What is Faith?

• Faith is a belief and conviction in things hoped for that cannot be seen.

Hebrews 11:1, 6

• The power and motivation of faith is in the hope it provides from the suffering God subjected creation to because of sin to draw us to him.

Romans 8:18-25, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, 2 Corinthians 5:7, 1 Peter 1:3-9

• Faith is not a belief only, but a conviction that is seen in our way of life.

Romans 12:1-2, James 2:14-25

Faith and Righteousness

• Our faith is in the principles of God’s righteousness and justice demonstrated in the sacrifice of Christ. By our faith in God’s righteousness and justice, God can show us mercy and grace to forgive us and make us righteous without compromising the justice of his sentence of death because of sin.

  Romans 3:25-26, 1 John 1:7-10

Mercy and Truth

• God’s character is a perfect blend of mercy and truth. He is able to show mercy without compromising his truth and justice through our faith.

  Exodus 34:6-7, Deuteronomy 5:7-10, Romans 11:22, Psalm 25:10, 85:9-11, 86:15, 89:14, 100:5, Proverbs 16:6, Micah 7:18-20

God’s Love

• In his great love for mankind, God sent his only Son as a sacrifice to save them from sin and death. God gives his love to us to bring us to him and his salvation is conditional upon our faith in his righteousness.

  John 3:16-17, 1 John 4:5-10, Romans 8:31-39, Ephesians 2:4-10

Grace and Faith

• Grace is God’s undeserved kindness of salvation given as a gift. We cannot earn salvation or be worthy of it ourselves, but we must live a life of faith.

  Romans 5:15, 6:23, Ephesians 2:8, Romans 4:1-9, James 1:14-25

• God only gives his grace to bring us to repentance and to make us his righteousness. God’s grace never excuses sin or compromises God’s righteousness. God’s grace is powerful and super-abundant to overcome sin by God’s righteousness.

  Romans 2:4, 3:25-26, 4:1-9, 5:15-21, 6:1-2, 14-15, Galatians 2:17-21, 5:13

Salvation is through Faith by Grace

• We are saved by God’s grace through faith in the righteousness of God demonstrated in Christ’s sacrifice. We cannot do anything to save ourselves as we sin and are unrighteous, but through our faith, God forgives and justifies us, ie makes us righteous.

Romans 1:16-17, 3:20-26, 4:1-8, 24, 5:1, 8-11, 16-21, Galatians 2:16, 3:8, 24, Ephesians 2:8-10, Philippians 3:8-11, Titus 3:7

• We need to understand the Gospel to have faith

Romans 10:17

Baptism is an Act of Faith

• A true faith will lead to baptism as an identification with Christ’s sacrifice in dying to sin and living to righteousness.

Romans 6 - note the ideas of identification “with Christ” in his death and resurrection to be dead to sin and alive to God Romans 6:1-11, viz baptised into Christ, baptised into his death, buried with him by baptism into death, united with him in a death like his, united with him in a resurrection like his, crucified with him, died with Christ, live with him.

Mark 16:16, Galatians 2:20, 5:24, 1 Peter 2:21-25