The Word of Faith

Q: What does the Bible say about the word of faith?

The word of faith is the message that if you confess Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:8). In Romans 10:8, Paul emphasizes that the word of faith is not just a concept but an experience that must be internalized—it is 'in your mouth and in your heart.' This means that true belief leads to a public confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. The 'word of faith' encompasses the entirety of the gospel message, highlighting the importance of true belief and active confession.

Q: How do we know God's holiness is essential?

God's holiness is essential because it is His chief attribute, and understanding it is critical to recognizing our need for salvation (Romans 10:2-3). The essence of God's holiness is crucial for understanding who He is and how we relate to Him. In Romans 10:2-3, Paul highlights that people may have a zeal for God but are ignorant of His holiness. This ignorance leads them to attempt to establish their own righteousness, which is unacceptable to a holy God. The holiness of God demands perfection, and since no one is perfectly holy on their own, it underscores the necessity of Christ's righteousness for salvation. Recognizing God's holiness reveals the standard required for acceptance with Him, a standard that can only be met through faith in Christ.

Q: Why is confessing Jesus as Lord important for Christians?

Confessing Jesus as Lord is vital because it demonstrates one's faith and commitment to Him as Savior and King (Romans 10:9). In Romans 10:9, Paul states that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. This confession is not merely verbal; it reflects a deep-seated faith and recognition of Christ's authority and sovereignty. It signifies the acceptance of Jesus not only as a savior but as the Lord of one's life, underscoring the transformation that faith in Him brings. Confession thus becomes an essential act of faith that must align with the heart's belief for true salvation.

Q: How can a man be justified before God?

A man can be justified before God by faith in Jesus Christ, who fulfills the law and provides righteousness (Romans 10:4). According to Romans 10:4, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Justification before God cannot be achieved through personal effort or adherence to the law; rather, it is through faith in Christ's completed work that one is declared righteous. This is pivotal in Reformed theology, which emphasizes that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. The righteousness we possess is not our own but is a gift from God, merited by Christ's obedience and sacrifice. This understanding underscores the grace of God in salvation—justification is entirely an act of God based on Christ’s merits.

Q: Why is it important to understand that all have sinned?

Understanding that all have sinned is important because it highlights humanity's universal need for God's mercy and grace (Romans 3:23). The acknowledgment that all have sinned, as stated in Romans 3:23, serves as the foundation for understanding the need for salvation. This doctrine explains that no one is righteous or capable of achieving righteousness on their own, creating an equal need for God's grace across all humanity. Recognizing this truth humbles individuals, breaking down pride and prompting reliance on God's mercy through Christ. It aligns with the Reformed view that emphasizes total depravity—every person is spiritually dead in their sins and in need of regeneration and salvation provided solely by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Now I'm speaking to you today
on this subject, the word of faith we preach. And I want you
to turn with me to Romans chapter 10. I'd like very, very much
if you take your Bible, and most of you out there have a Bible
handy, why don't you get it and open the Bible to Romans chapter
10. I can assure you that this message
this morning will be of great value and importance to you if
you'll listen to it and follow in the word of God. Will you?
Romans chapter 10. Now here's my text, down here
in verse 8. It says in Romans 10.8, the word
is near thee, even in your mouth and in your heart. That is the
word of faith which we preach, that if you shall confess with
your mouth Jesus to be Lord and believe in your heart that God
raised him from the dead you shall be saved and you may say
preacher I've read that scripture many many times and I've heard
it preached many many times well so have I so have I I've preached
from this scripture many, many, many times in these 38 years
of trying to preach the gospel. But I tell you this, being God's
Word, and this is God's Word, it is always fresh and refreshing,
it is always new, and I don't care if you read it 10,000 times
and preach from it even more, You can always learn something
that you and I have not learned before. That's right, the word
of faith which we preach. Let's go back to verse one. When
you go back to verse one, Romans 10, and here the apostle Paul,
we don't read the context. This is one thing I've tried
to show you through the years. Don't get versitis and pick a
verse out of the word of God somewhere and tack it on the
wall and say, that's what I believe. who's speaking, to whom he's
speaking, what's the subject, and what he says before and after
that verse. That's part of a thought, part
of a paragraph, part of a chapter, part of an epistle. And so Paul
says here in verse 1, Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer
to God for Israel is that they might be saved. Now the apostle
was burdened for his people, and he desired that they should
know God. He wanted them not just to have
religion, they had that, but he wanted them to know God. And
his love for them and his desire to see them saved did not cause
him to compromise his gospel. He wouldn't do it. Now the Apostle
Paul was going to be true to God and true to the gospel and
true to the word of God if no one was saved. But his burden
is this, that they might truly be saved. Hear the true gospel.
and be brought to a knowledge of God Almighty. Woe is unto
me if I preach not the gospel. We can't, even though our friends
are lost and don't know God, we can't trim the corners of
the gospel and take the offense out of the gospel and compromise
the gospel to try to bring them to some religious position. Paul
wanted them genuinely saved. And then in verse 2 he said,
I bear them record. I know these people, having been
one of them, They have a zeal for God. These people aren't
atheists. These people have an interest
in God, an interest in religion. They search the scriptures. They
study the scriptures. They attend the synagogue. They
do all kinds of religious deeds. But he goes on, he says, they
have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. In other
words, they really do not know God. They have a zeal for God,
they have an interest in religion, an interest in God, but they
really don't know the true God. That's what our Lord said to
the Pharisees and Sadducees, to the Sanhedrin. He said, they
said, we have one God, one Father, even God. Christ said, you don't
know God. You don't know God. You don't
know me nor my Father. If you knew God, you'd know me.
They said, well, we have Abraham and the prophets. He said, you
don't know Abraham. You're not his children. If you
were, you'd love me. Abraham loved my word. He saw
my day and rejoiced. These people didn't know the
will or the way of God. They didn't know the purpose
of the glory of God. They did not even really worship
God, even though they went through the motions and form of an outward
religion. They didn't know God. You say,
well, are people sincere? Are people in false religion,
are they sincere? Oh, yes. Yes, many are. Some
are. Some are phonies, but some are
sincere. I knew a girl in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that was in a religious
movement, and she read in the Bible where it says, if your
right hand offends you, cut it off. She took a hatchet and cut
it off. Cut her arm off. Now that's sincerity,
isn't it? But it's ignorance. It's ignorance. And those people over in Vietnam,
you remember years ago, that poured gasoline on themselves
and set themselves on fire for their religious beliefs, that's
sincerity. It's ignorance. But it's sincerity. So Paul is saying, I want these
people to know God. He says, They have a zeal for
God, they have a religious enthusiasm, but they don't know God. Now
watch this, when you come to the word far, when a verse of
scripture starts out far, well you've got to read what has just
been said, because here Paul is answering these things that
he has stated. He's explaining what he just
said. He said, I want these people to know God. They don't know
God. They're religious, but they do not know God. They have a
zeal for God, but they're ignorant. For I'll tell you why. I'll tell
you how I know they're ignorant. For, he said, they're ignorant
of God's holiness. They're ignorant of God's righteousness.
And they're going about with these laws and rules and regulations
and ceremonies and duties to establish their own righteousness. And they will not submit themselves
to the righteousness of God. Here, for the careful student
of the Word of God, there are two clear important things stated
here. Paul says, here is a two-fold
proof that these people do not know God. Here is two-fold evidence
that these people, though religious, do not know God. Two things. Number one, they're ignorant
of God's holiness, holiness, holiness. God's immaculate, infinite,
eternal, unchangeable holiness. God is holy. What's the byword
of this generation? God is love, God is love, God
is love, and we've forgotten God is holy. God loves everybody. No, he doesn't. He plainly said,
Jacob have a love, Esau have a hated. He plainly said, he
that believeth not on the Son, the wrath of God abideth on him.
He plainly said, God hateth the workers of iniquity. He plainly
said, God's angry with the wicked every day. It's plain to see
that the flood was not an act of love, but an act of holy justice. The destruction of Sodom where
every individual died was not an act of love. It was an act
of a God of anger and wrath and judgment and holiness. And when
God judges this world at the end of all time and casts people
into hell, that won't be an act of love. It will be an act of
justice. God's holy, holy and reverent
is his name. The word love does not occur
in the book of Acts one single time in 28 chapters. There you
have the beginning of the apostles' ministry, the beginning of the
church, the giving of the Holy Spirit, the first sermons ever
preached, the first persons ever saved after Christ arose, and
yet they didn't talk about love, they talked about holiness. Holiness. My generation has created a God
that's all love and no holiness. All love and no wrath. All mercy
and no truth. All grace and no righteousness. And it can't be. God will display
his wrath against sin and his riches, the riches of his grace
in Christ Jesus. He said they're ignorant of God's
holiness. And the second thing, they are
trying to approach God on the basis of their holiness. They're going about to establish
their own holiness and righteousness and that's exactly what my generation's
doing. They're quitting smoking and
drinking and going to the show and dancing. They're quitting
going to the ball games. They're quit watching television.
They wear their dresses longer and their sleeves longer and
their hair longer and take off their jewelry. Well they've gone
back to that now most of them, but at least they're doing all
these things so they can be holy. Outwardly holy, a veneer of holiness,
a sham holiness, a holiness that will impress somebody out yonder.
But God doesn't look on the outward countenance. God looks on the
heart, and there's no holiness in anybody's heart. The heart
is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things. Who can know
it? We justify ourselves before men. I'm saying, just as plainly
as I can say it, I hope you hear me, This generation is just like
the generation in Paul's day. They do not know God and there's
a two-fold proof and two-fold evidence they do not know God
because they are ignorant of the holiness of God. The holiness
of God. God is holy. It's called the
Holy Bible. His angels are called his holy
angels. His tabernacle is the holy of
holies. And when Isaiah saw him the seraphim
were crying God is love, God is love. No, they weren't. They
were crying, holy, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of glory. And
that's two-fold evidence men do not know God. Just say all
you want to. Mine may be the only voice sounding
this note, but I'm going to blow this trumpet and sound this note
till somebody hears me. Paul said they're ignorant. He
said they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
They're ignorant of God's holiness. His immaculate, unchangeable
holiness. And they're going about to establish
their own holiness. Their own outward religion and
righteousness. And God will not have it. God
will not have it. Holiness is God's chief attribute. God demands perfect holiness,
and God will not compromise his holiness, and he will not accept
anyone who's not perfectly holy. You say, well, no man is perfectly
holy. Not in himself. He's perfectly
evil in himself. Even our righteousness is a filthy
rag. But God has provided for us a
righteousness, a holiness in Christ. That's why the Lord Jesus
Christ came to this earth, that we might be holy, that we might
be righteous. He kept the law. He obeyed God. He loved God with all his heart,
mind, soul, and strength. He loved his neighbor more than
himself, for he gave himself. You see that? So we have a... I saw a bumper sticker one day
that said this, Christians aren't perfect, they're just forgiven.
Well, that's partly true. We're not perfect at all. We
don't claim to be perfect. Paul said, I'm not arrived, I'm
not perfect, no sir, not in myself. And we are forgiven in Christ.
Well, let me tell you this, Christians are perfect in Christ. They better
be. The scripture says to be accepted,
it must be perfect. And so our righteousness is perfect.
Our holiness is perfect. Our standing before God is perfect.
Christians are perfect. not in their flesh, not in themselves,
they're perfect in Christ. That's right. The fact men are
trying to find favor with God or come to God by their own works
and holiness is clear evidence they do not know God. That's
clear evidence. Well, preacher, how does a man
come to God? How can a man be justified before
God? How can a man be accepted by
a holy, immaculately holy God? How can God be just and justify? How can he be clean that's born
of a woman in Christ? He who knew no sin was made sin
for us that we might be made the holiness of God in him. By one man's disobedience we
were made sinners, by Christ's obedience we were made righteous.
Of God are you in Christ Jesus who is made unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification and redemption. Look at verse 4 Romans 10. For
Jesus Christ is the end of the law, for righteousness, for holiness
to everyone that believe it. Are you with me? Are you? You say you're getting deep.
No, I'm not. It's just so. It's not deep, it's just so.
And we've been, we've heard so much junk, we're not used to
truth. There's been so much old honeysuckle and weeds growing
up around us that we can't see the true wheat. Paul says these
people are ignorant of God and the reason I know that he said
is because they're ignorant of God's holiness and they're trying
to come to God on the basis of their works and their own righteousness
and they can't come that way because their righteousness is
a filthy rag but there is a way they can come and Christ Jesus
is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes believe
believe believe on him What does that mean, he's the end of the
law? What does that mean for you? Well, Christ is the end
of the law means he's the goal. The end of my journey is my goal. The end of my quest is my goal,
G-O-A-L. That's what I'm seeking, that
particular goal. And Christ is the end or goal
of the law. The law was not given to save,
the law was given to do what it does. It reveals sin and shuts
us up to Christ. The law was never given to save.
When the law was given on Mount Sinai, that bunch of people were
already worshipping idols, dancing before a golden calf. When Moses
brought the law down from the mountain, they weren't in any
position to keep a law. The law wasn't given to wash,
to cleanse, to atone, to save. It was given to show, to reveal,
to manifest our sins. You see that? That's the goal
of the law. to shut our mouths and shut us
up to Christ, to close every avenue and every door and show
us the one door, the one way. Christ is the end. He's the consummation
of the law as a covenant. God said, Adam do this and live.
He didn't. He said to Israel, do this and
live. They couldn't. He said that to Christ, do this
and they'll all live. Christ did it. The curse removed. He taketh away the first, establishes
the second. He's our covenant. He's our cure. He's our redeemer. And the curse
is removed. Christ is the end. That is, he's
the satisfaction of the law. He honored it. He didn't come
to destroy the law. Christ said, I didn't come to
destroy the law. He didn't come to whittle it down. He didn't
come to make it easier for us to keep. He didn't come to take
the edge off of it. He said, I came to fulfill it.
I fulfilled it. I honored God's law and satisfied
God's law. He's the end of it, consummation
of it, the satisfaction of it, the goal of it. That's His name,
the Lord our righteousness. That's the summary of His work.
He was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. That's the essence of the gospel.
Man hadn't preached the gospel unless he preaches the righteousness
of Christ. For Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel, it's
the power of God and the salvation, to the Jew first and also to
the Greek, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed,
from one degree of faith to the other. Look at verse 5. Paul
goes on here in Romans 10, he said Moses describes the holiness
of the law. He describes the holiness of
the law. He said if a man will approach God on the basis of
the law, is that the way you're going to try to come to God?
Well, I'll just tell you, I'm going to take my chances now. I've lived a pretty good life,
and I think I've done pretty close to what's right, and I'm
not such a bad fellow now. You can call me a sinner and
all that. Well, okay, that's all right.
That's fine. But now listen to Moses. The
law came through Moses. Moses describes the righteousness
or holiness of the law. Now if you're going to approach
God on the basis of the law, if you're going to seek acceptance
with God before God by your works, by your morality, by your earnest
honesty, Moses tells you what kind of morality and honesty
and righteousness it has to be. And Moses says it has to be Perfect. If a man would live by the law,
he must do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. He didn't say admire it. He didn't
say talk about it. That's what most of you do is
talking about it. He didn't say just approve of it. Well, if
the law's a good thing, yes, that's fine. He didn't say aspire
to it. Well, I'm doing the best I can.
That won't do. He didn't say aspire to it, or
admire it, or approve it. Do it! Do it. The law is as unchanging as God.
And you'll find that if you're going to stand before God on
the basis of your religion, your morality, and your duties, and
your works, it better be perfect. From the cradle to the grave,
it better be perfect. It would be under the law, Paul
said. Don't you hear the law? Are you hard of hearing? Don't
you know what the law requires? That's the righteousness of the
law, but whoa, here, the righteousness of God. The righteousness which
is by faith in Christ, which is ours by faith, saying nothing
about doing. It says, don't say in your heart,
let's go up to heaven to bring Christ down. He's already come.
He's already come. He's already fulfilled the law,
died on the cross, He said, I finished the work you gave me to do. You
didn't talk about doing anything. Let's go down and bring Christ
up. He's already risen. The forerunner has already been
accepted, approved, and seated. But here's the word, verse 8.
I read it. It's near you. It's in your mouth and in your
heart. That is the word of faith which
we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus
to be Lord. Now listen. He didn't say the
word of faith is in the preacher's mouth and in the preacher's heart. And it's something you give mental
asset to or something you listen to off the cuff. He said it's
in your mouth and your heart. It's not words only, it's an
experience of faith. That is, thou shalt confess with
thy mouth Jesus to be Lord, and believe in thine heart that God
raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved. Oh, it's
this way. I do believe. I now believe that
Jesus died for me. And through his blood, his precious
blood, I shall from sin be set free. There is the word of faith. Your mouth. Your heart. The word of faith, not in the
preacher's mouth, but your mouth. Do you believe on the Son of
God? You know, we use a lot of words. I use words like faith,
believe, trust, receive, confess. What do these words mean? Could
I help you a little? The word believe, what is it
to believe on Christ? Well, it's to believe the record
that God hath given concerning his son. It's to believe the
word of God. That's the foundation of faith,
the word of God. It's not feeling or experience.
It's the word of God. This is the record that God hath
given us eternal life. And the reason people have made
God a liar is they haven't believed the record he gave of his son.
That's what believing is, to believe the word of God. And
then to trust. What is it to trust? It's to
rest. It's to rest in his promises
like Abraham. Abraham left his father's house
resting, trusting. He didn't just believe God, he
trusted him. And acted on it. And rested. Never owned a foot of property.
But he looked for a city. What is it to receive Christ?
It's to submit. That's what that word receive
means. Submit. I received his scepter,
I received his rule, I received his love, I received his law,
I received his commandments, I received him as king, prophet,
priest, and king. My Lord and my God. Thomas received
Christ that day. I got one Lord and one God, Christ
Jesus. And then to confess Christ is
to publicly own him by identification. Whosoever believeth on him shall
not be ashamed. He doesn't mind being seen with
Christ. He doesn't mind being identified
with the things of Christ, with the word of Christ, with the
people of Christ, with the commandments of Christ, with the doctrine
of Christ. I'm not ashamed. He's king, he's my king. He's
Lord, he's my Lord. He's prophet, he's my prophet.
He's a sovereign, he's my sovereign. He's the dying lamb. He's my
dying lamb. He's the reigning lion of the
tribe of Judah. He's my lion. That's identification. It's like a dear friend of yours
or your wife or mother. You're not ashamed to be identified,
to be seen with them, to introduce them. This is my wife. This is
my son. This is my mother. This is my
Lord. The sovereign Lord. The king
of kings and lord of lords. The one who came to save sinners
and got the job done. Effectually. Sufficiently. He
didn't try to do anything. He's not an offer. He's a gift.
He's a reigning monarch. He's a victorious conqueror.
That's my lord. That's my lord. I'm not ashamed.
I'm not ashamed. For he said in verse 12, there's
no difference. If you haven't seen that, there's no difference.
There's no difference between the Jew and the Greek. The same
Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. There's no
difference. Paul uses that term three times. In the book of Acts,
he says God's put no difference between us and them. Can you
see this and enter the truth of it? There's no difference
in all flesh. It's all the same. Old, young,
rich, poor, white, black, learned, ignorant, Baptist, Methodist,
Jewish, Catholic, they're all the same. All fallen sons of
Adam, all corrupt dead creatures, all in need of the mercy of God.
There's no difference. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. There's no difference between
the Jew and the Gentile. All we like sheep have gone astray.
We've turned everyone to his own way. There's none righteous,
no not one. There's none good, no not one.
There's no difference. That'll take the pride and the
haughtiness and the arrogance out of your walk and out of your
talk. and everything else. And you'll
come like that old leper who met Christ when he came down
from the mountain, fell on his face, and cried, Lord, if you
will, you can make me clean. Or like old blind Bartimaeus,
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. Come on down. Get off
your high horse. Come on down in the dust of repentance.
You're nobody. There's no difference. There's
no difference. There's no difference. All of
sin. And we all need that holiness
that we don't have and can't produce. But God will give in
Christ.

The Word of Faith

What does the Bible say about the word of faith?

How do we know God's holiness is essential?

Why is confessing Jesus as Lord important for Christians?

How can a man be justified before God?

Why is it important to understand that all have sinned?

Sermon Transcript

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The Word of Faith

What does the Bible say about the word of faith?

How do we know God's holiness is essential?

Why is confessing Jesus as Lord important for Christians?

How can a man be justified before God?

Why is it important to understand that all have sinned?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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