In Luke 5:17-26, Jesus reveals the awesomeness of God’s healing power faith in God can do, for the last sentence in verse 17 says, “…And the power of the Lord was present to heal them”. But verse 21 says, after Jesus in verse 20 told the paralytic his sins were forgiven, the Pharisees and teachers of God’s Law, accused Jesus of speaking blasphemies, for they did not believe Jesus was God in the flesh, yet verse 20 says Jesus did not tell the paralytic his sins were forgiven, and to take up his bed and go home, until “Jesus saw THEIR faith”.
God’s power to heal and receive every promise in God’s Bible is available on a daily basis, and all it takes to receive is “persistent faith”, faith that does what it takes to get Jesus’ faith (Hebrews 12:1-2 or the faith once for all delivered to the saints—Jude 1:3), even if we must remove and replace a roof.
Romans 5:1-2 explains how only faith can get into (access) grace, but Galatians 5:6 says, faith is dead, useless, and nonworkable unless it has love through which to work, and 1 Corinthians 13:2 confirms that fact; thus, 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love”. Yes, love is greater than faith because faith can only work through love that gives life to faith and hope without faith is hopeless.
It is the same way with sin, for 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 says the law gives sin its power, and the last sentence of Romans 7:8 says, “For apart from the law sin was dead”.
This, my friend, is why Romans 14:22-23 says, 22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.
Therefore, Scripture is telling us if we believe what we do is right in God’s sight, then do it, but keep it before God and us; however, if what we do, even though it is scripturally right, that causes another Christian to go back on God and Jesus, then it is wrong for us to do it, for it is not done from faith working through love; thus, it is sin. Never say or do anything that turns anyone away from Christ Jesus—love people into Christ Jesus with our persistent faith, trusting Him.
Tuesday October 10, 2023, I met with the Infectious Disease Control staff for a question/answer session, a special blood test, and the entire doctor and staff gathered around and prayed for me, telling me God was in total control of whatever is on the heart valve (that was replaced Monday March 4, 2010, by a pig valve); therefore, a pet scan was ordered for Monday October 16, 2023, showing gall stones and infection growing on the heart valve. God is so amazing, trusting Him makes life enjoyably peaceful and thrilling—this is worry-free faith in God that thrills me, although, as yet I do not know what plans the medical staff has to deal with these issues.
Habakkuk 2:4 says the just (faithful to God) shall live from faith to faith (faith from beginning to end), and Romans 1:17 repeats this scriptural truth by saying those right with God shall live.
Hebrews 6:15 says, “after Abraham patiently endured (believed until he received), he obtained the promise”. This is why Jesus commands us in Luke 18:1, in His introduction of “the parable of the persistent widow”, who stayed before God in prayer day and night, until God changed the mind of the unjust judge who refused to give her protection from her adversary. Jesus already knew from Romans 14:23b, “…whatever is not from faith is sin”; to say it another way is, “whatever is not from persistent faith is from persistent sin”. Fully living by faith in God ends our living in sin.
In this life, there are not any accidents, mistakes, or wrong choices, for Psalm 37:23 and Psalm 139:13-16 reveal every detail of our lives were already known to God, ordered and written in our personal books, before God ever created anything; therefore, in Revelation 20:12, we will be judged by what was foreknown and written in our personal book, and we did exactly what was foreknown and written in each of our personal books, for God already knew and wrote every detail of our life, so now we await His judgment of us by what was foreknown, written, and fulfilled.
Jim, Kim, and Tim Nabors
