The Fight of Faith

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By: The Wolf that Dwells with the Lamb 

In the beginning of my Christian walk, my relationship with God was based on my works. I tried my very best to do what I thought God wanted me to do. I failed over and over, and as a result I lived a life of condemnation. I struggled to find peace in the Lord. I read about the “peace which passeth knowledge,” and the “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” (Phil 4:7/1 Pet 1:8) I read that the gift of salvation would be in a person as a “well of water springing up into everlasting life,” (John 4:14) but I did not experience these things. Instead I experienced guilt and condemnation.  I thought to myself, I have faith, but I must have works as well, so I had my focus on trying to perfect my works. The result was a miserable Christian experience. I did not understand the relationship between faith and works. When I learnt what God did for me through the gift of his Son, I was amazed. I finally saw how God saved humanity from the pit of sin. My entire concept of God and salvation changed. As a result, my focus changed as well. I started focusing on faith rather than works. As I began to understand Righteousness by Faith, I started writing out my thoughts and I wrote the following article. I do not want you to misunderstand me, I am not saying that when you become a Christian you are not going to struggle, that is not what I’m saying at all. The struggle is going to be fierce. However, I find that many Christians are fighting the wrong fight. Instead of fighting the good fight of faith, they are fighting the fight of works. May you be blessed as you read.

God says; your sins are taken away (John 1:29)(1 John 3:5) 

You are saved from your sins (Matt 1:21) 

You are free from sin (Rom 6:22) 

You are dead to sin (Rom 6:2) 

You are a New Creation (2 Cor 5:17) 

You are quickened (Eph 2:1) 

You are accepted (Eph 1:6) 

You are forgiven (Col 2:13)(2Cor 5:19) 

You are reconciled (Rom 5:10)(2 Cor 5:19) 

You are washed (1 Cor 6:11) 

You are justified (Rom 8:30) 

You are sanctified (1 Cor 6:11) 

You are glorified (Rom 8:30) 

You are redeemed (Luke 1:68)(1 Pet 1:18) 

You are delivered (Gal 1:4)(Col 1:13) 

You are perfected (Heb 10:14) 

You are translated into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son (Col 1:14) 

You are a Son of the Almighty God (1 John 3:1) 

You are complete (Col 2:10) 

You are the Temple of the living God (2 Cor 6:16) 

You are blessed with all spiritual blessings (Eph 1:3) 

You are given all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3) 

You have been given power over sin and the fruits of sin (Luke 10:19)(Acts 1:8) 

In you is the very life and fulness of God (John 1:16) 

Dear reader, to you has been restored the dominion and power that Adam lost in the Garden of Eden, and God has commanded you to go preach this good news of the restored Kingdom, and to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils, and to freely bestow all these blessings which God has given you.However, all these are yours ONLY “IN CHRIST JESUS.” 

So how do I get “INTO JESUS?” Answer: FAITH, simply TRUST and BELIEVE and receive what God says, and they are yours. 

So then, if we have already been saved from sin, freed from sin, quickened, accepted, forgiven, reconciled, washed, justified, sanctified, glorified, perfected, redeemed, delivered, etc etc, why do we still walk around with fear and constantly confessing and repenting? Did God not answer us the first time we repented? Ought we not to leave the “fundamentals of the doctrine of Christ,” such as “repentance from dead works” and “go on unto perfection?” (Heb 6:1) Don’t we have a living God who has “visited and REDEEMED his people, And hath raised up an horn of SALVATION for us in the house of his servant David;…. That we should be SAVED from our ENEMIES, and from the hand of all that hate us;…. That he would grant unto us, that we being DELIVERED out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life???” (Luke 1:68-75) Did not Jesus give “himself for our sins, that he might DELIVER us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father?” (Galatians 1:4) Did he not give “himself to redeem us from ALL iniquity?” (Titus 2:14) Did he not provide a divine-human life in which the power sin has been broken? And is he not more than willing to give us this life, which is the Holy Spirit? This is what I conclude as I read the Bible. So then, why is it that we are fighting and striving to overcome sin and receive Salvation? Do you expect to defeat sin and so be ready for Jesus to come? Im telling you, if this is what you are doing, you will fight and strive until your hair is gray, and you still won’t have the victory. YOU CAN NEVER OVERCOME SIN BY FIGHTING AGAINST SIN. The fact is, sin has already been overcome in Christ, we need to get into Christ and receive the victory. 

“How do I receive the victory?” you might ask. Simply believe Jesus has given it to you, and it is yours. “But,” you might say, “I do not feel as if I have the victory.” The reason why you do not feel as if you have the victory is simply because you don’t believe you have it. If you believed, you would have the witness in yourself and would go on rejoicing in the victory. God has already said that you are freed from sin. Is God a liar? The mission of Jesus was to “save his people from their sins,” and “preach deliverance to the captives,” “to set at liberty them that are bruised,” “and to destroy the works of the devil.” (Matt 1:21)(Luke 4:18)(1John 3:8) Did Jesus accomplish his mission? Or did he fail? If he accomplished it, why do we not have it? The simple answer must be we fail to receive what he offers us. Instead of accepting it we go and try to overcome sin by ourselves. OUR FIGHT IS NOT TO OVERCOME SIN BY FIGHTING AGAINST SIN. IT IS TO BELIEVE THE TRUTH OF WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN US IN CHRIST. THE TRUTH IS HE HAS ALREADY GIVEN US THE VICTORY AND DONE ALL THOSE THINGS MENTIONED ABOVE. 

“FIGHT the good FIGHT of FAITH,” says the apostle. (1 Tim 6:12) We must train our minds to believe the truth if we want to experience the truth. Our job is to keep our eyes on Christ and never take them off. “This is the VICTORY that OVERCOMETH the world, even our FAITH.” (1 John 5:4) It is knowing and believing the truth that sets us free. Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) If we believe that God has given us the victory and made us more than conquerors through him that loved us, we will live accordingly. It is absolutely impossible to believe you have the victory, and not live it out. If you don’t live it out, it simply shows you do not believe. 

Jesus Christ has taken all sin out of the way. The sins of this world are not imputed to the world. “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them;” (2 Cor 5:19) 

Their is only one sin that will condemn us, that is the sin of unbelief. 

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:17)

“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.” (John 3:18) Truly, “The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” (Titus 2:11) The only reason why anyone will be condemned is because he does not accept and believe the gift of God given us through Christ. That gift includes all the things mentioned in beginning. “Oh,” someone might say, “these are dangerous sentiments, we must first overcome sin before we can receive Salvation and the latter rain. The fact is, if this is the case, we will never have Salvation because we can’t overcome sin, it has already been done for us waiting for us to receive it by faith. If I have to first overcome, then the Spirit (which is Salvation) is no longer a gift of God, and Salvation ceases to be by grace. But what saith the Scripture; “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph 2:8,9) Furthermore, if I must first overcome sin, that is just like saying an evil tree must first bring forth good fruit before it can be good. This is impossible. An evil tree can only bring forth evil fruit. The human heart is evil and therefore can only bring forth evil fruit. Before we can bring forth good fruit, we must receive Salvation. Receiving Salvation has nothing to do with my works. Salvation is by grace, and “if by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace:” (Rom 11:6) Hallelujah, Salvation is free gift. Please consider the following verses, and make sure you understand what the author is trying to say. 

“This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” (Galatians 3:2-6) 

“What,” someone might say, “are you saying Salvation has nothing to do with my works? Does not the Bible say faith and works must be combined? Does not the Bible say the saints will keep the commandments of God? ” 

I did not say Salvation has nothing to do with works. I said RECEIVING Salvation has nothing to do with my works. Receiving Salvation is only based upon the grace and love of God and my faith. Nothing else. God had to justify us and give us Salvation freely by his grace while we were dead in sin, because it was impossible for us to earn it by our works for all our works are evil. “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly….But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us…..For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:6,8,10) 

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” (Ephesians 2:4,5) 

When contemplating this kind of love, what can we do but exclaim with John; “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” (1 John 3:1) 

As we accept the gift of Salvation and believe what God has done for us in Jesus, that he has set us free, our lives will testify of our faith. It is impossible to live contrary to your faith. If you believe yourself to be more than a conqueror In Christ, then you will live like one. If you believe yourself to be weak, you will live like that. Your works are simply a manifestation of your faith. You don’t rule your beliefs, your beliefs rule you, whether you know it or not. 

“What about those who profess to know and love Jesus yet live in sin?” Some will ask. Why would you want to talk about those whom the scripture calls liars? The purpose of Salvation is to save from sin. (Matt 1:21) Those who profess to know him yet live in sin do not know what Salvation is all about. Besides this, is it possible for someone to profess to love a person but yet live in rebellion against him? Likewise, it is impossible to have faith and love in Christ and yet not keep his Commandments. 

“He that saith I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2:4) 

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15 ESV) “If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” (John 14:22) 

If a man professes to have faith yet holds to his cherished sins, you may know that it is not faith but rather presumption. 

Furthermore, it is impossible to believe that your body is the temple of the living God and yet do things that pollute or destroy your body. This is why Paul wrote to the Corinthians (among whom their was a man that committed adultery) “Know ye not that ye are the temple of the God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Cor 3:16/6:19) The implication is that if they would have believed this they wouldn’t have fallen into sin. So we see that it is impossible to have faith without works. If their are no works accompanying the faith, then it is dead faith, and dead faith is not faith. 

In conclusion, may we all fight the good fight of faith.