Faith Alone

This morning, my husband woke up sick. Not fun at all especially when he is the one who usually doesn't get sick. So when he's sick, he's really sick. Although sickness isn't fun and "going to church" isn't possible this morning, it provided me with time to reflect on this past week and the lessons that God has taught me. One lesson is faith. The lesson of faith has come through a Bible Study I do every Friday morning with my "Panera gals." We have faithfully met to study God's Word and to build one another up for a couple years now - difference faces have come and gone in it but the central purpose of our study remains the same: to pursue God together through His Word. This year, we are studying Romans. A realization that we've all come to in this study is how God desires our heart - not our good deeds. He desires us to be honest with our sinful condition, our inability to do anything for salvation, and His ability to save us alone when we have faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. We have just finished Romans 4 and the word that continues to ring in my heart is "faith." Here are thoughts and verses that have impacted my heart this week when it comes to faith - praying they encourage and strength your faith in Jesus Christ alone.

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Faith is what brings us to a holy God.

Faith is what makes us righteous.

Faith compels us to follow Him.

Faith in Him shows we trust Him.

Faith is everything.

Faith alone saves.

Faith alone.

Sola Fide.

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Romans 1:17 "the just shall live by faith"

Romans 3:22 "Gods' righteousness is revealed through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe..."

Romans 3:26 "...God is the justifier and He is just towards the one who has faith in His Son Jesus."

Romans 4:5 "to him who does not word but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness."

Romans 4:12 "Abraham is the father of those who walk in the steps of faith which he walked while he was uncircumcised"

Romans 4:16 "Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all"

Romans 4:20-22 "He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore, 'it was accounted to him for righteousness.'

Romans 5:1 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"

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Streams in the Desert, December 17th

Many years since I saw that “without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” I began by following after it and inciting all with whom I had intercourse to do the same. Ten years after, God gave me a clearer view than I ever had before of the way to obtain it; namely, by faith in the Son of God. And immediately I declared to all, “We are saved from sin, we are made holy by faith.” This I testified in private, in public, and in print, and God confirmed it by a thousand witnesses. I have continued to declare this for above thirty years, and God has continued to confirm my work.

—John Wesley in 1771

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Sola Fide

Before I blog, I always journal (bottom book)

Then, I rewrite it all in bullet points and summed up thoughts (top book)

Finally, it's written here with a combination of both methods

Voila: blog is up!