1. What is grace, Titus 3:7? (See also Eph_2:8-9)
▪︎ Grace is an unmerited gift or favor from God.
▪︎ It includes supernatural resources or abilities generated from the indwelling Holy Spirit.
▪︎ It is not a result of personal ability nor is it based on accomplishments we have achieved.
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3By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. 4By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. 5By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.
2. What is faith, Heb 11:1? (See also Heb 11:1 KJV)
▪︎ Faith is belief in God’s word as the accurate assessment of true reality.
▪︎ Faith is the mechanism provided for man to access the resources of God’s grace.
▪︎ Faith is an inner assessment of reality based on God’s word and may be in conflict with or contrary to other views of the same picture. Examples: 1Peter 1:1-8
▪︎ An assessment that may contradict other people’s view or perceptions.
▪︎ It is the approved path for God’s children to walk as opposed to walking based on other perceptions like sight (2Cor 5:7; Rom 1:17).
3. What are the benefits of faith, Heb 11:2?
• approval (μαρτυρέω – Greek) – martureó ► to bear witness, testify, give evidence, affirm that one has seen, heard, or experienced something – Heb 11:39-40;
• witness, testify – Heb 11:2, 4, 5;
Justification
• justify (δικαιόω – Greek) – dikaioó ► to show to be righteous, to justify – Gal 3:6-7, 8; Rom 5:1; James 2:23;
▪︎ By faith man is justified (made righteous, gains approval) before God – Rom 8:1-2
▪︎ It gives access to the full payment for sin (past, present, and future sins) incurred by our unrighteous behavior – Rom 6:23
▪︎ By faith we are saved and gain eternal life – Rom 1:16; 1Peter 2:24;
▪︎ It provides access to grace (inner working of the Holy Spirit) to empower us to…
• experience holiness – 1Peter 2:9
• study God’s word – 2Tim 2:15
• pray effectively – Rom 8:26
• escape temptation – 1Cor 10:13
• die to sin – Gal 2:20; Rom 6:6-7
• live to God – Rom 6:5, 10-11
• navigate life – Ps 25:5; 2Cor 5:7;
• overcome the power of sin – Heb 2:14, 15;
▪︎ It gives us the ability to walk with God, Emmanuel – Matt 1:23;
4. What is faith’s role in our battle against sin?
Reckon
• reckon (λογίζομαι – Greek) – logizomai ► to account, reckon, middle voice from logos; to take an inventory, i.e. estimate (literally or figuratively) — conclude – James 2:23; Rom 6:10-11;
Note: middle voice highlights the significant role of the Holy Spirit in both salvation and sanctification.
▪︎ By faith we are saved and Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit to endwell us, giving us an earnest commitment of our eternal security – Eph 1:13; 1Peter_1:3-8;
▪︎ Therefore any man “in Christ” is a new creation (2Cor 5:17). Obviously, the God of the universe, living in us is a complete game-changer from that point on.
▪︎ Logizomai is very important to our sanctification:
1. At a minimum, if it is “self talk”, the voice in your head that you continually talk to yourself… if you can train that to reflect spiritual eeality, your faith will be magnified and your life will be improved.
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Interesting Words
ratified
• ratified (κυρόω – Greek) – kuroó ► To confirm, ratify, make valid, conveys the formal, authoritative establishment of something so that it may no longer be questioned or altered – Gal 3:15; 2Cor 2:8;
• previously ratified (προκυρόω – Greek) – prokuroó ► To ratify beforehand, to preordain, to confirm in advance. – Gal 3:17;
nullify
• Set aside – (ἀθετέω – Greek) – atheteó ► To reject, to nullify, to set aside, to disregard – Gal 3:15; Luke 10:16; John 12:48; 1Cor 1:19; Gal 2:21; 1Thes 4:7-8;
• Abolish – (καταργέω – Greek) – katargeó ► To abolish, to nullify, to render ineffective, to bring to an end – Gal 3:17; Rom 3:3, 30-31, 4:13-14; 1Cor 1:28; Eph 2:14-15;
legal force
3For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 4But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
• THEN, We ourselves were at that time foolish toward God, and clued in to the world. NOW, we are clued in to God, and foolish to the world (1Cor 1:23, 24-25).
• We were enslaved to sin and dead to God. NOW, we are alive to God and dead to sin and the world (Rom 8:11).
• We were envious, haters; NOW we love God and all men (John 14:12, 15:13, 13:34-35)
• We were lost, but NOW we are found (Luke 15:24)
• We were separate from Christ, but NOW Christ lives in us (John 14:16, 17), being renewed by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5; 2Cor 5:17)
• We were deceived, strangers to the covenants of promise but NOW we have been brought near by the blood of Christ (Eph 2:13)
• We were separate and alone but NOW we are one with Israel, unified as a single new man in Christ (Eph 2:14, 15)
Cross References
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