I BELIEVE—session (1)
What do we believe? As I have said previously, actions spring from a belief system.
The Creed (Belief)
What do we believe? As I have said previously, actions spring from a belief system.
John 1:12-13 Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
1 Peter 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried: he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Belief is the persuasion of the truth or the assent/approval of the mind to the truth of a declaration. Acts 26:27-29 NIV King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.” Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes to you. Then you will be my witnesses to testify about me in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Paul is not speaking plain words before King Agrippa; instead, the life of Christ in Paul is on display before the King. Paul’s message and preaching were not with wise and persuasive words but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power; the faith of the hearers might not rest on human wisdom but on God’s power. In Galatians, we see the transactions that produce Paul’s testimony/witness – he says the gospel he preaches did not have human origin; he received it by revelation from Jesus Christ, and he can clearly tell the story and processes that have produced his life. Grace has become his identity Christ in him the hope of glory)
1 John 1:1-4 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.
Testify=To affirm or declare solemnly to establish a fact.
Testify=To affirm or declare solemnly to establish a fact.
Witness = Someone who sees, knows, or experiences something. John the Baptist was a witness to the truth. He pointed men to Jesus as the Savior of the World.
John 1:7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
Jesus is the Truth, the Way, and the Life. The invisible Word takes on human flesh full of Grace and Truth. The Word of God became human and dwells in me by faith. I am His address. This is God’s logic: we are included in Christ in the eternal friendship between the Father and the Son. Ephesians 1:4 For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will.
A witness in Greek is MARTUS or MARTUR, meaning one who has seen, heard, or knows about the Lord Jesus Christ and is willing to stand up for that belief EVEN under pressure to deny Christ. Acts 22:19-21: “‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. 20 And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ 21 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
Matthew 16:24-25 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Galatians 2:20: 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.
In Christ, pride of life, lust of the flesh, and lust of the eyes are no longer the basis for decisions, thoughts, and actions; instead, being led by the Spirit is. Belief empowers behavior. A witness presents testimony of the truth they have seen, heard, handled, and experienced. WE BELIEVE, SO WE SPEAK! We ask for accurate hearing in the name of the unveiled truth in the name of Jesus. Through the agency of the Holy Ghost, we engage our souls fully with the purifying effect of our inclusion in His glorious work of redeeming us. We rejoice in the everlasting success of the FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST.
Christ is my new identity, I am a son of God
- In Christ, the original life of the Father is the life that the Spirit of God conducts in us. In 1 Peter 2:5, we are told that we serve as holy priests, offering up spiritual sacrifices that our Father readily accepts through Jesus Christ. There is no new identity for me without Christ; He is the means by which I live a life that pleases the Father.
- My worth, value, and weight is Christ’s great worth, His preciousness imparted to me. Impart means transfer. His preciousness is transferred to me. By faith, we yield to the process through which His preciousness is transferred to us. Interestingly, we are told that they stumble because they refuse to believe. What did they refuse to believe? Last week, we looked at Jesus being charged and sentenced to death over His identity as a son of God; the Pharisees refused to accept Him as the path to God. HE IS THE WAY.
- Let’s talk about unbelief. It’s been suggested that those who don’t believe often see their “unbelief” as a symbol of intellectual superiority. Here’s an example of this unbelief in action. John 18:19-24 Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20 “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. 21 Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely, they know what I said.”22 When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded. 23 “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” 24 Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
- I would like to share about the Holy Spirit. He is the One that regenerates us so that Romans 7:25 can become our experience. Titus 3:4-5 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Regeneration is the impartation of spiritual life to those who were dead in their trespasses (Ephesians 2) – This new identity cannot be lived apart from the Holy Ghost imparting this new life, and the believer adhering to the Word of God- His instructions.
- The mere externalities of religion are not enough. I must be born again; that is the only way I can become a partaker of the Divine Nature.
Before we offer feedback, it’s important to remember that Grace molds us, but we must wholeheartedly dedicate ourselves to the process. 1 Corinthians 15:10 But God’s amazing grace has made me who I am! And his grace to me was not fruitless. In fact, I worked harder than all the rest, yet not in my own strength but God’s, for his empowering grace is poured out upon me.
