Only One Type of Faith!
Jesus said in Luke 18:8, “When the Son of Man returns, will I find Faith on the Earth?” He did not say faiths as in more than one, but Faith – singular. This tells me that we must have the right Faith or rather our faith in the right thing. Faith is another word for trust, confidence, hope, and belief among many others. So, this Faith that Jesus will be looking for must be something that we trust and can have confidence that it is ours and more importantly; that it worked/works. Think about it... What is the one thing, as far as our righteousness is concerned, that gave us right standing with God and that had to work for us to receive said righteousness? The answer is Jesus dying on the Cross of Calvary. What the Word of God says that He accomplished on the Cross for us HAD TO WORK! We must trust and have confidence (Faith) that what Jesus died on the Cross for worked for us (personally). In more simpler terms, you must trust that Jesus’ dying on the Cross of Calvary saved you, redeemed you and made you the righteousness in God through Christ Jesus (through Christ Jesus means through what He has done – dying for you)!
It was at the Cross that sin was atoned for. It was at the Cross that He shed His precious Blood for us. It was at the Cross where the veil was rent top to bottom; where now we can have access to God – reconciled unto God where now we can call Him “Father, dear Father”. It was at the Cross that God’s Plan to redeem mankind was completed which made us the Righteousness in God through Christ Jesus (not only in the “man” Jesus, but also in what He did to accomplish all of this for us!). It was as the Cross where Jesus said, “IT IS FINISHED!” MISSION ACCOMPLISHE!
So, to have the “right” kind of Faith that Jesus will be looking for when He returns is the Faith in the Finish Work of the Cross. If you do not trust, have confidence or hope and believe that what was accomplished at the Cross of Calvary for you, then you DO NOT have the Faith that Jesus will be looking for when He comes back.
What does this mean for you if you do not have this kind of Faith?
This means you are running the risk in so many ways. When you do not have the right kind of Faith, Faith in what Jesus accomplished on the Cross, you run risk of being left behind when He comes back obviously. The Word of God is clearly saying that He will be looking for Faith when He returns. When someone is “looking for” something, they are looking for something specific (precise, exact or clear cut). This means He will be “searching for”, “seeking” or “trying to locate” those who have the “exact” Faith He is looking for. He is also looking for true persistence in Faith, unwavering prayer and perseverance; Faith that does not give up, grow weary, or fades over time (due to life pressures), even when it appears as though prayer is delayed or unanswered – faith that holds fast. The only way we get anything from God is by Faith. You can’t do anything or pay for it; it is by Faith! This Faith must be in the right object and is the same Faith that Jesus will be looking for when He returns.
This is a very hard pill to swallow as it was also extremely hard to write; especially for us who have been in Church practically all our lives. Because we have never heard/taught The Message of the Cross, we have been in error in a lot of things like our walk with God and in our full understanding of the Word of God. Because the Church has not preached what Paul said it ought to preach, we have been in error this whole time. Maybe pastors don’t have this understanding, or worse yet, have flat out rejected the preaching of the Cross of Christ, that we have come to this time of “error” in where our Faith should be placed. When we do not read the Word of God with our focus/through the lens of the Finish Work of the Cross, we lose the point of the entirety of the Word of God. Jesus and Him Crucified is the story of the Bible. Everything centers around the Cross. When we lose this importance of what was accomplished for us at the Cross of Christ, we take for granted what He had to endure for us to be redeemed and made the righteousness of God. We fail to appreciate its true, precious value. The Church in a sense, and those who sit under ministries that do not preach The Message of the Cross, has overlooked the significance of the very foundation of their Salvation, Justification and Sanctification. The Church has lost sight of how important The Message of the Cross is to the Body of Christ. We received Jesus and the Cross for our initial Salvation, but have grown accustomed to no longer taking up our cross daily, and no longer recognize its special importance in our becoming the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus and to be able to live victorious lives in what He has done for us on the Cross.
The Church is oblivious to the actual worth of The Message of Cross and all who sit under such ministries. Due to this, untold millions will miss Jesus when He comes looking for the only Faith that God will accept. He will only accept Faith in His Plan of Redemption, and that is Jesus and Him Crucified!
I know I sound like a broken record, but Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). That “and hearing” is continuous, which means we need to be reminded of this on a continuous basis. Romans Chapter 10 is about how the Word of Faith brings Salvation; so, go read the entire chapter. Indeed, the entire study of the Book of Romans should be done by every Child of God. Anyhoo... Romans 10:5-17 states:
14 But how will people call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher (messenger)? 15 And how will they preach unless they are commissioned and sent [for that purpose]? Just as it is written and forever remains written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”
16 But they did not all pay attention to the good news [of salvation]; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So faith comes from hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the [preaching of the] message concerning Christ.
A couple of things to point out. Verse 8 states:
The Word [the message, the basis] of Faith which we preach. If anyone reads any Epistle that Paul wrote, they should clearly see (but most do not, as I did not) that it is centered around the Cross. The Word (The Message, the basis) is The Message of the Cross! That which Paul preached and said that should be preached is Jesus and Him Crucified (1 Corinthians 1: 23). But how many pastors are preaching what the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul in the Bible said should be preached?
Verse 17 states:
So, faith comes from hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the [preaching of the] message concerning Christ. Faith comes from hearing and what is heard comes by the preaching of the “message” concerning Christ. The “message” that was preached and still must be preached is Jesus and Him Crucified. The proper object of our Faith comes from the preaching of the “message” concerning Christ that the Apostle Paul preached – Jesus and Him Crucified! Which means our Faith, the Faith that the Son of Man will be looking for, must be in The Cross of Christ/Jesus and Him Crucified! These are not my words, but it is the Word of the Lord.
I pray that as I continue to share The Message of Cross (Jesus’ Death, Burial and Resurrection) with you all that you do not miss the important significance of The Message of the Cross. Otherwise, there will be great disappointment on that Glad Day when the Son of Man returns. This is extremely important!
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