“The just(tified) shall live by faith” (Gal. 3:11). Justification is the removal of all “sins of the PAST” (Rom. 3:24,25). Following justification and conversion (not salvation) the question then becomes “now what?” What is the convert to do once Jesus Christ has cleansed him ? Now that his PAST sins have been removed, how does he maintain his spiritually cleansed condition so as to remain justified and converted? Or is this necessary? The Counterfeit Church says “no,” the fix is in–nothing else need be done–just show up, ‘fess up, pay up and get ready to go up. Who is right– God or the church? Which is right–the Bible or church doctrine? Let God tell us in His Holy Scriptures.

In Galatians 3:11 the Apostle Paul tells us that in order to inherit eternal life we must live by faith. Faith in what? Faith that God and Christ exist? Faith that Christ died for our sins. Faith in the church? Exactly what is it that we must have faith in so as to live with the Lord eternally? Few church people know God’s answer; even fewer believe it; even fewer obey it. This explains Christ’s Words in Matthew 7:13,14 where He tells us that few would learn, believe and obey God’s Truth on the matter. Let us examine this most important Truth in detail.

Faith, as we are told in Romans 10:19: “comes by hearing, and hearing by THE WORD OF GOD.” Simply put, faith is knowing that what God has written in His Word is His Truth, which is what Jesus said to Him in John 17:17 when He confessed: “… Thy Word is Truth.” In the first part of that statement He asked the Father to sanctify His disciples THROUGH His Truth, which, as He said, was His Word. To “sanctify” means to set aside (separate) someone/something for holy use. In order to inherit life in the future we must be sanctified–set aside to obey God’s Word–in the present. In a sense, to be sanctified by God in His Word is like being an inmate in a prison where one’s activities are strictly regulated. The warden does not allow his prisoners to leave the prison at will so that they can break the law, then allow them to return to prison where their crimes are automatically forgiven upon confession and repentance of those crimes. Neither does God allow church people to sin at will–separate themselves from Him (Isa. 59:2)–then allow them to reenter His presence by confessing and repenting of their sins–transgressing His Law (1 Jn. 3:4). Every Word of God=His Law. Man must live (now) by EVERY WORD THAT COMES FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD” (Mat. 4:4). God spoke His Words to His prophets, apostles and His Son. These Words were recorded for “our instruction upon whom the ends of the world have come” (1 Cor. 10:11). GOD’S WORDS–ALL OF THEM–WERE WRITTEN FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH. Unfortunately, religious man does not believe it.

FAITH=KNOWING THAT GOD’S WORD IS TRUE, even when the mind can’t understand why it is true. I battled with this for several years, especially when I studied the Book of Romans in which Paul said that 1) we are no longer under the Law and 2) we are all under the Law. How could this be? I knew that both statements were God’s Truth because they were in His Word, the Word that I must believe and obey in order to receive eternal life. My mind simply could not grasp the two seemingly contradictory Truths. Then the Lord showed me that He had provided two separate Laws–one moral and eternal (the Ten Commandments) and one religious and temporary (the sacrificial law–Gal. 3:19). As Galatians tells us so plainly, the sacrificial law was “added because of transgressions (sins)” against the Ten Commandments. Jesus nailed the sacrificial law to His cross. Before God would reveal this Truth to me I had to prove that I believed both of the seemingly contradictory statements BECAUSE THEY WERE HIS WORDS. My human reasoning had nothing to do with it. Faith trumps human reasoning. Once I proved that I would take Him at His Word–EVEN WHEN MY INTELLECT REJECTED IT–He then, and only then, could show me why both statements were true. This is why He requires that we “Study to show thyself approved by GOD (not man)” (2 Tim. 2:15). Note that Paul was writing to Timothy, an established evangelist, telling him that he had to continue to study in order to learn the things of God and retain His approval. L.J.