Monday, December 28, 2009

What Is Your Faith In?

Today in church as I eagerly awaited our Pastor's sermon in Acts, my thoughts drifted back to junior year at Northwestern and my Romans and Galatians class. There I was sitting at my desk listening to the lecture when the words of the professor caught my heart. As I dedicated my full attention to his words I heard him pose this question which almost three years later I now will pose to you...
Are we justified by the faith of Jesus Christ or by faith in Jesus Christ?
He brought up this question in relation to Galatians 2:16 which in the King James Version reads
"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" But in the ESV, "Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified."
You may be asking yourself, what is the difference between the two? Or why is this question important?
Let me first start by presenting the dramatic difference that the answer to this question brings to the life of a believer. If you are justified by the faith of Jesus Christ, then it is HIS FAITH that has given you peace with God, access to God, and His faith which has made it possible for all of your sins to be forgiven and you to live eternally with God. However if it is faith in Jesus Christ that has justified it is the believers faith which has caused these things to be so.
At this point you may be saying to yourself is not it both working together His faith and our faith that accomplishes justification for the believer? The answer to this question is yes and no :) Let me explain... It is the faith of Christ that has accomplished justification for all men who believe... It is our faith that appropriates this justification to our account. Romans 3:22 also explains that our righteousness (justification) was accomplished by the faith of Jesus Christ: "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ  unto all and upon all them that believe" however again the ESV translation changes the faith that provides righteousness to our faith "the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe."
Now, here is the essence of why this concept of us being justified by the faith of Jesus Christ is so important for us to understand: Christ's faith is perfect. Unlike our own faith which can be wavering and often tossed too and fro Christ's faith was completely perfectly faithful.
Christ went to Calvary in absolute confidence that his death would pay for the justification of all that would trust in Him. Jesus Christ was the first person to believe in God's plan of salvation. He left heavens glory in obedience to the Father and committed Himself to the Father's will. Christ's faith is trustworthy. And it is His faith which justifies the believer, it is our faith which appropriates this justification to our account.
Our faith rests in His faith which accomplished the finished work of the cross. Galatians 2:20 " I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith  of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Again the ESV translates this differently; "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Without His faith our faith has nothing to rest in, this is why the King James Version makes it clear that it is first His faith and then our faith in His. Christ's faith worked alone in accomplishing justification for all who would believe. Christ's faith and our faith work together as we believe in His faith and it is appropriated to us. If you take out His faith you are left with nothing to have faith in!
Unto His Glory!

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