So what does it really mean to have the faith of Christ, as Revelation 14:12 states concerning the end time saints? It means that the saints have accepted the
righteousness of Christ in their lives. They have allowed Christ to live His perfect life in them. And that is made manifest in the obedience to all of God's commandments. The faith of Jesus does not diminish or 'destroy' the law but
rather fulfils or 'brings full meaning' to the law as Jesus stated in Matthew 5:17. The faith of Jesus magnifies and expands the law in all its glory, which is what? LOVE! Yet
most of the Protestant churches perceive the faith of Jesus as being against the commandments of God given in the Old Testament. But this is a completely
wrong view.
"No man can rightly present the law of God without the gospel, or the gospel without the law. The law is the gospel embodied, and
the gospel is the law unfolded." (E.White, Christ's Object Lessons, p.128)
For instance, when reading Paul's writings in Romans and Galatians, many professed Christians believe that Paul was doing away with God's 'Old Testament commandments'.
Whereas in fact, Paul was simply doing away with the Jews' own system of law keeping - ie, salvation by law keeping and circumcision. The whole problem
with the Jews and even some of the Gentile converts was in the way they kept the law. They did not unite it with
the faith of Jesus. They continued to look to the written law, instead of looking to Christ. They had faith in the law, instead of faith in God. And this way of law keeping will get you absolutely nowhere!
Hence, why Christ said He came not to abolish the law, but to 'fulfil', which in the truest sense, means 'to bring full meaning'. So Christ expanded the
commandments of God the Father. He brought light to the law. He lived the law of God. Which is what? LOVE! Christ didn't live just by looking
at the law and keeping it. He lived by the Spirit, the power and the LOVE of His Father in Him. And as a result of that, Christ kept the Father's commandments.
John 14:10 ...'Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself:
but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.'
John 5:30 ...'I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the
will of the Father which hath sent me.'
Do you see what Jesus is saying above? He completely relied upon God the Father. He completely trusted in His Father and rather than seek His own will,
Jesus did the will of His Father. And what did Paul say in Philippians 2 concerning Jesus?
Philippians 2:5-8 ...'Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be
equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as
a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.'
Jesus, who is in the 'form of God', being God's Son, emptied Himself and became one of us and completely depended upon His Father for life and godliness, seeking
daily to do the Father's will, not His own. And was obedient, even unto death! Friends, this is the faith OF Jesus. This is the 'mind' that is to be in us.
What did Paul say? 'Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.' We are to have the mind of Christ in us, which is the faith of Jesus.
It is not enough to simply believe IN Jesus, because 'even the demons believe and tremble' (James 2:19). No, we need to have the faith OF Jesus living IN US, day by day.
We need to empty ourselves and humble ourselves and surrender all to Jesus, so that He can fill our minds with His mind.
The problem is, many people today are so full of 'junk'. Their lives are so focused on careers, houses, cars, money, television, movies, food,
games, holidays, etc., that there is no room for Jesus to come in. How can we expect to be filled with the Spirit of Christ, when there is little room left
among all the 'junk' in our lives? We must EMPTY ourselves, so that we can be filled and put on the mind of Christ.
Jesus lived a perfect, obedient life of love, due to God the Father dwelling in Him. And Christ can now provide the same for us too. We can live the same
kind of life (John 14:12), if we allow the Spirit of Christ to dwell in us and transform us, renewing our minds back to the character of God (Romans 12:2).
This is why we need the faith of Jesus in our lives, so that we may become partakers of the divine nature and then the keeping of God's commandments
comes as a result of our faith and being partakers of the divine nature.
2 Peter 1:3-4 ...'According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge
of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the
divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.'
"We need not retain one sinful propensity. As we partake of the divine nature, hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong are cut away
from the character, and we are made a living power for good. Ever learning of the divine Teacher, daily partaking of His nature, we cooperate with God in
overcoming Satan's temptations. How this is accomplished, Christ has shown us. By what means did He overcome in the conflict with Satan? By the Word of God.
Only by the Word could He resist temptation. 'It is written,' He said. And unto us are given 'exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be
partakers of the divine nature.' ... Every promise in God's Word is ours ... When assailed by temptation, look not to circumstances or to the weakness of
self, but to the power of the Word. All its strength is yours." (The Faith I Live By, p.23)
Does the divine nature of God sin? No! And we can be partakers of this divine nature that does not sin. But how
can we be 'partakers' of the divine? By Christ dwelling in us and living HIS LIFE in us. The Spirit of Jesus, which is available to all, contains the converting power to produce the keeping of the law in us. Yet without the faith of
Jesus, the Law will always be a yoke of bondage, but in Christ we can truly be free from the carnal mind and we can say "oh, how I love your Law" (Psalm 119)
Proverbs 3:5-6 ...'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and HE
shall direct thy paths.'
Jude 1:24 ...'Now unto HIM that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding
joy.'
2 Peter 2:9 ...'THE LORD knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be
punished.'
Romans 8:37 ...'in all these things we are more than conquerors THROUGH HIM that loved us.'
John 14:23 ...'Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and WE will come unto
him, and make our abode with him.'
Galatians 2:20 ...'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.'
What do these verses tell us? Do they tell us that we do the work ourselves? No, because we will fail everytime! These verses are telling us that it is CHRIST HIMSELF
who does the work in us. This is the power of the faith of Jesus. This is the power of the gospel! Having the faith of Jesus means to have Jesus live His life and faith in us. Through our daily surrendering to the will of God,
and daily forsaking sin, the Lord will dwell in us through His Spirit. Thus, having Jesus in us, making us partakers of the divine nature, enables us to go forward,
doing works of mercy and love and to 'keep
the commandments of God'. This is the power that the majority of Christians are missing in their lives.
"None need fail of attaining, in his sphere, to perfection of Christian character. By the sacrifice of Christ, provision has been made
for the believer to receive all things that pertain to life and godliness. God calls upon us to reach the standard of perfection and places before us the example
of Christ's character. In His humanity, perfected by a life of constant resistance of evil, the Saviour showed that through co-operation with Divinity, human
beings may in this life attain to perfection of character. This is God's assurance to us that we, too, may obtain complete victory. Before the believer is held
out the wonderful possibility of being like Christ, obedient to all the principles of the law. But of himself man is utterly unable to reach this condition. The
holiness that God's word declares he must have before he can be saved is the result of the working of divine grace as he bows in submission to the discipline and
restraining influences of the Spirit of truth. Man's obedience can be made perfect only by the incense of Christ's righteousness, which fills with divine fragrance
every act of obedience. The part of the Christian is to persevere in overcoming every fault. Constantly he is to pray to the Saviour to heal the disorders of his
sin-sick soul. He has not the wisdom or the strength to overcome; these belong to the Lord, and He bestows them on those who in humiliation and contrition seek
Him for help. The work of transformation from unholiness to holiness is a continuous one. Day by day God labors for man's sanctification, and man is to co-operate
with Him, putting forth persevering efforts in the cultivation of right habits. He is to add grace to grace; and as he thus works on the plan of addition, God
works for him on the plan of multiplication. Our Saviour is always ready to hear and answer the prayer of the contrite heart, and grace and peace are multiplied
to His faithful ones. Gladly He grants them the blessings they need in their struggle against the evils that beset them." (Acts of the Apostles, p.531-532)
All this sin in the world is the result of looking to self! Instead of looking to God, Adam and Eve looked to self. And thus the descendents of Adam and Eve
inherit the fallen mind, which looks to self and brings about sin. Sin is the result of our love for self. So what do you think would be the result of love for God?
Having a 'form of godliness' without the power thereof, will gain us nothing! Please surrender to Jesus Christ. Look
to His life and allow Him to live His perfect life in you. Then Christ will renew your mind. You will no longer look to self and have love for self. You will
look to God and have love for God. And as a result of that, you will keep the commandments of God.
"And this is the faith of Jesus: this is the point where the
faith of Jesus reaches lost, sinful man to help him. For thus it
has been demonstrated to the very fulness of perfection, that
there is no man in the wide world for whom there is not hope
in God, no one so lost that he can not be saved by trusting
God in this faith of Jesus. And this faith of Jesus, by which in
the place of the lost, He hoped in God and trusted God for
salvation from sin and power to keep from sinning--this
victory of His it is that has brought to every man in the world
divine faith by which every man can hope in God and trust in
God and can find the power of God to deliver him from sin
and to keep him from sinning. That faith which He exercised
and by which He obtained the victory over the world, the
flesh, and the devil--that faith is His free gift to every lost
man in the world. And thus 'this is the victory that
overcometh the world, even our faith;' and this is the faith of
which He is the Author and Finisher.
This is the faith of Jesus that is given to men. This is the
faith of Jesus that must be received by men in order for them
to be saved. This is the faith of Jesus which, now in this time
of the Third Angel's Message, must be received and kept by
those who will be saved from the worship of the 'beast and
his image,' and enabled to keep the commandments of God.
This is the faith of Jesus referred to in the closing words of
the Third Angel's Message: 'Here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."' (A.T.Jones, The Consecrated Way to Christian
Perfection, p.50)
Please also see our page THE LAW IN GALATIANS