Elizabeth:

Grace is simply not we ourselves working but God Himself working in us, giving to us and bestowing on us our redemption, righteousness, sanctification and glorification.

Eph. 2:8-9 –
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Rom. 11:6 –
But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.


God gives all things to us, works all things in us and bestows all things on us IN CHRIST.

1 Cor. 1:4-5 –
I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge,

Eph. 2:10 –
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.


It is when Christ is in us that we are filled with the fullness and the glory of God.

Eph. 3:14-19 –
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Col. 1:26-27 –
that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory

2 Cor. 4:6 –
For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.


The name of our Lord Jesus is glorified in us according to the grace of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thess. 1:12 –
so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.


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Add:

John 1:16 –
For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.

Col. 2:9-10 –
For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete……

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We are reprobates if Christ is not in us.

2 Cor. 13:5 (KJV) –
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

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Jade

Hi Elizabeth, Thank you for this Thread It is great learning of the Grace of God and where it comes from and what it does. It comes from faith.
The faith of Jesus Christ in us, which is the wholeness of all that God has for the believer. By Faith He went to the Cross, By Faith He died looking forward to the greatest sacrifice He could make to redeem those God has for His reward. By Faith He was resurrected. By Faith He has come back to live in the believer of which He gives The Faith of Jesus to us, the same measure to all who believe. Let us believe that we have the same Faith in us that is in Christ. The Faith of Jesus Christ.

The best I have read on the subject, a small excerpt;


“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

How is a man justified? By the works of the law? No. By the faith of Jesus Christ. Not by faith in Jesus Christ. Our faith doesn’t justify us, it is Christ’s death by which we are justified. Then ‘by the faith of Jesus Christ’. Why? Because His death was an act of that faith.

And what is a result of being justified by Christ’s death, by His faith? The result is that “we have believed in Jesus Christ”. Our belief doesn’t justify us, it is a result of our justification, inwrought by the Spirit. Our belief brings us to an experimental knowledge of our justification before God subjectively in which God declares a sentence of justification in our hearts, but it is God that justified us objectively in the Person of His Son, who shed His blood for His people. And when Christ shed His blood for that people the righteousness of God was unto all of them from that very moment, to be applied by the Spirit upon all of them when they believe, “even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference”. For we are justified, not by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ …

“…who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Oh, may God give us grace to both see the glory of His work in Christ, that work of faith by which He justified His people for ever, and believing, to walk by faith, looking unto Jesus, “the author and finisher of faith”.
Amen.

The rest of the story;
https://thegospelofgod.wordpress.com/2007/11/14/the-faith-of-jesus-christ-romans-321-22/

In Christ: Phillip

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Phillip

Here is the part of that article that you gave a link to that hits the nail on the head.

"How is a man justified? By the works of the law? No. By the faith of Jesus Christ. Not by faith in Jesus Christ. Our faith doesn’t justify us, it is Christ’s death by which we are justified. Then ‘by the faith of Jesus Christ’. Why? Because His death was an act of that faith.

And what is a result of being justified by Christ’s death, by His faith? The result is that "we have believed in Jesus Christ". Our belief doesn’t justify us, it is a result of our justification, inwrought by the Spirit. Our belief brings us to an experimental knowledge of our justification before God subjectively in which God declares a sentence of justification in our hearts, but it is God that justified us objectively in the Person of His Son, who shed His blood for His people. And when Christ shed His blood for that people the righteousness of God was unto all of them from that very moment, to be applied by the Spirit upon all of them when they believe, "even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference". For we are justified, not by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ ..."

Wow!!! This makes it very clear!

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Vern

Hi Vern,

I have read your posts and it is a blessing to read and see that all I believe, that the Holy Spirit is teaching the same to others, wow what trust it builds in us to come under such truth for the Body of Christ. Becoming of the Same Mind in Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:9-10 (KJV) God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.


Bless you, In Christ: Phillip

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Phillip

Brethren,

What sounds so deep and true can sometimes complicate things.
As Todd previously pointed out, the translation "the faith of Christ" is simply an archaic way of saying "faith in Christ" , isn't it?
So the opposing statements are: I am not justified by works (my own efforts to attain to righteousness) BUT I am justified by His work of obedience on the cross and by my believing it, or Him. (Believing INTO Him, as it were)
Knowing, of course, that this believing is not mere mental assent, but heart trust. Entrusting our souls to Him for Eternal Life.

How that faith comes, of course, has a mysterious working attached to it but we know it comes by hearing the Word concerning the Christ (the Gospel)

Blessings,

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William

Rom 4:1-5, “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”


Rom 4:16-25 “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to 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.”

It was God who made a covenant promise - commitment to Abraham. Now he believed in God’s commitment to him. We know that Christ is the author - initiator and maintainer of all true faith and that is impossible for any person to generate faith independently from God. As God spoke to Abraham, the living word created or birthed the faith within him. This faith was not result of Abraham’s work or effort but by the Living Word. All he did was take God at his word because He knew that God Himself was totally responsible for bringing this promise to pass. This was the living faith of God in Christ within him. Yes, Abraham believed God but the source of this faith was the Living God Himself - not something that he had to maintain or work up. He knew that it was God who quickeneth the dead and Abraham was fully persuaded that, what God had promised him, God was able also to perform. Simple!!

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Vern

Philip,Jade, and Vern,
Please ! ,..Am I reading you right...?

Is it that you are led to believe, that everything is on Jesus, with NO
obligation on our part?.. ..
..that we are just living off of His life that He lived ?

Is that the way that you interpret this “of”

i.e. “ the faith OF Jesus “...

If so, then that is NOT the way I see it.

(The Scripture s will not fit /work together in that way.)

Jesus’ Faith was hearing The Father, and the doing only what The Father,God said.
It is the hearing and then the doing,... that was / is Jesus ‘s Faith, He heard from His Father, God, and obeyed.....

The Faith “OF” Jesus,... the type “ OF” faith that Jesus had.,... worked through The Spirit “OF” God in Jesus and in us.... where He / we “hear” from The Father, and obey......A Living Faith.

Same with Abraham-

Gal.2:16,
“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, “but by the faith OF Jesus Christ,” even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be “justified by the faith OF Christ”, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

So “Faith” cometh by hearing, and hearing by The Word of God,
And not reading the law and trying to DO it,..

We are now born of The Spirit of God, and ‘hear’,.... ‘led’ by His Spirit.

Jesus was led (heard His Father) by The Spirt of His Father, God,.. did (work)

Jesus said, “Follow me”,... He said to “seek he the kingdom of God, and His righteousness”

Isn’t that what Paul did ?.... “What would Thou have for me to “DO” Lord ?”
And The Lord revealed MUCH to Paul, but he said,
1Cor.9:27,
“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

Gal.3:1-2,
“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?


2 “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the
law, or “by the hearing of faith?”

I really don’t believe that we are interpreting / seeing the Scriptures the same.,...are we?

————
elizabeth

I believe there is subtle danger in some of these posts but because it is subtle it is hard to exactly state what it is.

I think it boils down to some who think faith or repentance is a “work.”

Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Acts 16:30-31

Work or not, Paul told the jailer to believe in Jesus in order to be saved. Not believe in the faith of Jesus (whatever that means) but to believe in a Person.

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Todd

Elizabeth:

When grace held as the “divine effluence” is enthroned, Christ is dethroned.

Sure, it is the throne of grace BUT the One who sits and rules on that throne is the Lord Jesus Christ

Heb. 12:2 -- fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith……

1 Cor. 8:6 -- yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him

Jude 1:24-25 -- Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen

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Jade

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Phillip