There is a continual paradox throughout Christian history between free grace for salvation and the “works” of the law. We are saved by faith only, not by works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Yet, what is the source of faith? Faith is a gift from God. Unless His spirit calls or gifts us faith, we probably won’t have a saving relationship with God.
Without faith it is impossible to please God, but how do we generate faith? I would suggest it simply comes from the regeneration of the spirit that Jesus called being “born again”. Unless we are born of the spirit and water (John 3:5), we cannot know the spirit of God nor accept salvation and the spiritual relationship with God that follows.
Ezekiel 36:25–27 says:
I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
On this point, I perceive that the relationship with God is and has been based on “works” from both sides. We aren’t saved because of works, but faith without works is dead. Just like in our human relationships where we must demonstrate and express trust, fidelity, and love in order to have a meaningful relationship…so it is with God. HE does a work. HE does the cleansing of our impure lives. HE puts his spirit in us which then enables us to follow his decrees and keep his laws. In the flesh alone this is impossible the way I see and experience it.
We need spiritual regeneration in order to have faith. So how do we do that?
Romans 10:17 says “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ”. This quite obviously means we need to read or hear the words of Christ in order to generate faith. All true believers in Christ are in the faith because they know and have believed His words. Without knowing what He said and how He lived, how can we have faith in Him? You can’t have a true relationship with someone you know nothing about.
You also can’t have a relationship through another person’s relationship. How often have we heard people say “I’m a Christian because my family brought me up that way”? It’s not bad being “brought up” in the Christian way, but eventually, every relationship has to have a one-to-one encounter. You can’t really know someone through someone else. You have to know them for yourself.
To walk by faith means knowing what we know but leaving the rest to God. We know where we want to go. We just aren’t sure when or how to get there most times. The “work” or “doing” comes in each step we take by faith in the direction we are called and obeying the precepts God has instructed of us.
Honesty and integrity in any relationship are about our level of honesty. It takes time, trial, and error to really get to know somebody. So it is with God. Unless we seek Him, read/listen to His words, observe His ways…we cannot truly know Him.
Honesty with God starts with acknowledging our weaknesses, failures, and sins. If we don’t confess our difference from Him, we won’t get out of the starting blocks of knowing Him. We will not know him in his fullness if we remain blind or careless in pursuing Him and His ways.
The spiritual life of faith starts simply enough but then gets complicated by the flesh. Spirit and flesh are a dichotomy. They coexist for a time, but they are always at war with each other. Our flesh is condemned to death, but our spirits are eternal and if we allow it and pursue it is made alive through faith in Christ. When we walk in the spirit all things become clear and simple. We know what we know and then leave the rest with God. THAT is trusting…and obeying.
Fasting and prayer are work and effort. It is willful action in dedicating ourselves to know Him and pursuing His spirit versus our flesh.
Reading God’s word with understanding is work. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). We are to work towards knowing and proving our faith by understanding God’s Word. His word is truth (John 17:17).
Faith without honoring God’s command to work it will be shallow and probably in time will disappear. It is this work that sanctifies us over time. We continue to be refreshed and regenerated by doing the work of faith. If we get lazy or stop communicating with His spirit, we will succumb to the flesh and our lives will once again be overcome by the darkness of this world. We will replace God with other people or things in our lives and once again be living apart from His presence and outside the light of His glory.
Rejoice in the free gift of God’s mercy and grace, but continue to grow in the faith which will disappear over time if you don’t work and exercise it. He has already done the work. Now it is your turn to do yours.