Zunic view drives into conscience that human civilization is linked to the unwillingness of people to pay attention to the gospel. To the extent of questioning the incarnation of Jesus Christ, I become skeptical in basing my belief on the knowledge of this world. How safe is it to investigate the validity of the creator? It is unsafe, of course! Unfaithfulness is termed as ignorance towards the consequences of sin.
The current world is filled with diverse philosophies guiding human beliefs. Atheists believe that there is no God. Other religions are driven by principles that are based on the worship of gods. However, the Bible affirms the true worship and faith that all people should follow. Moreover, through faith, God assures all individuals prosperity. Let us have a look at the scriptures.
- Philippians 1:8: For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
- Hebrews 11:8: By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed, and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
- Ephesians 6:10: Finally, be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might.
- Psalm 28:7: The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore, my heart exalts, and with my song, I shall thank Him.
- Daniel 2:14-48 shows that: Daniel and his colleagues obtained mercies of God through faith, and that overturned the plans of Nebuchadnezzar to slay them plus other Chaldeans. The power of faith in God saves lives, even the lives of sinners.
(Do you feel compelled to have faith in God? How should we approach God with matters of our lives? Believe that our help can come from another source? Trust in Him from the beginning? The assurance is in Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”)
The Power in Unfeigned Faith
Faith that is pure, genuine, and legitimate is the power of all people who do God’s will. Timothy is brought up in a family of a mother and grandmother with a sincere belief in heavenly promises. Paul mentions Eunice and Lois as the emblems of faith and role models from which Timothy’s conviction to live purely for God’s purpose stems. Moreover, he gets convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that since Timothy has followed the footsteps of his parent, nothing would have drawn him away from the pure walk with God. (5)
What then should form the foundation of our beliefs? Before highlighting the family members of Timothy, Paul, in his letter, mentions his forefathers who served God as his role models. He then advances to emphasize that with a clear conscience, prays and admires seeing Timothy in unfeigned faithfulness to serving God. Paul then motivates Timothy to cheer up and invest his talents in serving God. He reasoned that God had given his Spirit to faithful people, to empower them and impart love that sustains a sound mind. (3-4, 6-7)
Please do not take your parents’ faith in God for granted… Putting yourself into the context of how faith in Paul and Timothy is established, have you upheld the beliefs your parents and grandparents had in God? Are you the type who has set aside faith in God that your parents taught you?
- Acts 7:32: God appealed to Moses regarding Himself as the God of his fathers, and proceeded to mention Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were faithful to him. Therefore, no one should leave the pure faith in God through which his or her parents got the power to do beautiful things.
Unfeigned faith in God strengthens human beings to endure troubles and work unceasingly to overcome challenges. Believing in Jesus Christ will help the person in the commission to spread the gospel. However, the course of preaching is associated with challenges and afflictions, some of which may call for the head of a faithful servant of God. Lifestyles of people and their cultures may also lead to stigmatization of an individual who is devoted to serving God. Moreover, a person who does the will of God is perceived by his or her fellows as uncivilized. What then should we do as people who are genuine to God in their faith?
- We should neither be ashamed nor scared of being faithful to God and doing His work. Paul counts himself a captive of the gospel work, and so should be Timothy who has unfeigned faith in God. (8)
- Mark 8:38: “For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
The scriptures summons all people to be confident, knowing that through faith in God, all the requirements for sustainability are availed. Paul asserts that he is persuaded to suffer the things of this world and be saved by the grace of God. The same kind of faith should form the foundation of Christians’ beliefs because the strength to overcome afflictions come from the grace and mercies of God.
Faith is the Strength when doing the Service of Jesus Christ
Faithfulness to God strengthens an individual to work devotedly. Like a soldier on the battlefield, Timothy is commissioned to endure in the grace provided by Jesus Christ. Moreover, Timothy was to train his fellows who exhibit boldness in character the word of God so that they would engage in preaching the gospel of God. Through the faith that Timothy held, he was not supposed to go contrary to the directives of his commander, who is God. In Deuteronomy 5: 1-33, the ten commandments and the statutes of God are plainly stated. That implies that God is the commander of soldiers of Jesus Christ. (vv.2:1-13).
Considering the way soldiers should behave on the battlefield and military camps, Paul compelled Timothy to adopt the same skills. In no instance should a soldier love the enemy because it appears lucrative? He should be firm to the principles they are trained and faithfully yield to the commands of the director. (Barrow, 2016).
The same manner is the way God expects people to be faithful, and without divided attention, act according to the biblical directions.
Nobody can withstand the pressure of unfaithfulness. Some people have gone to the extent of feeling that they no longer deserve to live. What does that mean? In Isaiah 59:1-3: God alienates Himself from those who are not faithful to him. Moreover, the capacity to stand and proclaim the gospel to people elevates it because it is the Holy Spirit that strengthens individuals while they are preaching.
The greatest commission ever given to mortal beings by immortal Beings is to proclaim the gospel. According to.. vv.3:10-17: the inspiration for writing the word of God in the Bible was through the Holy Ghost. In Romans 10: 10-16: the scripture itself compels human beings to know it by reading and preaching for an individual to know Jesus Christ and become righteous. The very great commission is upon Timothy through Paul’s letter as a genuine seeker of God through faith… In no instance should we, therefore, as Christians settle down with the power obtained from God through faith. The message of God’s grace to all human race, tongues, and tribe is to be proclaimed by you and me who have known it… vv.4:1-8.
Power to Overcome Sin through Faith.. vv.2:14-26; 3:1-17
We talk of sin when there is the transgression of the law. 1 John 3:4: But it is not the law tabulated in the constitutions of different nations… Upon going against the law of God, an individual graduates to be called a sinner. It implies that by believing the word of God, an individual will not sin. The approval by God’s judgment is vital for someone to be counted righteous through faith. Having a strong belief in God makes an individual be validated by God and granted the heavenly promises to human beings such as wisdom. (James 1:5-6)
The strength to overcome sin and be approved by God is obtained by faith. In Hebrews 11:6, it is written that: “without faith, it is impossible to please God, because He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” It is by faith that God gets pleased and approves and individual.
According to Holly and Lilian 2016, through God’s strength, an individual can overcome the temptation that the person faces each moment. John Piper further adds that the power of sin cannot be overcome by anything else apart from faith. Believing that what God has promised will surely come to pass entails being confident that there is forgiveness of sin and having success by living righteously. It is because “faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen.” (Hebrews 11:1).
Kristen states that the infinite nature of God is defined by faithfulness. The advice from Paul is direct and straightforward and applies not only to Timothy but also to all people who are believers in Jesus Christ as their Lord. Paul directed Timothy to be lustful… Instead, his pursuit was to be invested in “righteousness, faith, charity, peace”, as an individual who invites the Lord into his life wholeheartedly and pure mind.. vv.22-26.
Our Strength from God through Faith
Strength from the Holy Spirit is obtained by Pure Faith, not Masquerading
The article by Zunic Nikolaj highlights that: “the chief task of each human being is to become a true self, instead of assuming a fraudulent identity.” Unfeigned faith implies that an individual who believes in God exclusively holds to His principles and precepts. Such kind of faith is termed pure and is a point upon which God justifies individuals as righteous. In James 1:17 it is highlighted that: “every good gift and every perfect gift come from above, and come down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” The gifts from God empower us just as it is highlighted in.. vv.1:6-7. In Revelation 3:14-22: being lukewarm is great treason before God. People who have a middle ground cannot be granted strength from God because they do not believe in Him. Everyone here should, therefore, be faithful, exclusively devoted to the service of God to realize heavenly blessings in life.
Strength from Our Genuine Faith in God Makes Us Righteous
Indeed, God has promised prosperity and His accessibility to people who will search for Him with all their hearts in Jeremiah 29:11-13. What does it imply? God is ready to sustain anyone who is convicted to worship Him exclusively. Jesus Christ emphasized that “no one can serve two masters”, because it is evident that he or she will love one and hate the other master. The prosperity promised by God is eternity, which only the righteous people are promised. But without faith in Jesus Christ, we can be saved. What does that mean? John 3:16: “…whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” May the Lord strengthen our faith in Him so that His grace saves us? Edward urges Christian to have genuine faith in God and not just a faith that can be terminated through difficulty that the person faces. Hammell narrates the story of the power of Abigail who was a woman of strength and faith.
Therefore, each one of us should have pure, genuine, and unfeigned faith in God. In that way, all of us will receive blessings in this life, and into eternity we will be approved by God to live forever for having lived righteously and faithfully to Him.
Bibliography
Barrow, Rosemary. “Faithful and National unto Death: Identity Militarism, in Victorian Masculinity Britain.” Graeco-Roman Antiquity and the Idea of Nationalism in the 19th Century: Case Studies, (2016): 131.
Deede, Kristen K. “The infinite qualitative difference: Sin, the self, and revelation in the thought of Søren Kierkegaard.” International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, no. 53, (2003): 25-48.
Edward, Andrews. “Fearless Be Courageous and Strong Through your Faith in these Last Days.” Christian Publishing House, no. -, (2017): 20-21.
Hammell, Cynthia. “Young’s Abigail’s Story: Biblical wisdom from a woman of strength and faith.” (Book review).” The Christian Librarian 63, no. 1, (2020): 7.
Holly Gadd and Lillian Tryon. “Building Biblically Founded Faith and Values through Campus-Wide Healthy Lifestyle Project.” Biblical Foundations of Faith and Learning, no. 1, (2016): 18-19.
John, Piper. “Future Grace. The Purifying Power of the Promises of God or Living by Faith in Future Grace.” (Book review).” (1995): 4.
Nikolaj, Zunic. “The Dialectic of Sin and Faith in “Being Able to be Oneself.”” Open Theology, no. 5, (2019): 367-376.