Christ’s
Faith Working Within Us
By
Arthur J Licursi
Gal
2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I
live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I
now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of
God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Ephes.
1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in Christ:
Heb
11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen.
Romans
10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God
Ephes.
2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
The
Christian’s Problem – A Lack of Faith
The
most common problem among the regenerated children of God is
that they do not believe God's Word to the point of enjoying
the benefit of the indwelling Christ, who is renewing their
soul. All believers trust in their salvation from perdition
through Christ’s vicarious work on the cross, but most have
yet see and believe they are dead in Christ (Rom 6:6a, Gal
2:20a) and have become new creatures in Christ (2Cor 5:17);
that they’re now equipped to overcome all the issues of life
by His indwelling life. Hebrews 4:2 “…the
word preached did not profit them not being
mixed with faith in them that heard it.” God's Word
is trustworthy, but of no benefit if we do not trust Him.
Trusting our emotions or our experience will fail us.
God’s
word says the Lord Jesus is not only our righteousness (2Cor
5:21), but that Christ has become our sanctification (1Cor
1:30), by living within and through us (Heb
2:11) as the new us (Gal 2:20). This
is indwelling supply of Christ’s life is the core of
Paul’s mystery Gospel, revealed to him directly by the
ascended Jesus Christ. Christ is not only our righteousness,
but also our present, ongoing, sanctification. We must come
to believe that He is our life as our all. Such “coming
to believe” requires revelation by the indwelling Spirit
of Christ. We don’t have to feel that Christ is our life and
our sanctification. When God reveals to us that Christ is now
our life (Col 3:4a), we’ll confess Christ is our life. When
God reveals that our old man has died in Christ,
we’ll agree that our old man was crucified in Christ. When
God reveals Christ as our sanctification, we say Christ is our
sanctification. When God reveals that Christ is our all,
we’ll say He is our all. Whatever God says by revelation,
we’ll believe (trust in, cling to, and rely upon). Such
trust is faith working, because trust is an
ongoing belief through a period of time, without having any
visible evidence!
What
is Faith?
Heb
11:1 Now faith is the substance of
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
This is the only verse in the Bible that gives us such
a succinct definition of faith. The word "substance"
transliterated from the Greek word “histemi,” means
“the concrete essence, or that which is behind or
supporting” – in practical terms it means “the
concrete evidence by which we may know something to be real”.
For example, there is a picture full of colors, but they can
be proven or substantiated only through the eyes. Without our
eyes seeing, the colors could not be substantiated. Similarly,
the sound of the organ is beautiful and it can only be proven
or substantiated only by the ears hearing. Therefore, it is
one thing for objects to exist, and it is another thing for
the existence of these things to be substantiated or made real
to us.
Likewise,
faith makes God real to us. All of the Bible facts of God are
real. However, these facts of God can be substantiated by us
only through faith. Such faith is the substantiation of things
hoped for and the evidentiary conviction that we have of the
things not seen…yet that we know them to be real.
A painting may have
beautiful scenery, but a blind man cannot see it. The blind
man can’t say the painting doesn’t exist only because he
has not seen it. That the painting exists is a fact, as
God’s truth is fact. The real question is whether or not you
have received the benefit from the painting…or of God’s
truth. Only those with sight will find enjoyment receive the
benefit from the painting …or of God. In order to see
God’s truth must use the proper organ, our human spirit, in
which “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” dwells.
1
Cor. 2:10-12 But God hath revealed them unto us by his
Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep
things of God. 11For what man knoweth the
things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in
him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the
Spirit of God. 12Now we have received,
not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of
God; that we might know the things that are freely
given to us of God.
1
Cor. 2:14But the natural (psuchikos, man of the
soul, emotion, mind, will) man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they
are spiritually discerned.
How
much do we know of the Cross of Christ as our Cross?
We
as Christians all know the truth that Lord has died and shed
His blood on the cross for us. Yet only some see that
He has also given His very life to indwell us (Gal 2:20). Some
see this truth, and thereby spontaneously, they have the faith
to substantiate this fact of both the Lord's death and
life to them; it is only they who receive the benefit
of His indwelling. Non-believers of course do not see either
the aspect of Christ death for them,
or His death as them; or His resurrection life as
their new life, thus they do not have faith sufficient
to trust in, cling to, and rely upon these facts of the
Lord’s working on their behalf. Many genuine Christians have
never “seen” this truth sufficiently to identify
with the death of the Lord on the cross as being their
death, and His resurrection life now indwelling them
as their life. Though these are facts,
they are unable to experience or appropriate the power of
these truths in their lives.
Hope
Alone, Is Not Faith
We
might consider what faith is not. Faith
is not hope. Those who have only hope do not
necessarily have faith. When you talk to others about
overcoming in the midst of trial and ask whether they have
overcome, you know that they do not have faith if they answer,
"I hope I will overcome this." This is like
talking to someone about salvation and he tells you that he
hopes he is saved, you know that he does not have saving faith
yet. Some people constantly hope that the Lord will
save them, and they constantly hope that the Lord will
help them overcome. Some people constantly pray and ask the
Lord to make them overcome. Some people constantly wait
for the Lord to make them overcome. Some people claim
that they have surrendered and believed, but they hope and
wait to see whether it will work. If they hope and wait and
see whether this works, it will never work, because faith
is not hope.
Faith
is NOT a Feeling
There
are some occasions when emotion or feelings are useful to the
Lord. However, feelings are useless in understanding and
appropriating the things of God. Some believers may say they
have surrendered and believed that the Lord is living in them,
but they dare not say that they have overcome. This was
because, from the day they received the Lord, they have never
had any feeling about it. The sense of the souls emotion, can
not confirm spiritual truth. We must be keyed to the proper
sense. The hand can touch physical things and sense their
temperature; it cannot see a picture – we must use the
correct organ that is for seeing – they eyes. Similarly,
spiritual things can be substantiated only by faith that is of
the spirit; they cannot be substantiated by feelings. We
overcome because of the Word of God. God speaks, and it is
done. This is not a matter of feeling some kind of strength or
experiencing some exuberant sensation for a few days. Feelings
may come and go but truth is eternal. In order to overcome,
there needs to be only a spirit quickened word from the Lord
for us to believe. The one inner sense we as Christians should
have as our marker to indicate our union with Him is the sense
of rest and peace; this is not emotion, but a sense of
well-being that we have by Christ in us – it may be enjoyed
(sensed) so long as we trust Him.
A
Substantiating Faith
Spiritually,
believing is the substantiation or making real of spiritual
truth or fact. Once we see something with our spiritual eyes
(that’s revelation), it is then spontaneously substantiated
with belief. We see first, then we automatically believe; we
have substantiated the facts; it is then that we have faith
that it is unshakable. Once you are saved by believing, who
can dissuade you of your salvation by Christ’s work on the
cross and for you? There is no more hoping, you just know
because you know, inwardly. This knowing was acquired by
having seen with spiritual eyes, sufficiently to automatically
believe. We have belief and are committed to the degree that
we have seen. Hence we can never commit ourselves to
what someone else has seen – even if it is our parents or
the Pastor. If you do not have a believing faith built upon
seeing, you cannot substantiate the facts. The color of a
painting can be substantiated only by the eyes, the sound of
an organ can be substantiated only by the ears, and the
texture of an object can be substantiated only by the touch of
hands. Actually, the old saying “Seeing is believing”
is quite true in the spiritual realm. We possess a spiritual
sensory organ in our spirit, it permits us to see and hear
spiritually – we have conscience, intuition, and sense of
union with the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus who indwelling
spirit. In that union we are full of faith since we are full
of Christ (Col. 2:10, “ye are complete in Him”).
Note that it was no problem for the blind man of John 9 to
believe after receiving his sight from the Lord.
In
the same way, God's Word (Christ Himself, John 1:1) and all
that He is can only be substantiated by faith. We shouldn’t
have to hesitantly pray to God, saying, "Lord, please
give my victory, give me peace and sanctify me."
Sadly, this is the way most Christians pray and approach there
relationship with God. They do not yet see to know who they
really are in relation to the Lord –already “seated in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus”. Such a one likely does
not know Christ lives within their spirit as their all.
Rather,
we should say, "I thank and praise You Lord, because
You are my life, my peace, my rest, and You are my
sanctification. I thank and praise You!" Such a one
can only say this because they first have “seen” the
truth, which permits them to believe. When we see with our
spiritual eyes, we cannot help but believe. I’ve personally
come to describe faith for Christians as follows - Faith is
our automatic response to having seen that which is of the
Lord.
Have
you noticed the Apostle Paul says almost nothing of the word
“worship,” which so many Christians make the centerpiece
of their Sunday experience? Rather, Paul uses the words
“thanks,” “thankful” and “thanksgiving” over
thirty times. We will only truly thank God when we’ve
“seen and believed” something of God. It may be easy to
worship outwardly in song because it stirs our soul’s
emotion (quite apart our spirit), and still not even believe
the words we sing; but actually having a true heart full of
thanksgiving only springs out of having seen and trusted the
facts of God toward us – this is faith.
More
Sight Needed for More Faith
We
must see in order to believe? All God’s regenerated
children have had some degree of “seeing”. Yet
consider Paul’s prayer for the believers at the Ephesian
church.
Ephes.
1:16-18 (I Paul) “Cease not to give thanks
for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17That
the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may
give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of him: 18The eyes of your
understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the
hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his
inheritance in the saints”
The
Ephesians were regenerated believers, but Paul knew that they
needed to see even more of their relationship with Christ.
Paul also knew that he could not impart revelation, so He
asked the Lord. We all start from darkness and need the ever
increasing light of God as we walk and grow in the Lord. If we
lack spiritual light and sight concerning all that Christ is
to us it is only because we have not had enlightenment by “the
spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him”.
If as Christians we stay in darkness we will only practice the
outward things of religion – which consist of hoping, doing,
and not doing certain things. This was Paul’s concern for
the Galatians and all the churches which were plagued by
religion and its outward demands, which demands have the power
to separate believers from the Christ who indwells their
spirit – making “Christ of no effect” (Gal 5:4).
Christ is not gone – just ignored by the believer, only
because the do not yet see all that Christ is; thus they do
not yet believe all that Christ is meant to be to them.
“How
may I receive revelation?”
If
we see that we need revelation, then, we might ask – “How
do I receive revelation?” We see by Paul’s prayer
above (Ephesians 1:16-18), only God, to whom He prayed, can
give revelation. Only God controls revelation; recognizing
this fact, the mighty Paul prayed to God for revelation for
the believers at
Ephesus
. If you lack revelation sufficient to believe – then
sincerely ask God – and He will reveal Christ - “the
revelation in the knowledge of Him”. Revelation of
Christ is the answer to our lack of faith. Once revelation is
received we have the “faith that is of (ek,
out from) the Son of God (Gal 2:20b, KJV).”
Have you had a revelation of Christ in you as
your new and overcoming life? Since Christ is all, then
He in you is your faith. Note here in Gal 2:20 whose
faith it is that we are to live by while in these bodies.
Only
the KJV agrees with this, as from the Greek. Gal 2:20 (KJV)
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I,
but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the
flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who
loved me, and gave himself for me.
So,
Christ in me is my faith – then the revelation I need
is of or from Christ who
lives in me. Christ Spirit is the revelator in us
after salvation. Paul says, “Ephes. 2:8 For by grace
are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: Christ
is the only one who knows, has faith in, and
trusts the Father, and Christ lives in us. Then the revelation
I need is not of God’s power to make me this or that, but it
is to see that Christ is all and that He lives in me as my
all, …as the entirely new me.
Faith
Cometh by Hearing the Word of God
Paul
also writes this. Romans 10:17 So then faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Faith
comes by hearing with ears that are made sensitive to the
voice of God. The Greek for “faith” here is “rhema”,
which is the spoken word. This is not the
written or studied word – however, God’s speaking to us
may, and often does come via our having read or heard the
spoken word called the Bible, which carried God’s Spirit
anointing for revelation to us. The revelational anointing
that is God’s “spirit of revelation” may or may
not be upon His words that are preached or written at a
particular time.
I
met with a Christian friend of mine, Peter Dodds, in South
Africa, he once said “Words are the currency of the
Spirit”, that is His Spirit speaks words into our being,
conscience and mind; and they have creative power. Those words
bear the creative life-giving power of God, just as He once
spoke the worlds into existence. Today He, by the indwelling
spirit of Christ, speaks revelatory, faith-giving words into
us.
Jesus
said “my words are spirit and life” (John 6:63) and
also that “my sheep hear my voice” John 10:27).
Hearing is something internal, not seen visually. The
words in the Bible may be seen; but their power may not become
real until the spirit makes them revelatory to us. We all must
admit there are times we read the Bible and its just words on
paper – like a newspaper. Other times, it is alive to us. We
need the Spirit to anoint the Bible’s words for us, such
that they become revelatory to us.
Suffering
Permits More Revelatory Seeing & More Faith
The
sound of the organ is very beautiful, but it can be
substantiated only by the ears that hear. God knows the
ears of the innermost hearts of those who desire Him and He
will fill their longing to know Him; He alone can satisfy the
hungry heart. Paul in his latter days still said he desired to
experientially know the inexhaustible Lord to an even
greater degree. Philip. 3:10 “That I may
know him (ginosko, know experientially), and the
power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his
sufferings, being made conformable unto his death”
Often our revelation of Him as our all comes out of our
suffering to the point of dying to our soul’s self-interest
and self-reliance – to turn us to Him in our Spirit, with
a singleness of heart. In such a turning we gain
more sight, a greater view, of the Lord and thereby more faith
in Him. If we continue to rely upon our self we can never know
the sufficiency of the Lord.
We
encounter temptations and trials all the time. Many
difficulties situations and circumstances confront us. Should
we pray for God to give us the strength to overcome, give us
peace? No! Seeing that we have already been
blessed with all spiritual blessing in heavenly places in
Christ, then God has already supplied us everything
according to His living Word – which is Christ in us as our
life. God does not give us these things as being separate from
Christ, who Himself is our peace, our wisdom, our
sanctification, etc, and our very life. Christ is our victory,
our peace our all, our very life. The problem is not any lack
of the supply of Christ; it is our lack of seeing Christ
sufficiently to have the faith and trust needed.
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