Working Through Scripture to Understand Faith

By Tim Gamble

   Between Shadows and Light.

Part of my core foundation is being a follower of The Way (Jesus - John 14:6), and naturally one of my interests is Biblical studies. So, I thought I would share this with my readers. If you are one of those people who "don't like Bible talk" feel free to skip this article. Another article more to your liking will be posted soon. 

I recommend looking up the following verses in your Bible and reading them in context. Context matters. What translation of the Bible should you use? For now, it doesn't matter. Since the Bible wasn't written in English, there is no "perfect" translation. Most (not all) of the following are taken from the NKJV.

God and Jesus are one.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. – Deuteronomy 6:4-5

“I and the Father are one.” – John 10:30 (Jesus speaking)

The Greatest Commandment? 

“Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” He [Jesus] said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” – Matthew 22:36-40

Jesus is quoting from Torah (these are not new commandments). 

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. – Deuteronomy 6:5 

You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. – Leviticus 19:18 

These don't replace the Old Testament commands, but summarize them:

(Jesus speaking) "All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” -- Mathew 22:40 

Suggestion: Read the Ten Commands for yourself (Exodus 20:1-17). Notice how the first 4 commandments are about how we are to love God, and the last six are about how we are to love our fellow man. In turn, all of the remaining commands in the Torah (the first five books of the old testament) give additional detail on how to accomplish these ten. It turns out that we do have an instruction manual for life!

Jesus fulfilled The Law; He did not destroy it.

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” --Matthew 5:17 (Jesus speaking)

What is sin?

Everyone who commits sin practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. – 1 John 3:4 

Note: So there is an actual Biblical definition of sin - Lawlessness, or breaking God's Law.  It is not some nebulous "missing the mark" which can mean anything and is everchanging. And we have heard from Jesus himself that He did not come to destroy or end the Law, but to fulfil it. Jesus was the only person to evert perfectly follow the Law. He was sinless, therefore He could be the perfect, sinless sacrifice for our sins. 

What is the penalty for breaking God's Law (sin)?

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. --Romans 6:23

Note: Death here means both physical death and spiritual death, or eternal separation from God.

Who has sinned, and therefore deserves this penalty?

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, – Romans 3:23 

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. -- James 2:10  

Note: That means me, and you, and everyone else. 

Is there no forgiveness? Yes, we can be forgiven! 

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. – 1 Corinthians 15:3-5

Note: Jesus fulfilled God's Law (Torah). He lived it out perfectly. He was sinless. Therefore, He alone was worthy of dying for our sins, becoming our Passover lamb (you can read about Passover in Exodus 12, Leviticus 23, Numbers 28, and Deuteronomy 16).

Jesus is our Passover lamb:

Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. --  1 Corinthians 5:7

Jesus is The Way:

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." -- John 14:6

Note: It is through Jesus, and only Him, that we can be saved. On a personal note, this is why when folks ask me about my religion, I typically answer that I am a follower of The Way. 

Faith, or Belief, is more than just an acknowledgement:

You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! -- James 2:19

Question: Are demons saved because they believe? 

Answer: Of course not! Because they don't really believe, at least not by the Eastern understanding of belief. 

What is Faith? What is Belief? In the Western (Roman) understanding belief is merely an acknowledgement of a fact. "I believe Jesus is God." In the Eastern understanding (which is the understanding of the New Testament authors and their audience at the time), faith and belief are more than just an acknowledgement. It is much deeper than that. Faith is believing in something to such an extent that you allow it to change you. See the demons believe but do not change; they remain in rebellion. 

Real Faith Changes: 

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. -James 2:26

Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out. – Acts 3:19

“If you love me, you will keep my commands.” – John 14:15 (Jesus speaking)

Note: We are saved through Jesus if we believe. But believe means more than just verbal ascent. It means, in the Eastern understanding, believing at such a deep level that we change. We are to "repent and turn back" to God. Not just to believe and ask for forgiveness, but to repent, to turn back to God. We cannot do that without Jesus. But having Jesus isn't an excuse to continue sinning.

Forgiveness is not an excuse to keep sinning.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? -- Romans 6:1

Note: Paul emphatically denies that we are allowed to sin (break God's Law according to the Biblical definition) just because we are forgiven. Jesus himself says “If you love me, you will keep my commands.”  We are still expected to try, to the best of our broken ability, to follow God's Law. When we fail, and we will, we have forgiveness through Jesus to fall back on. 

Faith means Believing AND Following

And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. – Revelation 12:17 

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. – Revelation 14:12 

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