That's what Faith Must Be

Don’t let anyone add anything to your faith.  Your faith is enough for your salvation; you were baptized with the Holy Spirit and clothed with Christ.  Let the Holy Spirit have His way in the believer.  Human nature wants to control people, we are afraid if all rules are lifted from people then there will be unholy chaos.  However, if an individual is baptized with the Holy Spirit, we can trust that the Holy Spirit will work toward Christ-likeness in that individual. 

Read the following verses and look for the relationship between rules and the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer.

Romans 7:4-8  “⁴ Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. ⁵ For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. ⁶ But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. ⁷ What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.” ⁸ But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead.” (NASB)

Romans 8:26-30 “²⁶ In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; ²⁷ and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.    ²⁸ And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; ³⁰ and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”  (NASB)

                When we add rules to the life of a believer we are saying that we can’t trust either the person or the Holy Spirit and we somehow know better how to regulate that person’s life.  Churches do this without even considering the implications.  They require a specific appearance, church attendance, a level of participation, a level of giving, baptism, or a specific code of conduct.  How can churches require all these things when God does not require this for salvation?  Is it harder to be a member of church than to get to heaven?  If we drop all these restrictions will anarchy ensue?  No, the Holy Spirit is alive within believers to make them more like Christ.  A church can give believers tools to grow in their faith, but these resources should not be held at an arm’s length until that individual succumbs to some man-made restrictions. 

How does a believer grow and become more like Christ through the Holy Spirit? 

Romans 8:2-14 

Galatians 5:1-6

Galatians 5:13-25

2 Timothy 2:14-26

                Great work today!  I hope you have a firm grasp on your salvation and one of the benefits of your salvation, the Holy Spirit.  Stand firm, be diligent, show love, these are only a few of the things I am willing to trust God to work in me through the Holy Spirit.