From Faith to Faith
The Sapphire Review Vol. 1 | No. 19 • September 27, 2024
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”
TWO SIDES TO AN AUTHENTIC COIN
As a rule, coins issued by a government for monetary purposes have two sides. Both sides are necessary to complete the coin, to show what kingdom it belongs to, and to validate its authenticity. A coin lacking one side or the other would be deemed a counterfeit, or at the very least something that is a result of a defect or error in production. We will see in this week’s writing that, as with a coin, there are two primary or fundamental aspects of a salvific faith. From faith to faith; both parts are needed to substantiate the authenticity of a believer’s faith.
FAITH IN JESUS
(from faith)
On one side of this faith “coin,” there is the power of God at work unto salvation. This is the initial step of faith, whereby one believes in Jesus Christ as the Son of God which was given for the sins of the world. By this faith, one receives His sacrifice as the payment for the penalty of their sins.1
This faith, the first faith, is known as faith IN Jesus Christ.2 This faith leads to a salvific work of conversion upon a person’s heart, whereby they are made into a new creature in Christ.3 Everything changes in a person’s life from this point. Their desires and thoughts over time become increasingly heavenly/spiritual and less earthly/carnal. The one who claims to have this first faith IN Jesus and yet still has the same overall interests for the world, its pleasures, and its entertainments, should question whether they have been dealt a counterfeit from a smooth-talking salesman in a pulpit.4 The work and power of God upon the heart of a believer in bringing about these changes will be undeniable and clearly evident.
In each of the verses addressing faith IN Jesus,5 we find the Greek word “en” (G1722) or “ice” (G1519) being used for the word translated as “in.” This is important as we move to the next sections because it shows a clear point of distinction between phrases translated as “faith IN Jesus” and those translated as “faith OF Jesus”
FAITH OF JESUS
(to faith)
After the work of conversion has been performed upon a person’s heart, the matter of faith is not yet complete for only one side of the “coin” has been imprinted. This is not the time for a believer to then continue in sin, leaning upon the grace of God as a crutch as they hobble along through life defeated by sin.6
There is yet another faith to be spoken of. This faith is that of righteousness by faith, whereby he that believes, by faith receives the faith OF Jesus.7 This faith OF Jesus is also one of the characteristics of the saints living in the last days, and is something which they keep/observe/retain.
The righteousness of God is revealed in those having this faith.8 This is contrasted with the wrath of God being revealed, in the next verse, in those who have truth, yet willfully live out a sinful and unrighteous life.9 To better understand what is meant by this phrase the “righteousness of God,” we look to Philippians:
“And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:” (Philippians 3:9)
So, this righteousness is more than just a facade to paint over a heart that is defeated by sin. John writes in his first letter, that our aim and our calling is to now live out a righteous life whereby we do not sin.10 The faith OF Jesus is that which, causes His righteousness to be manifested in our lives11 as our minds are renewed12 and we are conformed into the image of Jesus Christ, our Lord.13 This faith then allows us to live a righteous life, when fully surrendered to Christ, and thus gives us power to overcome sin and fulfil the law of God… the ten commandments.14
SCRUBBED FROM HISTORY
Making a very quick detour, it is interesting to note that of the verses translated as the “faith OF Jesus” in the KJV Bible, that even the NKJV changes the “of” to “in” in 4 out of 5 of the verses, though it retains the instance in Rev 14:12. They have then chosen to translate these verses as though Paul has included the word “in” (as described above) when Paul has indeed not included this word in these verses.
Other modern translations (such as the ESV) take it one step further by picking up the 5th and final instance, in Rev 14:12, changing the “of” to “in” in this verse as well. Clearly there is something about this second faith, the faith OF Jesus, that the enemy wants to keep hidden from the minds of believers.
THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH
So, we can think of this “from faith to faith” as being:
from faith [in Christ] to faith [of Christ]
No person is saved apart from faith IN Jesus Christ. The just shall live and find the way to eternal life15 by a full surrender to Jesus and thus placing their faith IN Him. We may also carry this further in saying that the just shall live by the faith OF Jesus Christ. Once converted, by faith, they receive the righteousness of God being manifested in their lives through Jesus.16 Thus the just shall live out the rest of their days upon the earth with this faith guiding them unto eternal life.
So they live by the first faith (IN Christ) in the sense that they have found the way to be freed from the penalty of sin, by accepting the payment of Jesus upon the cross as the Passover lamb. They then live by the second faith (OF Christ) in that their lives, which they live upon the earth, are being conformed more and more into the character of Christ. Additionally, their lives are being conducted in obedience to God’s commandments by the power and righteous manifestation of Christ within them.
In the end, they are found worthy to receive of eternal life by their acceptance and submission to both steps of faith.17
CHALLENGE
Now, the “coin” of faith is complete, and its authenticity validated. Both sides are present and understood. What happens from here relies upon the faith of the reader. Does the reader hold in their hand a dubious “coin” of faith, having only a single side imprinted and thus being incomplete? In such cases, will the reader then go to Christ, in faith, to receive the imprint of the missing side?
PRAYER
May God help us to grow from faith to faith as we stand upon our foundation of faith IN Jesus Christ, and grab hold of His righteousness through the faith OF Jesus, that we may one day enter in through the gates into the city of New Jerusalem.18
God Bless,
Charles
Profound
Wow brother Charles! What a powerful message. I was literally trying to understand how to grow in faith and not plateau. I even watched the EV ' help thou mine unbelief' video today to try to better understand some of the points Tom brought up. I've searched out many things in scripture and SOP. This indeed is icing on the cake brother. Thank you for sharing. Thank GOD for this wisdom!