Faith On Earth

Luke18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

 “Shall he find faith on the earth?” seems to be such a sobering question, especially to those of us who live so far from the New Testament time when this was written and nearer and nearer to that day when the Son of man comes.

  The Lord will not be looking for simply “saving faith” when he comes (Heb. 10:39), but I believe he will be looking for that dynamic faith that James speaks of in James 2:20, 26—faith without works is dead.  Jesus will be looking for that working faith, that living faith, that pursuing faith that belongs to his faithful ones.

  We are not going to be judged by our faith; we are going to be judged by our works. 2 Cor.5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 

  The word of God is our rule of faith and practice in the churches of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our faith is to be practiced; without works faith is dead. Without works faith becomes doubt. Without practice, faith becomes only a philosophy, and faith is more than a philosophy. It is a substance (Heb. 11:1). 

  In the churches of Jesus Christ, we practice the two ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  In the churches we meet together for fellowship, praise, and worship. In the churches, we grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, and we look forward to his soon coming.

  In other words, we are to assemble together more often now than ever before as we see the day approaching. Will he find this kind of faith?

The Flesh And The Spirit

Galatians 5:16-26

Walk And Fulfill, 16-17

 Paul's command to us as God's children is to the point, saying "Walk in the Spirit."  He mentions this again in verse 25. We will either walk in the Spirit or fulfill the lusts of the flesh. He reminds us that the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, and these do not work together but are contrary to each other--they are opposites. When the flesh lusts against the Spirit, then we cannot do what we would if we did not have this hindrance.

Spirit And Law, 18-24

Those who do not have the Spirit of Christ are under the law, and they must meet the perfection of law's command, otherwise they will fall short of the required perfection of God's righteousness, the righteousness which is by faith in Christ.  But if we are led by the Spirit of God, then we are not under the law, under the demands of the law for righteousness.  Paul says to the Romans in Chapter 10:5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.  We cannot live the righteousness of the law, for the demand is more than we can accomplish.

Paul gives a sample list of the works of the flesh:  adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness (all sorts of evil), idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like.  This, of course, is not a complete list, but it is a sample only. These are the things that hinder a man's meeting God's holy commandments, and those who do these things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

That which is from the Spirit is not works but fruit. We are not saved by works but serve the Lord through the fruit of the Spirit. He now gives a sample list of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, etc. There is no law against these things, because they are produced by the Spirit of God; they are not worked out by the flesh or by works.  That is because, if we have the Spirit of God, we have crucified the flesh and are not under the weight of the flesh's affections and lusts but can overcome them by faith in Christ.


Living And Walking, 25-26

We live in the Spirit by faith in Christ.  Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.  The Spirit of God dwells in us and will never leave us nor forsake us.  So, if we live in the Spirit, with his indwelling and his ever-presence, then let us also walk in the Spirit.  The walking is the evidence of our living. It would be well for us to remember these two great verses in Philippians 2:12-13 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 

Our attitude is changed when we are saved by the grace of God through the working of the Spirit of God, so in verse 26 Paul exhorts us not to (1) be desirous of vain glory (arrogance), (2) provoke one another, or (3) envy one another.  What good Christians we would be if we would heed Paul's ample warning about not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh but walking in the Spirit! 

    A Man Of God

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie Wolfe – Sept. 12, 2012

A preacher is a man of sorrow
Preaching to many who do not hear.
He studies and prays through each tomorrow
To preach the word from year to year.

He stands up strong when he is weak,
Proclaims God's word with all his might.
He knows God says he must be meek
And in his preaching must be right.

He stands before a holy God;
He'll give account for each word said.
He's timid due to God's strict rod;
He contemplates upon his bed.

Many years have passed him by.
Frank Smith's duty did not wane.
He spoke the word with ne'er a sigh
And preached the word through sorrowed pain.

A bulwark of the soundest doctrine
Teaching many its wondrous truth,
From New Testament streams of grace
To Old Testament tooth for tooth.

How missed a man who stood so strong
And never failed to tell the tale
Of God's great love and sinners wrong,
Our Savior's death within the veil!

Listening now to truth unknown,
Not in this lowly earthly realm,
He sings with angels not alone,
The beauty there to overwhelm.

He is not here; he's gone away
Where evil has no lingering sway,
And nothing can describe the day
But peace and truth and endless day.

A Poem On Faith

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe
August 3, 2012

Unseen, and yet as real as life;
    Untouched, and yet its meaning rife;
Unchanged because of sovereign love;
    Unmoved, secured in realms above.

Unleashed from God’s rich grace divine;
    Unfathomed that it can be mine.
Unwarranted yet its remonstrance,
    Unwitting here its great enhance.

Unsettling soul its need confess,
    And further claim his loneliness;
Unmerited grace the soul proclaim
    Unhindered, trust his holy name.

In grace sublime this faith came down
    A gift from God’s own name renown.
A channel through which love may go
    And save a sinner’s heart below.

By faith the grace of God employed;
    A myriad benefits enjoyed,
By faith the sovereign will is done,
    A sinner saved, a victory won.

And faith goes on through life’s long path,
    Protects the sinner from God’s wrath,
Provides a safe and peaceful place
    To praise God’s name for wondrous grace.

Then faith one day along with hope
    Protecting saints from slippery slope,
With charity in courts above
    Relinquish all in place of love.

For faith has now turned into sight
    And manifests God’s awesome might;
And after this great journey ford,
    We’ll cast our crowns as his reward.

Theological Synthesis

By Pastor Dr. Ronnie Wolfe – July 23, 2012

    I do not subscribe to Christianity Today, but a friend gives me his copy when he is finished with it.  I am not surprised any more when I read it to find that the writers apply the art of theological synthesis, that is, bringing together on an equal plane the doctrines of a conservative, literal faith in the Bible and the doctrines of those who take a less literal interpretation of the Bible, leaving its meaning basically to each individual believer, combining faith with science, denomination with denomination, religion with religion, and Christianity with cults.
    Revealing are the titles to several articles in the magazine along with an ad for the magazine itself.  The first article of this type is one called A Tale of Two Scientists, and the subtitle tells it all: “How two evangelicals–one a young-earth creationist, the other an evolutionary creationist–have lived out their faith and professions.”    The two scientists supposedly have the same strong faith in God, but one believes in a young and suddenly created earth, while the other believes in creation with a “gradual creation perspective.” 
    The article introduces a different way to read the Bible from its literal reading to one that would fit what he was learning as a scientist.  “Falk only knew how to read Genesis as six-day history, which he could not reconcile with what enthralled him in the laboratory. He had no one to help him rebuild his picture of God’s creation” (Page 26).  Falk wrote a book entitled “Coming To Peace With Science” in which his synthesis is apparent.  He says, “My prayer is that each person who reads it (the book) will respect that one should be able to be accepted as an equal partner in Christ’s body even if he or she believes that God created gradually.”  The capstone is a sentence at the end of the article: “Under Falk’s leadership, BioLogos has emerged as an important group of Christians advocating ‘evolutionary creation.’ Falk has held to his plea for Christians to love and respect each other while advocating different points of view.”
    Other article titles reveal this synthesis as well. One subtitle is “We haven’t always been deeply divided about origins.”  Others are “Marco Rubio’s Faith of Many Colors,” “Finding Jesus At Burning Man, How God made himself known at one of America’s most hedonistic gatherings.” “The Problem With Incarnational Ministry, What if our mission is not to ‘be Jesus’ to other cultures, but to join with the Holy Spirit?” and “Quick To Listen, Why Richard Mouw believes evangelicals should open their ears to Mormon believers.” The only thing to add to this is the ad for the magazine itself, which says, “I long for the church to become a place where everyone feels welcome. Where anyone can walk into a church or up to a Christian and find acceptance.”  This is the true nature of synthesis.  2 Cor. 6:17 says, on the other hand, Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

They That Trouble You

Galatians 5:12-15

Paul gives his personal preference here, not the perfect will of God as such.  He is simply saying that, as far as his own personal, human will is concerned, he would that the people who are troubling the Galatians were cut off (amputated) from them so that they could serve the Lord in truth without any mixture of error or any temptation to yield to those who are always pulling believers away from the truth into the old Judaism.

He mentions these people in Gal. 1:7 Which is not another (Gospel); but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.  Wouldn't it be nice if everyone who troubles us in our work for the Lord were simply cut off so that they could not do their dirty work? We could simply have the liberty to live and preach what we believe the Bible says, and that would seem to be a wonderful existence.

We know that God will recompense, or repay, those who are pulling the churches away from the truth, 2 Thess 1:6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;  Good enough for them, right?  Well, I do not believe that God has planned or purposed that the world be separated from us just so that we can serve the Lord without any problems.  We might properly consider 1 Cor. 5:10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.

Jesus said, in part, in John 16:33, In the world ye shall have tribulation . . .  It is his purpose that we have tribulation. One reason is that tribulation works patience in us (See Romans 5:3; James 1:3).  If Baptists need anything at all, they need patience, as do all believers in Christ.  So, it is not God's will, though it may be Paul's will, that God "cut off" those that trouble us.

Then Paul delivers a warning to these believers in this Galatian church.  He mentions their liberty in Christ, of which the Bible speaks much (Rom. 8:21; 1 Cor. 8:9; 10:9; 2 Cor. 3:17; Gal. 2:4; 2 Peter 2:16).  But he in this book, as well as in other books of his, warns them about this liberty.  They are not to use their liberty as an occasion to the flesh, to please the flesh, or to work, worship, or think in the flesh. God's liberty in salvation does not extend that far.  His liberty is liberty from the bonds of the law in order that we may be free to serve the Lord Christ (Col. 3:24).

Using this liberty for benefit of the flesh brings about strife and divisions. In these we "devour" one another and cause divisions in the Lord's churches.  But the admonition is to "love one another," which is the fulfilling of the law of Christ.  Those who "trouble" us will not be cut off while we are in this world. We are to do the work of Christ despite those who trouble us.  They will be here as long as we are, so we must work among them, preach the truth despite them, and love one another, using our liberty in the way God prescribes.

What Kind of Sinner Are You?

Every person in the world, if he will reason in himself and be honest, knows that he is a sinner. Today we say it in these words, "Nobody's perfect."  That is well said and well understood by all reasonable people.  In Christian circles we call these people sinners, and most people, whether saved or lost, will admit to their sinful condition.

But what kind of sinner are you? If you are just a person who knows that he has done many things wrong, you are just a common sinner, and this understanding will do little in way of change in your life except for those times when you may attempt to stop a habit or try to be a better person.  These sinners understand their sinfulness from a completely human source.  The mind is reasonable enough to verify the basic existence of man's depravity.

Before a person can be and will be saved, he must know that he is a sinner beyond the help of himself or his peers. He must know that he has sinned against God, and that his sin has touched an eternity of guilt and wickedness against a perfectly holy God.  Therefore, he must have the knowledge that his sin is to be punished with an eternal debt, not just the feeble attempt to stop bad things and begin good ones.

The Apostle Paul is a great example of how sinful a repentant sinner becomes at the time he throws himself upon the work of Jesus Christ and depends desperately and completely upon the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross to pay for his sins. 

Paul, because of his wicked sin of persecuting the church at Jerusalem, calls himself the "least of the apostles" (1 Cor. 15:13).  Then in 1 Timothy 1:15 Paul says, This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.  Paul saw himself such a sinner that he considered himself to be dead--Romans 7:9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.  He tells us in Ephesians 2:1, And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

If you are not dead in your sins, then you are not the right kind of sinner. If you think only that you have made some mistakes or that you are not such a bad person or that you are as good as your neighbor, then you are not the right kind of sinner.

You must see yourself as a wicked sinner [wicked is what God calls sinners throughout the Bible].  The law of God (basically the ten commandments) have been written to show us how great sinners we are.  When the law of God (his commandments) are applied to our lives, we see how much we come short of his glory.  Remember Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

We also need to understand that all sins must be paid for.  Ezekiel 18:20  The soul that sinneth, it shall die.  Certainly Adam and Eve died physically, but sin brings eternal death, or damnation (judgment), Matt. 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

The remedy for this death, of course, is faith in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, an acknowledging that you are a sinner, and the acceptance of the truth about Jesus Christ "that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Heb. 11:6).  You must believe that Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and resurrected the third day especially for you personally, took your sins away and cast them as far as the east is from the west, and have a change of heart (a new heart, Ezekiel 18:31), by which Jesus is acknowledged as your Lord and Savior.  Every step of your life from that time forward is led by the Spirit of God and by faith.  Your salvation is fixed, and your faithfulness is expected.  A totally depraved sinner produces a glorious saint of God.