Monday, October 24, 2011

Perfect Faith

Is there such a thing as "Perfect Faith?"

Yes.

Perfect faith and being a perfect person is not the same thing.

Can a person who is not perfect have perfect faith?

Yes.

Sin by its nature makes anyone less than perfect. No person who is a sinner is perfect as related to spiritual purity and holiness. God is perfect in purity and holiness because he has never sinned. By sin I mean perform some act that was unholy, profane, or evil. God has never done an evil thing. God has never done an unholy thing. God is not a profane being. Therefore he is holy. Therefore he is pure and righteous. God is an example of perfect conduct. Let us then be holy as God is holy in all manner of conversation (behavior or conduct). In our flesh we can not achieve this perfection without the help of God. No one can live a holiness life without God's help. We need God. Every one of us need God. But God will not hear us if we reject in our minds to do what he will tell us. He will leave us in our imperfections, our sins, our evils, our hurts, our sorrows, our lost condition, and our problems. There is a way to show God we are humbled, we are ready to listen and follow his way.

Perfect faith.

In Hebrews chapter 11 there are many examples of perfect faith. The perfect faith of Abel, the perfect faith of Enoch, the perfect faith Noah, the perfect faith of Abraham, the perfect faith of Sarah, the perfect faith of Isaac, the perfect faith of Jacob, the perfect faith of Joseph, the perfect faith of Moses, the perfect faith of Rahab, the perfect faith of many who were un-named. And at last Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Perfect faith, our faith, which was the greatest of all faiths ever demonstrated in the world. Jesus brought to us not an equal faith but a greater faith. He brought to us the completion of Old Testament faith. He brought to us PERFECT FAITH. Jesus is the author and finisher of this PERFECT FAITH.

I have been in an argument with an Evangelical pastor who claims water baptism is works. He claims there is no merit or blessing in our water baptism. He boasts that it does not matter what words are spoken when a person is baptized, it is the act that counts. And this act only symbolizes a person's identity with Christ. It is an outward show of an inward confession. It does nothing spiritually for the candidate, but is a sign to those observing. I cornered this pastor with baptism done in the name of Allah if words do not matter. That his baptisms were faithless. That if the act has no essentially then a person need NEVER to identify with Christ, or give an outward show of an inward work. He became very angry and said I was putting words into his mouth. And I was trying to say what he believed when I did not know what he believed. I told him his words did betray him. I also told him he did not have perfect faith. And this angered him the most. You see, he was trying to prove to me that his faith, his baptismless religion, his belief in faith only salvation: was the perfect faith and mine was evil, sinful, and wicked, because I believed in the works of water baptism.

Ok, let me make it clear here as I did to this Evangelical Catholic preacher. True, I do not believe in the trinity. I am a confessed Oneness. I am a confessed Patripassian. I am a confessed Modalist. I am a confessed Monarchian. I am a confessed believer in the annual Passover of Christ on Abib 15. I am a confessed believer in outward holiness. I am a confessed believer in the Apostle's Doctrine. I am a confessed believer in the infilling of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance. I am a confessed believer in the Post-Tribulation rapture and coming of Jesus. I am a confessed futurist when it comes to eschatology. I am a confessed believer that Jesus is God and he is Lord and Christ, Father and Son. So, I confess the Father and the Son. I am a New Testament Believer. And I preach the Truth. Why all this?

Because I am working my way to glory. I am working perfect faith.

Yes, PERFECT FAITH.

I want to encourage all of you, not to think of your own personal life as being perfect. You may be less than perfect because you are still working out your salvation with fear and trembling. But this does not mean that while you are working out these things you can reject the Truth. That you do not need to be in the House of God faithfully. That you can wait until you are a perfect person to be baptized. Or you will put off seeking for the Holy Ghost at the altar because you are not a perfect person yet. You can still reach for that perfect faith even if you are not perfect.

It is in the works of perfect faith that you will perfect yourself.

Yes, if you come to the Lord and repent. And if this repentance is by faith, then your repentance is the beginning of your works of perfect faith. Yes, I admit that repenting is a work. I confess that when a person falls down and opens their heart and makes full confession to God, this is works. I confess that as they weep and cry their way into the presence of God, this is the work of a human being trying to present themselves to God as a sinner. How else do we expect a sinner to do their first works? First works? Why of course. When the preaching pricks our heart and we choose that moment to surrender to the call of God to be saved, this mental decision will begin instantly to produce works in our actions. We who would not pray begin praying. We who refused to go to the altar and seek God, walk the isle and come forth from among the dead, to begin a new life. We have not attained it yet. We have not apprehended it yet. We step forth from the world to begin a walk with God. We leave our seat and walk the isle to the altar. And here, the works of salvation begin. The perfect faith begins. And and all faith exercised in salvation is perfect faith.

You see, all that is in the world, the lusts, the evil, the wickedness, the manner of life: all these will not let perfect faith operate. In fact, while a person is dead in their sins and trespasses they cannot have or release perfect faith. They will always say "no", "not now". "some other day". And they will not walk the isle and come forth from among the living dead. It is only at the moment we break free, we shake off the world, say yes in our heart, and walk away from our sins, that perfect faith can at last come forth from our heart and soul before God.

If you will read the examples I previously gave in Hebrews chapter 11 of those who had perfect faith, you can see none of these were perfect people. They still had a lot of things going on in their lives but they had turned to God. And in this turn around life, this life of wanting to please God, do what was right, follow after righteousness, and to believe in God's way: it was the demonstration of perfect faith.

I remember well the Scripture: show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works. You see, the person who thinks they have faith and there are no works to prove it, these claim they have the perfect faith. But not so. They who have the perfect faith are those who show their faith by their works. So, we can see that by works faith is made perfect.

I know many of you are struggling. You are not perfect yet as a child of God. You are trying to do all you know how to do. Others are assaulting you telling you you don't have to do all that, just believe you are saved and don't worry about sinning. Don't worry about works. Don't even try to do spiritual and good works. They will quote you the Scripture that by works no man is justified. What they have done here is pervert the Word of God. We are not talking about works of the Law here, which Paul WAS talking about. But the works of faith, the works that faith brings into our lives, these works of God will justify you. Why? Because they are not works you invented or created to make God accept you. The works we do are the WORKS OF JESUS CHRIST. It is he who works in us. And we know he does nothing evil or worldly. With the works we do by the power of Jesus Christ, we know we are now entered into the works that make us perfect.

When this liberal and backslidden age fights against God in us, God in the Church, God in the Truth, and they start making provisions for the flesh: which is not at all the achievement of perfect faith; we know they are cursed. Within their rebellion they do the works of the devil. They turn and hate the Truth. They turn and hate men who stand up for and who preach the holiness way. These are devilish men and women and they will perish in their own corruptions. I have warned this generation. Others have warned this generation. The last day generation will have men of perfect faith preaching to them, like Noah, to repent and to get into the Church. The Church is the place where perfect works are carried out. Yes, it may demand you to walk away from family and friends. Yes, you must forsake your sinful life and evils. Yes, you must come through the door and be counted among the righteous. And yes, you must flee and run for your life. It won't be water but fire the next time. God may have said he would not destroy the world by water again. We know why. Because he said next time it will be by FIRE!

There are in the world a great people of God. Men and women, boys and girls, who are turning to God with all their hearts. They are forsaking the world and the lusts thereof. They are not going in the way of the heathens and the pagans. They are sanctifying themselves and coming forth unto God, their God, to do the works of perfect faith.

I am your friend.

My enemies do not want a friend like me.

They hate me because I refuse to accept their evil ways and evil works.

But, I am very content to continue on in the ways of works that bring perfect faith.

Actually, all that I do. All that I have done. All the works I have been busy doing all these years. All this is because I am doing works of perfect faith.  You can judge me but you cannot condmen me!

"Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect" (James 2:22).

And by my works I will be judged.
And by my works I will be rewarded.

Works that perfects faith.....

1 comment:

  1. Great study Bishop! I was really fed by this study this morning.I really bore witness to this in my own walk.Thanks for taking the time to obey the Lord to write this and post it.
    Brothe S.Sparks

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