February 2021 Printable 123 KB .pdf

Father, thank you for loving the world and giving your only begotten son so that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Thank you, Father, that by your son's believing and obedience to your Word unto the death of the cross and you raising him from the dead and ascending him on high and setting him down at your own right hand, we that confess him as lord and believe in our hearts that you have raised him from the dead are saved. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

In the January 2021 teaching, we defined the phrase "one faith." The English word "one" is the Greek word "heis" which means "one, the first cardinal numeral; emphatic, one, even one, one single." The English word "faith" is the Greek word "pistis" for believing which means "firm persuasion, the conviction which is based upon hearing, not upon sight, or knowledge; a firmly relying confidence in what we hear from God in His Word." (Source: E. W. Bullinger's Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament 1975).

We understand now from the Word of God that believing is that which lies at the foundation of the matter, the Word of God. It is our confidence and trust that what God's Word says is done, is a fact before we even see the manifestation of it! We saw from God's Word, the "one faith" is referring to the faith (believing) of Jesus Christ.

For this month's teaching, we will continue with Part 2, Unity of the Spirit "one faith." We will discuss:

• What the number five represents in God's Word, as "faith" is listed fifth in Ephesians 4:5.
• Examples of the Greek word "pistis" for our English word faith.

The number five in God's Word represents grace (God's unmerited divine favor). Grace, God's unmerited divine favor, provides the strength to support the believers against the people in the flesh that are body and soul (the messengers of Satan) who work to prevent the sharing of God's Word!

2 Corinthians 12:9 tells us:

And he [God] said unto me [Paul], my [God's] grace [God's unmerited divine favor] is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

God our Father said to the Apostle Paul "my unmerited divine favor is enough for you." God's grace is a gift from our Father through His son Jesus Christ. Roman 5:15 provides further explanation:

But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one [Adam] many be dead, much more the grace [God's unmerited divine favor] of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

John 1:17 tells us from where we receive grace:

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

You can't earn God's grace by works! It comes to us through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 explains that grace is a gift:

For by grace [God's unmerited divine favor] are ye saved through faith [pistis - believing]; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.

On the fifth day, God's Word declares in Genesis 1:20-23:

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

And God blessed them [great whales, every living creature that moves and every winged fowl], saying, be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

Now let us search the scriptures for some examples of the Greek word "pistis" for our English word faith. Remember the word "faith" is always translated believing before Pentecost. Why? Because the faith of Jesus Christ was not available until after Pentecost (Acts 2:4)!

Let's look at Acts 3:16:

And his name [Jesus Christ] through faith [the Greek word pistis for believing] in his name [Jesus Christ] hath made this man [lame from his mother's womb] strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith [pistis or believing] which is by him [Jesus Christ] hath given him [the man lame from his mother's womb] this perfect soundness in the presence of you all [the men of Israel].

Acts 26:18 provides another example of the Greek word "pistis" or believing:

To open their [Gentiles] eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they [Gentiles] may receive forgiveness [remission] of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith [pistis or believing] that is in me [Jesus Christ].

Romans 3:25 shows us:

Whom [Jesus Christ] God hath set forth to be a propitiation [payment] through faith [pistis or believing] in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.

One final example is in Romans 3:30:

Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision [Israel] by faith [pistis or believing], and uncircumcision [Gentiles] through faith.

It is important to note that by believing we:

• Received remission of sins (Acts 26:18).
• Were justified (Romans 3:30).
• Believe God set forth Jesus Christ to be payment for our sins (Romans 3:25).
  

Galatians 2:20 tells us that by believing:

I was crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith [believing] of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

In the Bible after Pentecost, you will never find Christian believers told to have faith, because when we were born-again, we all received the same measure of faith which is the faith of Jesus Christ (Romans 12:3).

This month we learned that the number five in God's Word represents grace, which is God's unmerited divine favor. We saw in Genesis 1:20-23 an example of the number five in God's Word. We built on the January 2021 teaching and continued our learning about the Greek word "pistis" (our English word "faith") for believing which means "firm persuasion, the conviction which is based upon hearing, not upon sight, or knowledge; a firmly relying confidence in what we hear from God in His Word." We also searched the scriptures for some examples of the Greek word "pistis."

Father, thank you for your grace and favor shown to us through your only begotten son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, thank you for your Word that tells us that your grace is enough for us in any situation we may encounter. Father, we praise you and give you the glory for by your grace you have made us accepted and beloved. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

In next month's teaching, we will continue our learning and focus on "One Baptism."

In the Lord,

Ministry of Reconciliation
Son of God through Jesus Christ
Ambassador for Christ

Return to the Top