He Believes in You -- Really and Literally

Many believers boast of their faith in God.

What they do not understand, and therefore have the propensity to fall, is that the faith that leads them to receive the grace of God through Jesus Christ, is not even their faith!

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8)

"The gift of God mentioned here is the "faith" by which receive God's saving grace. We do not earn, deserve it, or even adopt a posture to merit it. God's grace is freely given, and all we "do" is receive it!

This faith is not our faith, not in the slightest:

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

Many believers may read over a very important element in this passage. Paul clearly states that he lives buy the faith "of the Son of God", not "in the Son of God". Christ's faith is evident and manifested in us, which we affirm by our right believing.

Need more evidence? Consider the fruits of the Spirit listed by Paul to the Galatians:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:22)

"Faith" is a fruit of the Spirit of God, something that He causes to bear in us, not something which we force out on our own.

Praise God that Jesus also underscored His complete, unaltered, and unalterable role in our lives:

"Ye in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:4-5)

We abide in Him by faith. All who believe are in God by faith:

"That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

"For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring." (Acts 17: 27-28)

Our "Seeking" the Lord is in fact a matter of our realizing that we cannot, never have, lived without Him, and that we need only receive by faith that He is in us through the gracious work of His Son at the Cross, and let Him abide in us. This is why Jesus could say even to the wicked, self-righteous Pharisees:

"The Kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21)

So, we are not saved by our "doing" so to speak, but by our "believing", in that we come to God with our inexpressible, infinite sin debt (cf Matthew 18), to receive his saving grace, which we acknowledge by faith as having received.

Therefore, by abiding (literally, "remaining") in Jesus Christ, He is able yo bear much fruit. Without Him, we can do nothing, not one thing, not even believe! (cf John 15:5)

So, we can boldly say that not only does God believe in us, believing that we can do all things (Philippians 4:13), but He literally believes in -- within! -- us, for by His faith, through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we come to faith and walk in obedience.

Now, some may contend, "If all I have to do is receive, then why not just sit around and do nothing?

The answer:

"For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will." (John 5:21)

and

"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63)

The Holy Spirit not only quickens every believer from death into life, but this life, which is Christ Himself (cf John 14:6) then works in us and leads us to do all things as He wills:

Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the Wilderness (cf Matthew 4 and Luke 4)

Also, Paul points out that the Holy Spirit acts as our guide, leading us:

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Romans 8:14)

and

"But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." (Galatians 5:18)

We obey God because we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and lead us. As we live in the righteousness, peace, and joy of the Kingdom of Heaven, we discover that we are obedient without even trying!

Well did David write:

"He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." (Psalm 23:3)

What then is our job? To believe, which is to affirm in ourselves by His word that God is carrying out His will in us (cf John 6:29).

And remember, He believes in you, both really and literally, for Paul write to the Philippians:

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13).