Faith 101

[rainbowinthesky]

Faith 101

Faith is the "gift of God" (Eph.2:8)

Jesus is he "Author and Finisher of our faith." (Heb.12:2; John 1:7; 1 Peter 1:21; Acts 3:16)

We have no faith except as it comes through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit and

"God has dealt to every man the measure of faith." Rom.12:3.

There is "one faith, one Lord, one baptism." Eph.4:5.

It is "the faith which works by love." Gal.5;6.

"It is the Holy Spirit in the heart that works by love to purify the soul." E.G. White, Bible Commentary, Vol.4,1179.

So to every man a measure of the Spirit has been given, hence a measure of faith. If we do not resist the Spirit's influence, His faith in us will "grow exceedingly" (2 Thess.1:3) and in due time it will be "spoken of throughout the whole world." Romans 1:8.

This faith is a living faith because it lays right hold upon the MERITS of the blood of a crucified and risen Savior to bring His LOVE into our hearts.(Rom.3:25; 5:5)

Then we are fortified, strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We are clothed with the whole armor of God, the whole armor of light and righteousness and we become impregnable to the assaults of Satan for Jesus intends that no authority shall be known in the soul but His own! See Desire of Ages,324; A.A.11.

This Love of God in the heart is the "hoarded Love of eternity." M.H.37.

It is the Love that dwelt in the heart of Jesus Christ. (C.O.L.158)

This faith, working by the Love of God, is the gold tried in the fire, amid the fire of temptation and trial.

"The love of God will strengthen the soul, and through the VIRTUE of the MERITS of the BLOOD of Christ we may STAND UNSCATHED amid the fire of temptation and trial." Faith & Works,86,87.

This is the only true faith that works obedience to the law of God by the Love of God which is diffused through our whole being. Gal.5:6; Rom.13:10.

This Love which Christ diffuses through the whole being is a vitalizing power.

Every vital part, the heart, the brain, the nerves, it touches with healing.

It frees the soul from the guilt and sorrow, the anxiety and care that crush the life forces.

By it the highest energies of the being are roused to activity.

With it come serenity and composure.

It implants in the soul joy that nothing earthly can destroy, joy in the Holy Spirit, "joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Peter 1:8), heath-giving, life-giving joy! See M.H.115.

It is the "oil of joy," or the oil of gladness,(Isaiah 61:3), "the fullness of divine light and love and power," (P.K.594) the "refreshing coming from the presence of the Lord" dwelling in the heart by this faith that lays right hold upon the MERITS of His shed blood, the merits of the blood that is of value beyond estimate!

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[rainbowinthesky]

The third angel's message, the latter rain message, is not beyond anyone's limited mental capacity and theological education though it has nothing to do with theology as taught largely in our schools. "To a great degree, theology, as studied and taught, is but a record of human speculations, serving only to darken counsel by words without knowledge." Ministry of Healing,442.

How much less is the latter rain message a splitting of the theological hair advitam eternam.

No the message is just as simple as accepting the alphabet but we don't understand it. This is what we are told in Faith & Works, p.64.

Here is the message, again, in clear, distinct lines:

"The MERITS of Christ's sacfifice (merits of His sufferings) are SUFFICIENT to present to the Father in our behalf."

Christ's merits are SUFFICIENT to present to the Father in our behalf in order to receive the gift that cannot be excelled, the gift which brings all other blessings in its train, namely, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Godhead coming to abide with us with no modified energy but in the fullness of divine light and love and power to bring all our hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil into subjection and to impress Christ's character upon us.

This is the message in a nutshell.

If there is any other message more plain and simple than this one, please anyone, tell us.

Put in another way, daily we are to come to God just as we are, sinful, helpless, dependent, trusting wholly in the MERITS of the blood of a crucified and risen Savior ( Rom.3:25) and then we will be fortified for Christ will work in us both to will and to do His good pleasure (Phil.2:13; Col.1:27,29) enabling us to keep every one of God's precepts as expressed in His holy law. See T.M.92,93,96,97.

This is the third angel's message in verity and it is just as simple as ABC.

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