 we will find that sin and faith are tied together. The two words are all-inclusive in reference to the activities of mankind before God and the statement is easy enough to understand.

Rom. chapter 14

23: And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

If it's not faith it's sin.

We find the following definition of sin in the Bible dictionary "sin is any thought, word, action, omission, or desire contrary to the law and will of God", and the Word of God is the complete will of God for all of mankind.

Hebrews the 11th chapter verse 6 states the following.

6: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Again we have a very simple and positive statement that it is impossible to please God without faith. Therefore it becomes necessary for us to determine exactly what the Word of God means when it uses faith. We have a Bible definition of faith in Hebrews the 11th chapter and verse 1. 1:" Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. In the Old Testament the Word for faith is usually rendered trust. I would suggest that you test the following definition for these two words when you find them in the Scriptures. "faith is a positive response to the Word of God." This statement can be either positive or negative in that it means we do what the Word says and we do not do what the Word says not to do. In other words our faith is demonstrated by our obedience and following of the instructions we find in the Bible.

Let us go back to the Word sin for a moment.

Stated again, " anything that is not of faith is sin." Why? Because if we do not respond in a positive fashion to the Word of God we are in effect saying that God and/or the Word of God is a lie.

At this stage I would like to present an interesting sidelight to the above subject. Let's examine the following three Scriptures. They will be Galatians the second chapter verses 16 and 20 -- Galatians the third chapter verses 22 and Rom. the third chapter verse 22.

Galatians 2 16: Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Galatians 2 20: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me

Galatians 3 22: But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

Rom. 3 22: Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

In the above verses you'll note that we have highlighted the words "by faith of Jesus Christ". Many commentaries and teachers usually rendered this to mean faith on our part, particularly from renderings of other versions. On the other hand if we take them to mean exactly what they say then it is not our faith but the faith of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. What do we mean? Why does Jesus have to demonstrate faith? We have already mentioned that the plan unfolded in the Bible is being completed by Christ Jesus. Therefore it is imperative that he complete the plan as God designed. He is faithful when he sticks to that plan as it was originally designed.

We thank you for joining us in this examination of the words faith and sin. May God bless you as you continue on your journey.

   

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

L O V E
Since the road will be walking is called faith and love , we need to understand a few things about love. Again there are many definitions of the Word. It is not sex or physical attraction, nor is it a form of great admiration. The first epistle of John deals primarily with love.

The love we find in the Scriptures is a learned response starting with God the father who not only loved us but gave us his only be gotten Son , Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ loved us so much that he gave his life that we might have eternal life. Because of this we are commanded to love one another (yes love is a command). One of the reasons we are choosing the writings of John to begin this trip is because he discusses this command at great length, starting with his gospel, and expanding on the subject in his epistles.

People, particularly young people think they are in love and get married. They raise a family and think they loved their children, but in the process they cannot understand why there's so much contention and division in their relationships.

I used to be one of those people. I met a very nice young lady many years ago, thought I was in love with her, proposed, was accepted, got married, and started a family. Many times our relationship was a little on the rocky side. A few years into our relationship we both became Christians, attended church and learned about the love of God as defined by the Bible. We learned from this that God the father ,God the Son and God the Holy Spirit all loved us, and because of this we learned to love each other and our children. It's made a major difference in our relationships and life. Because of what you will learn in the following three rooms you will find our motivation for this program.

   

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I - A M
We're going to look at what is considered to be one of the more important names of God. In the Scriptures below we are about to find Moses speaking with God at the burning bush after having served 40 years in the courts of Egypt and then 40 years in the desert. Now God is about to prepare and instruct Moses in the freeing and leading of the Hebrews from the bondage of Egypt. He gives the two words I am as his name and identification to the nation of Israel. We're going to find that when we use this name in identifying our actions or our place or our intentions in this world , we usually end up in trouble, as we will see as we go through the Scriptures.

Exodus chapter 3: 13:And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14: And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15: And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

We find in the Scriptures below that Jesus uses this name to identify himself as the eternal God, existing not only in the present, but in the past also.

John chapter 8: 58: Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am

In the Scripture below in verse 17 we see that he existed before creation and that all things consist (exist, preserved )in him.

Colossians chapter 1: 16: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.