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Bible Topics |
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Faith & Forgiveness |
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People have tended to misunderstand faith and forgiveness. Faith is the assurance for things hoped for, conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 Forgiveness is a command for believers. Why? Since Jesus Christ has forgiven the believer of all sins, you need to turn others over to him, for vengeance is the Lord’s. Why does it seem so difficult to forgive others? Maybe one is holding on to something that dos not belong to you or maybe you have wronged someone else and need to seek forgiveness. Regardless, if the forgiveness does not take place you will damage your soul. You may say, you do not know what was done to you Forgiveness does not excuse anyone, it does not mean you approve of what happened. No, to the contrary, the Lord knows all things, and he is waiting to free you from the situation. How much faith is necessary in any situation? Jesus, during his ministry said, if you have faith like a mustard seed, you can move mountains. He was speaking spiritually, not physically, Having faith is not moving mountains the mountains are barriers or obstacles blocking you from achieving something. The mustard seed sown turns into a large shrub. He used this analogy because the mustard seed is the smallest seed and the result produces the largest herb. So, the question arises who is the seed and who is the plant. Putting it another way, it is not having great faith but rather having faith in a great Lord. The Lord is the one who removes mountains or obstacles. You need to have faith in Him. The first need of faith for you is found in Ephesians 2:8, which deals with salvation. The verse goes something like this, one is saved by grace through faith, that no one can boast. The problem can be, are we saved by our faith, because that can refer to works. The Bible’s original language for the New Testament is Greek, the work that needs to agree with the gender of grace or faith. The gender only agrees with grace. So, what is the point? The answer is, everything! Grace is what was produced on the cross, it is unmerited favor. You cannot earn it, you cannot buy it, it is free. If faith is based on the degree or amount, how much faith would you need to be saved? The is the message of the Gospel. God would not create a situation where some people have an advantage over others. No, the ground around the cross is level and open to all people regardless of what they may have done including murder! |
