The Law of faith, Part 2
By Pastor Frederick K. Price Jr.


In the first session of The Law of Faith we learned that faith is substance or materiality, and that it is the tangibility of the thing for which we are hoping. We learned that hope alone does not produce that tangibility, but faith will. Therefore, if we as believers are in the position of hope, our goal should be to arrive at the position of faith. Faith is what will produce what we desire. Hope positions us with the right attitude.

We learned from the book of Hebrews that faith is substance. Faith has actual existence. It is evidence. Now what is the purpose of evidence and/or proof? How many of us over the course of our lives have uttered these two words – “prove it.” Proof can’t be denied. Why do we require proof? Is it possible we are inquiring about something someone said existed or happened or that they saw?

We weren’t there, so we say, “prove it.” Why are we asking for proof? Because presently there is uncertainty, doubt or flat-out unbelief. Or we might simply say boldly that we don’t believe that.

The Bible is telling us that faith is proof or evidence. Faith, then, is the proof of something that exists. It is the evidence of something that exists because substance exists.

We believe God for things. When we believe Him for things, at that point we don’t have the things we are believing Him for. Our believing God for things is what has convinced us that whatever we’re believing for exists. It is somewhere, although it is not presently with us. By faith we are trusting that what we are believing God for will manifest.

But what some may not realize is that in their mouth is the proof of what they are believing. Their faith is the evidence that what they are believing for exists. Hebrews 11:1 tells us this: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

There is a specific definition for the word seen in this scripture. Sometimes assumptions and guesswork can be either dangerous or a hindrance. However, there is a definition that our apostle – Apostle Frederick K. C. Price – who masterfully taught us faith for years, would always say about the word seen when he would define it. The word seen is not limited to what you see with your physical eyes. The eyes, of course, are involved. If one has his or her sight, then seen things are contacted by or accessed by the eyes. And remember, you don’t see with your eyes, you see through them.

Faith is the evidence of things not seen, so if we only focus on the seen things then we miss out on four other ways in which to contact our environment. We have five senses – sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. Some things we can’t see but we can hear. Some things we can taste. And I don’t know if you have ever experienced this, but there are some things we can taste but not smell. If we limit our evidence to seeing, then we’re missing out on four other ways in which we contact our environment.

I will share a definition that was not used many years ago. But today Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible includes this definition that I had only heard my father utter. It has found its way into Strong Concordance. And any of you who are students of the Word know that Strong’s is considered a main part of Bible study 101. Strong’s says this about seeing. It says, “To perceive by the senses.”

Years ago, this definition was not available, but it has found its way into Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. So someone heard someone else say this and it wound up in Strong’s, and the only someone I had ever heard say “to perceive by the senses” was my father.

So faith has tangibility, materiality, matter, that which has actual existence. It is the proof or evidence of things not “perceived by the senses.” Okay, here is a question: Why would I have to contact anything that cannot be contacted with my five senses?   Why would I do that, and how would I do that? We know why. It is called faith.

Faith is your spiritual sense. Let’s go back to Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is . . . . We can stop right there. Faith is . . .  Now faith is . . .  Faith is now. This is critical: Faith is always now. It is always present tense. If it is not present tense, it is not now. If it is not is, if it is not am, it is not faith. It is not faith because faith is now.

Faith is present tense, and that is what is interesting about faith. God is now. God is present, and He is giving us something. What is interesting is the first thing we receive as a result of being saved is the measure of faith. Our now God gives us a now sense. This is how you start your spiritual walk. It is with the measure of faith.

Make this little note: You do not need God to increase your faith. You simply need to learn how to develop your measure of faith.

Faith is a law. We need to know how the law works so we can cooperate with it. We don’t want to violate the law. We need to know how the law works so we can cooperate with it. We want to work within the parameters of the law. I have gained from scripture that faith is substance, evidence and that faith is.

Let’s look at something else. We read it in Hebrews 10:36. It is also written in Galatians, but I want to look at Romans 1. We need to look at the importance of this is thing, this faith thing, this thing that is both substance and evidence. The thing you are believing God for.

First off, whatever you are believing God for should be in line with His will, and His will is His Word. If you want to know what you can believe God for, you need to get into His Word so you can know His will because what you are believing God for should only be according to His will. If it is in violation of His will, don’t waste His time and don’t waste your time.

What you’re believing God for exists.  You may not be able to see it right now, but it exists. Why? Substance and evidence. Right now, it’s presently in a realm that you cannot see into, but that realm is more real than the realm we live in. The spirit realm is more real than the physical realm. In fact, the physical realm came forth from the spirit realm. Doesn’t Romans 1 tell us that the seen things were made from the invisible?

Look at Romans 1:16 where Paul is writing to the church at Rome, or to the Roman believers. And while he is writing to the Roman church, he addresses “all called to be saints.” However, He is not limiting His teaching to Roman Christians because He references all who are called to be saints.

At another time, Paul in Acts 13:16 addressed a crowd this way: “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen. What Paul says lets us know that Paul was not just talking to Israel, but to all those who fear God. Also in Romans 1, Paul is not only talking to the church at Rome. He is also talking to all those called to be saints. He is talking to you and me. In Romans 1:16 Paul says:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. [Or the gentile.]

What is the power of God? It is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. For the Jew first, but not the Jew only. Once we are in Christ, there is no Jew; there is no gentile. If it was for the Jew only, us gentiles . . . . Well, actually, I have to be careful how I even word this because we don’t know. Some of us gentiles could be Jews. Regardless, once we are in Christ, there is no Jew. There is no gentile. So thank God it is not for the Jew only.

Then He says, For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” So the righteousness of God is only revealed via the gospel of Christ. If it is not the gospel of Christ, the righteousness of God is not revealed.

Who are the just? The just are those who are declared righteous. There is nothing anyone can do on his or her own to be just. There is nothing we can do on our own to increase our justification because we had nothing to do with it. All you said was, “By faith, yes,” and as a result of that you entered the family of God and were immediately declared righteous. It was not by your own merit or works. The just are declared righteous. The just are also known as the righteousness of God. You and I are the righteousness of God, and the scripture says in the gospel of Christ that we are revealed.

There is a way we live, and that way is by faith. Paul said this to the Corinthian believers in 2 Corinthians 5:21: For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

So as the result of the Father making Him, the Son, sin, He placed sin on the Son, and He did it legally. There has to be sin in your life for you to be disconnected from God. The difference between the first Adam and the last Adam is that one violated a commandment and had a nature change. The other made an exchange as a result if the covenant with Abraham. Whenever there is a covenant, there is an exchange.

So in the garden of Gethsemane when He said, Let this cup pass; nevertheless, not my will but your will be done. He said, here is what I will do: I’m going to cash in since I am the son of Abraham. I’m going to cash in on the covenant that you made with Abraham and I’m going to exchange Abraham and all who came after. I’m going to exchange my righteousness for their sin. He, the Father, made Him sin who knew no sin to become sin for you and me so that we could become the righteousness of God.

We are the righteousness of God, the just, the declared righteous. We have right-standing with the Father. That tells me that before we became the righteousness of God, we had wrong standing. Now we can approach the throne. We have a legal right to access the throne of God. The Bible says we need access to find grace and mercy.

So we are the righteousness of God. We are God’s righteousness. We have right-standing. We are the just. We are declared righteous. And how do we live? We live by faith.


     
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