“He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;” —Romans 4:20
In our last lesson we examined what it means to be “Strong in Faith.” In this lesson we will examine how we are strengthened in faith.
As a quick reminder, being strong faith means this: stepping out appropriately based upon what God has said, what God has declared, and what God has promised in His holy Word.
How we are strengthened in faith is not the general answer as in how strong faith is defined. To be strengthened in faith has some specifics since the fullness of time has revealed the New Testament promises; and those specifics are addressed in these last verses of Romans 4.
“Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him” (Romans 4:23). Scripture doesn’t declare that Abraham was counted righteous by God for his faith because it was just for Abraham alone; God was establishing a precedent in faith that far exceeded the life of Abraham. It was not only for him…
“But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:24-25). It was for everyone who would be saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead following His penal substitutionary sacrifice for the sins.
Abraham believed that God would raise his dead loins and Sarah’s dead womb to manifest God’s declared promise by bringing forth a son. How much more will God impute righteousness unto us who believed that Jesus Christ, being the one and only, very Son of God, was raised from the dead in power and glory? who was turned over to be crucified for our offenses? who received the punishment of God’s wrath in holy justice as the sufficient and satisfying Substitute? and whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins? How much more will God impute righteousness unto the soul who believes the crucifixion of Christ as the most infinitely holy and eternally glorious manifestation and demonstration of God’s grace that the universe has ever seen or ever will witness? God has promised LIFE to those who believe this truth.
Strong Christian faith is stepping out appropriately based upon what God has said, what God has declared, and what God has promised in the death, burial, resurrection, ascension and return of Jesus Christ according to Scripture.
So how are we strengthened in faith? First, we must remember that faith is imparted as a gift of God:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” —Ephesians 2:8
Because it is a gift, when it is received by the person God is saving, that faith becomes his; it becomes hers. (Remember, Adam’s sin of disobedience, at its base, was faithlessness; he failed to step out appropriately upon what God has said, what God has declared, and what God had promised.) Therefore, just because we have received this gift, we should not think that every decision we make is full of faith. We have not been made righteous, we have Christ’s righteousness imputed to us; we are counted as having Christ’s righteousness.
So faith is strengthened because it is the work of God and flourishes because it is the fruit of God. Faith is the work of God:
“Then said they unto [Jesus], What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.” —John 6:28-29
Faith is also the fruit of God:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love: joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” —Galatians 5:22
We all know those Scripture references but what does it mean that faith is strengthened as God’s work and flourishes (or grows) as the fruit of God?
First, as Sovereign, God places every circumstance in order so that we may be conformed to the image of Christ:
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” —Romans 8:28-29
Yet, one of the things that it means when it says that “all things work together for good” is that God is providentially providing for His children every opportunity for faith to work through love:
“For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.” —Galatians 5:5-6, NASB
Since the crucifixion of Christ is the most infinitely holy manifestation of God’s grace, and the most eternally glorious demonstration of God’s love that the universe has ever seen, or will see, then faith is strengthened by seeing the Cross of Christ through spiritual eyes from the hearing of God’s Word. As a result, we step out appropriately by faith in God’s truth of Calvary’s Cross, by faith in God’s declarations by the atoning death of Christ, and by faith in God’s promises in His Son’s atoning death, because God has sealed it with the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
If it is true Biblical saving faith, then our actions, by faith, must be based upon our minds being renewed by the truth of God’s Word, and most specifically, the truth of the death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and return of Christ; else it is not faith at all…
“…without faith it is impossible to please God.“
—Hebrews 11:6“…whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”
—Romans 14:23
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