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Declaring good news of real change out of, through, and into the Spirit of Jesus Christ Rom. 12:2, Rom. 11:36
Faith
(Part 12)
Substance of things
“But Faith is a Basis of things hoped for, a Conviction of things unseen. 2. For by this (faith—Author’s note) the ANCIENTS were attested (obtained a good report from God—again, Author’s note). 3. In Faith we perceive that the AGES have been so thoroughly adjusted by God’s Command, that not from THINGS then MANIFEST the THINGS now SEEN have come to pass.” Hebrews 11:1-3 from the Emphatic Diaglott.
What is the “substance of things?” “For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him.” Colossians 1:16, from the Amplified Bible. What is the “substance of things? Jesus Christ is the substance of all things. Romans 11:36 tells us that “because of Him, and through Him, and to (eis-into) Him are the all things; to Him is the glory—to the ages.” (Young’s Literal Translation) What does that mean? It means that all things exist because of Him (Jesus Christ); it means that all things will go through Him (Jesus Christ), and it means that all things will find their triumphant conclusion in Him. It is in going through Him, where we find repentance, the metamorphosis if you will from the natural into the spiritual. It is the turning from the carnal mind and turning unto and into the mind of Christ. It is the anointing in Jesus Christ that breaks every yoke.
Faith, and believing which comes as the almost involuntary response to true faith, is listed specifically as being part of those all things. ‘“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of (our-not in the original Greek texts) faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” Heb. 12:2.
It is in this place, the realm of the throne, that all knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and power comes. It is herein where faith is not only conceived and born but finds its glorious end. This faith may be imitated; but it cannot be generated, contrived by man. He does not initiate the faith. It is not of himself. He cannot boast in it.
It is the Lord’s inspiration that lights our candle of belief, and it will grow and swell and bloom and come to full fruition in the End. Jesus starts it and He ends it. It is always His faith…” IN THE BEGINNING—Part 17—The Beginning and The End of Faith by Elwin Roach.
So it is in Jesus Christ, the substance of all things seen and unseen, that we live and move and have our being. This is easy in the things which God in Christ has done and already accomplished in our lives. Is it not so? But what about those things which still need to be accomplished, those things unseen?
Man does not live by bread alone, but by every spoken WORD of the Lord our God; the same spoken WORD by which the ages have been framed so that the things we now see were shown forth from evidence then not yet in existence. Know of a surety dear brother and sister that the ages have been thoroughly framed/adjusted. Things we now see, accomplished in our lives, came from evidence that we could not then perceive; why do we question that it cannot or will not be the same with those things that we as yet do not see? Are we living by bread (that which is of and pertaining to the natural), or by the rhema word of God (that which is of the Spirit), which He gives to us?
It is by faith that we perceive anything of God’s working in us, more specifically, by His faith. His faith given to us; His faith which works within us; His faith coming straight from the throne of God which cannot fail, because it is the result of His word, His rhema, spoken word, going forth which cannot return unto Him void, it is his faith which comes out of hearing, and hearing through the rhema spoken word of God. For it is by His faith that the Ancients, the elders, the people of ages past, the saints of old (Read Hebrews 11:4 –the end of the chapter.), obtained a good report and won approval of God. “Faith (which comes from hearing the spoken rhema word of God—Author’s note) gives substance to our hope and convinces us of realities we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1 from the Revised English Bible) Using the analogy of the candle which Brother Elwin mentioned above, it is comprised of two elements, faith which I would deem to be the wax out of which the candle is made, and hope which I would call the wick. A candle without a wick of hope is just a lump of wax. Oh it might look real pretty, and it might even smell nice, but it will not be able to serve in its primary function; namely to hold and sustain a flame of fire for light. Even so, our faith might be such a great faith, but without the wick of hope, reaching into the heavenlies, it is likened unto a great lump of wax, totally useless, even though it looks and smells real pretty. On the other hand, a wick of hope, without the wax of faith to hold and support it and provide a means to dampen the flame would quickly be consumed and would still provide no light. It is the mixing of the two, faith and hope, in Jesus Christ, that sustainable light can be attained. We know that the faith is His faith, and it is God who gives the inspiration to light our little candle of belief; but what about the hope, where does it come from? Read Acts 2:26 and its reference, Psalm 16:8. “Therefore did my heart rejoice…”
Hope more or hopeless
Now, here, we come to the crux of our human existence. If we are human, we hope, do we not? We hope because we have yet to attain. For if you have already attained that which you hope for, why do you yet hope for it? Scripture tells us that the entire creation groans and yearns for the manifestation (unveiling-revelation-appearing) of God’s sons to be brought forth in the very power and glory of God Himself. And that we ourselves groan within our selves waiting for the fulfillment of His adoption, our placement as sons, which is to know experientially the redemption of our bodies (paraphrase of Rom. 8:19-24). It is the crux of our human existence because “from the dawn of time, man has considered the world around him. He in fear or wonder, has believed that there were forces greater than himself…Man in the depths of his being believes in something which is more powerful than he alone can wield or control” Faith--part 1. Even psychologists and social scientists will tell you that we all have this need to belong to something which is greater than ourselves. We feel a need to be a part of that which framed the ages.
I recently did a word study on hope. You know, it is amazing how much I did not know concerning this simplest of subjects. Did you know that we were saved by hope (Rom. 8:24)? Did you know that we rejoice, boast and glory, in hope of the glory of God (Rom. 5:2)? Did you know that the word hope, elpis—Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance reference number 1680, pronounced, (I think) el-pess, means to anticipate, usually with pleasure, an expectation, or confidence. Did you know that our God is the God of hope (Rom. 15:13)? Did you know that Christ in you IS the hope of glory (Col. 1:27)? Did you know that the hope of the life of the ages [His light was/is the light of men (John 1:4).] was promised in God before the beginning of time (Tit. 1:2)? Did you know that this hope of Christ in you is an anchor to our souls (Heb. 6:18-19)? Did you know that this anchor goes into those things we cannot see, providing us with a steadfast expectation based upon two things which cannot change, the promise and the oath of God (Heb. 6:18-19)? Did you know that this hope of Christ in you is a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ out from the dead (1Pet. 1:3)? Did you know that through Him (Jesus Christ) we believe in God that raised Him up out from the dead, that our faith and hope might be in God (1Pet. 1:21)? Did you know that we give answer to every one who asks of the hope in us with meekness and Holy fear (1Pet. 3:15)? Did you know that everyone who has this hope of Christ in you purifies him or herself even as He (God) is pure (1John 3:3)? I didn’t know all of this. Hope to me was just hope. I knew that the hope was Christ in me the hope of glory, but beyond that, my limited conception of the hope in God was very vague. I mean, come on, everybody knows what hope means, right? Well, it shows to go ya, what we do not know could fill up the ocean; and in fact does, as the ocean or sea, in scripture, represents the unregenerated masses of humanity who do not know Him. They do not have this hope; and it is this hope of Christ in you and in me which will be revealed at the appearing or manifestation of Jesus Christ within us that they groan and travail to see. It is this unveiling for which all creation, the ocean of unregenerated souls, needs and seeks. What they do not know is not a what at all, but rather a whom, Jesus Christ. And we, as the firstfruits of His inheritance, have this treasure in earthen vessels that the glory might belong to God and His son Jesus Christ whom He (God) has sent.
The point though is this, the hope we have, is found and founded in Jesus Christ. It is a living hope, which works in us as an anchor steadfastly held by the promise and the oath of God. It was God who raised up Jesus out from the dead, who is now seated in the heavens at the right hand of God our heavenly Father. If He raised up Jesus, He shall also quicken our mortal bodies as His Spirit is in us and we are coming into union with Him through Jesus Christ. Mortal man cannot nor need not, of himself, hope more, increase the amount of hope he has. But neither can he be completely hopeless, from a Godly minded perspective, as it is God who will have all men to be saved; and it is God who has adjusted the ages accordingly. In the hope of resurrection out from the dead, we indeed hope in God through Jesus Christ. Not only physical death, but also the death that works in us by the death or sin nature of Adam.
I don’t know about you, but I have a strong expectation and confidence, anticipating with great pleasure the unveiling of Christ in me and the glory and power of the living God that is to be revealed at His appearing. He told me I am a new creation; I have faith and hope in this very thing; because it came to me out of the mouth of God, in His Spirit. So in Him, I live, move and have my being. This faith and hope, present in me, came out of Jesus Christ, Who is the WORD. By it, I am going through Jesus Christ in transformation, to find my conclusion and triumph IN JESUS Christ. To Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, the Author and Finisher of the ALL THINGS, belong all glory, power and honor of the ages, worthy indeed is the Lamb of God. Amen…Let it be!
This concludes my articles on Faith, joy and peace to all who read in Christ Jesus…Larry.
References: Emphatic Diaglott, The Amplified Bible, Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible, Elwin Roach IN THE BEGINNING—Part 17—The Beginning and the End of Faith, The Revised English Bible, Larry Hakala Faith—Part 1, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, The Companion Bible with the King James Version.
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