Page 13 - A MEASURE OF FAITH

For which reason, because we have righteousness through faith, let us be at
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore being justified by faith. Paul has just shown that men are counted
righteous before God, not through obedience to the law, but through faith in
Christ. Not law, but faith justifies. The faith that justifies is (1) a faith in Christ; (2)

a faith of the heart (Ro 10:9) which brings the whole life into obedience (Ro 1:5).

Peace with God. While sinners, we are rebels against God. When our rebellion

ceases and we are forgiven we are at peace. This blessed peace with God, which
brings peace to the soul, is through Jesus Christ.

Eph. 2:8-9

Because by grace you have salvation through faith; and that not of yourselves: it
is given by God: Not by works, so that no man may take glory to himself.

For by grace are ye saved through faith. Lest they might forget the doctrine that
he ever preached, he reminds them that works of the law never saved them; that
they were saved by God's grace shown in the gospel; that this salvation was

obtained through the faith. The definite article is found before faith in the Greek,
showing that the faith, or the gospel, is meant.

It is the gift of God. The salvation is not due to ourselves, but is God's gift. The

grammatical construction of the Greek does not allow us to make "faith" the
subject of the last clause. It is not "faith," but salvation through the faith, which is
the gift of God. So says John Wesley in his Notes: "This refers to the previous
clause, that you are saved, etc.”

2. Faith does not abandon reason.

The kind of faith we Christians have is not without reason nor does it have blind
acceptance in God. A faith that is based on the scriptures is not saturated with
desperation and lack of hope.

True biblical faith is decked full of assurance, firm and solid conviction in the
object of our desire. (Heb. 11:1)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

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